A/N: Sorry I haven't updated for so long! I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
CHAPTER 24
"Tell us again where we're supposed to be going?" Ron asked her as they headed into Hogsmeade. It was already heaving. It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before the Easter holidays.
Harry caught sight of Cho and a seventh year prefect heading into a teashop Harry and Cho had been in the year before. "Harry!" Hermione hissed. She was pointing at a small figure climbing a hill. "It's Anna! She's headed for the Shrieking shack!" Harry watched her progress for a while, then she vanished inside it. The three of them had been inside the Shrieking shack once before in their third year. It was rumoured to be haunted but they had found out that the shrieks that could be heard and ruined furniture was the doing of the moonlight wolf, Remus Lupin. It was vacant now however.
"I wonder what it's used for now," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Some sort of club probably," Ron said. "So where are we going?"
"Oh yes," said Hermione checking the large clock outside the Three Broomsticks. "But we've still got half an hour. We're meeting her in the Three Broomsticks again, easiest place."
"Who?" Ron asked her.
Hermione merely smiled "She will be there, she has to be." She said mysteriously.
Harry knew it was no use reasoning with her. "Let's go and see if Fred and George have opened their shop yet." He said, so they headed down the street to a large red shop that read, 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.' Ron and Harry grinned and dashed inside, Hermione, trying with fail to tell them about a new bottle of ink she needed, reluctantly followed.
It was very similar to the one in Diagon alley. But it was much busier. Harry caught sight of Ingrid, William and Andrew talking to Fred no doubt about Gretchen while George worked at the counter. "Hey, Harry, Ron, Hermione!" Fred yelled at them.
"Hello," Said Hermione, "Is there much more business for you in Hogsmeade?"
"Definitely," grinned Fred. "And we only work Hogsmeade weekends! There's loads of time off. We're just helping troubled customers." He grinned at Ingrid, Andrew and William.
"Oh, hi Harry." Said William. "I bet Katie was really annoyed that I didn't turn up for Quidditch practise. I couldn't come, and I didn't have time to tell her." He turned back to Fred who was handing them a list of instructions.
"Follow this and you'll be fine." Fred said to them and went over to help George who was having difficulty taking all the orders.
"So are you two commentating again?" Ron asked Ingrid and Andrew.
"No," Ingrid said. "I think they got Michael Corner to do it. Do you know when the next match is?"
"It's just before the holidays I think," Harry said. "Late March."
"Well, we have a week." Said William cheerfully. "Maybe even more."
"A week and two days." Said Ron. "Katie told us."
"Come on!" Snapped Hermione. "I really need to get this ink!"
So they left the shop and waited impatiently while Hermione chose a pot of ink. They arrived at the Three Broomsticks with five minutes to spare. "She's not here yet." Hermione said, sitting down at a table in the corner. "But Mandy is."
"Who?" Ron asked. Hermione waved at a girl with reddish blond curly hair, Marietta Edgecomb's sister, the first year girl who they had met on the train. "Why is she here?" Ron asked grumpily as he moved up to make space for her.
"Hello Hermione." She said sitting down. "I think I got the time wrong."
"Well, here comes Rita." Hermione said looking frostily over at the doors where a woman with greying blond hair and a crocodile skin handbag came marching over to them. It was Rita Skeeter. Harry knew that Hermione had the fact that she was an unregistered animagus as defence and he also knew that if it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have bothered coming.
"So sorry," she said almost sarcastically. "Am I late?"
"No, not at all." Said Hermione stiffly.
"So, why exactly did you want to meet me here? Yes, I'll have a Gilly water please." A waitress had just arrived.
"Three butterbeers." Hermione said.
The waitress looked at Mandy expectantly but she said nothing, so the waitress left the table. "Well," Hermione began fumbling in her pocket for something. "How can you explain this?" She pulled out a scrap of paper, which was the article from Witch Weekly.
Rita gave her a false smile. "Surely you don't mind me writing stories about other newspapers that are true?"
Hermione glowered and pointed to the last sentence which read 'However, it is true to say that all the newspapers still believe in Potter's insanity.'
Rita smiled again. "Well, I said newspapers, not magazines."
