Euphoria's Downfall

By: Mlle. Lupin

Harry

Hello, I have just received the letter you sent me…about a month ago.

Yes, I have heard about the ministry meetings at Hogwarts. I'm terribly sorry. The ministry can be a real handful. What I'm most worried about though is whom they have at the school. Don't go trying to snoop around and check things out. The ministry will clear you out of there faster than your broom can fly. If, though, by chance you note that a woman named Barbara Garfinkel is there. Send an owl to me as soon as possible.

How interesting…Ariel Lancaster is a teacher for Defense Against Dark Arts. She barely passed that class when we went to school. If it weren't for Remus, she wouldn't have. Is her hair still black? It actually used to be blonde. Until she chopped it all off and dyed it black with green streaks. Can't believe she got into the Ministry. Though I'm sure it fits her, she likes getting into fights. And she has Adrienne Boardman with her? Adrienne…damn it's been a long time since I've heard about her. Probably still in Italy. Didn't even bloody tell us she was leaving. Just took off after your parents died. Does her hair still move? If it does it'll scare the crap out of you.

Don't tell them about me yet. I don't know if they know about Wormtail. But I can assure you if they know all about it, you can trust them Harry. If you need to contact me I'll be at Remus's. Hedwig will be able to find it.

Keep Safe

Sirius

"So he does know them."

"Well of course Harry. I really don't think they would've lied to us"

"Wicked! Moving hair." Ron said excitedly.

Harry threw the letter into the fire. He didn't want to take the chance; of a Ministry worker would come in and find it. "We can ask her tomorrow Ron. Right now I'm tired." Harry walked towards the stairs.

"He has the coolest connections." Ron whispered to Hermione as they parted at the stairs.

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"Ah, Harry we have a loony bat for a teacher. 'Venus is in your love sector, be aware, a romance is coming your way Weasly.' Lonny bat she is."

"Yeah, she's given me so many deaths, I can't remember them all."

"Hey! How'd Divination go?" Hermione asked, popping out of nowhere.

Ron gave her a sidelong glance and she put her hands up in defense.

"We'll it might make you happy Ron, We have DADA next."

"Good, I could look forward to a big man eating dragon. It would seem a lot tamer then this week has been."

They walked into the empty classroom to chance upon Prof. Lancaster eating a rolled up green paper thing.

"What is that?" Ron asked her disgustedly.

"Stuffed grape leaves."

"Blech!" Ron exclaimed gagging.

Harry couldn't help but feeling like gagging also.

"Oh no," She said getting off her chair to offer the three of them one, "It is so good. Like okra. I like to suck the insides out and then eat the shell."

Harry nibbled a bit off the end and pulled a face.

"Well some of our tastebuds are different." He told her politely.

She shrugged and pulled up her cloak. "It is dreadfully cold in here."

The class got under way noisily, and she smiled and told them to pass up the essays they had been assigned. Everyone was laughing and as Harry looked around, he saw that even Neville handed up a well-sized essay. He was about to say something to Hermione, when a sudden shriek from the Hall echoed across the room, cutting all the noise like a knife.

"The Staff! The Staff has been stolen!"

The class watched as Prof. Lancaster jumped and bolted for the door. On her face was a mask of worry and anger.

The class was silent for a second, and then through the door Adrienne appeared and grabbed something out of Prof. Lancaster's desk and ran back out. Harry saw that her dark gold hair was moving all over the top of her head as though it were alive. Ron's face was lit up. The class began to talk excitedly and no one noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneak out of the room.

The hall was a mass of confusion. Teachers and Ministry officials were scrambling along the hall. Darting into classrooms and running into each other. If Harry hadn't known the danger of the situation, he would've been laughing.

"We have to find Prof. Lancaster and Adrienne." Harry told them as they dashed down the hall. "We should try the Great Hall first."

As they reached the Great Hall, harry noticed that the amount of activity had greatly reduced. The Hall was empty. Except for Prof. Lancaster talking to the very old witch, Barb.

He motioned to Ron and Hermione to back up against the wall. He waited until he could hear no more the murmur of voices. "It's ok now." He mouthed to Ron. Ron's face was an ashy pall. Harry knew better then to ask 'what?' A hand clasped onto his shoulder.

"Ah, what have we here." Harry knew who it was. No one else had that cold snaky voice. The hand whipped Harry around and he came face to face with a sneer he was used to.

"Mr. Malfoy." Harry said with quiet dignity.

"Are you here by yourself…oh wait no I can see glowing the red of a Weasly. And oh yes…"

Harry watched the glean in his eyes as Hermione stepped into view. The Malfoy's taste in purebloods, was a well-noted order.

"What are you doing out in the classroom?"

"We…uh…were…"

"Looking for me, and look here I am."

Prof. Lancaster came springing into the view. "I'll take them from here Lucius. Thank you." Her voice instantly became cold. Harry heard behind him a snigger from Ron.

"These students were out of class when the Staff went missing. Perhaps they know…"

"Nonsense, they are kids Lucius. We must be going."

"Oh yes, trying to put it all into the back of your head."

"Shut up you great ass."

"You always look the other way don't you?" Lucius yelled at her back.

As she ushered them out of the room, she put her middle finger up at him.

"What in the world were you doing in there?" She spat furiously at them once they got into a hallway.

"Professor, we need to tell you something."

"Out with it then Potter. What is it?"

Harry then told her a bout Sirius.

"You could have told this about me before!" She said, taking long strides back and forth. "Go write to him. Now. Tell him we both knew about Peter. Tell him to bring Remus." She walked off without saying another word to them.

"You heard her Harry, go write now!" Hermione told him urgently.

They ran up the stairs and to the Fat Lady. Yummy Toad Nails got them inside the Gryffindor common room.

"Ok, I have paper:

Sirius

They knew about Peter-

A sudden noise made Harry look up. A man was standing on the window ledge, just about to teeter off the ledge.

"No!" Harry yelled at him. "Don't jump."

Hermione was screaming behind Harry, and he heard Ron gulp.

"Please sir." Hermione pleaded.

The man's black cloak fluttered out from behind him, as he turned around and smiled at Harry. His face was repulsive to look at. Knotty bumps lined the top of his head.

"Try and stop me." He breathed out in a wispy voice.

He turned his entire body towards them. In his left hand, grasped tightly, was a long dark stick. On the top was a ruby, so red it seemed that it was crystallized blood. But Harry remembered that dry blood turned brown.

"That's right. It lives. It pumps. It takes all it wants."

The man let out an anguished cry, as he pressed the ruby onto his chest.

Harry watched, mesmerized. The ruby seemed to be sucking all the blood out of this man's body. A second later he was wrinkled and dead. The staff lay at his side.

"We have to get this to Dumbledore." Hermione whispered.

Harry nodded and walked over to the man's side. He bent to pick it up.

"Over my dead body."

Harry screamed and fell backwards. The shriveled thing had grabbed his hand. It was still alive! It picked itself up and jumped out the window. Harry ran towards the window and looked out. The creature was flying. It was still attached to the ruby staff. Further and further it flew. Until it was a little speck.

"Oh lord. I think I need some rum." Harry stated.

Ron fell backwards, out cold.

"Terrible thing that was." Hermione said between sobs.

"Oh great!" A voice behind them said. "Imagine Muggles seeing an ugly thing like that flying over London." Prof. Lancaster said with a frown.

"I don't think they'll care about the ugliness, Ariel."

A.N. Gross! Why on earth would I come up with a weird thing like that? Oh well. Phantom of the Opera is coming to Sacramento!!!!!!