After an adaptive first week at Hogwarts, Harry thought the second week was even stranger.

He had gotten used to the common paths he walked to his classes and meals, the way outside to the grounds or the courtyard, and the directions to the Slytherin common room.

He felt proud to have accomplished such familiarity in his first week, but what made the second one so strange to him was the fact he now often passed his parents in the corridors. When they'd first arrived, Harry hadn't been able to sit still during lunch and kept looking over at them with a relieved smile. When he'd finally gotten to join them to look around their quarters, Harry barely paid it all much notice. He had hugged them for as long as possible, not wanting to leave them again, while taking the chance to tell them all about his first week.

Another thing he had to get used to was the way older students frequently sought him out in search of a confirmation that he was indeed the son of Severus Snape.

Even weirder, during that second week, was that the whispers about the disappearing former-Ravenclaw head girl, Mercy Tallwater, had not died down. There was no fresh news regarding her whereabouts, or what had happened to her, and yet the older students were still overheard discussing her in hushed tones in random corners of the castle during meals or free time.

After serving his detention with Professor McGonagall (alongside Ginny, Jack, and Conner), Harry even heard Ravenclaws talking about the missing girl, when previously they had seemed too shocked and distraught to do so. But Harry and his friends had more things to worry about than a former Ravenclaw they hadn't even met. During his free time between Herbology and Transfiguration, on the third Tuesday morning of September, Harry was busy telling Jack and Ginny about a disappearance of his own.

'I sent them a letter on Wednesday, which Jack can vouch for because he saw me write it.' Harry said as he sat with the pair under the shady tree in the courtyard. 'Mum said she was worried when I didn't answer them. Apparently they'd sent me a letter Thursday morning, but I never got any mail from them at all.'

'Do you think the owl got lost?' Jack wondered.

'Not likely.' Ginny scoffed. 'It's only from Hogsmeade to here. Owls are rarely lost when they have to travel halfway around the world.'

'Aren't they supposed to deliver it straight to the person?' Jack frowned.

'Yeah.' Ginny nodded. 'Well, either that or where the person lives.' She turned to Harry with a serious expression. 'I doubt you'd have missed it sitting on your bed or something, so maybe...'

'Maybe someone took it?' Harry narrowed his eyes as he finished her sentence. He had considered it before, but didn't wanted to believe it might be possible. 

'Would anyone in your dorm have taken it?' Ginny asked.

'Yeah.' Harry growled.

One person from his dormitory immediately came to mind.

'Logan Makarney. It had to have been him. That git!'

He didn't think Casey would have done it, not after he'd stood up for Harry about missing his parents when Logan had called Harry a crybaby. He doubted Lionel would have taken his letter because the curly-haired boy just didn't seem like the type, as he was often nervous and not very co-ordinated. The only other person who might be to blame was Ian, who was more a mystery to Harry than anything he was learning about in his classes. The neat and quiet boy unnerved him at times, though Harry couldn't see any reason for Ian to have taken his letter, whereas Logan hated him since day one.

'What are you going to do?' Jack wondered. 'Should we tell a Professor? Should we tell your dad?' He smirked at the idea of Logan facing up against Severus Snape.

'No.' Harry shook his head. 'I can't tell Dad. Logan will know I did and that will only make things worse. I don't want to be known as the one who goes tattling to his parents just because they work here.' He sighed. 'I'm going to have to deal with it myself. I'll confront him in the common room tonight. The prefects hate it when Slytherins do something spiteful to other Slytherins, so maybe they'll overhear and make him give it back if he refuses.'

'Good idea.' Ginny nodded. 'Too bad we can't be there to see it.'

'Yeah, being in different houses sucks sometimes.' Jack pouted.

He grumbled further when the bell rang and they had to separate once again. Agreeing to meet up after their last lesson, the three friends parted ways. Harry headed to his Transfiguration lesson, where he shared a table with Oscar while Ian sat diagonally to their right.

'I heard something really weird.' Oscar instantly spoke to Harry in a rush, looking as though he had been waiting all day to tell someone. 'You know how we're supposed to be seeing more ghosts now, but there's still hardly any around?'

'Yeah.' Harry nodded, having noticed it as well.

'Well, I heard they linger around the third floor corridor just after curfew.' Oscar whispered really quietly, wary of the watchful tabby cat seated on the professor's desk.

'Really?' Harry was surprised to hear this. 'What are they doing?'

'I don't know.' Oscar shrugged. 'A prefect was talking about it and said they'd been told to stay away from there. I wish I knew why! Do you think it might have something to do with the missing girl?'

'I dunno. How can it?' Harry shrugged as well. 'I mean, the whole ghost thing might not be related to it at all. Percy did say they were doing something for Dumbledore.'

