I do not own Harry Potter. Charlotte Potter is my OC.

A Halloween Infiltration

Ever since Charlie's first Divination class Trelawney found at least one opportunity per lesson to predict the circumstance in which Charlie would die. Her peers listened to her morbid ramblings with rapt attention, Harry and Ron were more amused than disturbed and Hermione was vexed. Charlie tried not to put much stock in what Trelawney was saying, but It would be easier to do so if she didn't have a mass murderer after her.

"How do you think I'm going to die today?" asked Charlie as she picked at her eggs during breakfast.

Hermione scowled. "She's useless," she said bitterly. "I'm learning absolutely nothing. I think I'm going to drop it. You ought to do the same."

"I don't know. I'm kind of enjoying myself. It's interesting material, even if it doesn't have any practical use."

"What's the point in learning if you can't use the material practically?"

Charlie grinned. "I don't know. Having the ability to read tea leaves could make for a neat trick."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ha ha."

She returned to her book and Charlie finished her breakfast. She glanced over at the Hufflepuff table, where Harry was reading a Quidditch magazine as he idly picked from his plate of fruit. She stood up and went over to him, leaning over his shoulder.

"That Firebolt is everywhere," she said longingly, staring at the colourful advertisement.

"It's making me jealous," agreed Harry.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure."

"She can't sit here," piped up an upper-year Hufflepuff, looking rather scandalized.

"Why not?" countered Harry.

"It's fine," spoke another older Hufflepuff, flashing Charlie a smile. "It's an unspoken rule, so she can sit here until a teacher speaks up."

"Thanks, Cedric," said Harry with a smile.

He scooted over and Charlie squeezed in beside him, ignoring the strange looks some of Harry's Housemates sent her way. Charlie exchanged a quick handshake with Cedric, who properly introduced himself as Cedric Diggory.

"Do I blend in?" asked Charlie with a straight face.

"Almost. The blue robes are a dead giveaway."

"Miss Potter."

The familiar voice of her Head of House floated down to her. Charlie flinched. "Dang. That was quick."

"The rules are about to be spoken," snickered Harry, and Cedric laughed.

Charlie turned her head and offered a bright, innocent smile as Flitwick stared pointedly at her. "One second!" she pleaded. "I'll just be one second."

"What about the delicate balance of Hogwarts?" cried Fred dramatically from the Gryffindor table. "It must be maintained!"

Charlie glared at him as most of the Great Hall burst into laughter. Flitwick shook his head, unable to keep the amusement from his features. He glanced at Dumbledore, who gave a smiling nod, and waved his hand permissively. Charlie beamed and turned back around.

"Did you get a chance to face the Boggart for your Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"

"Oh, yeah. Turns out there was another one in Filch's storage closet."

"What did you see?" asked Charlie curiously.

"A werewolf."

"Interesting. That wasn't what I expected."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What exactly were you expecting me to be afraid of?"

That caused Charlie some pause. "Huh. Nothing specific, really. It's just if I had to guess it wouldn't have been a werewolf."

"What did you see?"

She rested her chin against the palm of her hand, her brow furrowing slightly. "Didn't get a chance to face it, unfortunately. I think your uncle thought my Boggart might have been…uh…" Due to the amount of Hufflepuffs within hearing distance, she made the rare substitute of his name. "…You-Know-Who."

"Would it have been?" asked Harry with interest.

"I don't think so," said Charlie honestly. "I think it might have been a Dementor. Those things creep me out."

"More than You-Know-Who does?"

"Never said I was normal. Hermione, Ron and I have a question for you."

"Shoot," said Harry, lifting his goblet of pumpkin juice to his lips.

"Do you know why your uncle's greatest fear is the full moon?"

The pumpkin juice spewed from his mouth and splattered all over the table and down the front of his robes. He broke into a coughing fit and Charlie frantically smacked his back to help him breathe. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," rasped Harry. "Just fine. I gotta go change."

He stood up and took off out of the Great Hall. The Hufflepuffs were now staring at her and Charlie could only imagine the looks her professors were sending her. She got to her feet and quickly returned to the Ravenclaw table; head ducked down until she reclaimed her seat next to Hermione.

"What was that all about?" asked Hermione.

"I honestly have no idea."

