Alive

[The Library]

Harry left Sirius in Dumbledore's office and, consequently, bumped into the man himself on his way out of the gargoyle.

"Professor Dumbledore! I need a pass to get into the restricted section!"

"Yes, yes… Why don't you come back into my office and I'll write Madame Pince a note?"

"Yes, please! It's urgent!"

They stepped back onto the rotating elevator and into the office. Harry waited impatiently, bouncing on the souls of his feet as Dumbledore scribbled a letter. And as Dumbledore finished Harry grabbed it and ran out the door, calling behind a rushed, "Thanks!"

***

Harry had scrounged half the Restricted Section before he finally found anything on the Curtain of Eternity.
He found stuff like:
'It is believed that people go crazy from hearing dead loved one's voices whispering at them.' or "In 1498 it was used to execute the great wizard Ferdinand Kiples" but none of it was useful.


It was 9:00 and Harry was being ushered out of the library by Madame Pince, but he still hadn't found anything. Harry trudged back to the Gryffindor Common room where he found, not to his surprise, Ron and Hermione arguing. He flopped down onto the puffy armchairs beside them, and sighed. He wondered if there was a way to change Sirius back.

"Ron you will never learn if you copy off me!"

"It's not copying! I just want to get an idea of what the hell I'm supposed to write! I don't even know what this essay's on!"

"It's on the ingredients of a simple sleeping draft and what can happen if used wrongly." she snapped.

"Well why couldn't you have just said that before!"

"You didn't want to know that before! You wanted to look at my essay and copy of me! I swear Ronald Weasley-"

"It's not nice to swear-"

Hermione made an offended noise.

"Give it up you two. You sound like Ron's parents!" and they shut up.

"So Harry, where have you been all day? What happened after Dumbledore took you to his office?" then she asked worriedly, "Are you okay? Are you in trouble for running away?"

"No, no, nothing like that. It's just…" he leaned in closer to them in spoke in a hushed whisper. "Dumbledore brought Sirius here,"

"WHAT!" screeched Hermione, and Ron clapped a hand over her mouth. They received plenty of annoyed glares and Hermione glared at them until they looked away. "What are you talking about! Why would Dumbledore bring Sirius here! Has Dumbledore gone mad?"

"First Year," Ron mumbled.

"What if anyone found out?!"

"Dumbledore's got him up in his office. And I'm pretty sure that's the safest place in Hogwarts, maybe even the world. Remember? Even Umbridge couldn't get into Dumbledore's office in 5th year!"

"But still-" Hermione insisted.

"Can we see him?" Ron asked, he seemed to perk up.

"Yea!"

"Ron!" Hermione chided.

"What!" Ron was annoyed, and turning red.

"So anyways!" interrupted Harry, hoping they wouldn't start another fight. "I didn't get in trouble, Dumbledore didn't even care to hear the explanation as to why I ran away! Then he left and Sirius convinced me to go to the Restricted Section to look for the Curtain of Eternity,"

"Whoa, back up. You aren't in trouble, you talked to Sirius, and you went into the Restricted Section?"

"Yup, he's gone mad," retorted Ron.

"Ron, SHUT UP!" Hermione snapped.

"Well, Dumbledore's always treated me special, and I had a hard time communicating with Sirius, it took me like 15 minutes to try and figure out what he was saying. He just kept running around and nudging things and I had to figure out what he was trying to say. Then Dumbledore gave me a pass for the Restricted Section."

"Oh," Hermione said shortly. "Did you find anything in the library?"

"No, nothing helpful anyways. I don't think there is a way of changing Sirius back. He might stay a dog forever!"

"What about a polyjuice potion?" suggested Ron.

"Won't you ever learn! Polyjuice potions are only for human transformations!" Ron looked like he sunk into the couch.

They were silent for a moment.

"We'll help you look in the library Harry, won't we Ron?" Hermione said, nudging Ron.

"Of course!" Ron said too perkily. When Hermione turned away he sent a death glare to her back.

"Thanks you guys. But, tomorrow, let's get to bed, I'm exhausted."

They all departed.


On the stairs up to the dormitory Ron mumbled to Harry, "Two days in, eh, and she's jumping to get into the library. She's barking mad,"

***

They had been sitting at the table in the library since 6:30, it was 8:30.

"Anything? Anything at all?" Harry asked.

"Nothing, except that Omegas Tempes was put into a mental institute before he died"

Harry flopped into a chair, and it pulled across the ground and he received a glare from Madame Pince.

"We have to find something!" Hermione said, angrily turning a page.

"We did, he was insane!" Ron said, throwing up his hands. Hermione gave him daggers for eyes.

"Let's just go… It's hopeless, I give up!" Harry threw up his arms, he wanted to scream.

"Well, maybe it's not here. Hogwarts can't have ever book in the wizarding world,"

Madame Pince sniffed loudly as she passed, and Hermione glared at her back as she walked away.

"I would have never though Hermione Granger would say such a thing," Ron said in a pompous, airy voice. Hermione smacked him.

"Let's get out of here, before Madame Priss gets back." she shrugged on her shoulder walked out with her head held high and her nose in the air. The two boys followed in her wake, sniggering.