Chapter 6.
Harry, Ron and Hermione awoke early the next morning, and headed straight to the headmasters office before breakfast. When they arrived at his door, the knocked three times, and waited.
"You may enter." Came a voice. "I wondered when I would be seeing you three, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. I expect you are here about Miss Dingle?"
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.
"Excuse me headmaster, but how did you know..." Hermione started, and was abruptly stopped by Professor Dumbledore putting his hand up.
"I think you should listen very carefully to what I have to say." Dumbledore started.
"I caught Cecile heading back into the castle with your fathers cloak in her arms, Harry. And as I myself gave you that cloak, I had to question her as to why it was in her possession."
As the headmaster carried on, he summoned Harry, Ron and Hermione to a few seats set around a large coffee table. They all slowly sat down, listening to Dumbledore's words. He carried on.
"I arranged for her to come to my office the following evening after lessons. She arrived in my office looking very worried indeed. I sat her in the very seat you are sat in, Miss Granger her, and asked her why she had Harry's cloak. She didn't try at all to make any cover up, which I was surprised about. She simply told me that she needed it. So she took it. I told her that she must not be going through other students belongings without permission, and definitely not stealing anything."
The three friends where almost sat on the edges of their seats, listening intently. Dumbledore continued, barely stopping for breath.
"Miss Dingle went on to explain that upon arriving at Hogwarts, she had a visitor. Someone who was not a student at this school, nor where they a teacher. She would not tell me how they gained entry to the castle, nor would she tell me who it was. What she did tell me, though, was that she was under strict orders to follow Harry's every move. And under no circumstances would she stop."
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other, looking very worried.
"I continued to question Cecile, but she refused to answer me, she repeated again and again, that she could not tell me anything more. And No matter how hard that I tried to stop her from getting to you, Harry, She would continue too. She told me I could kick her out by all means, but she would still return, for you. She started to shout at me, and eventually stormed out of my office, swearing violently at me, telling me that she would never betray her Master." Dumbledore stopped for breath finally, and was looking intently at the three stunned students sat in front of him.
Hermione spoke first.
"But... what... who... What are you going to do? Surely this girl isn't safe? And who is her master?"
"Miss Granger, I am not under any circumstances going to expel Cecile. I have thought long and hard over this matter, and I think that as she is only just turned 13 years old, she cannot be too much of a danger, and I would rather her be here as a student, where all professors' can keep a close eye on her, than her being here unauthorised left to her own will, and us being unaware of her actions."
After a few minutes of them all sat in silence, the headmaster ushered the three friends out of his office, and told them that he would catch up with them in a few days.
Harry, Ron and Hermione, set off towards the great hall for breakfast, muttering to each other. They were all gob smacked and had no idea what to do. They knew something wasn't right, and where even more scared now as to what was going to happen. They used to thing Cecile was just purely infatuated with Harry. A crush turned into an obsession, but now they were worried there was a lot more to this than they thought.
As they arrived at the doors to the great hall, Cecile suddenly appeared in front of them. She frowned at them, with an eerie smile in her eyes, and simply said, "You're late! Hurry up and get some breakfast! You need your energy for your lessons."
Cecile grabbed Harrys hand and dragged him into the hall. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, and then quickly chased after the duo.
They knew they were in for a bumpy ride.