A grip fell on her shoulder and she jumped, expecting Flitwick and was greatly relieved to discover Scarlet standing over her. "If you want to convince Flitwick to let you sit with your Hufflepuff friend, you probably shouldn't have tried to kill him."

"I didn't do anything," protested Charlie.

"Ah, I'm just teasing. I wanted to let you know that our first practice will be tomorrow after dinner."

"Seriously?" asked Charlie in surprise. Usually Gryffindor or Slytherin got the first booking of the year.

Her Quidditch captain grinned. "Yup! Wood was supposed to have it, but I managed to convince him otherwise."

"How'd you do that?"

"Don't you know? Wood and I started dating over the summer holidays. He lives a town away from me and we actually really bonded." Scarlet's expression turned soft as she glanced in the direction of the Gryffindor table. "He's really sweet. Mind you, he's super confident in his team this year. Thinks he developed the perfect strategy. Probably why he gave up the slot and let me take it." A smirk curled across her lips. "He's going to be in for a shock when we wipe the floor with him."

"I'm happy for you," said Charlie sincerely.

"Thanks!" she chirped.

Scarlet wiggled her fingers as she departed the Great Hall. Hermione closed her book and said, "Shall we get ready for class?"

"Sure. Can't wait for Professor Trelawney to tell me I'm going to get strangled by Devil's Snare."

The two Ravenclaws stood up and left. Ron shoved one last piece of toast into his mouth before sprinting after them. Flitwick watched them go and shook his head in exasperation. "Really. I don't know why she simply couldn't wait to speak with Mr. Lupin afterwards."

"For the most powerful of friendships, even a second apart is far too long," said Dumbledore.

"That's certainly true. Harry moped for days over the summer," said Remus fondly. "He was eager to see them again."

"Attached at the hip, they are," said Sprout with a nod. "I don't suppose your charge told you about his little nighttime trip?"

Remus' expression sharpened. "He failed to mention it."

"Well, to be fair, they did make it back to the castle by curfew. They just weren't in their beds," said Sprout dryly. "Wouldn't have known if Filius hadn't caught Miss Potter and Miss Granger. They were so spooked that they tried to hex him when he moved."

"Not spooked enough," said Flitwick with a frown. "I don't know what got into their heads, walking around outside so close to curfew. Especially with Black on the loose."

"I daresay Mr. Weasley has been a bad influence on them," Severus drawled.

McGonagall was about to defend her Lion when she caught his slip of tongue. A baffled look crossed her face. "Mr. Weasley, you say?"

"You're hearing things," said Snape shortly.

"You did!" Sprout exclaimed gleefully. "What in Merlin's name has gotten into you, Severus?"

"Absolutely nothing," snapped Snape.

"We're several days into the semester and you haven't complained about the Golden Quartet once!"

"The Golden Quartet?" repeated Remus.

"We've overheard the students calling them such," said McGonagall. "They're always together, so someone came up with a name to refer to all of them at once."

"Perhaps they will be a bit more loyal to each other than your 'friends', Lupin," Snape said with a sneer.

Remus' eyes flashed with anger and deep hurt. Dumbledore frowned in disapproval and said sternly, "I trust Remus completely, Severus. What happened to his friendships is a tragedy and should not be spoken about lightly."

"Lupin trusted Black, once," said Snape coldly. "Look how that turned out. We very well may be in for a repeat performance."

Remus stood up, his entire posture stiff, and left the Great Hall without another word. Snape could feel the ire of his colleagues, and the disappointment of Dumbledore, but he did not care. He was against this from the very beginning, but Dumbledore refused to listen to him. Lupin was not in leagues with Sirius Black, he insisted.

Dumbledore had always been soft on James Potter and his blasted gang. They were not punished for their pranks as harshly as they should have been. They were given free reign to torment who they wanted, and it nearly cost Snape his life.

He would never forget. He would never forgive. Lupin was just as rotten as Sirius Black. It was only a matter of time before everyone saw him for the danger he was.

...

"Hagrid really doesn't know what a middle ground is, does he?" asked Harry as he and his friends trekked across the grounds to the castle. They had just finished their second Care of Magical Creatures lesson. The topic—Flobberworms. Tiny and very boring.

"He's just playing it safe," said Charlie. "Can you blame him?"

