When they entered the castle it was nearly time for the Halloween feast. Thousands of live bats fluttered over their heads, and Hagrid's enormous pumpkins were carved into grinning faces. Second and first years were already seated at their tables, watching as the students who had gone to Hogsmeade filed in. Harry took a seat next to Ron and Hermione, and stared at his empty plate, half starving to death.
"Hello students, ghosts and teachers," Dumbledore stood up, his voice magically magnified. "I trust you have all had an exciting time at Hogsmeade filling up on frog spawn and cockroach clusters, or perhaps you've spent the afternoon in your common rooms-er-studying for your classes." A titter went through the Great Hall. Most of the teachers frowned. "Anyway I'd just like to wish you all a very happy Halloween and to-,"
"OW!" Harry had just felt a sharp pain sear through his forehead. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was gone, leaving only a mild throbbing feeling. Harry frowned, scared out of his wits.
Dumbledore was by his side almost instantly. "Are you all right Harry?"
"Yeah, I think so..." He was very shaken.
"Do you need--"
But there was a large bang from the entrance hall. Dumbledore stood up quickly. "You'll be all right Harry," he muttered, and his wand out, he went into the Entrance Hall.
When he returned he looked paler than Harry'd ever seen him before, his blue eyes shining with fury.
"All students are to return to their common rooms!" Dumbledore shouted. "I trust prefects will be able to lead the way safely--AVOID THE ENTRANCE HALL, use the back stairs"
Hermione didn't even smile at the mention of prefects. She was already gathering first years up.
"What do you reckon that is?" Ron whispered.
Harry was still rubbing his forehead. "I think it has something to do with You Know Who."
Even Ron's freckles went pale.
"It wouldn't hurt you know," Harry said quickly. "To just peek in the hall. I mean we can't just go back up to the common room and if it is--"
Ron was wide eyed. "Yeah," he nodded. He and Harry moved away from the throng of Gryffindors, to the Entrance Hall where the teachers were looking just as scared as Harry felt. Professor McGonagoll was white and was waving her wand about. Tiny Professor Flitwick was wringing his hands as he looked up into the air....
Someone--or something--had conjured the Dark Mark.
"-it was just hovering there." Harry concluded after telling Hermione about the Dark Mark. He, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in the Gryffindor common room in a corner.
Hermione looked shocked. "Are you sure ?" asked Hermione. "I mean, if someone did that, that's really bad." Crookshanks sprang into her lap with a purr, but Hermione didn't even take notic.
"Dead sure," said Ron grimly. "Bet you anything it was Draco Malfoy. Decided to have some Halloween fun."
"We thought Draco Malfoy opened the Chamber of Secrets, too," Hermione said doubtfully. "Do you think someone broke in?"
"Didn't look like anyone was there," Ron said.
Unlike, Harry, Ron and Hermione, the rest of Gryffindors had no idea why the feast had been cancelled.
"Someone set off a load of dungbombs!" said Fred Weasley.
"With you, everything's dungbombs," muttered Ginny.
"Don't be a prat," said George. "They're not going to cancel a feast because of a few dungbombs, not even ours."
"I know, I know!" shouted Dennis Creevey, a tiny second year. "The giant squid broke into the castle!"
"Naw, I bet a Lethifold got in!" said a third year.
"Honestly!" tutted Hermione. "I don't know about you, but it seems like they were making a big deal out of nothing. I'm going to bed."
"You didn't see the Dark Mark Hermione. It was huge."
"I've seen the Dark Mark before, at the Quidditch Cup," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Really I don't think there's anything to be worried about at all. Why don't you get some sleep, both of you?"
Ron was looking at Hermione like she was crazy--"Hermione!" he hissed, "that means there must be a Death Eater in the castle!"
Hermione looked uncomfortable.
"I'm going to write to Sirius. Night," Harry said awkwardly as he watched Ron staring fixedly at Hermione. Maybe Sirius would know something about it. Harry went up to his dormitory so he could write with peace and quiet. He got out a piece of parchment and a quill and chose his words slowly. He didn't want to worry Sirius. Last time he told Sirius his scar hurt, Sirius had gone from a tropical island to Hogsmeade.
Finally, at eleven thirty, Harry's letter was done. He reread it.
Dear Sirius, How are you and Buckbeak? I hope you're having a good time, wherever you are. School is harder than ever since we're all preparing for the O.W.L's. You took them, right? Were they really hard? Fred and George, Ron's older brothers, keep going on about how horrible the O.W.L's are. But they lie a lot-have you ever met Fred and George? I think you'd like them.
A weird thing happened tonight-when we'd gotten back to Hogsmeade to the Halloween feast my scar hurt, and then someone let the Dark Mark off in the Entrance Hall. It was probably just a joke that a Slytherin thought was funny but I thought I'd better write to you anyway.
By the way, I've been made captain of the Quidditch team. We have a new keeper, she's a second year but she's very good. Her name is Natalie McDonald.
