All right, I am in TheLittlePeot 's story competition, and I'd love it if you guys read my entry, One Instant. And voted. That would help a lot! Thanks, guys! You're all the best!

Anyway, back to normal stuff.

Model of Gryffindor behavior you say? Neville Longbottom is my choice. Sure, he was a bumbling scaredy-pants in the first few books, but in The Order of the Pheonix, Neville actually volunteered to go with Harry & Co on a highly dangerous rescue mission to the ministry of magic (and he didn't even know Sirius was innocent at the time, just that Harry wanted to save him). And in the seventh book? He spent the whole year undermining Death Eaters, protecting students, and leading Dumbledore's Army, even though he could have been tortured (or killed) if they'd caught him! He was actually prepared to take Harry's place when they thought Harry was dead, and stood up to the Dark Lord himself! That is some serious courage right there. After all...

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

~Dumbldore

~~~~

It had been about a week since the break-in the boys' dorm. Somehow, even with Scorpius helping me every now and then, that week had been almost as miserable as the ones before it, and that was saying something.

The night that I realized just how badly I'd messed up, I took a good look at myself in the bathroom mirror. I really looked awful. I was a lot thinner, and paler than normal from the lack of sunlight and fresh air. There were dark circles under my eyes from weeks of terrible sleep. I looked like I'd only just recovered from some serious illness. Or maybe I was simple turning into a living zombie.

A month later, I'd at least solved the first problem. I hadn't shown up to the Great Hall for any meals except breakfast, but I'd been a regular visitor to the kitchens. I at least didn't look like I'd been starved quite as much as I had previously. I'd been trying to sleep better, of course. I hadn't managed to get outside much. I'd spent most of my time in the library, like before.

By late May, though, I was sick of books. I needed to see the records. I couldn't handle going through any more books. I stood up, telling myself that if Madam Pince didn't let me see the records this time, I was going to give up. In only a few more weeks, it would be summer, and I would have all the information in the world at my fingertips. Wizards really needed Google.

I walked over to the desk. "Madam Pince? May I see the records of past students?"

She frowned at me. "How many times do I have to tell you 'no'? Or do you not understand the word?"

"Wait, hear me out," I said quickly. "I could sit right there, at that table, where you could make sure I was taking good care of them. In fact, I wouldn't even have to pick them up."

She frowned at me for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. "If it will get you out of my library, I suppose you can see them. What years?"

I hadn't expected it to be that easy. Mr. Potter had found out my mum's date of birth a few months ago. December 12, 1978. I couldn't help grinning as she shuffled off to a back room, and returned carrying two large record books, from the 80s and 90s.

"Thanks!" I said. Madam Pince just grumbled something and hobbled back to her desk.

Immediately, I flipped the 1980s record book open to the end, and started flipping through pages until I reached 1989. After that, it was only a matter of finding her.

It took about five minutes to go through every first year in 1989. She wasn't one of them. It's all right, I told myself. Some kids transfer here, like Colette.

So, I closed the 1980s book and opened the other one to the very first page. After flipping past a few title pages, and the first years, I scanned the list of second years.

Again, nothing.

No third years.

No fourth years.

No fifth years.

No sixth years.

No seventh years.

My mum wasn't at Hogwarts.

I closed the book quietly. She wasn't a witch, it seemed. Mr. Potter had been right. I was the daughter of a normal muggle.

A muggle with a bank vault at Gringotts?

All right, maybe my father wasn't a muggle.

But my mother was. Had I really just wasted months looking for her in a place where she wouldn't be found?

I sighed. Well, too late now. I couldn't change the past. However, now I knew I needed to go talk with James and Albus. Now. I'd been putting it off, hoping I'd have something to show for my long weeks spent in the library when I did finally go talk to them. Now, it looked like that wouldn't happen. And I didn't have any more excuses.

At least now I'd be able able to promise I wouldn't spend all my time here.

I slowly stood up and walked out, in a bit of a daze. It actually was a little bit of a relief, knowing I wouldn't find her. It would have taken me years to go through all the books in the library. The enormity of the task had been pressing down on me, and now all that weight was gone.

I walked down to the Great Hall. Probably, I'd catch the end of supper. No guarantees that James, Al, or Rose would still be there, but it was the first place I'd look. Anyway, if they weren't there, Luna and Arthur might be. I wasn't worried as much about seeing them.

I walked through the large doors, and smiled as I heard the familiar noises for the first time in a while. Loud talking, laughter. I hadn't known how much I missed that.

Scorpius caught my eye from the Slytherin table, and gave me an encouraging smile. However, when I scanned the Gryffindor table, I didn't see any sign of James, or Albus, or Rose.

I did see Arthur, though, at the Hufflepuff table. He wasn't looking my direction, so I walked up behind him. For a few seconds, I stood there, gathering my thoughts together. Then, I sat down next to him.

"Hi," I said, smiling.

Arthur stared at me. "Astra!" I felt a wave of relief flow through me as his face broke into a smile and threw his arms around me. "How are you?" he asked quickly.