"My parents sent him a letter, assuring him that they didn't blame him at all. They gave him biscuits!" Ron flung his arms in the air in exasperation. "Honestly, what's he worried about?"

"The Malfoys, who stick their grubby hands in everyone's business," said Harry bitterly. "Who love ruining lives. Who are in the process of making sure Hagrid is put under investigation and brought to trial. That's something to be worried about."

Charlie came to a sudden halt, her brow furrowing in concern. "Wait. Maybe that's the reason he's playing it safe. Because he's already gotten some bad news."

She abruptly turned on her heel and nearly ran straight into Pansy. She reeled back; eyes wide as she quickly put some distance between the two of them. "Geez!"

"Watch where you're going!" snapped Pansy.

It suddenly occurred to Charlie that the two Slytherins had been snickering throughout the class far more than they usually did. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me the status of the investigation your father is trying to push through?" she asked warily.

Draco's grin was diabolical. "Gladly. It's been approved. The miserable oaf is going to be found out for what he is—an incompetent menace."

Ron turned beet red but Charlie grabbed his arm. "Come on," she said forcefully. "We're going back to see Hagrid."

She dragged him around the two Slytherins with Hermione and Harry hurrying after them. They ran back to Hagrid's hut and Charlie burst through the door without knocking. Hagrid was sitting at his table, head in his hands, and there was a piece of parchment on the floor. He looked up when he heard the door slamming shut.

"What're yeh lot doin' here?" he asked, wiping away his tears.

"We just discovered," said Charlie solemnly. "I'm sorry, Hagrid. But don't worry. It really wasn't your fault."

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Harry.

"I was ashamed," said Hagrid miserably. "My firs' lesson an' I mucked it up."

"You didn't," said Hermione strongly. "Malfoy and Parkinson are perfectly capable of hearing and they ignored your instructions."

"I might have teh go teh trial," said Hagrid fearfully. "If I lose, I'll lose Buckbeak."

"We'll help you, Hagrid," said Ron earnestly. "If the investigators are prats, and it goes to trial, we'll help you prepare!"

"Absolutely!" said Charlie with a nod.

"Thank yeh," said Hagrid gratefully, wiping at his eyes. "Yer right. No use worryin' now."

The quartet were happy to leave him in better spirits. "There's a bright side," said Charlie positively. "If it does go to trial, Ron will have to be called as a witness. He's the one that got the brunt of the attack."

"And I'll do what the Slytherins won't," said Ron hotly. "I'll tell the truth."

"If we're lucky, we won't have to worry about that," said Harry.

They entered the castle and passed by the Great Hall. Ron spotted a new notice on the board across from the doors and wandered over. "Hey, they've got the Hogsmeade dates up!" he exclaimed excitedly. "The first one is scheduled on Halloween!"

"Awesome!" cheered Harry, high-fiving him. His eyes landed on Charlie's disappointed expression and he said quickly, "Not awesome that you can't go, Charlie. Maybe you could ask Flitwick. Get special permission?"

"The Minister of Magic wouldn't give me special permission," said Charlie with a humourless smile.

"It's worth a shot," encouraged Ron. "I bet Flitwick doesn't know that."

"I suppose."

"Brilliant! And if he says no, then you can just use your Cloak and sneak out," Ron said cheerfully.

"She can't!" hissed Hermione. "You heard what Professor Dumbledore said!"

"We've gotten into worse scrapes, haven't we?" Ron asked. "I'm sure there's a way Charlie can sneak out without being detected by the Dementors. There's loads of secret passages in this place."

"That's a rubbish idea!" said Hermione crossly.

"It wouldn't work, anyway. Filch has been boarding the secret passages shut," added Harry.

"We could open them again, just for a short while," suggested Ron.

"Ronald!"

"Relax," soothed Charlie. "I won't do it."

"Why not—oi!"

A heavy weight slammed into the small of his back, knocking him to the ground. Scabbers wiggled his way out of Ron's pocket and sprinted across the floor with Crookshanks in hot pursuit.

"Stop that cat!" hollered Ron, scrambling to his feet.

"Don't you hurt him!" cried Hermione as the redhead ran off.

"So much for Crookshanks not leaving Ravenclaw Tower," muttered Charlie.

