Chapter 6: The Black Chest in Dumbledore's Room

It was a rainy afternoon in October, everywhere was a bit humid and wet, there were not many students in the corridor either, only a few walking slowly and chatting quietly together. Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting on the armchairs in the Gryffindor common room near the fireplace. All lessons were over already, and very weirdly, they did not have much homework to do that day.

They had already arrived in Hogwards for about a month already, they were getting used to their new third year lives. However, they had missed one important thing that they had forgotten to do.

'Oh! What's that paper in this book?' said Hermione, and then she pulled out the piece of paper, which was kept between the pages. She opened and looked, she screamed at once and stood up immediately.

'What's wrong?' Ron was a bit shocked.

'We forgot to tell Professor Dumbledore about the Black Crystal!'

Then it seemed something stroked into their heads, they forgot about such important thing!

'Quick! Let's go and find Professor Dumbledore now!' Harry said, then he stood up at once.

They dashed out of the common room and went straight to Professor Dimbledore's office. They've come to the statue.

'Am… Harry? What's the password?' Ron asked.

'Um…I don't know…' Harry seemed to realize that was his first time in his third year in Hogwards to go to Professor Dumbledore's office.

'Try to say some names of the sweets.' Hermione suggested.

'Right! Err…Scrubber Lemon.' Nothing happened.

'Um…err… I don't know!' Harry said.

Just then, the statue moved, Professor Dumbledore appeared behind the statue. When he saw the three students, he said to them slowly but sounded that he was in a hurry, 'Ah…I see you three are wanting to see me. But I'm sorry I got some important things to do. Perhaps tonight, see you after dinner. Or may be you may go to my office and see is there… anything, that you may be interested in, the password is Chocolate Beans.' And not even waiting for the three students to say anything, he walked past them and hurried away.

'Why is he so in a hurry?' Ron asked.'

'Don't know. Shall we go up and have a look then?' Harry said.

'But…' Hermione felt it was not good to go to the office of the headmaster.

'Don't worry Hermione, anyway Professor Dumbledore had let us go and use his office. Maybe we will really find something that we're interested in!' Ron said excitedly. And so the three of them went to the office of the headmaster by themselves.

After walking up that spiral staircase, they arrived at the door of Professor Dumbledore's office. Before opening the door, Harry, who was walking at the front stopped suddenly.

'What's wrong?' Ron asked.

'Did ya… did you hear something?' then the three of them went quiet and listened… there was a voice of a girl in Professor Dumbledore's office, talking to someone who sounded like a man.

'Who is she?' Harry said.

'And who is he?' Ron said.

'Oh what's wrong with the both of you! Just go in and we'll know.' And Hermione stepped forward and turned the knob, then slowly opened the door.

When they stepped in, they saw no one.

They walked around the room, everything were same as before, except there was a black chest put in front of Dumbledore's desk.

'Hey, will that be the thing that we're interested in?' Ron spied that chest.

'Ron! That's Professor Dumbledore's thing!' Hermione warned him. But before she could say something more to stop Ron to walk nearer the chest, Harry was already standing in front of it.

'It's… it's so weird…' Harry gazed at the black chest which its sides were inlay with gold and the plane surface was patterned with silver.

'Remember something, Potter?' Harry looked up, it was the sorting hat.

'Oh! I was just wondering is this the thing that we're looking for.' Harry answered.

'Oh yes!' Ron suddenly came forward, he asked the sorting hat with a face full of surprises, 'You're all the way in this room, right!?' the sorting hat crossed its eye-brown, 'Yes, Wesley, and what you want to know, just ask the sorting hat and there's nothing it doesn't know,'

'Was there a girl in here? Awhile ago?'

'A GIRL!?' the sorting hat shouted, which it was not its usual reaction. 'THERE WAS NO ONE IN THIS ROOM!!'

'OK, OK…' Ron was shocked, he did not know what to say. After that he whispered to Hermione, 'Hermione, what you thing this is all about?'

'I don't know, perhaps the hat is just over reacting… but I say, there must be someone in here awhile ago.'

Just then, the door opened, it was Anna.

'Anna!?' everyone were surprised.

'What are you doing here? Professor Dumbledore is not in.' Hermione said coldly.

'Oh, never mind then. Um…it's the sorting hat here?'

'The sorting hat? It's in the cabinet next to Professor Dumbledore's desk.' Harry told her friendly, he was a bit surprised, so to Ron and Hermione.

Anna just simply said 'Thanks!' then she walked up to the find the sorting hat. There were a few minutes that Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanging looks.

'They…err…' Ron looked at Anna who was standing under the sorting hat, 'do you think they have something…'

'Ron!' Hermione hissed.

'What? Don't tell me you care about her now!?' Ron scoffed at Hermione.

'You…'

'OK, OK! Stop you guys! Why not we just go back to the common room?' Harry stopped them.