It's not easy to explain, but . . .

Chapter 43

                               Chapter 43 : The morning after the night before . . 

Ginny was sitting up in her bed, stretching, when Hermione turned her head and looked at her, bleary eyed.

"What time is it?" Hermione croaked.

"Sevenish," Ginny replied, glancing at her watch, as Tonks rolled over and put her pillow on top of  her head.

"Oh." Hermione looked around the room as she sat up.  "Where's Luna and Emma?"

"Bathroom, probably," Ginny swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, yawning.  "Going to the loo, myself."

Hermione nodded and stretched, then flopped back onto her pillow, luxuriating in the peace and quiet.  Luna padded softly into the room, toothbrush in hand and towel over her arm.

"Good morning, Hermione." Luna smiled at her friend.

"Good morning, Luna.  Sleep well?" Hermione propped herself up on one elbow and smiled back at the blond Ravenclaw.

"Yes, although I did wake up once, must have been a owl sitting on the dormer roof, hooting.  By the way, why wasn't Emma in her bed?"

"She went to the loo," Hermione answered.

"No, not early, I heard her tell Ginny where she was going. But when I woke up later in the night, she wasn't in her bed."

Hermione sat up, looking at Luna with her eyebrows raised.  "Really?"

Luna nodded. "I don't think she ever came back."

Just then Ginny returned.  "Hermione, Emma isn't in the bathroom."

"I know, because Luna just told me she never came back to the room when she left, last night, to go to the loo."

"What?  Oh, dear . . . I hope she didn't take it into her head to wander around the castle by herself . . . she could have gotten lost . . . or Peeves might have locked her in a classroom . . . we'd better tell the guys," Ginny waved her wand and transfigured her pjs back into her regular clothes, did a 'freshening' spell, even as Hermione hustled out of bed and off to the bathroom.  Ginny walked over and gently shook Tonks' shoulder.  "Tonks . . .wake up . . . we might have a bit of a problem on our hands."

"meroblm . . . mut meroblm?" came the mumbled reply, from under the pillow.

"Emma's missing."

"WHAT!" Tonks shot straight up.  "BLOODY HELL!" She scrambled out from under the covers and grabbed her wand, transfiguring her clothes, even as Hermione came flying back into the room, transfiguring hers on the run.

"Oh, good, you're up," Hermione came over.  "Luna noticed that Emma never came back from the loo last night.  She might be anywhere in the castle, but we have to find her."

"Well, that should be fairly easy," Luna injected, as the others swung around to face her.  "Ask the House Elves where she is . . . nothing gets past them."  She smiled and then blinked, tilting her head, looking at the three gaping mouths before here.

"Luna!" Hermione threw her arms around Luna and hugged her. "You are brilliant!"

"Posey!"  Ginny called.

'Pop"

"Yes, Missy Ginny, how can Posey help you?"  The House Elf assigned to the girls  part of the Gryffindor Tower stood there, all smiles and eager to please. "Oh! Good morning, Missy Hermione, Missy Luna, Missy Tonks."

"Good morning, Posey," they chorused.

"Anyway . . . Posey, would you happen to know where Missy Emma is right now?"  Ginny asked, trying to keep the rising panic out of her voice.