Chapter 14

” Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be,” said Hermione,” It’s very lucky he picked tonight, you know,” said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. ” The one night we weren’t in the tower..”

” I reckon he’s lost track of time, being on the run,” said Ron. ” Didn’t realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he’d have come bursting in here.”

Hermione shuddered.
All around them, people were asking one another the same question,” How did he get in?”

” Maybe he knows how to Apparate,” said a Ravenclaw a few feet away,

” Just appear out of thin air, you know.”

” Disguised himself, probably,” said a Hufflepuff fifth year. ” He could’ve flown in,” suggested Dean Thomas.

” Honestly, am I the only person who’s ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?” said Hermione crossly to Harry and Ron.

” Probably,” said Ron. ” Why?”

” Because the castle’s protected by more than walls, You know,,, said Hermione. ” There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can’t just Apparate in here. And I’d like to see the disguise that could fool those dementors. They’re guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They’d have seen him fly in too. And Fitch knows all the secret passages, they’ll have them covered….”

” The lights are going out now!” Percy shouted. ” I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!”

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, Harry felt as though he were sleeping outdoors in a light wind.

Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in. Harry watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from Harry, Ron, and Hermlone, who quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore’s footsteps drew nearer.

” Any sign of him, Professor?” asked Percy in a whisper.

” No. All well here?”

” Everything under control, sir.”

” Good. There’s no point moving them all now. I’ve found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You’ll be able to move them back in tomorrow.”

” And the Fat Lady, sir?”

” Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She’s still very distressed, but once she’s calmed down, I’ll have Mr. Filch restore her.”

Grace heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps.

” Headmaster?” It was Snape. Grace kept quite still, listening hard, though it seems she’s not the only one

” The whole of the third floor has been searched. He’s not there. And Filch has done the dungeons, nothing there either.”

” What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney’s room? The Owlery?”

” All searched.”

” Very well, Severus. I didn’t really expect Black to linger.”

” Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?” asked Snape.

” Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next.”

” You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before.. ah- the start of term?” said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation.

” I do, Severus,” said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.

” It seems.. almost impossible.. that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns, you appointed.. “

“I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it,” said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn’t reply.

” I must go down to the dementors,” said Dumbledore.” I said I would inform them when our search was complete.”

” Didn’t they want to help, sir?” said Percy.

” Oh yes,” said Dumbledore coldly. ” But I’m afraid no dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster.”

Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face, then he too left.

It was obvious that everyone was still wide awake. Grace glanced around the dimly lit Great Hall, her eyes scanning the sea of sleeping bags until they unexpectedly met Pansy Parkinson’s. She realized, with a jolt, that she was surprisingly close to the cluster of Slytherins.

Grace quickly looked away, a warmth creeping into her cheeks. This isn’t part of the script, she thought, a nervous flutter in her stomach. Yet, a peculiar pull, stronger than her usual caution, urged her to engage. She suppressed the feeling, focusing on the distant whispers and the ghostly figures.

A few moments later, unable to resist, she risked another glance. Pansy was no longer looking at her, her expression unreadable in the flickering candlelight. Grace, almost unconsciously, shifted her sleeping bag a fraction closer. The movement was barely perceptible in the crowded hall, but Pansy, who seemed to be observing her periphery, subtly stiffened.

Pansy’s eyes flickered back to Grace, a hint of suspicion narrowing them. What was this Gryffindor doing? First avoiding her gaze, now creeping closer? It smelled like a setup.

Grace met Pansy’s gaze, resisting the impulse to duck away. A small, genuine smile touched her lips as she leaned in slightly and whispered, “Good night.”

Pansy’s usual sneer faltered. She searched Grace’s eyes, expecting mockery or challenge, but found only an unexpected sincerity. For a fleeting moment, she was genuinely taken aback by the soft, almost vulnerable kindness in the Gryffindor’s expression. It was unsettling.

With a slight flush, Pansy turned her head sharply, muttering a noncommittal, “Hmph.”

Grace’s smile lingered, a quiet satisfaction settling over her. Amidst the general anxiety and whispers about Black, she felt that she’s the only one having a good time.

~

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder, Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who’d listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

The Fat Lady’s ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and Replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.

” He’s a complete lunatic,” said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. ” Can’t we get anyone else?”

” None of the other pictures wanted the job,” said Percy. ” Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer.”