He shuddered at the memory of the conversation he'd had with the headmaster several days ago.

'I guess so.' Oscar sighed and his enthusiasm deflated a little.

The lesson begun, but Harry had trouble focusing on turning his match into a needle. Despite what he'd told Oscar, he was beginning to think more was going on at Hogwarts than it appeared. It was his first year at Hogwarts, so Harry had little experience regarding how the ghosts usually acted during the school term, but what he'd heard from older years was clue enough that things were not as they usually were.

What task could the headmaster have for the ghosts that had been taking this long, and couldn't have been done during the summer before school term?

Harry recently learned (ironically, from Dumbledore himself) about the house-elves who cooked their meals and washed their clothes. Harry thought the headmaster would be better off asking the house-elves to check something for him rather than the ghosts. Unless there were places ghosts could go that elves couldn't?

He considered asking dad when he had free time because Harry knew if anyone had answers it would be Severus Snape.

-- 

The questions and curiosities rested with him well into his next lesson, which was History of Magic.

Jack fell asleep five minutes into the class, and Conner kept to himself as he discreetly read a book under his desk. Harry had plenty of time to think about the strange occurrences around Hogwarts with the ghosts and missing girl. By the time the bell rang for the end of the lesson, Harry really wanted to know what was going on at night on the third floor.

Why were the ghosts going there, of all places? And why had the prefects been told to stay away?

'You're rather quiet.' Ginny commented when she met up with Harry and Jack in a corridor near the History of Magic classroom.

'I've been thinking about something Oscar said.' Harry answered, and told them about the ghosts heading to the third floor corridor after curfew.

He was relieved to notice that Ginny and Jack looked really curious and concerned as well.

'I wish I could ask Dad about it.' Harry frowned. 'I reckon he knows. He seems to know everything. But, well, I doubt he'll tell me.'

'Yeah.' Jack agreed with a disappointed sigh. 'I really wish we could find out, though.'

'You said the prefects aren't allowed there, right?' Ginny whispered. 'So other than ghosts and portraits, the corridor will be empty.'

'Theoretically.' Harry nodded. 'Why? Do you think we should actually sneak and have a look? We could get in so much trouble!'

He stared at his friends - seeing the mischievous expression on her face, and the eagerness on Jack's.

'I think we should do it.' Jack decided. 'I'll go insane not knowing!'

'Fine.' Harry grumbled. 'But this is why I was put into Slytherin and not you two.' He muttered, knowing his house had a bit of a reputation for self preservation and cunning.

His curiosity had won over any such concerns - Harry just had to find out what was going on in worry it could be something bad, or have something to do with the missing girl.

Harry and Ginny wanted to finish their Potions homework that was due on Friday, so the trio didn't sneak out Tuesday night.

Harry wished they all took Astronomy class together, as it would be a great excuse to be out of their dorms after curfew, with the lesson taking place at midnight. However, after his lesson, he realised it was a good thing they hadn't gone with that plan.

Harry barely made it back to his dormitory before he'd passed out from exhaustion.

Thursday night was the night they were going through with their sneaky plan. Jack and Harry endured a double lesson of Defence Against the Dark Arts, where Lockhart continued to read portions from his books. Harry and Jack easily occupied their time by whispering about their plan. They also alternated with glaring at Logan for lengths of time, still holding him responsible for the missing letter.

Harry hadn't had time to confront the other Slytherin boy yet, but it was the least of his priorities with everything else that was going on.

In Charms, with Casey and Haylee, Harry was further distracted from the tasks at hand. He almost set his feather on fire twice instead of levitating it. He was becoming rather anxious about the plan in fear of his parents finding out what he was up to. He'd received quite an earful from his father regarding his detention in the first week, even if his parents had eventually believed Peeves was mostly to blame for the mess.

He could only imagine what they'd say about him sneaking around the castle at night.

Just after lunch every Thursday afternoon, Harry had the chance to visit his father in the Great Hall where he tutored any student who needed or wanted additional assistance. With his rule-breaking act in mind, Harry decided not to stop by that Thursday. His dad was far too clever at knowing when Harry was going to do something he shouldn't.

Instead, the Slytherin boy met with Jack and Ginny outside under their favourite oak tree. They discussed how they were all going to sneak out, and where to meet up, since each of them were coming different common rooms.

'Mine is the hardest.' Ginny complained. 'I'm all the way up on the seventh floor!'

Harry agreed it would be riskier and more difficult for her to sneak around, whereas he and Jack were in the dungeons and basement respectfully. The plan was to sneak out just before curfew and meet up around the corner from the third floor corridor. Harry wasn't pleased to realise he was the only one of the trio who looked concerned about their plan, if only because the worst the others could get in regards to their parents was a letter home.