"You still said..." Hermione began. The waitress arrived with a drinks tray. Harry Ron and Hermione shoved some sickles in the waitress' bony hand but Rita Skeeter smiled and handed her a galleon.
"You can keep the change." She said. Smiling broadly, the waitress left them.
Hermione glared. "I bet that was the money you earned from that stupid article!" She snapped.
Rita Skeeter was no longer smiling. "Well what was the point in bringing me here? It's done now." She snapped. "I'm not doing another interview for free!"
"Does he pay people Mandy?" Hermione asked her.
"Um, I don't know. I don't think so." She mumbled. "Well only important people..."
Rita's eyes flashed, but she said nothing. "Just tell me what I have to do." She said at last in a falsely sweet voice.
"Write about Harry, say he's not insane." Hermione said.
"But he may well be!" Rita said. "I can't write down plain lies.
"You didn't mind writing down plain lies about Harry being insane." Hermione argued. "That's why Mandy's here. Her father helps with the Daily Prophet."
"Of course though," Mandy said. "He's unlikely to pay you, since you wrote about how the Daily Prophet is loosing its touch."
"Actually." Rita said stiffly. "I am a good friend of..."
"Well, will you do the interview?" Hermione asked her.
"Oh alright then." Rita said, though her teeth were clenched. "Go on then, tell me what to write."
"Right, good." Hermione said at the end. "Do you know when it will be published Mandy?"
"Well, a few days I think." Mandy said smiling. "The Daily Prophet's always looking out for new stories, so hopefully soon."
"Well, thanks for coming." Hermione said. "And no more articles about Harry." She warned Rita, who scowled but picked up her crocodile skin handbag and left the three broomsticks.
They turned to Mandy who had not moved. "You're in Hufflepuff aren't you?" Hermione asked her hopefully, but Mandy shook her head.
"No, I'm in Ravenclaw." She said.
"Oh, right. It's just, do you know why Anna Chang's going to the Shrieking shack today?" Hermione asked her.
Mandy looked at her for a while. "No. But that's what she's been told to do."
"But, why?" Hermione pressed on.
"Well, I'm not sure but she's having orders in her dreams to go there, I don't think she can help it. It's like she's hypnotised or something. She just does it without knowing. It's really weird."
"Yeah, well that's what everyone says about her isn't it." Harry said.
Mandy opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a gaggle of first year girls they had met on the train, including Scarlett's sister Verisa. "Are you done yet Mandy? It's really boring waiting for you." So Mandy left the table to join her friends.
"Her father's there!" Hermione said. "He's giving her orders!"
"That's really odd." Harry said thoughtfully. "Because, well who is her father? Is he alive or not?"
"Maybe, it's a dead person giving her commands, like those dreams over Christmas." Hermione said.
"Yeah, probably." Said Ron, who did not appear to be as interested in this conversation as Hermione and Harry were.
"OK, just remember to..." It was the day before their match against Ravenclaw and they were currently out on the quidditch pitch, listening to Katie talk. "Keep an eye out for bludgers, the quaffle and the snitch."
"And other players!" William added.
"Yes," said Katie. "If the weather stays like this, we should be fine. I hear that the captain is Rose Clearwater. We can't loose this match." Katie looked at Harry. "If we win, we've probably won the quidditch cup because Hufflepuff lost against Ravenclaw and they're likely to loose again in May.
Harry trudged inside with Ron. It seemed to all depend on him. Whether they lost the quidditch cup or not. Then he remembered who the seeker was going to be. Cho Chang.
Harry barely slept that night. Centaurs, quidditch and Anna Chang weaved in and out of his mind. But his worries did not stop when he fell asleep. "I see you have chosen to ignore me Harry Potter." Echoed the same familiar voice. "If you continue to do so, I will have to put a stop to it." He knew he should tell Dumbledore, but when he woke, he could barely remember the dreams.
"Come on Harry!" Ron yelled. Harry emerged from under the covers. At last, it was the morning. Then he remembered the quidditch match. "Katie going wild." Ron grinned. "She's desperate to cram in some training before breakfast."
