The following morning, Harry told Ron and Hermione about what Professor Jackson had told him as they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Oh, this is so exciting," Hermione said excitedly as the descended the stairs, "I took a peek at some of the books last night, there's some really good stuff there,"

"I'm interested in learning that shield thing you did," Ron said, "Seems like it'll be dead useful!"

"I wonder-" Hermione began to say, but was cut off when a familiar drawling voice called out,

"Potter!" The three turned around to see Draco Malfoy, with his usual and of Slytherins, swaggering up to them. Harry couldn't help but notice neither Daphne nor Tracey seemed to be part of the group,

"Is it true you fainted?" Malfoy sneered, "I mean, you actually fainted?" And the gang of Slytherins began laughing,

Ron looked like he wanted to make a run at Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione, just grabbed him around the back of the robes and dragged him into the Great Hall. The jeers and catcalls following them into the Hall.

"Just ignore him," Harry hissed, "He's not worth it, besides, quidditch starts in a few months, we'll see who's laughing then!"

"How the hell did he hear about that?" Ron snarled as he sat down roughly at the Gryffindor bench, casting a suspicious glare about halfway down the Slytherin table. "Bet it was that Daphne Greengrass, she seems the type,"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Harry said as he took the seat across from Ron, while Hermione sat down next to Ron. He cast a glance down the hall, and saw Daphne sitting next to the small girl from the train, which the sorting hat had confirmed was her sister. Now that Harry got a proper look at her, he noticed the small girl looked incredibly fragile. She was far paler than her sister, a considerable feat considering Daphne's own pallid complexion. She was also incredibly thin, and very jittery. Daphne looked as though she were trying to get her to eat something, but the girl was refusing.

"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked, "Granted they aren't nearly as horrible as Malfoy or the others, but she's never exactly been kind, has she?"

Harry cast a furtive glance around him, before he leaned in, gesturing the others to do the same.

"At end of term last year, I ran into her leaving Professor Jackson's classroom, she as good as confirmed that she knew that it was me and Ron disguised as Crabbe and Goyle over Christmas, pretty sure that Tracey knows too. But they've never mentioned it."

Ron and Hermione looked shocked. Hermione was suddenly looking very ill, "You don't think they'll say anything, do you?" She asked,

"Doubt it would matter much if she did, if I'm honest," Ron said spitefully, aggressively shoving scrambled eggs and sausages onto his plate. "We already told Dumbledore about it didn't we? And he didn't throw us out. Still, I don't like it. They'd be just the type to hold something like that over our heads."

Harry didn't share the sentiment, but didn't say anything to the contrary. They ate peaceably for a few minutes, before Professor McGonagall passed out the third-year course schedules. Harry had just been scanning his own schedule, when Ron said,

"Hermione, I think they've made a mistake with your schedule," He said, pointing at her schedule. "Look, they've got you down for ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall." Hermione said dismissively,

"But look," said Ron, laughing, "See this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And-" Ron leaned closer to the timetable, disbelieving, "Look! Underneath that, Ancient Runes, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione curtly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well then-"

"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.

"But-"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absent-mindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand.

"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on his way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everthin' ready…hope it'sokay…me, a teacher… hones'ly…"

He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice. Hagrid had a bad habit of befriending dragons and enormous, man-eating spiders and Harry felt that Ron's trepidation of Hagrid's upcoming lesson was incredibly warranted. The Hall was starting to empty as people headed off towards their first lesson. Ron checked his schedule.

"We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there, still can't believe you're taking Ancient Runes, Harry. That's bound to be harder than divination,"

"Professor Jackson recommended it," Harry said, as though that explained everything, which it kind of did.

"I'll see you in Ancient Runes Harry," Hermione said, and before Harry had time to wonder how she'd manage to do that, she and Ron were leaving the hall, still bickering about the absurdity of Hermione's schedule. Leaving Harry to head to the six floor where the Ancient Runes class was located.

The door was open by the time Harry got there, and most of the class seemed to have already chosen seats. The room was fairly plain; over one wall was what looked like an alphabet of runic symbols, and on the chalkboard, were a series of yet more strange looking symbols and icons.

