Dumbledore's office had always amazed Harry, and he would've loved to spend time just inspecting all the curious objects that littered the room, but he wasn't even thinking about inspecting anything as he stepped into the office and spotted Sirius, pacing infront of the fire.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, glad to see his godfather.
Sirius, however, did not look too happy. He walked briskly over, grabbing Harry by the shoulders, "Harry! What do you think you're doing?!" He cried, his eyes wide. The last time Harry had seen him, Sirius had been not much more than pale and gaunt looking, but after spending the last few months with Remus Lupin, an ex- Defence Against The Dark Art's teacher and a childhood friend of Sirius and Harry's father, Sirius now looked more filled with his hair cut neatly.
"Uh…" was all Harry managed to stutter.
"You've completely been defying every single thing we told you!" Sirius shouted. He laughed slightly in complete disbelief, "You've been wandering around corridors, going places by yourself and then not telling anyone as soon as something strange happens! What were you thinking?!"
"I don't want everyone to worry! I don't need looking after!" Harry managed to cry, his face burning bright red.
"Harry, everyone is going to worry about you, whether you like it or not. I don't think you understand just how dangerous it is at the moment, especially for you!"
"Of course I do," Harry said, "I just don't want to seem like I'm looking for protection and running to Dumbledore the moment any little thing happens!"
Sirius sighed, "You are the person that Voldemort is going to go after and I'll bet he is plotting right this very second. He could be anywhere - you know that. It's just not safe for you. You need to listen to us. Promise me… promise me you'll do as we say." His eyes were pleading as he dropped his hold on Harry's shoulders.
Harry nodded, looking down at the floor, "I promise."
"I need to go now. I'll be close by and you just stick close to everyone, okay. I'll send you an owl in a couple of days, telling you where I am." Sirius' seriousness broke for a moment and he grinned, "Just look after yourself."
"You too." Harry replied. He watched as Sirius transformed into the big black dog he usually was, before turning and hurrying out of the office and back to the infirmary.
"Harry!" Hermione was awake and tried to sit up as soon as she saw him enter the hospital wing, but was held back by Ron and Madam Pomfrey, "Oh my God! I am so sorry! I can't believe it!" She bit her lip, looking as if she was about to cry.
"It's okay Hermione. I'm fine." Harry assured her, as Madam Pomfrey went over to Oliver, muttering something under her breath.
"But what if you hadn't've been?! I could've killed you!" She wailed. Ron patted her on the back comfortingly. Harry was glad to see that his two friends weren't thinking about the fact they were arguing.
"I'm fine," Harry repeated, sitting down and quietly telling them everything that Sirius had said.
Hermione was ordered to stay in the hospital wing for two nights by Madam Pomfrey, however much she protested about missing lessons. There was a lot of speculation about what happened to Oliver and Hermione from the rest of the school, but no one really had a clue about what really went on. Oliver, who had been released the day after the Quidditch match, got a lot of funny looks wherever he went, as if he was going to start attacking any random person. Draco Malfoy, of course, had a lot to say about the issue.
"I always thought he was a freak!" Malfoy was heard to be saying loudly to a crowd of sniggering Slytherins as Harry and Ron passed him on their way to Divination, "I always thought Hagrid was the worst teacher we could get, but even Dumbledore's out-done himself by hiring that idiot Wood! I'm going to have to write to my father and tell him to complain, we can't have a lunatic teaching us!"
The night before Hermione was released, Harry received an owl from Sirius just as he was about to go to bed. He tore open the parchment quickly as the brown owl that had delivered it soared off back out the window and disappeared into the night air.
Harry,
Dumbledore's managed to get me and Remus a room at The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade, so we are close by. Remember to keep your eye open, but don't go looking for trouble.
Keep safe, Sirius.
Harry snatched up a fresh piece of parchment and a quill and quickly wrote a letter back.
Sirius,
I'm glad you're close by. I promise I won't go looking for any trouble – even though I never did before! Everything's back to normal now and the teachers are keeping an even closer eye on everything. Keep writing back, I still need to know that you're around.
Harry.