It was true. She pounced on him the second he arrived at the Great Hall. "Where were you?!" She roared. "I finally managed to get Ginny and Emily up, then you -" Harry looked around. The Great Hall was quite full already. Harry checked his watch. "It's too late now." Katie snapped sulkily. "You'd better get some breakfast before the match."
So Harry and Ron managed to escape to the Gryffindor table. "It's after breakfast." Ron informed Harry. He had gone rather pale. "But the new Ravenclaw team isn't much good." He reassured.
It was then that Harry glanced over at the teachers' table. To his astonishment, he saw that it was almost empty. Snape and Professor Trelawny were the only teachers there. "Where d'you think they are?" Harry asked Ron.
"Who?" Ron asked, looking over at the Slytherin table.
"No, there." Harry pointed over at the two remaining teachers.
"Dunno, maybe they're already at the quidditch pitch."
Hermione sat down opposite them. "Hermione, have you noticed -" Harry began.
"Yes." Said Hermione thoughtfully. "I saw Professor McGonnagal just a minute ago, she was leaving the castle, she looked really worried about something. I wonder what..."
Then came a voice, spoken through a microphone no doubt. It echoed round the hall. "All return to your house dormitories as soon as possible. The Quidditch match has been cancelled." Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. Both of them were looking equally curious and shocked.
"Come on." Harry said quietly. The students in the great hall were already getting up, all of them muttering to their neighbour. It was just like that time in their second year when Ginny had been taken into the chamber of secrets. Surely nothing like that could have happened this time.
"What d'you think has happened?" Katie asked them, she was very white and was looking nervous.
"I've no idea." Harry said. The gaggle of students were dividing off at the stairs, the four of them joined the end of the Gryffindor lot.
"Ron!" Ginny came hurrying towards them.
"So we know its not you this time." Ron said looking relieved.
"No, it's Anna Chang!" Ginny said, she sounded breathless. "Scarlett's younger sister's in her house. She just got up in the middle of the night and left the castle. She was muttering something about obeying orders and the Shrieking Shack. They don't know whether she's alive or not. You-know-who's got Hogwarts as his prime target now. Any of us could be attacked!"
"Does McGonnagal know?" Hermione asked her.
"I think so." Ginny said. "Scarlett probably told her."
They arrived at the Gryffindor common room to find that Professor Lovegood was there and counting the students who entered. "Right," he said when they were all in the common room. "Professor McGonnagal has left in search of a girl in Hufflepuff who left the castle in the night. That is why I am here." Many of the faces Harry could see now looked both shocked and nervous. "I must warn all of you who... who can see thestrals and who are having odd dreams. We believe this could have happened to any of you. We know that some of you will be hearing orders and a voice telling you to obey. It is very important for you all to ignore that voice. If you do obey, you are walking into the hands of, he-who-must-not be named. And I don't need to tell any of you how dangerous this could be. Currently we have powerful wizards searching the shrieking shack as that is where you- know-who is rumoured to be. There should be no reason for you to worry, and if any of you see you companions getting up in the night and appear to be sleepwalking, you must wake them up. The castle is being guarded even more carefully so this will not happen again." Professor Lovegood turned towards the entrance to the common room. Professor McGonnagal had just entered.
"Ah, thank you," she said to Professor Lovegood. "It's alright you don't need to panic. She appeared to be under some sort of imperius curse. We are currently in search of the source of her unnatural behaviour so none of you have any reason whatsoever to worry. As a safety precaution we have set many guards outside each house common room. So everyone in the common rooms is safe. And I am sure that is all of you." She smiled then she and Professor Lovegood left the common room. The Gryffindors at once erupted into chatter.
"I bet you know who's put an imperius curse on Anna! Maybe it was in her sleep. But how did he do that... I wonder if it's possible. Then he is very powerful." Hermione was talking excitedly to Harry and Ron. "Well I'm glad everyone's safe now." She said happily. "But then it wouldn't effect Ron or I would it?"
"No." Said Harry vaguely. He was thinking about what Hermione had said about everyone being safe. "They're not." He said. "Not everyone's safe. What about Hagrid? Or Luna? If she's still in the forest."