"Come on. We better follow them before they kill each other," said Harry frantically.

They must have made quite the sight. Scabbers and Crookshanks darted around legs and tread on feet. The Golden Quartet were on their tails, with Ron in the lead and Harry bringing up the rear. Students scattered as they ploughed down the corridors. Fred and George had to dive out of the way to avoid colliding into the group.

"Oi," shouted Fred as they shot passed him. "What are you lot doing?"

"Rescuing my rat!" snapped Ron over his shoulder.

It took five minutes of chasing before Ron overtook Crookshanks. He knelt and scooped Scabbers into his hands. He backed away from Crookshanks, who spat furiously in the rat's direction. Hermione reached them next and took her cat into her arms.

"Your cat is a monster!" he snarled.

"No, he's not!" said Hermione furiously. "Cats chase mice, Ronald. It's what they do."

"But he's only chasing mine!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"The next time he comes after Scabbers, I'll hex him into next week." Ron looked at Crookshanks with loathing. "So you better find a way to control him."

"You don't have to worry about us, you prat!" said Hermione shrilly. "We won't be anywhere near you!"

They stormed off in opposite directions, clutching their pets to their chests. Charlie sighed in dismay. "Man. How long do you think this will last?"

"Hard to tell," replied Harry. "They're both stubborn. I give it a week, give or take."

"Ron has a point. There's something off with Crookshanks," mused Charlie. "It really does seem like he's going after Scabbers specifically."

"If Crookshanks doesn't get to Scabbers, the stress will. Do you see how sickly he looks? He might keel over any second, and I definitely don't want to be around Ron when that happens."

...

Hermione and Ron didn't speak to each other for the next few days. Harry and Charlie found themselves being the buffers. They sat in between Ron and Hermione, walked between them, and always made sure there was a degree of distance to try to relieve some of the tension that crackled around them.

When Charms ended, Hermione swept out of the classroom. Charlie stared after her in bewilderment. Sometimes her friend would just sprint off without a word, as if she were in some mad rush, even though they had plenty of time before next class.

"You should ask him."

"What?" she asked, turning her attention to the redhead.

"Ask him if you can go to Hogsmeade," said Ron. "It can't hurt!"

"All right," she agreed. She approached Flitwick's desk and said, "Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Potter?"

"There's a Hogsmeade visit tomorrow, and my aunt and uncle didn't sign the form for, uh, personal reasons. Would it be possible for you to give me permission to go?"

Flitwick shook his head sympathetically. "I'm sorry Miss Potter, but I'm afraid not. The permission slip must be signed by your guardians." When disappointment flickered across her face and Ron's shoulders slumped, Flitwick gentled his voice and said, "There's always next year."

"Right." Charlie managed a smile. She had been unable to stop the hope from rising in her chest, only for it be crushed. "Thanks, Professor."

She and Ron stepped into the corridor and he said, "Well, what about the Invisibility Cloak?"

"Probably not the best idea," said Charlie lightly. "I'd rather not risk having a Dementor blast me."

"That's not what they do," said Ron discontentedly.

...

On Halloween afternoon, Charlie walked with her friends to the Entrance Hall, where students were swarming out the doors after being checked off a large list by Filch. "We'll bring you back loads of stuff," Ron promised.

"Is there anything specific you want?" Hermione asked.

It seemed that the anger had fizzled from both of them, and they had greeted each other amicably during breakfast. Harry was relieved, because he didn't really feel like alternating his attention between the both of them because they refused to talk.

"Sweets, if you please." Charlie removed the coins she had brought with her from her pocket and handed them to Ron. "You can use whatever is left over. You deserve it, for saving Pansy."

The ginger smiled gratefully at her. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" asked Harry, guilt starting to worm in his stomach for leaving her alone.

Charlie waved off their concerned looks. "I'm going to be fine. Go have fun! I'm excited for the sweets you're going to bring back for me."

"As much as we can carry," promised Ron.

She watched them depart the castle and let her features fall when they were out of sight. "Great. Now what am I going to do?"

There was some reading she could do, though the thought of doing homework by herself in the common room depressed her. Charlie sighed and started to wander through the corridors, debating between the library and Ravenclaw Tower. She knew going outside was probably not an option, at least not by herself.

