- PROLOGUE -
The Fat Lady
It was after midnight when the portrait of the Fat Lady suddenly swung open. She snored loudly and sleep-drunkenly smacked her lips. 'Who goes there?' she asked with her eyes still closed, 'Who dares to wake me at this unearthly hour?'
Contrary to what the Fat Lady was expecting, no answer came. So she promptly opened her eyes, only to find the seventh floor corridor completely empty. 'Reveal yourself!' she cried, 'You're not supposed to be out of bed at this hour!'.
Again it remained quiet.
It didn't make sense; most students didn't risk roaming the halls at night, invisibility cloaks were rare (and forbidden if she wasn't mistaken), and only a few exceptional students were able to cast a camouflage spell powerful enough to conceal themselves completely. So if it was not a student that had disturbed her sleep, it could only be…
'PEEVES!' she yelled, 'NOT AGAIN! I swear I will tell on you this time! Filch will be happy to have an excuse to kick you out!'
In the past, Peeves had played many pranks on the Fat Lady. Last time he had even poured a bucket of blue paint all over her portrait. She hadn't noticed what was going on until the next morning, when he had woken her much like this and had asked her whether she had felt 'a bit blue today' with a suspicious smile on his face. How she hated that stupid excuse for a ghost, even thinking back of the incident still made her blood boil—if she had any.
Today however, it seemed Peeves wasn't going to reveal himself any time soon. Which was strange, for in the past he could never wait to see her reaction. 'Peeves?' the Fat Lady asked. But the castle remained eerily quiet. Realisation began to dawn on her: it wasn't him. That bloody coward was probably hiding from the Bloody Baron somewhere. And so the Fat Lady began to wonder if this even was a prank. What if it was something serious? What if a dark wizard had successfully sneaked into the castle?
Suddenly, a loud stumbling noise echoed through the corridor, making the Fat Lady nearly jump out of her portrait. Then, out of nowhere, a little black leather-bound book dropped to the floor. 'The book!' someone whispered, most definitely a student.
The Fat Lady let out a sigh of relief. This wasn't a dark wizard! She'd recognize that voice anywhere.
'SIRIUS BLACK!' she yelled angrily because he had managed to get passed her again. 'I should've known it was you! Stealing books now are we? Did you forget to return it to the Library?'
Much to the Fat Lady's frustration, Sirius Black didn't even care to react. 'You can stop it now,' she said aggravated, 'I know it's you, Black!'
Even though she would never admit it, the Fat Lady was starting to become slightly uncomfortable. She could feel a small fear arousing at the back of her spine, and a feeling of doubt was growing in her stomach. What if she was wrong again?'I-I know you're there,' she said hesitantly, 'A-and I tell the headmaster about this!'
The corpulent women in the portrait sat up straight, at the tip of her painted chair. Maybe if she looked very well, she would at least see something. Then, out of nowhere, she heard a terrifying growl, much like that of a large and angry dog. It echoed through the corridor like an old broken record that was stuck. It was most grisly.
The Fat Lady sat paralysed in her frame, and if she had an actual, non-painted heart it would be beating fast. 'Wh-who… who is that?' she stuttered, more scared than she would ever admit. This was definitely not Sirius Black. It could be anyone, or anything that was scaring her beyond her wits.
Another loud growl, even more terrifying than the previous one, sounded through the seventh floor corridor. The Fat Lady was now in a state of panic. That was not a dog. It had most definitely sounded like a werewolf. And a ridiculously large one too! What if it was out to ruin her portrait? She felt her heart race.
Luckily, The Fat lady quickly realised that the night was dark, and that the full moon was still days away. It was simply impossible for this to be a werewolf. So she regained herself and spoke again, this time calm and collected. She was a Gryffindor after all. 'This is your final warning,' she threatened, 'If you do not reveal yourself to me at once I will...'
But what would she do?
'... I... I will sound the alarm!'
A barking laugh sounded through the air, though its source remained invisible. 'Good luck with that, m'Lady!' said the same voice she had heard earlier. Then footsteps of at least four witches or wizards could be heard removing themselves from the portrait.
'I KNEW IT!' the Fat Lady cried, 'I knew it was you! It's always you!' Even though she was angry, she had to admit she was relieved as well-It hadn't been a werewolf after all.
Little did she know…
- A/N -
Hey guys, thank you for reading! I'm pretty unsure about my writing style, so if you could let me know what you think, that would help me out a lot.
Also, English is not my mother tongue, so any corrections on grammar and spelling are quite welcome too. Don't be afraid to tell me!
The first chapter is coming up soon, it'll be called 'Advanced Animagi Studies'. It's almost finished, be sure to check it out!
Cheers,
Jaye