Hermione knew something was off the moment she walked out of Grimmauld Place’s fireplace. The kitchen was empty—a feat rarely accomplished when she lived with two young men with seemingly never-ending appetites. As Hermione stepped gingerly through the kitchen, she wondered if Harry and Ron had gone back to work. It didn’t make much sense; she had seen Ron leave the Ministry, and she knew Harry was trying to spend as much time with Ginny as possible before she went back to school.