"Harry," Called a familiar voice, and Harry turned and saw that Susan Bones was waving at him. Smiling at her, and not seeing Hermione anywhere, not that he was surprised, he took one of the two open seats besides Susan.

"Hey Susan," Harry greeted, "How're you? Good rest of your summer?"

"Oh it was excellent, and yours? And how about you Hermione?" Harry jumped and turned. His mouth dropped open in shock as he saw Hermione sitting down in the open chair next to his, as though she'd been there for minutes already. Harry just goggled at her,

"It was good, Susan, but I didn't know you and Harry knew each other." Hermione said, ignoring Harry's spluttering,

"Oh," Susan said, flushing slightly. Beside her, Hannah Abbott giggled, "Well we only really spoke briefly this summer. I ran into him and Professor Jackson in Dragon Alley with my Auntie. Which reminds me," She turned to Harry, "What were you doing with Professor Jackson?"

"Oh," Harry stammered, trying to come up with an excuse. He didn't feel comfortable admitting that Professor Jackson had only been there to protect him. "We uh, just ran into each other while shopping." Harry said, thinking quickly, "He offered to buy me an ice cream and we were talking about magical theory when you came up,"

"And what," Came a stern voice from behind them, "Did Professor Jackson have to say about Magical Theory?"

Turning in his seat, Harry met the hard eyes of another stern-looking witch. She was older in years, with greying-chestnut hair, and deep burgundy robes. Harry assumed that she must have been Professor Babbling, the Ancient Runes professor.

"Oh," Harry stammered, slightly caught off guard, to which Professor Babbling smiled gently,

"You're not in trouble," She reassured him, "I just find myself curious is all. Most magical institutions don't teach magical theory, and I confess that I find myself very interested in what Professor Jackson had to say on the subject." Harry was minutely aware of the fact that all the chatter in the class had subsided, as everyone was listening in on the discussion with interest,

"Well," Harry said, trying to remember the discussion, "Well he was telling about how, because magic is all about intent, we don't theoretically need incantations or wands," Professor Babbling gave him a kind smile, and gestured for him to continue,

"Well, he said that magic is all about intent, right?" He said, as the memories of the discussion came back to him, "About how magic, since it's a manifestation of the soul, is all about emotion and willpower. How when we cast a spell, we're channeling our magic with an intent to cause a result. So-so the words we say when we cast a spell, don't actually have any magical properties, do they?" He took out his wand and just gestured randomly, and not focusing his magic,

"Wingardium leviosa," And nothing happened, "See? Nothing. Because I didn't want to make anything float, just saying the spell didn't make anything float. We just," He screwed up his eyes as he tried to remember how Professor Jackson phrased it, "Associate the words with an intended result, and because of that, we unconsciously channel the required intent behind the spell."

"And as for wands?" Professor Babbling prompted,

"Well," Harry said, "Since magic is just part of who we are, we don't technically need a wand, right? It just acts like, um, a medium? Yeah, it's a medium, that focuses our magic so we don't accidentally use too much power…or something…" He finished rather pathetically, but Professor Babbling just smiled. Hermione, however, was just staring at him, her mouth open in shock, as though she couldn't believe what she'd just been hearing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Susan was looking at him impressed, and across the room, he noticed that Daphne and Tracey were looking at him appraisingly, as though reevaluating something. Near the front of the room, Ernie Macmillan, who had been quite rude to Harry the year before, gave him a large grin and a thumbs up.

"Take fifteen points for Gryffindor, Mr. Potter," Professor babbling said happily, "For a wonderful explanation, of the basic concepts of magical theory. You, and incidentally Professor Jackson, are quite right." She strode past him, and walked toward the front of the room. "Magic, in every respect, is about the intent behind the action. Runology, is no different. Instead of wand movement and incantations, however, Runology is application of symbols and iconography, to cause an intended result. Much like the incantation helps the caster channel their intent to cast a particular spell, a symbol or letter, helps an enchanter cause an intended effect."

The rest of the lesson proved to be far more interesting than Harry had anticipated. Ancient Runes was likely going to very quickly become one of his favorite subjects. The end bell, signaling the end of the class, came incredibly quickly, and as enjoyable as the class had been, Professor Babbling had not held back in her assignment of homework. After gathering their supplies and exiting the room, they bid goodbye to Susan and Hannah, and made their way to Transfiguration.

