One Hundred And Forty Nearly Twelve (Completed)

Chapter 22: Followed

Five thirty on Sunday morning Harry and Hermione parted company in the Gryffindor common room, Harry headed up to the boys dormitory while Hermione headed up the stairwell to the girls rooms.

"Oh come on Ginny wake up, I have some thing to show you," Hermione hissed into Ginny's ear as she shook the first year.

"Jus-five-mins-mum," Ginny mumbled as she rolled over trying to get away from Hermione's persistent hand that was shaking her shoulder.

Up in the boy's dorm Harry was having about the same luck as Hermione, Neville just did not want to wake up.

'Hermione love, I have an idea, if you say 'aqua peniculus' with a short left to right swish, you should be able to conjure a wet sponge, I'm going to levitate one over Neville's face then drop it on him when I reach the door, you can do the same with Gin, but be ready to run' Harry told her laughing.

Twin yells split the quiet of the Sunday morning as both Harry and Hermione dropped the cold wet sponges on their best friends' faces then ran for the common room. Thirty minutes and several rude words later Harry and Hermione along with two rather disgruntled friends and the Weasley twins crept quietly out of the castle and headed down to the lake.

Hermione stopped and glanced over her shoulder, past the twins that were right behind her, 'Harry I'm sure we're being followed' she told her husband as he led the way.

Albus Dumbledore woke early that Sunday morning; his sleep had been slightly troubled by his deputy headmistresses. She had been acting just a little odd since lunchtime the day before, if he did not know better he would swear she was actually gloating over something and what ever it was it concerned the Potters'. That odd smile and the 'I know something you don't' look she had shown all through last nights supper had definitely been evident since lunch time when she had returned to the great hall with the two second year students.

Albus did not consider himself to be a nosey person, it was just that he liked to know everything that was going on in his school, and if he had to surreptitiously follow his students to find out then he was quite willing to do so. That was why he was now under a disillusionment charm following six of his students toward the lake, he wondered when they all stopped and gathered around Mrs Potter, just what it might be that she was showing them, what could she have to show them that needed the privacy of the outdoors before she could reveal it?

Harry having reached the same spot they had stood in with professor McGonagall the previous day, stopped and turned to his friends, "We have something to show you," he told them with a rather cheery smile on his face.

Hermione reached into her pocket and removed the gold key. Ginny, Neville, Fred and George gathered around her and a few whispered questions were asked, Hermione just smiled at them just has Harry had done, Ginny noted Hermione had a smile very like Harry's.

"How do I find Gryffindor Manor?" Hermione asked no one in particular.

The odd looks she got from their friends had Harry laughing, "How the heck would we know that?" Neville asked looking around at his friends bewildered faces.

Seconds later the early morning mist began to dissolve right in front of them, "Ok come on you lot," Harry called as he led the way to the front door of the Mansion that had appeared out of the swirling white vapours. Hermione placed the key in the lock and turned it.