Both Harry's mum and dad were somewhere in the castle, and he'd be passing right by their quarters to sneak to the third floor.

-- 

By the time he had finished his dinner and retreated to the Slytherin common room, Harry felt queasy with nerves and lacked confidence towards the outcome of their risky plan.

But he wasn't going to back out of it, not after he'd promised Jack and Ginny he would be there.

Just before nine o'clock, Harry carefully left the common room and was dismayed to see how darker the dungeons looked at night. He wandered cautiously through the corridors, until he met up with Jack on the first floor. The two boys were wide-eyed and pale as they crept around the first floor and hurried to the second via the grand staircase. That was where they found Ginny, who looked immeasurably relieved to see them, as though she'd been worried they would change their minds and ditch her to the mercy of Filch.

Not daring to speak, Ginny led the way forward. She used gestures to direct them into broom closets whenever she thought she heard something, which could easily have been a professor, Filch, or Mrs Norris. The trio of first years hoped not to meet any of those options that night.

They fearfully continued along the corridors until they reached the corner of their destination.

'Have a look.' Jack nudged Harry. 'Are they here yet?'

Harry gulped and peered around the stone corner. Apart from the moonlight streaming through the windows, he didn't see anyone at all.

Not a single ghost.

'Nothing.' He told them quietly. 'Maybe we're early?'

'Or maybe Oscar was wrong?' Jack realised the awful possibly the others hadn't considered until then. They were going on mere word of mouth, so the information was only as accurate as Oscar had provided.

'He seemed really sure.' Harry said, though he felt it wasn't convincing enough. 'Let's wait a little longer.'

And so they waited.

The three first years jumped at every sound, and checked the corridor several times a minute. None of them wore a watch, but at least twenty minutes passed by before Harry checked the corridor again to witness something amiss.

'Look!' He gasped.

They huddled close together and inched back into the corridor.

The trio tried to use a suit of armour for concealment, while being exceptionally careful in memory of the last time they were near one. They watched the scene with bated breath. At least five ghosts they had never seen before floated along the corridor. The transparent figures halted beside a tall, aged tapestry with twisting vines looped with snakes. None of the ghosts spoke, but they seemed to be waiting for something to happen, just as the discreet first years were.

For a long time, the ghosts simply hovered around and nothing happened.

Jack began to fidget in boredom and discomfort, while Ginny glared at him each time. Harry remained still and watchful, too anxious to bother with what his friends were doing. He prayed they wouldn't be discovered. The ghosts appeared to not notice them, but if anyone were to turn into the corner they had come from, then the group would be relatively in plain sight.

'Who's that?' Harry hissed to the other pair.

His friends quickly looked around the corner at a ghost who had floated through a wall and approached those waiting. Evidentially, they had been waiting for this ghost, dressed in an old-fashioned suit with a bow tie around his neck and a top hat on his head. His expression was stern and dignified, as he gestured the other ghosts towards the tapestry.

'How should I know?' Jack replied. He barely knew what his own house ghost looked like.

'He doesn't sound like anyone I've heard of.' Ginny added, ignoring Jack. 'Where are they going?' She wondered.

The ghosts drifted through the tapestry, and the corridor was otherwise vacant once again.

The three first years nervously remained still for several more minutes, but the ghosts were gone. The corridor became eerily quiet when only their breathing was heard. Jack, taking the first step out from around the armour, approached the tapestry with determination fixed in his features.

The other two hurried after him.

'It looks normal enough.' Jack whispered, pressing his palm against the tapestry. 'Hang on.' He frowned.

There was a bump underneath around the middle.

The sandy-haired Hufflepuff found a split in the tapestry, much like a curtain, and pulled it back to reveal a framed portrait.

'That's exactly where the ghosts went through.' Harry realised. 'What's wrong with it?' He asked.

The portrait, resting inside the dark golden frame with lily flowers engraved in each corner, didn't look like a portrait at all. It was a blank canvas, though it looked to have faded to black rather than simply having nothing in it. As the other two looked it over from every angle, Harry rubbed his robe sleeve over it to remove thick dust from the metal nameplate at the bottom.

'R.T?' Harry read aloud with a confused frown. 'What does that mean?'

'It might be the name of whoever was in this picture.' Ginny shrugged. 'It's strange that it's still here, if it's too old to use or there's something wrong with it.'

'Maybe they forgot about it?' Jack said.

'The ghosts were really interested in it, unless they didn't realise it was here.' Harry didn't think so - it was a rather specific place for them to pass through. 'Perhaps this does more than just show a magical picture? Maybe it's like a portal or something?'

'It could be anything.' Jack sighed. 'We could guess here all night.'

There was a sound nearby and the three first years froze.

Acutely aware of the late time, and the fact they were not supposed to be there, they decided it was time to leave. Covering the portrait with the tapestry curtain once again, the group headed the way they came and narrowly missed knocking into the suit of armour.