"That was fantastic!" Hermione was prattling, "Oh I can't wait until we get to numerology, that seems like it's going to be utterly fascinating." For once, Harry had to agree, it seemed as though Ancient Runes was an incredibly useful discipline. Not for the first time, he silently thanked Professor Jackson for the recommendation.

"Hang here for a moment Harry, I need to use the restroom," Hermione said, tugging him to a stop. Nodding, Harry propped himself against the corridor wall, and was about to get comfortable when, and to his immense confusion, Hermione came back out, tucking something back into her robes.

"That was fast," Harry said,

"What?" Hermione asked, giving him a strange look, "Oh," She exclaimed, glancing back to the bathroom, "Ah, I just needed to, um, adjust my makeup," Hermione said quickly, which Harry knew was a lie, as he'd never seen Hermione put anything of the sort on her before. Hermione had been acting very strange, and Harry knew that she was hiding something, but he remembered Professor Jackson's warning about being nosey, and refrained from saying anything. If Hermione wanted to tell him what was going on, she would. So Harry turned his attention back to the rest of their lessons for the day, specifically, he turned his attention back to Hagrid, hopeful excitement mounting over his friend's first ever lesson.

BREAK

"I'm going to positively strangle him," Ron snarled, as they trooped back up to the castle.

Hagrid's first lesson had gone about as poorly as it could have gone. Hagrid had shown them Hippogriffs, large eagle-horse hybrids, that were beautiful if Harry were honest, but equally deadly and terrifying. Malfoy, in either sheer arrogance, or in a ploy to get Hagrid fired, had insulted Buckbeak, one of the hippogriffs, which had attacked him. Hagrid had rushed him off to the hospital wing, dismissing the class.

"You don't think they're going to fire Hagrid, do you?" Hermione asked, her hands wringing.

"They can't!" Ron said firmly,

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "It was Malfoy's fault that Buckbeak attacked him. If Malfoy hadn't provoked the thing, he never would've gotten hurt. He ignored Hagrid's instructions and he paid the consequences. If something happens to Hagrid, we'll fight it. We were there after all, we were witnesses."

Hermione didn't look convinced, and they kept up the discussion all the way up to the fourth floor for History of Magic. The classroom looked the same as it had the year before, with the exception that all of the chairs and desks were arranged in a large circle around the room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione took what would normally be their usual seats at the front of the class, all three fidgeting slightly uncomfortably in their seats. Normally, History of Magic was the lesson Harry looked forward to the most, but Harry was too distracted by Hagrid to enjoy the experience.

When the last of the students entered the room, closing the door behind them, Professor Jackson entered the room, a large grin on his face. He was looking considerably better than he had the night before, and seemed to have recover from the dementors.

"Afternoon everyone," He called out, striding through the circle of desks, and placing some things on the desk. "Hope you all had an enjoyable summer, and are excited for the new year. I got a lot of fun things for the upcoming year," He tapped the chalkboard with his wand, and the words, "Witch Hunts and Witch Trials" appeared on the board.

"This year, our focus will be on how Witches and Wizards have hidden from non-magicals over the centuries, and how the non-magical tried, convicted, and occasionally executed magicals. We'll be looking at everything from protective charms, to advanced forms of transfiguration. I know Professor McGonagall usually starts teaching about Animagus in the third year, but I don't know if she talked about it today." They all nodded their heads,

"Good," Professor Jackson beamed, clapping his hands together, "Animal transformations are perhaps the most famous and the sexiest of the techniques magical have used over the years."

"Oh!" Squealed Lavender Brown in excitement, "Are you an Animagus, professor?" There was some excited chattering around the room at that, and it took Professor Jackson a few moments to calm them down,

"Yes, Lavender, I am. I take it you all want to see it then?" He asked, and there was an outcry of affirmations. They had all seen Professor McGonagall transform into a cat, and Harry couldn't deny that he was immensely interested in what kind of animal Professor Jackson could transform into. Maybe he would turn into a large wolf, like the silver thing that had been hanging around him the day before.

