The Inquisition and the Discovery.

Chapter One - Time.

"Until I am measured, I am not known,

Yet how you miss me, when I have flown. . ."

The hallowed halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were almost entirely deserted. As it was already well past midnight, there was absolutely no reason for students to be out of bed – that is except for a certain few. That is to say, mischievous beings that were either accustomed to roaming the halls, or simply those who found themselves locked out of their respective common rooms, so to speak.

"Well, what am I?" A rather deep voice snarled, it's agitated tone echoing throughout the hallway. It was this particular door knocker's luck that one of its young charges was awake and out of bed…

"You're a right annoying knocker, that's what you are!" The young charge, a rather pretty female of Asian decent, stomped her foot as she glared fervently at the Eagle-headed door knocker.

"Incorrect, try again." The door knocker insisted as it was charmed to do after every failed attempt.

"Why you bloody chicken!" The girl hissed, making a grab for the poor knocker as she tugged on his handle repeatedly, willing him to open on command.

"INCORRECT, TRY AGAIN!" The door knocker bellowed, its voice laced with a certain frightened undertone as the girl protested in her attempts to open the door.

"You know what?" The girl began in a heave, her breath bated as her tugging came to a stop. The door knocker looked intently at her, praying she'd found the answer and would leave it in peace for the rest of the night.

"Your – Your face is incorrect!" She sputtered, flashing the door knocker a potent smile.

"O~oh, nice one!" A new voice taunted out of nowhere and the girl had to bite her tongue in order to hide a screech of surprise. Recovering quickly, she whipped around only to discover that she and her knocker friend had a rather large audience: a quartet of Gryffindor boys that she particularly could not stand.

"Oh look, Padfoot. Ickle Linny Chang's locked out of the common room yet again." The same boy with the taunting voice remarked, slinging an arm around his devilishly handsome friend.

"My, how unfortunate~" Trilled the handsome boy as the girl ground her teeth in irritation. Surely, the boys noted her frustration and were rather thrilled by it, as the handsome friend turned to stare directly at the girl, giving her an obnoxious wink.

"But of course you're welcome to room with me tonight, love." He stated rather suggestively as his bespectacled, taunting voiced friend gave him a hearty clap on the back. Regardless of the amount of disgusting arrogance he had just displayed, the girl found that blood unwillingly rushed to her pale cheeks.

"Ohoho~ what's this I see-?" The handsome boy began, smiling smugly.

"I don't think so, Padfoot." The girl hissed, promptly shooting down his attempts. At the very mention of the name, the quartet of boys tensed which gave the girl a satisfaction that she was prepared to make note of.

"Hah –" She began, only to be interrupted by the droning of the knocker.

"Until I am measured, I am not known, yet how you miss me, when I have-" The girl's eyes narrowed with annoyance as she stomped her foot.

"Shuttup, will you?" She ordered yet the doorknocker remained ever impassive. The boys merely snickered at the girl's difficult situation, causing her temper to flare even further.

"And you lot had best bugger off! Freakin' Gryffindors, always so smug…But you don't have to answer a damn riddle just to get to bed, do you? No, I'd imagine not. You just chat it up with a friendly, forgiving fat lady!" The girl hissed, rounding on them with a delicate yet accusatory finger pointed in their general direction. Suddenly the most softhearted looking boy of the group stepped forward slightly, sympathizing with the girl's endeavor.

"Time~" He murmured albeit quietly as she cocked a thin black brow at him.

"What…?" She questioned, appearing rather dim.

The boy cleared his throat before restating, "The answer is time – to the riddle, you know?"

The girl wasn't exactly sure what to think as she sputtered, caught off guard not only by the rather chivalrous acts of the boy, but also by the painful smile that was etched across his features, almost like he was in dread of something, or hurt perhaps. In no time at all, the door to the Ravenclaw common room swung open with a flourish as the girl grinned.

"Thank you ever so much, sir—" She began, attempting to be polite. However, the bespectacled boy was quick to interrupt as he placed a soft hand on the shoulder of the boy with the painful smile.

"Remus," he muttered, his tone oddly serious as the quartet shared a look.

"We should get going…" He offered as his three companions nodded somberly.

"Yes, of course." The painful smile boy agreed after a moment's hesitation.

"And where exactly are you lot off to?" The girl blurted, placing a hand on her hip.

he handsome friend gave her a somewhat superior look before replying, "Sorry, darling. But that doesn't exactly concern you, now does it?" He stated before he and his companions made to take their leave.

"It does!" The girl began.

"And for that matter – what were you doing sneaking around up here? It's like, the last day of school for Merlin's sake! And the Gryffindor common rooms are on the other side of the castle-!" The girl shouted at their retreating forms that began to disappear in the darkness of the hallway.

"Ahem~" A new voice, that was certainly unfamiliar to the girl, echoed throughout the hallway as the girl turned.

"Wonderful…" She sighed upon catching sight of a rather snooty looking Ravenclaw prefect of all things.

It was sometime later that night – or morning to be precise, after the girl had received a vicious scolding from the prefect, that the girl found her thoughts focusing solely on the suspicious behavior of the Gryffindor boys she had coincidentally encountered in the hall. At the very thought of their uncharacteristically serious demeanor and for some, pained expressions, she became increasingly curious as to what was going on with them. And furthermore, as sleep began to overtake her petite form, she found herself filled with a fresh, underlying determination to discover exactly what it was that they were up to.