Got to go, Harry
There, thought Harry to himself. That ought to be enough for Sirius to know the details, but not so much that he would rush over to Hogwarts and demand to see the Dark Mark. He lay in bed with the curtains drawn around him. From the sounds of it the rest of Gryffindor tower was still anticipating what had made the teacher's so worried. Harry rolled over angrily. They didn't have Voldemort to worry about--they had nothing, just the simplicity of knowing nothing, of feeling nothing, being swarthed in a cloak protecting them from the truth.
authors note: more to come! i've completed the novel it'll just take a while to upload it. leave a review here please! if you have any questions email somacrat@hotmail.com. if the chapter titles are screwed up don't worry. i was just being random. and let me ask you guys something? would you ever go around singing "gingle bells...." just a thought :)
"Hello students, ghosts and teachers," Dumbledore stood up, his voice magically magnified. "I trust you have all had an exciting time at Hogsmeade filling up on frog spawn and cockroach clusters, or perhaps you've spent the afternoon in your common rooms-er-studying for your classes." A titter went through the Great Hall. Most of the teachers frowned. "Anyway I'd just like to wish you all a very happy Halloween and to-,"
"OW!" Harry had just felt a sharp pain sear through his forehead. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was gone, leaving only a mild throbbing feeling. Harry frowned, scared out of his wits.
Dumbledore was by his side almost instantly. "Are you all right Harry?"
"Yeah, I think so..." He was very shaken.
"Do you need--"
But there was a large bang from the entrance hall. Dumbledore stood up quickly. "You'll be all right Harry," he muttered, and his wand out, he went into the Entrance Hall.
When he returned he looked paler than Harry'd ever seen him before, his blue eyes shining with fury.
"All students are to return to their common rooms!" Dumbledore shouted. "I trust prefects will be able to lead the way safely--AVOID THE ENTRANCE HALL, use the back stairs"
Hermione didn't even smile at the mention of prefects. She was already gathering first years up.
"What do you reckon that is?" Ron whispered.
Harry was still rubbing his forehead. "I think it has something to do with You Know Who."
Even Ron's freckles went pale.
"It wouldn't hurt you know," Harry said quickly. "To just peek in the hall. I mean we can't just go back up to the common room and if it is--"
Ron was wide eyed. "Yeah," he nodded. He and Harry moved away from the throng of Gryffindors, to the Entrance Hall where the teachers were looking just as scared as Harry felt. Professor McGonagoll was white and was waving her wand about. Tiny Professor Flitwick was wringing his hands as he looked up into the air....
Someone--or something--had conjured the Dark Mark.
"-it was just hovering there." Harry concluded after telling Hermione about the Dark Mark. He, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in the Gryffindor common room in a corner.
Hermione looked shocked. "Are you sure ?" asked Hermione. "I mean, if someone did that, that's really bad." Crookshanks sprang into her lap with a purr, but Hermione didn't even take notic.
"Dead sure," said Ron grimly. "Bet you anything it was Draco Malfoy. Decided to have some Halloween fun."
"We thought Draco Malfoy opened the Chamber of Secrets, too," Hermione said doubtfully. "Do you think someone broke in?"
"Didn't look like anyone was there," Ron said.
Unlike, Harry, Ron and Hermione, the rest of Gryffindors had no idea why the feast had been cancelled.
"Someone set off a load of dungbombs!" said Fred Weasley.
"With you, everything's dungbombs," muttered Ginny.
"Don't be a prat," said George. "They're not going to cancel a feast because of a few dungbombs, not even ours."
"I know, I know!" shouted Dennis Creevey, a tiny second year. "The giant squid broke into the castle!"
"Naw, I bet a Lethifold got in!" said a third year.
"Honestly!" tutted Hermione. "I don't know about you, but it seems like they were making a big deal out of nothing. I'm going to bed."
"You didn't see the Dark Mark Hermione. It was huge."
"I've seen the Dark Mark before, at the Quidditch Cup," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Really I don't think there's anything to be worried about at all. Why don't you get some sleep, both of you?"
Ron was looking at Hermione like she was crazy--"Hermione!" he hissed, "that means there must be a Death Eater in the castle!"
Hermione looked uncomfortable.
"I'm going to write to Sirius. Night," Harry said awkwardly as he watched Ron staring fixedly at Hermione. Maybe Sirius would know something about it. Harry went up to his dormitory so he could write with peace and quiet. He got out a piece of parchment and a quill and chose his words slowly. He didn't want to worry Sirius. Last time he told Sirius his scar hurt, Sirius had gone from a tropical island to Hogsmeade.
Finally, at eleven thirty, Harry's letter was done. He reread it.
Dear Sirius, How are you and Buckbeak? I hope you're having a good time, wherever you are. School is harder than ever since we're all preparing for the O.W.L's. You took them, right? Were they really hard? Fred and George, Ron's older brothers, keep going on about how horrible the O.W.L's are. But they lie a lot-have you ever met Fred and George? I think you'd like them.
A weird thing happened tonight-when we'd gotten back to Hogsmeade to the Halloween feast my scar hurt, and then someone let the Dark Mark off in the Entrance Hall. It was probably just a joke that a Slytherin thought was funny but I thought I'd better write to you anyway.
By the way, I've been made captain of the Quidditch team. We have a new keeper, she's a second year but she's very good. Her name is Natalie McDonald.
Got to go, Harry
There, thought Harry to himself. That ought to be enough for Sirius to know the details, but not so much that he would rush over to Hogwarts and demand to see the Dark Mark. He lay in bed with the curtains drawn around him. From the sounds of it the rest of Gryffindor tower was still anticipating what had made the teacher's so worried. Harry rolled over angrily. They didn't have Voldemort to worry about--they had nothing, just the simplicity of knowing nothing, of feeling nothing, being swarthed in a cloak protecting them from the truth.
authors note: more to come! i've completed the novel it'll just take a while to upload it. leave a review here please! if you have any questions email somacrat@hotmail.com. if the chapter titles are screwed up don't worry. i was just being random. and let me ask you guys something? would you ever go around singing "gingle bells...." just a thought :)