"All right, how about I show you later, a little end of lesson treat then?" Everyone agreed and Professor Jackson smiled, striding forward into the circle so he could begin his pacing. "Now, like always, we start today's lesson, with a question. Since we're on the subject of Animagus, can anyone tell me why it would be useful to transform into an animal, and why that would be important to a witch or wizard attempting to escape persecution? Yes, Daphne?"

As always, Daphne's hand had been the first in the air.

"Well sir, it all comes down the nature of an Animagus. If a witch or wizard has a particularly mundane form, say a cat or a dog, they would be able to escape from muggles more easily. They'd be able to blend in with the shadows. But there would be other benefits as well. As an animal, Animagus are able to communicate with other animals, so they would be able to work together, track down sources of food, or even be shown the best hiding places."

Professor Jackson beamed at her, and Daphne preened, "Excellent, ten points to Slytherin. Yes, that is very good Daphne. Not only can a magical communicate with other animals more easily when transformed, but a witch or wizard will be able to sustain that form pretty much indefinitely. Once in their animal form, a magical would only need to will the transformation to reverse to make it happen, but they are otherwise that form permanently. That means, that, like Giddeon Gogameld, someone could hide out for decades as an animal. Sustaining on the type of nourishment the animal they become eats. Additionally, because animal minds are considerably less complex than human minds, they do not suffer from the same effects from magical creatures as normal mortals do."

He stopped and looked around the class, his hands behind his back,

"For instance, and to use an example we are all painfully familiar with, dementors. In the seventeenth century in particular, many magical governments used dementors to track down wanted criminals. But because transformed individuals do not suffer the same effects of a dementor, an Animagus could slip right by them and they'd never know it."

"Sir," Asked Dean Thomas, "Do you think Sirius Black is an Animagus? Could that have been how he escaped Azkaban?"

Professor Jackson paused, and considered the question,

"I suppose it's possible," He said after a moment, "Though I sincerely doubt it. The process, as you all know, is incredibly difficult, and disastrous if done improperly. Starting at the turn of the century, most magical governments began to closely monitor all Animagus. Here in England for example, the regulations are even more strict. There aren't any records or books on the process in the castle library, they were taken out in the early twenties and are hidden deep within the Ministry itself. In fact,in order to even get the requisite materials to start the process here in England, requires a test, and proof of Transfiguration competency. And that's just to start the process. Again, it's possible that Black could be an Animagus, but he would have needed to put the pieces together himself, and it would have taken years to get right." He shook his head,

"But we're getting off track," Professor Jackson was wandering in slow circles around the desks,

"Where was I, oh, right. There were drawbacks, however to this technique. It has been found that witches or wizards who find themselves in prolonged states of transformation can lose themselves to their transformation. Meaning they take on many of the qualities of the animal they've been transformed at. Dog Animagus, for example, tend to be ridden with fleas, and have been know to urinate on public street corners as a way of, ah, marking their territory," There were some good natured laughter at that. He stopped his pacing, and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a stack of papers which he promptly threw in the air. The papers raced around the room, each paper landed on the desk of an individual student, face down.

"All right now, I have something fun for us to do over the course of the year, and don't look at the paper on your desk until I tell you to." Professor Jackson announced, as curious murmuring broke out around the room. "I got this idea from a fun little no-maj game I played as a kid. I thought it would be a good way to get in the heads of our forebears. The game back home was called Mafia. But we'll be calling it Witch Hunt for our lesson's purposes."

There were murmuring became excited gasps as students shared looks of anticipation,

"The game works like this, some of you will be non-magical towns people, some of you will be a witch or wizard, two of you will be inquisitors of the crown; one of you will be werewolf, and one of you will be a vampire. You'll find your assignment on the piece of paper. For each character that has been assigned, you have been given a task to complete, some are more mundane, others are more challenging. But don't worry," He was quick to say, "it doesn't mean more homework, and you won't get a failing grade if you fail to complete your task, only if you don't even try in the first place." He said quickly, in an effort to stop some of the panicked looks the class exchanged.

"The goal, is to determine who the witches, wizards, and magical creatures are. Near the end of every lesson, we will come together and we will discuss what has been happening. Whether or not any one has seen anything strange. Accusations will be made, defenses will be heard, and at the end of term, we are going to have an honest to goodness with trial though I promise," He said lightly, "No one is going to be turned tossed in a lake to see if they sink or swim," There was some laughter at the joke,

"The witches, wizards, and magical creatures will be trying to evade capture, or misdirect the rest of the class. If they are successful, they will a prize and the students houses will receive bonus points. Likewise, the townsfolk and inquisitors will be trying to determine who is guilty and who is innocent, and if they get it right, they receive a prize of their own."

