Harry looked around in bewilderment. This didn't look much like Hogwarts. All he could see in every direction was green. Green touched slightly with the silvery white of dense fog. Peering through the hair hanging in his eyes he cautiously stepped forward. Where was this place?

Harry froze abruptly as loud clang reverberated through the air. Spinning on his heel he scanned the murky area around him. He didn't see anything obvious that would have made a sound like that. He was standing still, considering what to do next when he heard a soft, slithering sound from behind him. Whirling around he was astonished to catch sight what looked to be a forest green snake slithering into the underbrush. Without a second thought Harry chased after it.

Tearing his clothes as he crashed through the underbrush while he desperately tried to locate the snake, he attempted to collect his thoughts enough to call out to the snake in parseltongue. Harry finally stumbled to a stop in the middle of a glade, panting hard from the exertion. As he looked around, he noticed an odd round stone with a hole in it propped against a tree planted in the middle of the clearing. He slowly walked over to the hole, and leaning down, peered inside. There, to his surprise, was the snake he had chased!

He slowly pulled his face back as the snaked poked it's head out of the hole and flicked it's tongue at him. Staring fixedly at the snake Harry tried to say "hello". The snake continued looking at him. Not really sure that he had succeeded in using his dubious snake talents, Harry tried again.

"Hello? Can you tell me where we are?"

The snake continued to stare at Harry for a few moments before hissing softly and returning to its hole. Harry stared after it in amazement. He hadn't understood it! Was he loosing his powers?

Taking a closer look at the clear area he found himself in, he realized that he had not noticed a path leading off to the side. Might as well follow it, he figured. It wasn't as though he had any idea where he was, and maybe he would find someone to help him get back to Hogwarts.

The path meandered desultorily through the misty countryside, passing various clearings and ponds, but nothing that indicated the presence of people. Harry followed its course for a long while, how long he couldn't tell; his watch didn't seem to have accompanied him. Finally tiring of wandering aimlessly, he stopped and sat on a log trying to decide whether it would be better to keep going or go back the way he came. As he sat there, consumed with his thoughts, he didn't hear the sounds of sniffing coming closer. He didn't realize he was being observed until a large, gray dog-like creature burst from the undergrowth across the path from him. Harry scurried out of its way as it threw itself on the space he used to be in, snarling furiously. He quickly pulled his wand out of his pocket and shouted "petrificus totalis" at it as it turned toward him. To his great surprise, the beast didn't seem to be affected by the spell at all! Surely he couldn't have missed it at such close range! Moving swiftly out of the animal's way again; he raised his wand and aimed carefully at its head before once more saying "petrificus totalis." Once again there was no change! It had always worked before.Thinking quickly, Harry decided that the only option he had was to run, which he did. He ran as swiftly as possible through the trees that lined the side of the path, looking for one that had a low enough branch for him to swing up on, and looking back occasionally to see if he had lost his pursuer. It was still there; in fact; it seemed to be gaining on him. The snarls and shrieks from behind him were getting louder and louder the farther he ran.

Harry burst out of the trees a few minutes later only to find himself confronted by a large brick wall at least 9 feet high. No way was he getting up there. He didn't have his broomstick, and even if he had, there was no guarantee it would work there. He turned to see if he could get back to the cover of the trees before the animal got to him, but found himself facing not only the original creature, but two of it's friends. All three were snarling and howling as they slunk toward Harry. He was cut off with no escape!

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

Harry heard someone's voice from far off calling to him. He tried to answer, but couldn't seem to make his throat work.

"Harry, come on, wake up!"

He managed to pry his eyes open, and saw Ron standing over him with his wand lit, looking worried.

"Are you ok? You were yelling so loudly I'm surprised the whole tower isn't up. Did you have a bad dream or something?" Ron asked.

"Yeah." Harry shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs left from his dream. "What time is it?"

"Almost time to get up." Ron replied.

Harry looked out the window beside his bed and could see the soft light of dawn stealing over the grounds outside.

