When they
arrived in the common room, it was packed with almost the entire Gryffindor
house.
"Well,
well, well. Potter and Weasley, didn't you meet up with one of the ghosts? They
were to inform everyone of a meeting. Where were you?" Professor
McGonagall asked.
"We
were j-just on our w-way up from t-the Great
H-hall
Professor," stuttered Ron
"Well
then, I guess you've heard what has happened. Why don't you tell us?"
"We
don't know Professor," Harry confessed.
"Well
then, everyone listen. Sirius Black…."
Harry's
hopes rose. If Black was proclaimed innocent, which he was, then Harry would
get to leave the Dursleys forever and live with his godfather
"is
on the lose again. I advise you, no I am telling you to stay in this common
room before and after classes. You all will need to take many precautions. Do
not leave any trace of a password anywhere. Understand?" she asked, her
eyes fixed on Neville.
"The
dementors will not be back, thank goodness, but all of you will have to be very
careful, understand?"
"Yes, Professor," chorused the residents of Gryffindor house.
Once the
professor left; the room broke out in gossip.
"Ohmygosh!
Black is back!"
"No
way, I can't believe this"
"I
wonder who he's out to get this time?"
Harry dragged
Ron off into a corner of the room.
"Ron,
this is great! If Black comes here; we can him to Dumbledore and tell
Dumbledore that Black is innocent! We know he didn't kill Scabbers, er,
Pettigrew. Maybe he'll believe us!"
"Harry,
what are you, crazy? Remember what my dad said, don't go looking for
Back!"
"But
this year, I know he's not going to hurt me, Harry explained, "he's my
godfather, for goodness sake! He wouldn't go hurting his own godson!"
Ron looked worried.
"Harry,
nobody knows what happened to Black after he left on Buckbeak. Maybe he met up
with Lockhart and Lockhart erased his memory or something. Nobody knows. Maybe
he wants to kill someone and if we're there, it might be us!"
"Ron,
what has gotten into you?" asked Harry. "Maybe we should just stay
here like Professor McGonagall said and not go looking for trouble. Okay?"
"Okay"
agreed Ron. "That's a good idea. Why don't we go ask some of Hermione's
friends if they've seen her?"
"Duh
Ron, we are her friends," said Harry, smacking Ron upside the head.
"Ouch!
That hurt! What's you're problem today Harry? You've been acting really weird
lately."
"I-don't-have-a-problem!"
demanded Harry.
"Okay,
okay," replied Ron. "Let's go see if Hermione is in here
somewhere."
They made
their way into the middle of the room. Ron stood up on a chair and looked
around. Harry sneaked around, making his way to the portrait hole.