Professor Jackson was smirking, looking incredibly pleased with himself for his little game, "Now, the townsfolk will be at a little disadvantage, as the magicals will know who each other are, and try to help one another and cover for each other. Meanwhile, the werewolf and vampire will also know who one another are. They can try and help each other, or maybe they'll succumb to their instincts, and try to kill one another. Finally, to make it a bit more fair, the inquisitors will know each other as well, whether you announce yourself to the class or not, is up to you. Any questions so far?"

"Yes sir," Said Seamus Finnegan, raising a hand, "How are we supposed to figure out who the others are? Are we just supposed to follow one another around?"

Professor Jackson's grinned turned absolutely predatory, "Oh, I'm so glad you asked Seamus," He said, bouncing up and down in excitement. He reached into his other pocket, and pulled out a twenty-sided die.

"Remember those tasks you're going to have to accomplish? This is how you're going to do it. At the start of every week, your job will be to roll these die. They're enchanted so I'll know if you did, and what everyone's result was. If you roll below a ten, you fail your task, and if you roll above a ten, you succeed. If one of the creatures or one of the magicals fails in their task…you'll know," He said ominously. His grin widening.

"Now," He announced, "Everyone turn over your papers, don't worry, I took precautions and only you will be able to see what's written down, and please don't tell anyone what your role is, it will ruin the game for everyone."

Harry turned his over, and felt excitement shoot through him. There was a message, written on the paper.

"You are a werewolf. Once a month, on the full moon, you will be required to roll your die to determine if you are able to remain sane enough not to harm anyone innocent. If you fail in your task, the pain of your transform will cause you to lose your mind and you will have to 'kill' one of your classmates. Simply slip them a note, letting them know, but be careful not to get caught doing it, or the townsfolk may begin to suspect you. Good luck, and happy hunting."

Harry felt something heavy fall into his pocket, and he realized it must have been the die.

"All right," Professor Jackson said, "Everyone know what they are? Good, now I'm going to cast a spell, and you won't be able to see. Don't worry it will go away in a moment, but when I announce it, the magicals will be able to see one another, and then the werewolf and vampire will be able to see each other. Ready? Here we go!" A blanket of darkness fell over Harry's eyes. A couple of people let out small gasps of fright, but it died away quickly.

"Witches and Wizards," Harry heard Professor Jackson say, and there was a brief pause, "Everyone know each other good?" Another brief pause, "Werewolf and Vampire, you're up!" And the darkness lifted from Harry's vision. He looked around, all of his classmates eye's were glued shut, and as he glanced around the room, he caught sight of Tracey, and their eyes met. She gave him a wide grin and mouthed,

"Vampire,"

He grinned back, and pretended to howl at the moon. Tracey had to stuff a fist in her mouth to stop herself from giggling. Professor Jackson just watched the exchange in amusement, before he nodded at them, and then darkness filled Harry's vision again.

"Inquisitors!" there was a few more moments of silence, and then Harry's vision cleared as everyone in the class opened their eyes.

"Your only homework for the upcoming months, will be to research your individual role, and to do your best to get into character, at the end of every week, I want a summary of what you've discovered of your character, as well as a summary of your tasks, and how you would go about accomplishing them, if you really were your character. Sound good?"

There were happy exclamations around the class, and Professor Jackson laughed as he glanced at the clock,

"All right, now I suppose I promised you all a little treat, you ready?" The class nodded, and everyone seemed to lean forward slightly in their seats as they watched Professor Jackson roll his shoulders slightly. There was a blur of movement, and they all gasped in amazement, as Professor Jackson disappeared; in his place, was one of the largest horses Harry had ever seen.

Professor Jackson was a large, black-haired, Arabian-Horse. He stood at a little higher than five feet in height. His mane was a beautiful, black, sheen. Several girls cooed happily, and Seamus Finnegan let out a loud whistle.