I'm not going back to sleep at this point, he decided, swinging his legs out of bed. Maybe a walk would settle him down. "Harry, where are you going?" Ron looked surprised to see Harry dressing so early.

"I think I'll take a walk to clear my head." Harry said, looking under his bed for his shoes. They didn't seem to be there. "

"Ron, have you seen my shoes anywhere?"

"No mate, last time I saw them they were on your feet." Ron said as he climbed back into his bed, intent on getting a few more hours of sleep before classes.

Harry rummaged around in his trunk as quietly as he could for the next few minutes, not finding his shoes in there. He did find several socks Dobbie had recently given him and a tie he'd thought lost, but no shoes.

That was odd, he was sure he remembered putting them under the bed last night as he usually did. Walking quietly he carefully looked under the other beds in the dorm, finding everybody else's shoes but his own. Maybe he'd left them downstairs in the common room.

Harry wandered down the stairs, frowning slightly as he tried to mentally retrace his steps last night. He had come through the door, sat in that chair by the fireplace..but they weren't by or under the chair. Hmmm. He looked under each and every piece of furniture in the large room, and even took the cushions off the couches on the off chance that they might be lurking there. No luck.

What in the world could have happened to them? How was he going to go to class without shoes? The next Hogsmead trip wasn't for weeks, so there would be no opportunity to buy a new pair. Where could they have gone?

Finally tiring of his search, Harry sat in one of the chairs and contemplated where he should look next. As he sat there he thought he heard a door slowly opening. Turning silently to look at the doors to the dorms, he was shocked to see Ginny Weasley sneaking out of the girl's dorm in nothing but a nightgown with a bundle clutched under her arm. This was really odd. Ginny cautiously tiptoed toward the boy's dorm. As she reached out to turn the knob, Harry straightened in his chair and said

"Ginny, what do you think you're doing going." Harry was cut off by a loud shriek from Ginny as she whirled around in surprise. As she turned she dropped her bundle and it fell with a loud thunk. The blanket wrapped around it fell partially off one side of the object, and Harry could clearly see what looked to be the heel of a black shoe. A black shoe that looked remarkably like the ones he was looking for. As he stared at it in amazement, Ginny stooped to scoop it up, coloring brightly.

"Ginny, are those my shoes?"

"Erm, well, yes." Ginny said breathlessly, not looking at Harry.

"Why do you have my shoes? How did you get them?" Harry demanded, thinking that Ron must have helped her, and that he would deserve what he got when Harry caught up with him.

"I.I.I, well I got them last night. From your dorm." Ginny mumbled looking at her feet.

"You were in my dorm. WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE BOYS DORM!" Harry shouted.

"Will you keep it down!" Ginny hissed, suddenly glaring at him. "I didn't want you sneaking out again last night, so after I was pretty sure you were asleep, I snuck in and got them. Please don't tell Ron."

"And give me one good reason why I shouldn't?" Harry glared back at Ginny.

"Because he'll go ballistic. And I don't want to spend the rest of the year hearing about my shortcomings from him." Ginny said decidedly. "And admit it, you were going out again, and it's dangerous for you to be out at night, and this kept you from wandering off again, didn't it!" She finished triumphantly.

Harry realized as he thought about her words that the search for his shoes had so distracted him that he hadn't had time to dwell on the awful dream he'd had. Looking at Ginny as she stood there glaring at him and holding onto his shoes for dear life, he knew he wouldn't tell Ron.

"Fine, just give me my shoes." He said holding out his hands.

"Do you promise not to leave the tower until breakfast?" Ginny eyed him, still holding the shoes.

"YES, I promise!" Harry grabbed onto the shoes as he spoke. Ginny reluctantly let go of them and watched him put them on.

She turned to go as he settled himself in a chair and picked up a book on quidditch.

"Oh, Ginny" Harry paused as Ginny turned to face him with the door to the girl's dorm half-open. "Exactly how many times have you been in the boy's dorm?"

Favoring him with a saucy grin as she entered the door, Ginny said "I'll never tell!"

The door closed on Harry's surprised chuckle. What had gotten into that girl?