"Oh, I'm sure Luna won't be going back into the forbidden forest anymore and Hagrid's probably being guarded too." Hermione said reassuringly.
"I suppose you're right." Harry said but this didn't stop him worrying.
"It was worse than ever last night." Ingrid said. There were large bags under her eyes and she looked exhausted. She sat down in an armchair opposite them. "The dreams. The same voice kept repeating the same words. 'Come to me' it was so loud." She yawned.
"I dreamt about it last night as well." Harry said.
"Ooh! Me too!" An excited Gretchen came dashing over to them.
"Got yourself another fan." Andrew Evans whispered. He had come with Ingrid but Harry hadn't noticed him. "Or maybe she's obeying orders."
"What's that?" Gretchen piped up. "Oh what are you talking about! Is it about charms? I hear you only got 55% on the charms test." She said to Andrew who glared at her. Gretchen shook her head sympathetically. "You know, if you read more books on charms, maybe you'll be more like me!" She skipped away, humming some annoying song that according to Ginny's face had reached the seats by the window.
"Then I'm never reading another book for as long as I live." Muttered Andrew. "But we'll soon be getting our own back on her." He looked expectantly at his sister.
"Yeah," yawned Ingrid. "But it won't be for another two weeks, the boomslang skin needs to mature in the full moonlight.
"Right." Harry said. His thoughts regarding their plan were quickly changing. He glanced over at Gretchen who had turned upside down in her armchair. Her legs were waving above the back of the chair and were causing quite a lot of attention. But how would she feel to get no marks at all in charms? Harry couldn't help felling a bit sorry for her.
Ron's thoughts on this matter however, contradicted Harry's completely. "It's going to be hilarious!" He chortled as he watched Gretchen turn the right way up and narrow her eyes over at Ingrid and Andrew. "Just brilliant!"
"Do you think the match is still on?" Katie asked them. "She was ok."
"Yes, but it could have been really serious! I suppose Dumbledore's at the ministry of magic or something to investigate. I don't suppose it will be."
"Well, I suppose that's good." Said Katie. "We might not play until after the Easter holidays."
CHAPTER 24
"Tell us again where we're supposed to be going?" Ron asked her as they headed into Hogsmeade. It was already heaving. It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before the Easter holidays.
Harry caught sight of Cho and a seventh year prefect heading into a teashop Harry and Cho had been in the year before. "Harry!" Hermione hissed. She was pointing at a small figure climbing a hill. "It's Anna! She's headed for the Shrieking shack!" Harry watched her progress for a while, then she vanished inside it. The three of them had been inside the Shrieking shack once before in their third year. It was rumoured to be haunted but they had found out that the shrieks that could be heard and ruined furniture was the doing of the moonlight wolf, Remus Lupin. It was vacant now however.
"I wonder what it's used for now," Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Some sort of club probably," Ron said. "So where are we going?"
"Oh yes," said Hermione checking the large clock outside the Three Broomsticks. "But we've still got half an hour. We're meeting her in the Three Broomsticks again, easiest place."
"Who?" Ron asked her.
Hermione merely smiled "She will be there, she has to be." She said mysteriously.
Harry knew it was no use reasoning with her. "Let's go and see if Fred and George have opened their shop yet." He said, so they headed down the street to a large red shop that read, 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.' Ron and Harry grinned and dashed inside, Hermione, trying with fail to tell them about a new bottle of ink she needed, reluctantly followed.
It was very similar to the one in Diagon alley. But it was much busier. Harry caught sight of Ingrid, William and Andrew talking to Fred no doubt about Gretchen while George worked at the counter. "Hey, Harry, Ron, Hermione!" Fred yelled at them.
"Hello," Said Hermione, "Is there much more business for you in Hogsmeade?"
"Definitely," grinned Fred. "And we only work Hogsmeade weekends! There's loads of time off. We're just helping troubled customers." He grinned at Ingrid, Andrew and William.
"Oh, hi Harry." Said William. "I bet Katie was really annoyed that I didn't turn up for Quidditch practise. I couldn't come, and I didn't have time to tell her." He turned back to Fred who was handing them a list of instructions.