"Oh Professor," Swooned Lavender Brown, "You're beautiful," Then, having realized what she just said, she clapped her hands over her mouth as her face went as scarlet as a quaffle. But Professor Jackson seemed more amused than anything, as he let out a snort, and trotted over to her, and nudged her shoulder with his large a trembling hand, she ran her fingers through his mane.

"It's so soft," Harry heard her swoon. Then Professor Jackson moved away and he trotted happily around the room. His hoofs clopping against the marble floor. he made a full circle, and then the horse disappeared and Professor Jackson was standing in its place, to tumultuous applause. He gave a heavily exaggerated bow as the bell rang.

"All right everyone, have a good rest of your day. Don't forget to begin researching your roles, we'll start our discussions next class." He announced with a wave.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione began packing their things away. While the class had been an excellent distraction, with the lesson over, Harry's mind went back to Hagrid, and his worry over his friend's fate.

"Why so glum, chum," He heard Professor Jackson ask as he propped himself up on the side of Harry's desk. Harry cast a worried glance over to Ron, before he met Professor Jackson's eyes.

"It's Hagrid, Professor," Harry said, before he explained what had happened during Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Jackson sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Boy is going to end up just like his father," He muttered, before meeting Harry's eyes, "I'll send a message to Sarah. We'll see what we can do," Professor Jackson reassured. For a moment, Harry was confused, the he remembered that the woman was a barrister.

"Really, professor?" Harry asked, happily.

Professor Jackson just chuckled, "Really, really." he said, "Hagrid's good people, and if what you told me is true, then the only one at fault is Draco, not Hagrid. Don't worry Harry, we'll get this taken care of." And he clapped a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Now get out of here, it's nearly dinner time, and you're bound to be starving."

Feeling infinitely better about Hagrid's chances, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the room, and headed off to dinner.

BREAK

The weeks began blurring by so quickly, Harry seemed to have blinked, and they were suddenly at the end of October. Between classes, the start of Quidditch practice, and practicing the spells from his defensive magical textbooks, time seemed to be flying. Aside from History of Magic, Ancient Runes was rapidly becoming one of Harry's favorite classes. While there was a monstrous amount of work involved, everything they were learning was incredibly interesting, and Professor Babbling was as passionate about her subject as Professor Jackson.

They'd had their first lesson with their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as well. For their first lesson, Professor Lupin had shown them how to confront a boggart, a creature that changed its shape into the thing that scared the person facing it the most. Almost everyone in the class had seemingly gotten a chance to stop the boggart, all except for Harry. Professor Lupin had leapt in front of him right before Harry could tackle it, before he told Neville Longbottom to destroy it. While everyone else seemed to be loving the class, Harry couldn't help feeling disappointed, Harry was sure that his collapse on the train had left a significant impact on Professor Lupin. Every time he walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he was reminded of the boggart, and how apparently, Professor Lupin thought Harry was too frail to tackle anything more dangerous than a broomstick.

Care of Magical Creatures had taken a turn for the worse as well. Hagrid had not been sacked after their disastrous first lesson, but an investigation into the incident had been launched. Hagrid seemed to have lost all of his desire to teach. They'd spent the last several weeks working exclusively with flobberworms, which were some of the most dreadfully dull creatures Harry had ever seen.

By far. however, History of Magic was proving to be the most interesting class they had. They were quick to find out what happened when someone failed in one of their assigned tasks. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been sitting the Common Room when Seamus had rolled his die. There was a flash of light, and they were all gifted to the image of Seamus covered head to toe in cow dung. It was all an illusion, but it was still wildly funny. Professor Jackson explained that the die were enchanted so that when someone failed in one of their tasks, an illusion catered to their specific tasks were created so everyone around them could see. By the end of October, discussions were getting heated in class but thus far, there was still no sign of any of the magicals in hiding. Harry for his part had had some lucky rolls. He'd missed out on having to "kill" one of his classmates only barely when he rolled an eleven.

Halloween brought on a happy surprise. The first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, spent the whole day exploring the village. They went from shop to shop, enjoying the sights, and revealing in being able to get away from the castle for a day. Harry had been worried that Professor McGonagall was not going to let him go, but after staring in surprise at the signature on his form, she'd ushered him on without another word.