Ginny left them on the grand staircase, as she had several floors to reach to get to her common room. Jack and Harry ran back to the first floor, trying to be as quiet as possible, and looked warily towards the large portrait of the meadow.

'C'mon.' Harry urged Jack forward.

They crept along the corridor, fearful of Severus or Erin catching them. They made it, and headed for their separate common room in the basement or dungeons.

Harry hurriedly whispered the password to the wall and entered the Slytherin common room with a gush of relief.

It was short-lived, when he saw he was not alone.

'Where were you?' Ian asked, rising from a nearby armchair. 'Sneaking out after curfew, really?'

'I...' Harry had no excuse to give his dorm-mate, so he tried to sound tough instead. 'It's not really any of your business.'

'What if I make it my business?' Ian narrowed his eyes. 'What if I think Professor Slughorn should hear about this? It would be for your own good, of course.' He smirked.

'You're one to talk.' Harry retaliated. He felt fearful that Ian might do either of those things. 'You disappear all the time too. You didn't come back with us after Astronomy class last night. I bet Slughorn would be interested in that too, don't you think?'

'Fair enough.' Ian shrugged with amusement, which only confused Harry further. 'You know how to stand your ground. Good. Well, good night.' He nodded and headed for their shared dormitory.

Harry watched the taller boy walk away and wondered what Ian's intentions had really been.

He could never understand that boy, but didn't want to be on edge when he would rather go to bed and get some rest. He waited a moment, and then returned to the dormitory as well. Ian was nowhere in sight, though the drapes around his bed were closed. Logan was buried under his covers, and Casey muttered something incoherent in his sleep. Lionel's snoring was the only consistent sound in the room.

Harry quickly showered and climbed under his blankets, exhaling with the relief that he hadn't been caught that night. As he closed his eyes, he wondered who “R.T” was and why the ghosts were so interested in the wall. And who was the ghost with the top hat?

Questions swam through his mind, but did not hinder his attempts to sleep, and Harry was soon dreaming of flying a broomstick over a lush meadow.

Despite his late-night ventures, Harry woke rather early on Friday morning.

Recalling the events of the night before, his gaze drifted to Ian's bed. The other boy was still sleeping, though the drapes had been pulled open sometime during the night. He rarely saw Ian in his bed because the other boy often got up early and always had the drapes drawn closed.

For someone who was always neat and proper in appearance, his bed was a complete tangle of blankets, and Ian's hair stuck in every direction. Harry wondered if he simply slept like Jack did, or if Ian recently had a nightmare. Harry always woke with his blankets twisted and everywhere when he had a nightmare.

His thoughts leaving Ian, Harry used the bathroom and dressed into his uniform. He bent in front of his trunk to sort out the things he would need for the day. He only had Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, so his bag was quite light as he draped it over his shoulder. Looking back at his sleeping room-mates, Harry turned and left the dormitory.

He passed a pair of sixth year girls in the common room, but neither group paid attention to the other.

Entering the chilly dungeon corridor outside the common room, Harry made his way to the library. He'd only been there a few times before, and each incident he had only stayed for a couple of minutes, but Harry didn't have much difficulty finding his way there on his own without asking for directions. The corridors were a bit strange to him, as they were so empty at such an early hour. He passed a seventh year or prefect every once and again, but no one else.

Stepping inside the grand room, he looked around at the shelves of books and wondered where to begin.

Normally he'd have stopped by to see his dad on the first floor, who would certainly be awake whereas his mother wouldn't, but Harry had other things on his mind. When he'd waited for them to join him at Hogwarts, Harry had wanted to visit them every day. Now they were there, and he could see them any time he wanted, the boy was much less worried about it.

Walking towards a section on histories of the famous and infamous, Harry wondered if it was a waste of time to try and search for any clues about whose portrait hung behind the tapestry on the third floor.

He had no idea where to begin.

'Hello, Cody.'

'Oh.' Harry turned towards the Ravenclaw classmate with surprise. 'Hi, Conner.'

'What are you looking for?' Conner seemed rather shy.

Harry almost had to strain to hear him, and he wasn't convinced it was just because of the enforce quiet of the library. Conner looked uncertain and kept staring at his feet, though it wasn't entirely uncharacteristic of the Ravenclaw boy.

'Nothing, really.' Harry sighed. 'I was just looking for something interesting to read.'

He wasn't sure what compelled him to tell the other boy, but he did.

'I found a portrait and wanted to know whose it was, but it only had “R.T” written on it. Any ideas?'

'That's weird.' Conner commented and looked at the rows of books around them. 'Well, it could only be a name. If you found it in Hogwarts then there must be some sort of link to the school.' He thought aloud, eager to help.