"Follow this and you'll be fine." Fred said to them and went over to help George who was having difficulty taking all the orders.
"So are you two commentating again?" Ron asked Ingrid and Andrew.
"No," Ingrid said. "I think they got Michael Corner to do it. Do you know when the next match is?"
"It's just before the holidays I think," Harry said. "Late March."
"Well, we have a week." Said William cheerfully. "Maybe even more."
"A week and two days." Said Ron. "Katie told us."
"Come on!" Snapped Hermione. "I really need to get this ink!"
So they left the shop and waited impatiently while Hermione chose a pot of ink. They arrived at the Three Broomsticks with five minutes to spare. "She's not here yet." Hermione said, sitting down at a table in the corner. "But Mandy is."
"Who?" Ron asked. Hermione waved at a girl with reddish blond curly hair, Marietta Edgecomb's sister, the first year girl who they had met on the train. "Why is she here?" Ron asked grumpily as he moved up to make space for her.
"Hello Hermione." She said sitting down. "I think I got the time wrong."
"Well, here comes Rita." Hermione said looking frostily over at the doors where a woman with greying blond hair and a crocodile skin handbag came marching over to them. It was Rita Skeeter. Harry knew that Hermione had the fact that she was an unregistered animagus as defence and he also knew that if it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have bothered coming.
"So sorry," she said almost sarcastically. "Am I late?"
"No, not at all." Said Hermione stiffly.
"So, why exactly did you want to meet me here? Yes, I'll have a Gilly water please." A waitress had just arrived.
"Three butterbeers." Hermione said.
The waitress looked at Mandy expectantly but she said nothing, so the waitress left the table. "Well," Hermione began fumbling in her pocket for something. "How can you explain this?" She pulled out a scrap of paper, which was the article from Witch Weekly.
Rita gave her a false smile. "Surely you don't mind me writing stories about other newspapers that are true?"
Hermione glowered and pointed to the last sentence which read 'However, it is true to say that all the newspapers still believe in Potter's insanity.'
Rita smiled again. "Well, I said newspapers, not magazines."
"You still said..." Hermione began. The waitress arrived with a drinks tray. Harry Ron and Hermione shoved some sickles in the waitress' bony hand but Rita Skeeter smiled and handed her a galleon.
"You can keep the change." She said. Smiling broadly, the waitress left them.
Hermione glared. "I bet that was the money you earned from that stupid article!" She snapped.
Rita Skeeter was no longer smiling. "Well what was the point in bringing me here? It's done now." She snapped. "I'm not doing another interview for free!"
"Does he pay people Mandy?" Hermione asked her.
"Um, I don't know. I don't think so." She mumbled. "Well only important people..."
Rita's eyes flashed, but she said nothing. "Just tell me what I have to do." She said at last in a falsely sweet voice.
"Write about Harry, say he's not insane." Hermione said.
"But he may well be!" Rita said. "I can't write down plain lies.
"You didn't mind writing down plain lies about Harry being insane." Hermione argued. "That's why Mandy's here. Her father helps with the Daily Prophet."
"Of course though," Mandy said. "He's unlikely to pay you, since you wrote about how the Daily Prophet is loosing its touch."
"Actually." Rita said stiffly. "I am a good friend of..."
"Well, will you do the interview?" Hermione asked her.
"Oh alright then." Rita said, though her teeth were clenched. "Go on then, tell me what to write."
"Right, good." Hermione said at the end. "Do you know when it will be published Mandy?"
"Well, a few days I think." Mandy said smiling. "The Daily Prophet's always looking out for new stories, so hopefully soon."
"Well, thanks for coming." Hermione said. "And no more articles about Harry." She warned Rita, who scowled but picked up her crocodile skin handbag and left the three broomsticks.
They turned to Mandy who had not moved. "You're in Hufflepuff aren't you?" Hermione asked her hopefully, but Mandy shook her head.
"No, I'm in Ravenclaw." She said.
"Oh, right. It's just, do you know why Anna Chang's going to the Shrieking shack today?" Hermione asked her.
Mandy looked at her for a while. "No. But that's what she's been told to do."
