Author's note: Thanks for sticking with me, guys. I'm a quarter of the way through my hardest summer course and should be doing homework right now, but here's another chapter, since I'd rather write this than analyze string quartets in binary form. Anyway. I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Please review!

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I referenced pages 121-129 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while writing this.

Furthering Suspicions

There was a widespread look of confusion across the student's faces as they followed their Head of House back to the Great Hall. As per instructions from Dumbledore, only the Perfects had been pulled aside and debriefed, and one look at Severus's scowling face was enough to prevent questions from even the boldest of Slytherins.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Dumbledore announced once everyone had gathered, as Minerva and Filius closed the doors. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the Perfects to stand guard over the entrances to the Hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbances should be reported to me immediately. Send word with one of the ghosts."

He paused. Then, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing…." One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the Hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of plush purple sleeping bags. Severus had to roll his eyes at the choice of colour.

"Sleep well."

The ghosts remained, floating around as silvery guards and messengers on standby. The teachers were divided up and sent to search the castle for any trace of Black. Severus went off to patrol the third floor, accompanied by Aurora Sinistra, the Astronomy professor.

The break-in, Severus mused as they prowled the corridors, wands half-raised, seemed to happen at an awfully convenient time. Not only was everyone preoccupied with the Halloween festivities, but the teachers were also tired after the outing to Hogsmeade. And then there was the presence of the dementors to keep in mind.

In the previous years, the events which had occurred had occurred because they'd been facilitated by someone—or something—on the inside: Quirrell had let in the troll, and a possessed Ginevra Weasley had opened the Chamber of Secrets. In Severus's mind, the stellar timing indicated that Black had an accomplice, and who else but Remus Lupin could be a more likely candidate? Compounding this, Lupin had not been present at the Feast, as is affliction made him tired.

Severus pressed his lips together. He would take up the subject with Dumbledore again, although Merlin knew the man was unlikely to listen or care.

It was several hours later by the time Severus and Aurora had finished their extensive search of the third floor. Aurora went to find Pomona, while Severus returned to the Great Hall to report back to Dumbledore. He met Minerva on the way.

"We found the Fat Lady," she informed him briefly as he passed, "hiding on the second floor. Her friend Violet has joined her from another portrait, but she is inconsolable."

Inside the hall, the students were asleep, or at least pretending to be. Percy Weasley stood next to Dumbledore, probably trying to make himself feel more important by conversing with the Headmaster.

Dumbledore turned when Severus announced himself.

"The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there, either."

"What about the Astronomy Tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched…." Privately, Severus thought that nobody could ever be mad enough to voluntarily hide in the Seer's room, but he knew it had been checked regardless.

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?"

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

He raised an eyebrow. "You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before—ah—the start of term?" he asked, under his breath, aware that Weasley was listening intently.

"I do, Severus."

"It seems almost impossible"—he ignored the warning in Dumbledore's voice—"that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed-"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it." The conversation was closed, and there was a pause, during which Severus didn't reply. "I must go down to the Dementors. I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want help, sir?" asked Weasley.

"Oh, yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster."

Severus watched him leave, fuming over being casually dismissed yet again. Then he, too, left.

Sirius Black remained the talk of the school for the next few days. The students, being the imaginative group of reprobates that they were, entertained themselves by sharing wild theories about how Black had gotten into Hogwarts. Pomona complained one day that she'd to shush one of her Hufflepuffs repeatedly during Herbology, because the girl was telling her gullible, distractable classmates that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

Thankfully, by the time Severus was substituting for Lupin, the worst of the chatter had died down. He was enumerating some of his colleague's flaws when the door opened and Potter came skidding in.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin, I-" he came to an abrupt stop upon realizing that it was the Potions Master behind the desk.

"This lesson began ten mutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down."

But Potter didn't move. "Where's Professor Lupin?"

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," Severus replied, the corners of his mouth turning up in a half-smile, half-smirk. "I believe I told you to sit down?"

"What's wrong with him?"

Defiant little brat.

"Nothing life-threatening. Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty."

Finally, Potter took a seat.

"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far-"

"Please, sir," Granger piped up, "we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas and Grindylows, and we're just about to start-"

"Be quiet," said Severus coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," Dean Thomas dared to counter.

"You are easily satisfied." Severus's tone was soft and menacing. "Lupin is hardly over-taxing you—I would expect first-years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows." This was not entirely true, but he didn't see the harm in some exaggeration.

He opened the textbook and began flipping the pages to the very last chapter. "Today we shall discuss werewolves."

They had all, of course, made an implicit promise not to "out" Lupin when he'd been hired, but that didn't mean Severus couldn't drop hints. Besides, he figured none of the students would catch on anyway; he merely took pleasure in the thought that they could, on the off chance that they were attentive for once.

"But, sir," Granger persisted, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks-"

"Miss Granger, I was under the impression that I was taking this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page three hundred and ninety-four." Nobody moved, and he looked around, glaring. "All of you! Now!

"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" he asked when books had finally been opened.

Granger's hand, predictably, shot into the air the moment the question left his mouth. Although he knew nobody else would have the answer—nobody else had read the entire textbook halfway through the first term—he ignored her. He didn't call on or praise her during Potions class and he wouldn't do it here. Not being the star pupil once in a while hadn't killed her yet and given how hard she continued to try, it probably wouldn't any time soon.

"Anyone? Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between-"

"We told you," said Parvati Patil, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on-"

"Silence!" Silence fell. "Well, well well," Severus continued, quietly, as though talking to himself, "I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are…."

"Please sir"—Miss Granger again—"the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf-"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

At this, the bushy-haired girl went very red, withdrawing her hand and dipping her head.

"You asked us a question and she knows the answer!" Ron Weasley said loudly. "Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

Weasley quickly found himself the sole recipient of Severus's glare, and the entire class seemed to hold their breath.

"Detention, Weasley," Severus said, leaning in close. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."

No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson, which was fine with him. He prowled through the rows as the children made notes from the assigned reading, inspecting and making snide comments about work previously completed for Lupin.

All in all, aside from the initial obstreperousness, Severus considered it to be quite a productive class.