'Yeah.' Harry frowned and looked away, thinking his search was hopeless and he'd only barely begun.

'Did you try asking the person?' Conner asked politely.

He tried really hard not to sound as though he thought Harry was of lesser intelligence for not just asking the portrait for his or her name. Despite his best efforts, it reflected on his face.

'It was blank.' Harry frowned. 'That's why it's so hard. There's nothing in it. It's black. Have you ever heard of a portrait like that?'

'No.' Conner was worried by the information. 'I haven't.'

He turned back to the shelves and reached up on his tip-toes to extracted a thick book from the shelves.

'Let's try here.' He suggested and walked to a table, nearly dropping the book on it due to the weight.

The two first years bent over the aged pages of the book. They remained silent for several pages, reading the names in search of anything to match with “R.T.” They were shortly interrupted by a shadow casting over their table, which caused them both to look up.

'Mum?' Harry was shocked to see his mother awake at such an early hour. It was almost never seen, unless she was woken by Harry himself. 'What are you doing here?'

'Filch has me mopping the corridor outside.' Erin answered with a roll of her eyes. 'I just finished when I saw you heading here. I thought I would stop by; We haven't seen much of you lately.'

'Sorry.' Harry blushed. 'I was going to visit, but I was busy.'

'It's quite alright.' Erin smiled at him. 'Oh, and who is your friend?' She beamed at the Ravenclaw seated beside Harry.

She considered if the Ravenclaw was one of the friends her son had promised to introduce her to.

'Oh, he's...' Harry was about to tell his mother that Conner wasn't really his friend. They were just working together, even if he had no real idea why Conner had decided to join him and share his research task so early in the morning.

He stopped talking and considered his intended words.

Sure, Harry hadn't declared himself a friend of Conner, who was now looking downcast as though he was ashamed to be sitting with Harry. The gave the impression of already knowing exactly what Harry had been about to say. The truth was, he and Conner always sat together in their History of Magic classes, and stood side-by-side every Herbology lesson. Sometimes they even shared notes and joked about something they'd heard in class.

Unlike Ginny and Jack, Harry didn't spend his spare time with Conner, or call him his friend, but he supposed they were on friendly terms. He'd seen Conner sit with Oscar during meals, though Harry did not think Conner really had any friends at all. He felt bad for the other boy, who had once shoved him when they'd been preparing to ride the boats across the lake. Harry kept seeing Conner's scared face during the sorting ceremony, and realised how alone the boy looked in between classes.

Harry didn't have the heart to carelessly dismiss the friendship.

'This is Conner.' Harry told his mother. 'We don't know each other very well yet, but we work together in classes and stuff.'

'It's nice to meet you, Conner.' Erin tried to be polite.

'Thanks.' Conner told her. Be blushed at her words and nodded respectfully, then watched Harry a surprised expression.

'I better get back to work.' Erin sighed. She secretly realised her son might think she was intruding upon bonding time with his new friend or an important pre-breakfast research project. 'Be sure to check in with your father soon. He noticed you didn't come by the tutoring session yesterday.' Erin added, with a roll of her eyes.

“Noticed” was a rather loose term for a man who had ranted about it for an hour. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had been missing the company of their son.

'It was nice meeting you, Conner.' She added. 'I better go, or Mrs Norris will tattle on me.' Erin muttered and walked out of the library.

'That was your mother?'

'Yeah.' Harry felt a bit embarrassed.

To hide it, he looked back at the book and gasped, his finger pointing to a name. One name stood out, which they'd have noticed sooner if the pair hadn't been interrupted. Harry was convinced it was the unknown name listed under the portrait.

'Rosalene Tallwater?' Conner uttered barely above a whisper. 'She's the great-aunt of...'

He didn't say the name, but they were both thinking it.

One mystery had been solved, but led to an even bigger one. Why was a concealed, blackened portrait, which was of high interest to the ghosts, be the very portrait of the great-aunt of the missing Ravenclaw girl, Mercy Tallwater?

Was there a connection between the portrait and the disappearance of the former head girl?

'Where did you find the portrait?' Conner asked.

'Um...' Harry, having discovered the important new information about the cryptic name on the portrait, was rather hesitant to give any additional details. 'It doesn't matter.'

'I want to see it.' Conner insisted. 'Please, Cody? It's so fascinating! Why won't you tell me? Don't you trust me?' His eagerness faltered rather quickly.

'I shouldn't have seen it.' Harry admitted. 'I wasn't really supposed to be there.'

'Oh.' Conner thought for a moment. 'I won't tell. Will you show me? Or tell me how to get there?'

'We only stand a chance of not getting caught if we go after curfew, and even that is really risky.' Harry frowned. 'It's not worth it.'