Harry wasn't sure what the best part of the day was, it was a near thing between Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks. Honeydukes, the sweet shop, had taken a fairly large portion of Harry's pocket money, as Harry stocked up on as many sweets as he could stuff into his pockets. But the butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks was one of the most delicious creations Harry had ever tasted. All in all, Harry wasn't sure that he'd had a more enjoyable day in his entire time at Hogwarts.

The only bad part of the day, had been Harry had been forced to walk by the dementors as they left and came back to the castle. While he didn't have the same reaction to them that he'd had on the train, Harry had shuffled past them far quicker than the rest of the students, and he could have sworn in the back of his head, that he'd heard screaming.

Aside from the dementors, however, Harry couldn't have asked for a better day. All of which culminated in the extravagant feast at the Great Hall later that night.

Carved Jack-o-lanterns floated in the starry night sky, as small enchanted bats fluttered over their heads as they tucked into enormous helpings of turkey, pork, mashed potatoes, gravy, and so many others. It was a cornucopia of laughter, food, and carefree smiles.

They had just been tucking into their desserts when Harry chanced a glance up at the head table. Professor Jackson, who was in a deep, animated discussion with Professor Babbling as he spooned blue pudding in his mouth suddenly glanced up. His eyes darting to the starry night sky of the enchanted ceiling. Harry, confused by the reaction, looked at the rest of the table and saw that Professor Dumbledore was doing the same. He watched as they shared a worried look, before Professor Dumbledore gave a small, stern-looking nod at the man. Professor Jackson abruptly stood from the table, giving a hasty apology to a stunned looking Professor Babbling, as he darted out of a door behind the teacher's table.

"What do you think that was about?" Harry heard Ron ask, having seen the same thing Harry had.

"Maybe-maybe he forgot something he had to do, like send a letter or-or something," Hermione suggested, though judging by the worried look on her face, she didn't seem to sure. Harry felt an odd sense of foreboding swell in the pit of his stomach. There was something painfully familiar about the set of circumstances, and Harry couldn't help but be reminded of what had happened last spring.

The feeling only got worse, when history seemed to be repeating itself. Through the door, burst Professor Jackson's silver wolf, as it darted along the tables to Professor Dumbledore. The entire Hall fell silent. Everyone, like Harry, seemed to recognize the wolf, and could clearly remember the circumstances behind the last time the creature had come bounding into the Hall. However, unlike last time, the wolf had none of urgency as it did when the Basilisk had attacked. Instead, as it approached the staff table, it slowed to a steady walk, and lazily opened its mouth.

"He's in the castle," Came Professor Jackson's voice from the wolf's mouth, "He tried to get through the portrait of the Fat Lady, but when she wouldn't open up, he slashed her portrait. I have Sir Nick rounding up the ghosts and looking for her now. I'll start a search for him. Our alarms were timely, he can't have gotten far."

Dumbledore wasted no time standing up and addressing the teachers. "Severus, Remus, go upstairs and rendezvous with Perseus, Pomona, go find Mr. Filch. Instruct him to begin searching the paintings for the Fat Lady. Minerva, Filius, the doors. Everyone else, split into pairs and begin searching the floors one at a time." The teachers began moving all at once, Professors Snape and Lupin taking off at a run out of the Hall. Dumbledore then turned and addressed the scared students in the Hall.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them 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 Weasley, who was looking immensely 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.

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

"C'mon," Ron said to Harry and Hermione; they seized three sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner.

"Whaddya reckon?" Ron asked, as they got themselves situated in their corner,

"It has to be Black," Harry said, surprising even himself with how even his voice was, "If he was trying to get into the tower…" He trailed, and Hermione looked like she was choking back a sob. Her eyes wide as she stared at him.

"Harry," She hissed, "Are you…are you all right?"

It was a fair question, and honestly Harry didn't know how he felt about it. His heart was beating surprisingly normally. It was strange, he thought, that he was taking it so well. it was clear to the three of them why Sirius Black was trying to sneak into Gryffindor Tower. But oddly, Harry felt a strange sense of determination fill him. He knew that he was still only thirteen, and that he only had two years of training, but he'd been making great strides with his additional practice. He seemed to grasp defensive magic far better and more quickly than even Hermione. While she and Ron were still struggling with Shield Charms, Harry had moved on and was proving quite adept at casting stunning spells. Perhaps it was his newfound prowess with defensive magic, or maybe it was the fact that he was growing numb to his own life being in danger, but if Sirius Black wanted to try and kill him…Harry welcomed him to try. If he were going to die, he'd go out like his parents, fighting.

