Chapter 54: In Your Defense

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where we were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle." Professor Dumbledore told us as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall.

"I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately." he added to Percy, who was looking proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well." said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

Immediately, the hall erupted in discussions. The other Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"Come on." I said to Harry and Hermione. We grabbed three sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," I said, becoming aware that Hermione had laid her sleeping bag next to mine.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know?" said Hermione as we climbed fully dressed into our sleeping bags and propped ourselves on our elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower."

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run." I said as I looked at my own watch. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Hermione shuddered.

"You'll be fine, Hermione. It's Harry he's after, remember?"

"Thanks, Ron." said Harry, throwing a tiny spark of light at me from his wand, chuckling.

All around us, 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.

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

"Probably. Why?" I asked.

"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 Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted, sounding as if he was really the man in charge. "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.

Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in. Harry, Hermione, and I pretended that we were asleep. In all actuality, we were wide awake, trying to hear whatever we could.

"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."

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

"Headmaster?" It was Snape. "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.

"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 when 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. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster."

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.

Harry glanced sideways at Hermione and I, as we were just as alert as he was.

"What was all that about?" I mouthed.

"Dunno." mouthed Harry back.


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 any idiot who would 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. None of us was happy about it. The barmy knight 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 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."

Sir Cadogan, however, was the least of Harry's worries. It seemed like was was now being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with us, mainly Harry, and Percy (acting, I suspected, on Mum's orders) was tailing us everywhere like an extremely pompous guard dog.

It was even getting in the way of his Quidditch training. McGonagall had pulled him into the office one day to inform him of what he told her he already knew. It seemed like he couldn't catch a break.

The weather got really bad as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Since Slytherin (blaming it on their poor seekers "injured arm") was too chickenshit to play in the rain, Gryffindor ended up playing Hufflepuff.

Bitches.

On DADA class day. Hermione and I walked into class to see Snape walking around like he had just won the wizard lotto. None of us Gryffindors said anything, but all of us was wondering where Lupin was.

To make matters worse for Harry, he came in late after being stopped by Wood.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I -"

"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down." sneered Snape.

But Harry didn't move.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" he said.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe I told you to sit down?"

But Harry stayed where he was.

"What's wrong with him?"

Snape looked like he wanted to wring Harry's neck.

"Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty."

Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around at the class.

"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far -"

"Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows," said Hermione quickly. "and we're just about to start -"

"Be quiet." said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.

"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you - I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss -"

Harry and I watched him flick through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered.

"- werewolves," said Snape.

"But, sir," said Hermione, unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks -"

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!"

I was starting to become very irritated. I was trying hard to keep from blowing up.

"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.

Everyone sat there, except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air.

"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between -"

"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on -"

"Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..."

"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf -"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears.

That did it.

"You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?!" I yelled, not giving a damn that I just shouted at a professor. No one makes fun of Hermione in my face and gets away with it.

Everyone looked at me as if I had gone too far, but I really didn't care. Snape slowly walked over to my desk, and the room held its breath.

"Detention, Weasley." Snape, his face very close to mine, with his breath smelling like the lake water. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."

For the rest of the class, everyone stayed silent. Especially me. I had nothing to say to anybody.

Why did Dumbledore hire this bullying wanker? Hr had to have known that Snape was a right foul git to anyone that wasn't Slytherin.

When the bell rang at last, Snape held us back.

"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention."

Harry and Hermione gave me sorrowful looks and went out the door. I turned to Snape and glared at him.

"I've got to say Weasley," said Snape. "I never expected you to have a backbone enough to speak up for your little girlfriend and yell at your superior.

I was too mad to even register clearly the fact that he had actually said girlfriend. I just stared at him.

"Just tell me what I have to do, so I can go."

"Bedpan duty, Weasley." said Snape. "Without magic. Now, get out of my sight."

I opened my mouth to yell back, but thought better against it. Instead, I stormed out the classroom, slamming the door as hard as I could.

I caught up with Harry and Hermione a few minutes later.

"Do you know what that fucking toshpot ("Ron!" gasped Hermione) is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!" I was breathing deeply, my fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!"

"Calm down." said Harry. "At least you didn't get detention over something stupid."

I shrugged. "I guess."

Hermione looked as if she was blushing.