Harry folded up the parchment and lent back in his bed. Everyone else in the dorm was asleep and Harry wondered if he could just slip out and run to the owlrey to send the letter. He knew that everyone would be annoyed if he went 'looking for trouble' - as everyone called it – so he silently found the invisibility cloak that had once been his father's and the Marauder's Map, that showed where everyone in the school was. Harry glanced down at it, finding himself – a dot labelled 'Harry Potter' – before slipping down to the common room and out of the portrait into the corridors, where he threw on the cloak and checked the map once more. 'Harry Potter' was now in the same spot as he was. The only dots moving around near him was 'Mrs Norris', Filch the caretakers annoying cat, and Peeves, who's dot was moving furiously around a classroom nearby. Clutching the map and parchment in his hand, Harry quickly went to the owlrey, where he sent Hedwig off with the letter. Harry checked his watch and decided to take a big risk – go and visit Hermione.
Hermione was sat up in her bed inside the hospital wing, reading Hogwarts, A History in the dim light. Madam Pomfrey was in her office, asleep.
"Hermione!" Harry hissed, pushing open the door and heading over to her bed, still covered by the cloak.
Hermione looked startled and dropped her book on the bed, glancing around.
"Hermione." Harry said again.
Hermione looked around wildly, "Harry?!"
"Shush!" Harry whispered, standing by her bed, "I'm here."
Hermione stuck her arm out, trying to find Harry. Eventually she grabbed on to his arm as Harry stuck it out of the bottom of the robe so she could see where he was.
"What are you doing here!" She cried.
"I went to send an owl to Sirius. I knew you wouldn't be asleep."
Hermione hissed, "You shouldn't be wandering about on your own! Have you forgotten what you promised Sirius already?!"
"No one can see me, I'm okay." Harry changed the subject, "How are you?"
"I'm fine. I want to get out of here; I bet I'm missing loads of important stuff for the OWLs!" Hermione replied. She paused and then spoke cautiously, "Harry, what did I say before I attacked you?"
Harry frowned, thinking back to what she'd told him about her liking him, before she attacked him, "You can't remember?"
"No, not really. You asked me if I enjoyed the match, and then I draw a blank." Hermione lied. She could remember exactly what happened, word for word. But she wanted Harry to forget she ever asked him.
Harry was silent for a moment, wondering what to tell her. He didn't want to bring up the sticky subject again and then if she couldn't remember, he wouldn't have to worry about Ron and her, "We just talked about the match."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
Hermione looked relieved, "Oh. Okay. Good."
Harry grinned from beneath his robe, but didn't say anything about the subject, "I better be going now."
"Okay, be careful."
"See you tomorrow." Harry replied, before disappearing out of the door and back into the corridors.
Harry made sure the cloak was fully covering him, before walking briskly down the corridor. Not fully paying attention to his surroundings, he turned a corner and stepped straight on something – Mrs Norris. The cat screeched and straight away Harry could hear footsteps coming closer as Filch approached.
"Mrs Norris!" Filch was shouting, "Peeves if that's you, you're going straight to the Bloody Baron!"
Harry threw himself against the wall as Filch passed him, scooping up Mrs Norris and cooing to his cat. Harry took the opportunity to glance at the Marauder's Map and decide which way would be less teacher infested. That was when he spotted it. An extra dot, moving about in one of the rooms on the floor above. Harry squinted at the parchment, not sure if he could believe what he was seeing. The moving dot was quite clearly labelled 'Lord Voldemort'.
Lord Voldemort. The dark wizard that killed his parents and had recently returned to full power. Harry took off down the corridor at full speed, not even thinking about what he was doing.
Filch's head snapped up at the sound of Harry's footsteps as he pounded past him, "Who's that? Who is it?"
Harry ignored Filch and raced down the corridor, skidding round the corner at the end and up a flight of stairs. He glanced up to see Professor Snape at the top of the stairs and stumbled over his robes; crying out.
"Who's there?" Snape asked, glaring straight at Harry with his beady eyes. "Potter?" He approached Harry with outstretched hands and Harry had to duck under his arms and race up the stairs. He darted into the nearest room and shut the door, diving behind a desk.
He pulled off his cloak and looked down at the map but there was no sign of Lord Voldemort on it. The only moving dots were of Peeves, Mrs Norris, Filch and Snape.
