CHAPTER NINE
The Magical Megaphone of Doom
Harry could tell something was going wrong. There was a quiet murmur throughout the hall; and all the teachers were looking worried, especially Professor Trelawney, seemed to be ecstatic with fear. "My Inner Eye is clouded, more than ever before. I fear much danger…" Since Harry had known her to predict real prophecies - though once in a very, very great while - this worried him.
Harry, still dancing with Hermione, who seemed to have noticed something was happening too, inched forward to the staff table with every twirl and hop-step to be able to here what the teachers were saying better.
"How could this have happened?"
"Do you think that this has to do with – well – them?"
"What? Missing?"
"Yes – Lavender Brown, wasn't it?"
Harry's stomach plummeted. He had forgotten; Lavender was Ron's girlfriend, why wouldn't they go with each other to the ball? Harry and Hermione seemed to have realized this at the same time, for they looked at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces, then darted over to Ron.
Ron, who had sat down and was now stuffing his face full of pot roast, didn't seem to notice anything peculiar was going on. Mandy seemed to think it was funny that a person could eat so much and still act as if they were still hungry.
"Ron," Harry said quickly. "Why didn't you go with Lavender? To this ball, I mean?"
"I dunno," said Ron thickly (he had just stuffed a chicken leg in his mouth). "I couldn't find her anywhere. I would've asked her today; I doubted she would have gone with anyone else…" He broke off, shrugging, took another chicken leg off a silver platter, and started gnawing on it like a dog.
Harry and Hermione exchanged dark looks. Mandy looked at Ron sternly, as if now realizing that she'd only be asked so that Ron wouldn't go to the ball partnerless. Ron didn't seem to notice Mandy's scowl.
Hermione started running back up to the staff table to see what was going on, Harry closely behind. But then they saw around twenty other students trying to overhear as well, so they just decided not to.
Suddenly, Professor McGonagall took a big magical megaphone and walked out into the middle of the dance floor. The Weird Sisters stopped playing abruptly. Everything was dead quiet now.
"Will the Head Boy and Girl please lead their house back to their common rooms; teachers and staff please come to my office unless told otherwise. The ball has been canceled until further notice." A loud screechy feedback came as Professor McGonagall lowered the megaphone.
Harry's heart sank, knowing that this could lead to nothing good.