I stare down at the theoretical portion of my dreaded Charms exam, trying desperately to remember the technical motions to basic charms. Finally I decide I've written down everything I know, and I turn it in and go to the practical exam, in a side room. Professor Flitwick is taking the first-years one at a time and asking for basic charms to be performed on a small teapot. After one poor boy explodes his, I decide that I definitely can't do as badly as him and I'll be fine.

Flitwick asks me for a simple levitation charm, and I breathe a sigh of relief when my spell makes my teapot hover gently.

"Well done, Miss Carter," Flitwick says with a smile, and dismisses me.

I leave the exams, very excited that I'm done. It's a Thursday morning in the end of June, and I now have until Sunday to spend at the school, not in class. I take my book bag up to my dorm, then head back to the common room and settle down next to a large window.

I want to go find Macy and Adam, but I know that the Hufflepuff first-years still have their History of Magic exam this afternoon. Instead, I open a book and start reading.

I see my friends at dinner and end up sitting at the Hufflepuff table to eat. After dinner, we walk around the grounds a little bit, discussing our exams and how we did, and more importantly, our plans for our next two free days.

I wake up Friday morning and sleepily make my way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Older students have already been through for food and have gone to exams, and now the tables are dotted with only the first and second-years.

"Mornin'," I yawn, sliding into an empty seat next to Adam.

"Good morning. You really overslept," Macy remarks from the other side of the table. I serve up some eggs and ham.

"I needed it," I say. "Like, really badly. I've been studying so much."

"Well, you're on holiday officially now, no more studying!" Macy grins. Adam nods.

"Agreed. No more book talk," he says.

We finish eating quickly, and decide to go down to the lake. The morning goes by quickly. We walk back to the castle for lunch dripping wet from splashing each other, and Macy pushed Adam in once. I wish I knew a charm to dry us all off, but instead we had to wait until we had dry clothes.

The afternoon is slight chaos, as more and more older students are released from exams and join the rest of us in relaxing and hanging out.

Down at the quidditch pitch after lunch, some students have started a game and now the three of us join the spectators. I see the Weasley twins playing beaters, their best position, while a friend of theirs is keeping. They are among the only students I recognize playing.

"YES! YES!" Macy's screaming as a Hufflepuff boy races down the pitch with the quaffle. The boy throws the quaffle hard at one of the goal posts, but the Weasley twins' friend makes a brilliant save that earns collective groans and cheers from the audience.

"GO CEDRIC!" Adam yells. "IT'S OKAY KEEP GOING!" I realize that the Hufflepuff who missed the goal is normally the Hufflepuff seeker.

We stay at the game until the players are worn out and it eventually ends. The herd of students makes their way back to the castle in the waning daylight.

***************

Three students rush pass me in the opposite direction I'm heading as I go to dinner.

"Sorry!" one of the boys calls. "Oh, hey Avery!"

"Hi!" I grin at Ron.

"Oops, I gotta go," Ron says quickly, running after Harry and Hermione. Then they're gone.

That was weird. Where are they going?

I go into dinner and eat quickly. I notice that Snape is not there; he must be in his office. I get part of my answer as I leave the Great Hall. When I do, I see Snape, dashing out of the front doors castle.

I don't think. I just change direction and follow him.

I keep my distance as Snape heads down the hill away from the castle, not sticking to the normal paths. I follow him until he arrives at, of all things, the Whomping Willow. The tree stands tall and proud in a small clearing on the side of the hill. I start to step out of the bushes to ask Snape what is going on, but I stop and remain hidden as he begins to do something.

I watch as he levitates a stick that was on the ground until it hits a spot on the tree's trunk. The willow, which had been swaying and swinging it's branches lazily, suddenly stops and the branches pull away, revealing a tunnel beneath the trunk. Snape steps down into it and disappears.

Well, what now?

I step into the clearing and run my eyes over the tree. Snape must have pressed a button or something. I would have gone into the tunnel after him, but I wasn't quick enough and now the tree is unfrozen. I've heard tales of the Whomping Willow and have no desire to go near it.

I stare at the spot where Snape had levitated the stick. I know the levitation charm, it was first-year material! I just have to get lucky with where I make it press.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

My charm works and I aim the point of the stick about where I watched my father do it seconds previously. It takes two tries, but I manage to hit whatever button I need to press. The tree stops, and I dart forward into the opening.

The tunnel is dark, and I light the tip of my wand with Lumos. It's rocky and crudely made inside and the faint light from the outside only lights the very tip of the tunnel. I start walking.

It feels like it goes on forever, and I have no way to keep track of time or distance. Luckily, it stays relatively flat after the initial drop down into the earth.

When the tunnel finally ends, I find a ladder up to a trapdoor. I climb up and open the door just in time to hear a huge blast of magic. Whatever this place is shakes violently. I climb through the door and find myself in a room of a very old house.

Raised voices come from above me. I can't make out what they're saying yet. I close the trapdoor and stand up straight. The house I'm in is falling apart around me. It's obviously been here a long time, and not lived in for a considerable time either. I peek through a door into what must have been the kitchen. It doesn't lead anywhere else, so I go back to the first room. Off of that is a hallway and a staircase. Voices are still up there, but I don't recognize any of them, and I definitely don't hear Snape's distinctive deep voice in the jumbled conversation.

I stay at the bottom of the stairs, straining my ears to hear what the people are saying, but they have quieted down and nothing is distinguishable. I decide not to go up; I don't know who's there, and if my father isn't there, I don't want to be walking into trouble or get caught. I am on my own and definitely off of school property. . .

After several minutes, I hear considerably more footsteps than the infrequent creaking that came from above before this. I realize that people are coming downstairs, and I panic. I dart out of the hallway and into the kitchen I found before. I hide behind the door frame, the only place to go, and hope that they don't come in here. They have no reason to, anyways.

I peek around the door frame as the footsteps get closer, and I can hear quiet voices. I have to hold in a gasp as I recognize several people. Three men and three kids are in the room, going down the trapdoor. Among them are Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Professor Lupin. I watch with wide eyes as they, and the two strangers with them, leave the house. Ron was being supported by Lupin and Hermione, and Harry and one of the strangers were leading the second man. I wonder what happened.

The trapdoor closes, and I am once again alone. That was all weird, but I followed Snape here. Where is he? There was nowhere else he could have gone, just this house. I venture out of the kitchen and back to the staircase. I take a deep breath and climb the stairs.

The upstairs is in no better shape than the downstairs, but I creep around, looking in every room. Finally, I find Snape. He had obviously been blown backwards by magic, and now lies on the floor, unconscious.