Harry Potter and the Return of Lord Voldemort
Part 26
"So, how's Sirius?" Fred Weasley inquired. Harry grinned.
"He looks pretty bad," Harry admitted. "But the doctors assure us that he's going be just fine,"
"Right," Hermione said. "Right now, our biggest worry are the O.W.L.'s,"
"And the N.E.W.T.'s," George reminded.
"And don't forget the Quidditch Finals," Ron said. "Plus Professor Luna's funeral," Sirius and Professor Luna, the Potion's Mistress, had gone on a date, but something had gone wrong. Sirius's bike had crashed, killing the woman, and seriously injuring Sirius.
"Another funeral," Hermione sighed. "It's so depressing," she closed the Transfiguration text-book. Madam Pince wasn't in the library, so they weren't ushered put for talking too much. People weren't concentrating on studying, anyway. Parvati Patil, for example, was swooning and whispering and giggling to her best friend, Lavender Brown, about some mysterious admirer.
"I hope Sirius gets better, though," Ron said worriedly. "Soon,"
"You're right," Harry agreed. "Who knows when Cornelius Fudge or the Dementors might have a spur-of-the-moment idea to give Hogsmeade a check for stray prisoners,"
"Spur-of-the-moment?" Fred inquired. "Harry, you're reading too much! You're turning into Hermione!"
"It's the attack of the were-Hermione!" George joked. Harry gave a long howl, and everyone except Hermione burst into laughter.
"Hmmph," she sniffed. "I don't see what's so funny,"
"Aw, come on, Hermie," Ron chided, punching her playfully on the arm. "We're just having fun,"
"Still, you never know," Hermione scolded. "The Dementors could be scouring Hogsmeade for Sirius even as we speak,"
"Dementors?" Relana Rodano asked, entering the library and joining their table. "Boy, you guys haven't read the newspapers for a long time, have you?"
"Who has?" Fred asked. "There's been more going on in Hogwarts right now than there is in the real world."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, what with Osama bin Laden," Relana said.
"Who?" George asked, frowning.
"See." Relana grinned. "He's sort of a Muggle version of Lord Voldemort," Everyone except Harry flinched. "Anyway, back to the Dementors, I don't think they're going to be doing much activity. At least, not until Voldemort told them to,"
"What are talking about?" Harry frowned in confusion. Relana brought out a newspaper and pointed to an article. Harry read it, the other reading over his shoulder.
DEMENTORS ABANDON AZKABAN
Everyone gasped in shock. "That's not
all," Relana informed them. She pointed to a smaller headline.
Prisoners escape!
Agents from the Ministry of Magic suspect that the Dementors have turned against mankind and allowed the prisoners of Azkaban, the magical jail cell, to escape. Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge went for an inspection of the prison last night, only to discover that it was empty.
"We don't know why the Dementors have abandoned Azkaban with the prisoners, but we intend to find out," Deputy Frizzle announced. "It's the Sirius Black issue all over again," The Minister of Magic made no comment.
* * *
Parvati-
I need to see you. I want you to meet me. Soon. I want you to meet me in the Forbidden Forest in two days. Be there.
-Your Secret Admirer
Lavender giggled. "Ooh," she teased. "Parvati has a boyfriend!" Parvati rolled her eyes.
"I do have a boyfriend, you idiot!" she snapped. Lavender stopped laughing at once.
"Oh, right," she muttered. "Are you going to tell Terry?"
"Are you kidding!?" Parvati shrieked. "He'd totally freak!" Terry Boot was Parvati Patil's boyfriend since the beginning of the 5th year.
"So are you going to meet him?" Lavender asked. Parvati shrugged.
"I suppose so," she responded. "I really wanna find out who my admirer is,"
"Mmm…" Lavender replied absently. Her mind was working quickly about how she could turn this little situation to her advantage. It's simple. All I have to do is feed Terry this little piece of information. He'll be devastated. He'll march over to where Parvati and whoever are their little rendezvous. He'll see her in the arms of someone else. He'll be heartbroken, and I'll be there to comfort him, and before you know it, he'll be mine!
She had never admitted it, but she had always had a thing for Terry, her next-door neighbor. "Lavender?" What was that? "Lav? Lav?" Lavender decided to ignoe it, instead reveling in the glory o her plan. "HEY, LAVENDER!"
"H—huh?" Lavender snapped out of her reverie to see Parvati with a concerned look on her face.
"About time you joined the land of the sane again," Parvati laughed. "What were you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Lavender lied, picking up her History textbook. "Nothing at all,"