'You did.' Conner pointed out. 'If you can do it, why can't I? I'll be really quiet, I promise.'

'Fine.' Harry exhaled. 

He didn't really want to, but Conner was too determined to see it. Harry wanted to see the portrait again, now he knew whose it was.

'We'll sneak out tonight.' He decided in a very quiet voice, hoping they wouldn't be overheard by the librarian. 'Two of my friends might come with me. Are you sure about this?'

'I'm sure.' Conner nodded. 'Where should we meet?'

'On the third floor, just inside.' Harry stood and returned the book to its place on the shelf. He had all the information Harry felt he needed for now. 'Just after curfew, okay? If you're late, we can't wait for you.'

'I'll be there.' Conner agreed with a stern expression. 'Just promise you'll show up.'

'I promise.' Harry told him, and they shook on it.

Their moment of tense planning was broken by the bell, announcing the start of breakfast. Without another word to each other, the two boys left the library and headed to the Great Hall, where they parted for their separate house tables.

'Where were you?' Casey asked as Harry sat down.

Logan looked over at them from nearby, thinking he was being rather discreet with his prying.

Harry to cast Logan a glare.

'The library.' Harry answered Casey. 'Just a bit of research.' He shrugged off the questioning. Having satisfied his curiosity for now, Harry felt rather hungry as he served himself some scrambled eggs.

Casey knew to drop the subject and returned to his own meal.

He asked a casual question or two during the course of breakfast, but Harry was distracted by what he'd recently learned. He barely gave Casey a committed response to any of his attempts at conversation. Time seemed to go faster than usual to Harry.

The bell soon rang again, and the two Slytherin boys returned to the dungeons for their double Potions class.

Harry was beside Casey, as always in Potions, and turned to his right to give Ginny a warm greeting. He wanted to tell her about his plans with Conner, but knew it was far too risky when they were surrounded by their classmates, with Professor Slughorn nearby, and Casey listening in.

'I need to tell you something after class, okay?' Harry told her quickly as they set up their work bench.

'Sure.' Ginny nodded. She saw his expression and knew it was probably something important.

It was the most of a conversation they could manage, as Slughorn began the lesson and the first years set to work on their potion. Harry struggled to force his distracting thoughts from his mind in fear of botching his potion. After fifteen minutes, he managed to focus on the task at hand when he became nervously aware of Slughorn observing his progress rather intently.

--

With successful potions brewed, and a pile of homework given, the lesson was finally over.

Harry packed up quickly and urged Ginny outside, waving off Casey as he went. The other Slytherin boy looked annoyed by the dismissal, but Harry barely noticed. He wanted to tell Ginny what he had found out that morning. He retold what happened in the library and what he'd discovered with Conner's help, then their plans to sneak out that night, on the walk to their next class. The pair paused in a corridor splitting in two directions. Ginny had enough time to tell him she was going to join him that night, as agreed, before she turned and hurried off to her next lesson.

Harry, with utmost dread, headed for his Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

'I hate this stupid class.' Was the greeting he received from Jack, who had been waiting outside for him.

'Hey.' Harry said and could not disagree.

Lockhart made what should be an interesting class into the most boring reading session ever.

'I've got to tell you something.' He whispered to his best friend, who was instantly alert to what he was saying. 'We're sneaking out again tonight.'

Harry informed Jack of everything he'd said to Ginny moments ago.

She'd had taken the news with surprise and seriousness, whereas Jack looked eager to sneak out again and contemplative about the meaning of the portrait owner. Harry had to remind him it was a secret, as they headed into their class and sat down. The pair tried to get comfortable in their seats in preparation for the inevitable boredom that came with Lockhart reading scenes from one of his books once again. At least they still had Logan nearby enough to glare at to pass the time.

For the entire duration, Jack and Harry's minds thought only of the portrait hidden on the third floor, and what connection it might have to the missing girl.

--

After lunch, Jack and Harry lazed in the sun by the lake to discuss the portrait some more. They were running out of theories and soon got bored of the topic.

They talked about Quidditch instead.

Time passed by, as the two best friends did some homework and talked some more, until it was finally time for dinner. They went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up just before curfew – exactly like the night before. Harry looked towards the Gryffindor table to see Ginny talking animatedly with one of the twins, and at the Ravenclaw table where Oscar was talking to Conner, who looked anxious and wasn't eating much.

'Do you want to play a game of chess later?' Casey asked Harry, as the dark-haired boy sat down and served himself some roast lamb.

'No, sorry.' Harry replied, reaching for his goblet of pumpkin juice. 'I've got plans. Maybe another time?'

'Yeah. Sure.' Casey looked back to his plate with a dejected frown.

Harry glanced towards the staff table.