"Disillusioned. I'm so sorry, about everything."

Arthur shook his head, still smiling. "Don't worry about it. Are you all right, though?"

"Yeah. I mean, I will be, as soon as I talk to Albus and James."

He nodded solemnly. "They'll be happy to see you. Are you... You know... Did you find her?"

I looked down. "My mum didn't attend Hogwarts." I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Oh well. When I get back to the muggle world, I'll Google her."

Arthur looked like he wanted to ask what 'Googling' was. Instead, he said, "Well, I hope you find her, then. Does this mean you're done with the library?"

"I'm sick of books in general. I don't think I can handle a room full of them."

"Great!" He laughed. "You were spending way to much time in there... I mean... Well, you weren't-"

I smiled. "Oh, please, Arthur. I was spending way to much time in there. I know."

Arthur seemed pleasantly surprised by how easy I was taking all this. I wondered what he'd expected. After a second, I glanced over at the Ravenclaw table. "I need to talk to Luna, if you don't mind."

"Bye, Astra," he said, smiling.

I smiled, too, and stood and walked over to where the blonde girl was seated. She'd been watching me while I spoke to Arthur, I was sure. Now, she smiled at me as I sat down across from her and Bethany.

"Did you finally realize just how many snurdlemags were in all those books?" Luna asked.

I had no idea what a snurdlemag was supposed to be, but, knowing Luna, I probably didn't want to ask. I simply nodded and said, "Sure. Anyway... Well, I'm really sorry, Luna."

"About what?"

Luna seemed genuinely confused, so I simply shook my head and let it pass. "My mum never came to Hogwarts."

Luna didn't seem shocked, not that she ever did. "I'm sure there are ways to find out about her from the muggles."

"Oh, there are," I said, smiling. "The Internet is really useful."

"My dad says more wizards really should start using it," Bethany observed. "He's trying to get the Ministry to."

Luna looked intrigued. "I've never heard of this Inter-Net. Is it used to catch Nargles? Or maybe something bigger, like a Cambodian Collipon?"

I glanced at Bethany. "Luna, I really don't have time to explain... I'm sure Bethany could." Bethany nodded. "Anyway, I've got to go find James, Albus, and Rose."

As Bethany started to explain that the Internet wasn't an actual net, I got up. After one last scan of the Gryffindor table, to make sure my friends weren't there, I sprinted out of the Hall and up the stairs. They were probably in Gryffindor Tower, then. Maybe they'd even gone to the library themselves, and I just hadn't noticed them.

A quick search of the common room and our dorm assured that Rose, at least, wasn't there. I wasn't too keen on asking one of the boys to go see if James and Albus were in their dorms, so I settled on searching other places first.

The library was my first stop. I walked the length of the room, checking between every bookshelf, and looking in every nook and cranny. No sign of them.

So, maybe they were visiting Hagrid? Or maybe they were at the kitchens. Or the Room of Requirement. Now would be a good time to have the Map.

I was a bit consumed in my own thoughts as I walked out the door of the library. However, that didn't stop me from noticing who was walking in. Ciara and Nico had a new friend, it seemed. The last person I would have expected.

"Adalyn?"

Adalyn seemed startled that I'd noticed her, and looked away. I couldn't blame her for being upset, but this was a bit much. Surely this was a joke.

Based on Ciara and Nico's smirks, I knew I appeared jolted. I collected my wits enough to ask, "What are you doing with them?"

Ciara answered for her. "Simple. We don't happen to think that she's... What was it again?"

"'So annoying'," Nico supplied, sneering at me.

I cringed as they threw the words back at me that I'd so thoughtlessly thrown at Adalyn a week ago. I hadn't had time to talk to her, or at least that was what I'd told myself. All that time I'd wasted, she'd spent finding comfort elsewhere. In the absolute worst place.

"Adalyn has grown disillusioned with Hogwarts' hero," Ciara continued. "She's seen you for what you really are."

"A worthless, heartless, muggle prat," Nico said. Apparently he'd been downgraded from the M-word. Adalyn nodded, still not looking at me. She moved closer to Ciara, away from Nico, the slightest bit. She hadn't completely lost all sense of judgment, then. Ciara was the lesser of two evils, in my opinion. At least she had stayed quiet about the Cloak for a year.

"So, what say you in your defense?" Ciara asked.

I knew I couldn't say anything. The way I'd treated Adalyn all year validated what he said, even if it wasn't really true. I had been such a prat to her, and I didn't blame her for hating me. I just wished she hadn't listened to them.

Instead of saying something in my own defense, I switched to a different tactic. "Nice little show. Did you rehearse a lot?"

Ciara blinked. "What?"

"I particularly liked how Nico said that one line, about me being a heartless muggle..."

"Worthless, heartless, muggle prat," Nico said immediately. Ciara glared at him.

I smiled. "Yeah. So venomous. But really, Adalyn, I'm surprised. What will Brigitte and River say at your choice of friends?"

She finally looked at me. Her glare bored into me, daring me to look away. I kept my smile, and stared back at her. "I don't care," she said finally. "Maybe one day they'll see what a terrible person you are, too. You really are heartless."

"Yeah. It seems that way," I said quietly, my smile gone. Maybe I had a chance here, but I had to drop the mask and show her I really felt awful about how I'd treated her all year. That threw Nico and Ciara off even more, but I ignored them. "Adalyn, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean what I said."