How could Lord Voldemort have gotten out of the castle so quickly? Did he really see his name or was it just his imagination? He had a million questions but couldn't find any answers.
"Harry?" A voice said behind him.
Harry whirled around to see the ghost of a young boy with gelled back hair and large eyes. He looked innocent enough but there was something not quite right about him. Something familiar, but Harry couldn't quite put his finger on it. This ghost didn't look like Peeves, Nearly Headless Nick, Moaning Myrtle or any of the other Hogwarts ghost's. The ghost standing infront of Harry was in a bit of a blur and seemed more distant.
"What? Who are you?" Harry asked.
The ghost sneered and Harry knew he had seen that sneer before. The hair, the eyes and the expression all fell into place and Harry suddenly knew who it was.
"Malfoy?"
The ghost cackled. "I was hoping I'd get to meet you soon, Harry Potter."
"Malfoy?" Harry repeated. He was stunned. How could this be Draco Malfoy? He looked just the same as Draco although his voice was colder and more in a harsh whisper. "I don't understand."
"What's their to understand Harry Potter. I'd love to kill you now – if only Lord Voldemort didn't want you for himself . . . doesn't mean I can't hurt you though." The ghost laughed and glided nearer to Harry.
Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the ghost. But the ghost only laughed. "What is a wand, Harry Potter? A wand cannot hurt me. A wand cannot even hold me back."
"Where is Voldemort?" Harry cried, keeping his wand pointed at the ghost. He was trying so hard not to be afraid but his voice was shaking. "He was in the castle a minute ago."
"Lord Voldemort is everywhere. He's even with us now. He's been watching you for quite a while."
Harry felt a shiver down his spine. "I've always known you had something to do with this, Malfoy. Are you the ghost that's been taking over my friends?"
"You mean those weedy little boy's and that girl. They didn't have a clue how to fight me!"
"And how come you aren't on the map?" Harry asked, holding the Marauder's map out infront of him.
"I am not like the other ghosts, Harry Potter."
"I'm going straight to Dumbledore to get you expelled, Malfoy. And before you go, Dumbledore will make you explain all about Voldemort and where he is and what he's planning to do!" Harry said, trying not to stutter.
The ghost laughed. "You are scared, Harry Potter. I can sense your fear. You will get what is coming to you. Go to Dumbledore and I swear that all your friends will die in the night, along with that old fool of a headmaster. Think yourself lucky. If it wasn't for Lord Voldemort wanting you, I'd have killed you by now. At least you have a chance to say goodbye." And with that the ghost disintegrated into thin air, his bitter laugh dying with it.
Harry stood, staring at the spot where the ghost had been. He steadied his breathing and walked out of the room, forgetting all about his cloak and banging straight into someone.
"Watch it, Potter." The all too familiar voice of Draco Malfoy drawled.
Harry panicked his eyes wide and stumbled backwards. "Get away from me."
Draco stared down at Harry. "What's wrong with you, Potter? Has my face turned into a mirror?"
Harry ignored him, pushing his way past and sprinting down the corridor. Harry turned for one last second to see Malfoy smirking after him. He ran up to the portrait hole and dived into the common room. He felt himself shivering, what the ghost said had scared him as he realised Lord Voldemort could be watching him now.
"Harry?" Ron came down from the dorm, rubbing his eyes. "What's the matter?" He asked, noticing Harry was shaking.
"Malfoy." Harry said. He looked down at his hands, trying to stop them from shaking.
Ron frowned, "Malfoy? What about him? Harry, what are you talking about?!"
Harry shook his head. What was he meant to tell Ron? That he'd seen some ghost that was Draco Malfoy? Ron'd think he was crazy, "It's nothing. I, um, just ran into Malfoy."
"Why are you shaking? Are you okay?"
Harry shoved his hands inside his pyjama pockets, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just cold, that's all."
"Okay. Are you coming to bed?" Ron asked, still frowning.
"I'll be there in a minute." Harry replied. Ron nodded, and went back up to the dorm, looking over his shoulder back at Harry every couple of steps.
Harry didn't know how long he sat there for. He just kept replaying the scene in his head. How could Malfoy be a ghost? Harry was sure it had been him; the ghost looked more or less the same. But then again, Malfoy had been walking about outside the room. Harry sighed, he was thoroughly confused.