He couldn't see his mother there, but his dad was plainly in sight where he talked to McGonagall. Harry didn't realise how much he missed his parent's company until he saw them, like his mother that morning in the library, or his dad now during dinner. The man paused and looked over at him, seeming stern and suspicious, causing Harry to quickly avert his gaze. He ate his meal in silence and was glad Casey didn't talk to him again. Harry was too distracted with sneaking out a second night in a row, and this time bringing along Conner - who he hardly knew and wasn't sure he could trust.

He had no choice, however, when dinner finished and Harry left the Great Hall without having dessert. He retreated to his dormitory and sat on his bed with Frogabook. He read over his homework essay for Charms, which he had received the day before, and wished curfew would hurry up.

When his dormitory filled with the other boys, Harry retreated to the common room, passing Ian along the way. He didn't like the pointed look he received from the taller boy, but tried his best to ignore it. He told himself Ian was just trying to get to him. Harry sat on the most comfortable chair, nearest the door, for at least another hour. When it was almost nine, Harry carefully left the common room and soon stood outside in the chilly dungeon corridor.

Maybe he was just nervous, but it seemed darker than the night before.

Harry soon made his way to the basement. He met with Jack, who looked more at ease than Harry felt, and they wandered to the first floor. Cautious as always, they passed the meadow portrait of Harry's parent's quarters - once they reached the end of the corridor, the pair hurried away.

Reaching the third floor, the two boys were a bit concerned when neither Ginny nor Conner were waiting for them.

'Maybe Conner chickened out?' Jack whispered. 'I don't see why he has to come with us, anyway.'

'Where's Ginny?' Harry wondered, ignoring his best friend's obvious dislike of the Ravenclaw boy. When one harmed or wasn't nice to his friend, Jack had a tendency to hold strong to his grudges.

'I'm here.' Ginny's voice reached them from behind, startling the boys as she joined the shadowed corner they stood in. She looked a bit stunned, but relieved. 'I had to dodge Mrs Norris. Where's Conner?'

'Chickened out.' Jack shrugged.

'I did not.' Conner stepped into view, from where he had descended some stairs nearby.

'Good, you came.' Ginny said with relief. She didn't want to stand around longer than she had to. 'Sorry we got you into trouble last week with Filch. You just had really bad timing.'

'It's okay.' Conner nodded. 'We're even now.'

'How?' Ginny frowned.

'Who cares!' Jack hissed. 'C'mon, do you wanna get caught?'

'Jack's right, let's go.' Harry nodded, mostly to spare a blushing Conner.

He assumed the Ravenclaw was referring to the boat incident. He had already forgiven Conner for it, and didn't see what the big deal was. Maybe Conner didn't like to be rude and hadn't forgiven himself?

'It's down here.' Harry led the way back into the corridor they were in the night before when they'd searched for ghosts.

This time, however, they were glad the corridor was empty when they arrived. The group were about to approach the tapestry when an unmistakable sound was heard nearby.

'Quick!' Ginny urged them back behind the suit of armour.

Though four first years could hardly use it as protection, it was the best they had at the moment. There was no time to change direction. They huddled together, fearful of Filch rounding the corner behind them and spotting the group.

Minutes passed and the area remained void of additional company.

'Maybe we should go?' Conner gulped.

'It's right over here.' Harry insisted. 'We'll be quick.'

He anxiously left the “hiding place”, and walked to the tapestry. He pulled it back and almost expected the portrait to be different. It wasn't. The portrait was as black as ever, adorned by a golden frame, and bearing the only label of “R.T”.

'There it is.' Harry whispered to Conner, who moved closer as well and traced his hand over the nameplate.

'Do you really think it stands for Rosalene Tallwater?' Ginny wondered.

'Has to.' Conner answered. 'It's too big a coincidence.'

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'And it has to be here for a reason. Why hide it? Why is it so black?'

Even if his friends had known the answer to his questions, Harry didn't have time to hear them. With a gasp, he released the tapestry, and jumped back. The material retreated into place, passing through the head that had startled the group.

The curious face of the ghost watched them with greedy eyes, before its transparent lips broke into a wide smile.

'Peeves!' Jack yelped.

'Run!' Harry encouraged.

'Ickle firsties out after curfew?' Peeves cackled.

He fully emerged through the wall, watching them turn to run in the opposite direction they'd come from.

'Shut up, Peeves!' Jack hissed angrily over his shoulder.

'Oh, that's not nice.' Peeves smirk grew even wider.

He inhaled a deep breath, the released it to bellow at the top of his lungs.

'STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS IN THE CORRIDORS!'

Harry was certain Peeves had shouted loud enough to wake the entire castle.

Suddenly, with the appearance of a single ghostly figure instead of an entire group, their rule-breaking event had taken a far more dangerous turn than the night before. Peeves was still yelling, and they could hear movement from the floors above and below. Filch would show up any minute, and the first years were all too far from any of their common rooms.