"But, why?" Hermione pressed on.
"Well, I'm not sure but she's having orders in her dreams to go there, I don't think she can help it. It's like she's hypnotised or something. She just does it without knowing. It's really weird."
"Yeah, well that's what everyone says about her isn't it." Harry said.
Mandy opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a gaggle of first year girls they had met on the train, including Scarlett's sister Verisa. "Are you done yet Mandy? It's really boring waiting for you." So Mandy left the table to join her friends.
"Her father's there!" Hermione said. "He's giving her orders!"
"That's really odd." Harry said thoughtfully. "Because, well who is her father? Is he alive or not?"
"Maybe, it's a dead person giving her commands, like those dreams over Christmas." Hermione said.
"Yeah, probably." Said Ron, who did not appear to be as interested in this conversation as Hermione and Harry were.
"OK, just remember to..." It was the day before their match against Ravenclaw and they were currently out on the quidditch pitch, listening to Katie talk. "Keep an eye out for bludgers, the quaffle and the snitch."
"And other players!" William added.
"Yes," said Katie. "If the weather stays like this, we should be fine. I hear that the captain is Rose Clearwater. We can't loose this match." Katie looked at Harry. "If we win, we've probably won the quidditch cup because Hufflepuff lost against Ravenclaw and they're likely to loose again in May.
Harry trudged inside with Ron. It seemed to all depend on him. Whether they lost the quidditch cup or not. Then he remembered who the seeker was going to be. Cho Chang.
Harry barely slept that night. Centaurs, quidditch and Anna Chang weaved in and out of his mind. But his worries did not stop when he fell asleep. "I see you have chosen to ignore me Harry Potter." Echoed the same familiar voice. "If you continue to do so, I will have to put a stop to it." He knew he should tell Dumbledore, but when he woke, he could barely remember the dreams.
"Come on Harry!" Ron yelled. Harry emerged from under the covers. At last, it was the morning. Then he remembered the quidditch match. "Katie going wild." Ron grinned. "She's desperate to cram in some training before breakfast."
It was true. She pounced on him the second he arrived at the Great Hall. "Where were you?!" She roared. "I finally managed to get Ginny and Emily up, then you -" Harry looked around. The Great Hall was quite full already. Harry checked his watch. "It's too late now." Katie snapped sulkily. "You'd better get some breakfast before the match."
So Harry and Ron managed to escape to the Gryffindor table. "It's after breakfast." Ron informed Harry. He had gone rather pale. "But the new Ravenclaw team isn't much good." He reassured.
It was then that Harry glanced over at the teachers' table. To his astonishment, he saw that it was almost empty. Snape and Professor Trelawny were the only teachers there. "Where d'you think they are?" Harry asked Ron.
"Who?" Ron asked, looking over at the Slytherin table.
"No, there." Harry pointed over at the two remaining teachers.
"Dunno, maybe they're already at the quidditch pitch."
Hermione sat down opposite them. "Hermione, have you noticed -" Harry began.
"Yes." Said Hermione thoughtfully. "I saw Professor McGonnagal just a minute ago, she was leaving the castle, she looked really worried about something. I wonder what..."
Then came a voice, spoken through a microphone no doubt. It echoed round the hall. "All return to your house dormitories as soon as possible. The Quidditch match has been cancelled." Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. Both of them were looking equally curious and shocked.
"Come on." Harry said quietly. The students in the great hall were already getting up, all of them muttering to their neighbour. It was just like that time in their second year when Ginny had been taken into the chamber of secrets. Surely nothing like that could have happened this time.
"What d'you think has happened?" Katie asked them, she was very white and was looking nervous.
"I've no idea." Harry said. The gaggle of students were dividing off at the stairs, the four of them joined the end of the Gryffindor lot.
"Ron!" Ginny came hurrying towards them.
"So we know its not you this time." Ron said looking relieved.
"No, it's Anna Chang!" Ginny said, she sounded breathless. "Scarlett's younger sister's in her house. She just got up in the middle of the night and left the castle. She was muttering something about obeying orders and the Shrieking Shack. They don't know whether she's alive or not. You-know-who's got Hogwarts as his prime target now. Any of us could be attacked!"