Ron and Hermione both shared a glance, before they surreptitiously slid over to be closer to Harry. They ended in a position where Harry was sandwiched between them, and he was all but hidden from view. As though they were concerned Black would burst in the Hall, and wanted him to get through them first.

Harry was touched by the silent gesture of support. For a boy who never had any friends before Hogwarts, to have Ron and Hermione be willing to support him so fully, so faithfully, was touching beyond words. As he tucked himself deeper into his bag, he tried to change topics, and they began discussing how they thought Black might have gotten into the castle.

All around them, the students were discussing what was happening. Everyone seemed to have come to the same conclusion, that Sirius Black was somewhere in the castle. Theories were sprouting up on how he managed to sneak in. Each theory was more ridiculous than the last. Soon enough, the lights in the hall went out, and Percy Weasley and the Head Girl, Penelope Clearwater, began stalking around checkin and making sure things were silent.

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 Weasley, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. The elder Weasley was only a short way away from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore's footsteps drew nearer.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy Weasley 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." Harry heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps, it sounded as though multiple people.

"Headmaster?" It was Snape. Harry kept quite still, listening hard. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"Owlery, Astronemy Tower, and Trelawney's room are all cleared too. Septima told me that the first, second, and fifth floors are clear as well." Came Professor Jackson's voice.

"Very well, I suppose it's not a surprise. I didn't expect Black to linger," Professor Dumbledore sighed,

"Thought I had him," Professor Jackson snarled, "Those protective charms we placed around the tower went off properly, but none of the enchantments around the rest of the castle alerted us. Do you have any idea how he managed to get all the way up to the tower without us knowing?"

"I have many theories, Perseus, each more unlikely than the last." Dumbledore said,

"Do you remember the issue I raised at the start of term, Headmaster? I believe I expressed my concerns about this when you appointed-"

"Oh not again with this," Professor Jackson said in utter exasperation, "He was in the hall with us all night. Medusa's saggy tits how do you think he managed that, especially with what's happening in a couple of days. He's all ready looking-"

"I don't remember asking for your input Jackson," Sanpe sneered, "If I wanted the advise of a neanderthal, I assure you I'll let you know,"

"Say that again," Professor Jackson said, and Harry opened his eyes a fraction, just enough to see Professor Jackson nose to nose with Snape. Professor Jackson looked ready to hit the potions master, Percy Weasley was watching the exchange in a kind of muted, horrified curiosity, "Say that again and see what happens, I've had about enough of your superiority complex, you think that just because-"

"Enough!" Professor Dumbledore said sternly, "We have enough problems without turning on each other. Severus," Dumbledore turned to Snape, "I do not believe that single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," And his tone was so sharp, it was clear that the matter was closed.

"I need to go to down to the dementors," Dumbledore continued, "I promised I'd inform them when we were done with our search,"

"Don't they want to help, sir?" Percy Weasley asked,

"Oh yes," Said Dumbledore darkly, "But no dementor will be crossing the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster." And with that, he turned on his heel and made to stride out of the castle, Professor Jackson hot on his heels.

"I'll come with, he might still be on the grounds. I'd like to take another look," He said, and the door to the hall opened, and Professors Dumbledore and Jackson strode out of the hall. Snape glared angrily at their retreating forms, before turning on his heel and storming out of the Hall. Harry rolled over and caught Ron's eye as he mouthed,

"What was all that about?"

AN: So some fun stuff going on here. I had the idea for the game literally as I was writing it and was like, 'oh this is kinda fun' so I hope you enjoy it! As I'm sure you can guess, it's going to come into play later! There was a break-in, and now Harry Knows for certain that Black is after him. What's going to happen next? Will Sirius evade capture long enough to prove his innocence or will Percy catch him and end things prematurely? What do you think is going to happen? Let me know! Thanks as always for the love and support. Stay safe, and stay healthy,

Love,

LilDB