They ran and ran, without knowing where they were going.

Even if they passed an unlocked broom closet, the group couldn't stop or think rationally enough to notice. Conner whimpered, Ginny clutched her wand uselessly, and Jack cussed under his breath, while Harry felt his legs were going to collapse. He wasn't used to running, especially not from something it was crucial to his survival to flee from. The past three years of his life had been happy and peaceful - he'd had no reason to think he needed to prepare himself for such certain doom at Hogwarts. Harry wished he'd been chased by a neighbour's dog more often over the years, so he'd get the practise, or had hidden from his parents when he was in trouble rather than reluctantly face them with honesty and remorse.

And it wasn't until they came to an abrupt halt in an unknown part of the castle, too tired to keep running, that Harry realised it wasn't Filch or Peeves he was most scared of confronting. He parents would have heard the yell of the poltergeist. His mother would be so disappointed in him, and his dad...Harry shuddered at the thought.

'What are we going to do now?' Conner panicked.

Jack was bent over to try and catch his breath. Ginny still had her wand out and was looking around for something to help them, though evidentially found nothing.

'We're doomed!' Harry whined, pressing his back against the cold stone wall to prevent slipping onto the floor in exhaustion and dread.

Any minute now Filch was going to catch them.

Or Mrs Norris.

Or Peeves.

Or Erin.

Or Severus.

They couldn't run any further, and there was no place to hide. The four first years were going to be in so much trouble - and Harry was terrified.

'Oh no!' Jack wailed when they heard footsteps a nearby. 'It has to be Filch!'

'Shhh!' Ginny hissed at him.

Her efforts were useless.

It wouldn't be hard to catch them; they were standing around in a corridor out of breath, unable to move or hide. When they were each overcome with helplessness, and all hope seemed lost, Harry felt something strange happening to his hands. Looking down, he saw a silvery mist form into a piece of long material. Despite their situation, all four first years stared transfixed at the object.

It looked like an old cloak.

Confused, and completely out of options, Harry threw it over himself. The others gasped and their eyes widened with shock.

'What?' Harry worried and glanced down at himself. Or rather, where he should have been and yet was not.

His body was invisible!

'Whoa!' Conner admired. 'That's-But it can't be. They're so rare!'

'So? Come on!' Ginny said urgently.

The nearby footsteps grew louder.

Ginny felt around for the cloak and ducked under it, vanishing from sight. She and Harry then helped the other two do the same. They inched closer to the wall, falling silent as no one dared to move while they waited. Somehow, the four of them managed to fit underneath the invisibility cloak, and not a moment too soon.

Filch burst into the corridor, with a lit lamp clutched in his hand, and Mrs Norris by his side. He looked left and right, but the cloak hid the culprits from him. He came closer, almost near enough to tread on Jack's foot. The first years held their breath and stared. The head caretaker seemed to take hours to make his way through the corridor, convinced as he was that someone was there.

While Harry nervously wondered if Mrs Norris could smell them or if Peeves (being a ghost) would be able to see them despite the cloak, Filch rounded a corner and was gone.

'We made it.' Conner uttered in disbelief. 'Where did this cloak come from?'

'Who cares?' Jack exhaled. 'It saved us!'

'We better go.' Ginny said anxiously. 'Who knows how many people Peeves woke.'

'It's not safe for us to split up.' Harry reminded them. 'I'll take each of you back to your common rooms under the cloak.'

'Are you sure, Cody?' Jack asked. 'That's a long way.'

'It's my fault we're all here tonight.' Harry said with a guilty shrug.

It had been his idea to invite Jack and Ginny when he agreed to show Conner the portrait. The other three, from what he could see, were very thankful he was going to take them safely to their common rooms. It proved to be harder than they realised, as the group couldn't move very fast under the cloak. They headed to the Ravenclaw tower first, where Conner insisted they didn't have to climb the many steps with him. The others were very grateful, as they watched the Ravenclaw vanish from sight up the stairs.

Next was the Gryffindor common room, which Ginny stopped them from going all the way, just as Conner had. She thanked Harry, and took a moving staircase to the floor above. Jack and Harry, being the only two left, hurried down floor levels towards the basement. Without a word, they parted, and Harry retreated to the Slytherin common room.

Once inside, he was glad it was entirely empty, as he pulled off the cloak and stared at it. He had no idea why it had appeared in his hands, but without the cloak he and his friends would be in a ton of trouble right now.

Feeling something in his pocket, Harry lifted a note from it and lowered his eyes to read the untidy scrawl written in deep blue ink.

This cloak is rightfully yours and will know when to present itself to you. Use it well.

May you have as many adventures as I did, and more. 

James Potter