"It sure sounded like you did."

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry..."

"It's too late for that," she whispered. Ciara put her arm around her, almost in a sisterly way. I could almost believe she wasn't just using the poor girl to get at me.

Nico was the next one to talk. "What are you waiting for, Lewis? Want me to hex you?"

"Just try, Jasper," I muttered, turning and walking off.

They didn't follow me, which was good. I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. Adalyn was on their side now. Slytherin had turned her bad, it seemed. So, I could take the count of good Slytherins down from three to two.

I'd forgotten what I was doing. I wandered back to Gryffindor Tower, lost in my thoughts. It wasn't until I bumped into Mackenzie that I noticed my surroundings. I'd been standing outside the portrait hole for a few minutes, it seemed.

"Forget the password?" Mackenzie asked.

I simply nodded. I honestly couldn't remember it at the moment, anyway.

Mackenzie paused for a moment, then said, "You... You haven't seen James, have you?"

I stared at her. "No..."

She looked down, grimacing. "Sorry. I know you guys are... Not on the best of terms. I just haven't seen him since before dinner-"

"You haven't?" I asked quickly, suddenly a little worried. Unreasonably. There's probably a very good reason why he skipped dinner.

Mackenzie shook her head, giving me a bit of a weird look. "I'm sure he'll turn up eventually..." She said the password and climbed through. I followed her.

I wasn't supposed to climb up the stairs to the boys' dorm, but I did anyway. I had to make sure they weren't there before getting upset. I knocked on the second years' door, and when no one answered, I slowly pushed it open.

No one was there. On an impulse, I opened his trunk and conducted a quick search for the Marauder's Map and the Cloak. Nothing. A good sign. If they were planning something, they would have both.

I slipped out, and hurried up the steps to the third years' dorm. No one answered my knock there, either, so I slipped inside.

I opened the lid of James's trunk, and saw a blank parchment I recognized all too well folded neatly on top. I took it out, praying it was a decoy. However, when I tapped my wand on it and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," the swirling lines of ink appeared and soon shifted into the layout of Hogwarts castle.

A quick examination proved that the Cloak was not in the trunk, which made me a feel much better. I closed the Map and snuck out. I could look at it in my room, and hopefully locate them.

Once alone in my room, with the door locked as a precaution, I opened the Map and began scrutinizing it. I looked in every possible place, even the other common rooms. They weren't anywhere. That left only one place. They must have gone to the Room of Requirement. Why, I had no idea. But I at least knew where to look.

Before I unlocked the door, I flipped open the lid of Rose's trunk. James had always said that the Cloak would go in my trunk if it had to go in anyone's, so it'd probably be Rose's now. Nothing.

But... Maybe mine? I hadn't really looked in my trunk for a very long time, and I could easily see James telling Rose to hide it in my trunk, where no one would ever expect to find it. I dug out all my clothes and books, searching to see if it was hidden among them.

I pulled out one of my school robes, and felt my spirits sink as a shimmery fabric was revealed beneath it. I tugged the Invisibility Cloak out from underneath a book, and piled all my things back in. I could organize and fold later; for now I simply closed the lid as best I could and ran.

I put the Cloak on as a precaution as soon as I was out of sight of the portrait. It was almost curfew. If they were planning on staying there so long, why didn't James bring the Cloak? And the Map? He'd never been anywhere after curfew without one of the two since he'd gotten them. I couldn't see why Albus and Rose would ever agree to go anywhere so close to curfew, anyway.

I ran up the several flights of stairs to the seventh floor. Once I reached the stretch of wall where the door would appear, though, I realized I didn't know what I needed. I need James, Rose, and Albus. I paced back and forth. Nothing.

Okay, new tactic.

I need to know where James, Rose, and Albus are.

Still nothing.

After about fifty different ways of saying that, I slumped against the wall in defeat. It was almost twenty minutes past curfew, too.

Suddenly, I got an idea. If I was right, the Room probably couldn't be two things at once. That would defy all laws of physics, and, though wizards were notorious for finding ways to bend the laws, so to speak, I couldn't see how they would manage to make something be two things at once. So, if they were in there, it wouldn't turn into what I needed (unless, of course, I needed the same thing). I focused very hard on needing a broom closet.

To my great disappointment, a broom closet appeared. It was full of brooms, but there was not a living creature in sight. Unless my friends had transfigured themselves into brooms, I'd hit a dead end.

And as that dawned on me, I realized one thing.

They weren't at Hogwarts.

That's when I finally let myself panic.

"What do I do?" I whispered. They were probably in trouble. I couldn't see them just sneaking out. Not even James. And Mr. Potter was still here, as were all their cousins, so nothing had called them all home unexpectedly.

The question was: if they weren't here, where were they?

~~~~

Question of the day: Out of all the Hufflepuff students we know from the books, who would you hold up as the model of perfect Hufflepuff behavior? (This question look familiar?)

Vote and comment and OH MY GOSH THERE ARE ONLY FIVE MORE CHAPTERS.

~Ellie