"Does McGonnagal know?" Hermione asked her.
"I think so." Ginny said. "Scarlett probably told her."
They arrived at the Gryffindor common room to find that Professor Lovegood was there and counting the students who entered. "Right," he said when they were all in the common room. "Professor McGonnagal has left in search of a girl in Hufflepuff who left the castle in the night. That is why I am here." Many of the faces Harry could see now looked both shocked and nervous. "I must warn all of you who... who can see thestrals and who are having odd dreams. We believe this could have happened to any of you. We know that some of you will be hearing orders and a voice telling you to obey. It is very important for you all to ignore that voice. If you do obey, you are walking into the hands of, he-who-must-not be named. And I don't need to tell any of you how dangerous this could be. Currently we have powerful wizards searching the shrieking shack as that is where you- know-who is rumoured to be. There should be no reason for you to worry, and if any of you see you companions getting up in the night and appear to be sleepwalking, you must wake them up. The castle is being guarded even more carefully so this will not happen again." Professor Lovegood turned towards the entrance to the common room. Professor McGonnagal had just entered.
"Ah, thank you," she said to Professor Lovegood. "It's alright you don't need to panic. She appeared to be under some sort of imperius curse. We are currently in search of the source of her unnatural behaviour so none of you have any reason whatsoever to worry. As a safety precaution we have set many guards outside each house common room. So everyone in the common rooms is safe. And I am sure that is all of you." She smiled then she and Professor Lovegood left the common room. The Gryffindors at once erupted into chatter.
"I bet you know who's put an imperius curse on Anna! Maybe it was in her sleep. But how did he do that... I wonder if it's possible. Then he is very powerful." Hermione was talking excitedly to Harry and Ron. "Well I'm glad everyone's safe now." She said happily. "But then it wouldn't effect Ron or I would it?"
"No." Said Harry vaguely. He was thinking about what Hermione had said about everyone being safe. "They're not." He said. "Not everyone's safe. What about Hagrid? Or Luna? If she's still in the forest."
"Oh, I'm sure Luna won't be going back into the forbidden forest anymore and Hagrid's probably being guarded too." Hermione said reassuringly.
"I suppose you're right." Harry said but this didn't stop him worrying.
"It was worse than ever last night." Ingrid said. There were large bags under her eyes and she looked exhausted. She sat down in an armchair opposite them. "The dreams. The same voice kept repeating the same words. 'Come to me' it was so loud." She yawned.
"I dreamt about it last night as well." Harry said.
"Ooh! Me too!" An excited Gretchen came dashing over to them.
"Got yourself another fan." Andrew Evans whispered. He had come with Ingrid but Harry hadn't noticed him. "Or maybe she's obeying orders."
"What's that?" Gretchen piped up. "Oh what are you talking about! Is it about charms? I hear you only got 55% on the charms test." She said to Andrew who glared at her. Gretchen shook her head sympathetically. "You know, if you read more books on charms, maybe you'll be more like me!" She skipped away, humming some annoying song that according to Ginny's face had reached the seats by the window.
"Then I'm never reading another book for as long as I live." Muttered Andrew. "But we'll soon be getting our own back on her." He looked expectantly at his sister.
"Yeah," yawned Ingrid. "But it won't be for another two weeks, the boomslang skin needs to mature in the full moonlight.
"Right." Harry said. His thoughts regarding their plan were quickly changing. He glanced over at Gretchen who had turned upside down in her armchair. Her legs were waving above the back of the chair and were causing quite a lot of attention. But how would she feel to get no marks at all in charms? Harry couldn't help felling a bit sorry for her.
Ron's thoughts on this matter however, contradicted Harry's completely. "It's going to be hilarious!" He chortled as he watched Gretchen turn the right way up and narrow her eyes over at Ingrid and Andrew. "Just brilliant!"
"Do you think the match is still on?" Katie asked them. "She was ok."
"Yes, but it could have been really serious! I suppose Dumbledore's at the ministry of magic or something to investigate. I don't suppose it will be."
"Well, I suppose that's good." Said Katie. "We might not play until after the Easter holidays."