Dumbledore's strides were quick, yet regal as he made his way down to the great hall. He was flanked by Madame Pomfrey, her hair askew and her face red.

"Honestly Professor, is this really necessary?"

"I'm sorry Poppy, but I don't want this to spread."

"Well, if you do intend to-" Madame Pomfrey looked round sharply, to see if there were any students around who weren't in the great hall like they were supposed to be, "If you intend to do what you plan on doing, Professor, I hope you won't leave me up to this task alone. I'm going to need help."

Dumbledore stopped in the hall, and looked at her. He rubbed his beard for a moment in thought. "Fine." He said finally. "Just make sure they can come as quickly as they can."

The nurse gave a quick nod and rushed down the hall.

Dumbledore slowly strode into the Great Hall, and looked at all the students. Some were anxious, some were bored, and the first years just looked terrified.. A few of the Hufflepuffs were whispering, but shut their mouths hurriedly as their headmaster approached.

"I'm sure many of you are wondering why I called this meeting." Dumbledore gave a feeble smile, but it was pale and thin, and it showed his exhaustion, and the loss of the twinkle in his eye. "As many of you may know, some students have been falling ill with a strange disease. Unfortunately, this disease is quite rare, and relatively unheard of. We, at Hogwarts, want to try and keep it that way. Therefore, due to the fact that two more students fell ill today, a Teresa Berenson of Slytherin, and a Draco Malfoy, also of Slytherin, we have decided to quarantine Hogwarts. All trips off campus will be canceled, and both students and staff are not allowed to leave the premises. If anyone outside of Hogwarts happens to fall ill, he or she shall be brought here for treatment. Due to the fact that you or your pet may be carriers of this disease, no more letters can be sent out. However, I regret to inform you that wether you catch it or not is no longer up to you. There currently is no pattern in who falls ill. Classes will continue as planned, and I offer you my upmost apology that you will not be able to go home during the holidays."

It took a moment for that to sink in. Then the room positively exploded.

"We're rats! Rats caught in a bloody trap!" Ron moaned over and over again. "We're going to die here!"

"We're not going to die." Harry said, but Ron would not stop moaning.

Finally Hermione squirted ice water at him out of the tip of her wand. "SNAP OUT OF IT!" She screeched, and doused him.

Ron shook his head back and forth. "Thanks. I-I think I needed that."

"It's a shame I can't send out letters anymore." Hermione said dreamily. "I wanted to write the Jacobson's and find out how a real family celebrates Channukah."

Ron stared at her, his mouth open. "What's wrong with you? We're trapped like rats in a trap and all you can think about is Channukah?"

Hermione said something to Ron that sounded very mean spirited. However, whatever it was couldn't be detected. It was in Yiddish.

"Yeah, well, same to you!" Ron shot back.

"I'm losing my mind!" Harry screamed to no one in particular. "I'm losing my mind!" Then he turned to Ron and Hermione. "WILL YOU TWO PLEASE SHUT UP?"

Meanwhile, similar things were happening all over the great hall. Pansy Parkinson was weeping uncontrollably at the fact that Draco was sick, and Crabbe and Goyle still seemed slightly shocked that their fearless leader wouldn't be returning. Lavender was sobbing into Seamus' shirt. Seamus appeared dry-eyed, though obviously uncomfortable. He tried to slide out under Lavender's grasp.

"Um..Lav?"

"Yes Seamus?" Lavender managed to pull her head out of his shoulder. She lifted her tear stained face so that he could see all the mascara streaks. Then she plopped it right back down again.

"Lavvy, that really hurts."

"It does?" Lavender asked in her most innocent voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry Seamus, I'm just so scared!" And she started crying all over again. Seamus simply sighed and rested his chin in his hand.

Dean wasn't faring as well. He had buried his head in his arms, and was weeping silently. However, it was not because he wasn't going home for the holidays, though that saddened him as well. It was because Teresa was sick. Neville patted him on the shoulder comfortingly, but was worried himself. What if something happened to his grandmother? What if she got sick? What if she died? He was shaking. He would never know if that happened. Wouldn't be able to leave. He tried to take a drink of his pumpkin juice to calm himself down, but his shaking hands made him drop the cup.

It shattered, sending dark rivers down the floor, which looked like muddy blood.

Dumbledore saw this, and shook his head. A weaker man might have broken down as well, watching his entire school transform into a shivering, crying mob. "You all..." he said, to get their attention. "You all are now...free to go."

"Free?" A seventh year Hufflepuff called out, mocking Dumbledore and the irony of his words. "How am I free to go if I can't leave this school? How am I free if I can't send letters to my family? Tell me, headmaster, if we're all trapped, and most likely doomed, how are we free?"

Dumbledore's expression never changed. "To tell you the truth, Logan, considering the circumstances, you aren't free. What I should have said is that you may now leave this room, if you so choose, and I would like you to know that classes have been canceled for the rest of the day, and the owlry has been locked, and the owls removed. Anyone caught sending letters will have to suffer dire consequences. That is all."

Madame Pomfrey sent her letter on the smallest owl she could find. She had scoured her letter, and the owl, much to its distress, with an antibiotic potion, just to be safe, but she still knew that sending this was terribly risky. The owl flew out, with ruffled feathers and a pouty expression, still damp from the potion. Poppy Pomfrey sighed as she watched her last hope clear the treetops.

A/N: Who is the letter going to? Take a wild guess. You might be right. In any event, just wait for next chapter!