Don't be sad, Potter. Being alone temporarily is better than being dead. When Black is caught, everything will go back to normal. Maybe. I've got a few months to think of a convincing enough argument to get Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon to sign my permission slip.

The piece of parchment was still in her trunk. She wasn't losing hope. She'd strike a deal with her aunt and uncle in the summer. There was no way they'd be letting Aunt Marge come to visit while she was there, so it would be a bit easier to find an opportunity.

"What's the little birdie doing here all alone-y?"

Peeves appeared directly in front of her and Charlie screeched to a halt. "Well, my friends went off to Hogsmeade and my guardians didn't sign my permission form," she explained. "I'm just looking for something to pass the time until they come back."

"You can help Peevsie bother old Filchy!" Peeves suggested, cackling madly.

Charlie grinned. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll leave that up to you. Don't bother Filch too much. He's got a lot to deal with around here."

"No such thing as bothering Filchy too much," countered Peeves.

He sped off to conduct his chaos and Charlie shook her head. "Poor Filch."

"Charlotte."

Charlie turned to see Remus at the end of the corridor and she walked over to him. "Hi, Professor."

"You must tell me your secret."

"My secret?"

"To getting Peeves to act civilly towards you."

"Oh. I'm not sure, to be honest."

Remus glanced over Charlie's shoulder, as if expecting the other three-fourths of the Golden Quartet to appear. "Where's my ward and the other two?"

"At Hogsmeade, without me. But that's okay. I'll forgive them as long as they bring me lots of sweets."

"If you're not busy, would you like to come with me? I've just received the topic for one of our lessons."

Curiosity spiked through Charlie and she nodded. "I'd love to."

He led her to his office and when Charlie went over the threshold, she immediately noticed the large glass tank that contained a green creature with small horns. She approached it with interest, lightly setting her fingers against the aquarium.

"It's a Grindylow, right?"

"That's right," said Remus in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I read ahead in the textbook. I won't have to touch it, will I?"

He laughed. "I would advise against it. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thanks. I think I've had enough of tea leaves."

Remus prepared the kettle and looked at her in sympathy. "Ah, yes. Professor McGonagall told me all about your death sentence. Are you worried?"

"Not really."

She kept saying that, but the Grim and Trelawney's reading of her tea leaves still lingered in her mind, so perhaps she was lying to him and herself.

Remus finished making a cup of tea and motioned for Charlie to take a seat across from his desk. He settled across from her and said, "Harry mentioned to me that you were disappointed I didn't let you tackle the Boggart."

"A bit," admitted Charlie. "But I understand. You didn't want to risk Voldemort appearing in front of a crowd of thirteen-year-olds."

Remus picked up on her tone of voice, on how she didn't confirm that her Boggart would have formed into the Dark Lord. "He's not what you fear most?"

Charlie flushed. "No. I know it might sound stupid, but I'm terrified of Dementors. The thought of them makes me feel cold and sick."

"It's not stupid at all," said Remus, awe in his expression. "That means what you fear most is fear itself. You're a bright, impressive witch, Charlotte."

"Charlie," she spoke with a hopeful smile. "You can call me Charlie outside of class, if you want."

Regarding her fondly, Remus said, "Only if you call me Remus."

Charlie beamed. "Deal!"

There was one short knock on the office door. "Come in," called Remus.

Snape entered; his expression unreadable. In his hands was a goblet, the contents of which was smoking. "It's finished," he said curtly, setting it on Remus' desk.

"Thank you, Severus."

Charlie tilted her head to the side, peering at the potion curiously. "What is it?"

Remus stiffened, and Snape revelled in his discomfort. "Just something I asked Professor Snape to brew," he replied.

His lack of an answer caused the girl to eye him in confusion, but she didn't press. "Lupin, I have a cauldron-full if you need more," said Snape. "I advise you to drink it directly."

Snape left and Remus downed the contents. His face twisted in disgust. "Not the most appetizing," he said with a slight shudder. Ignoring the questions flashing in her bright green eyes, Remus joked, "Are you sure you don't want to pet the Grindylow?"

"Absolutely."

...

"You guys rock."

Charlie grinned as Hermione dumped brightly coloured sweets and various Zonko products onto her midnight-blue bedspread. Snowy pawed at the candies and mewed hopefully. Charlie laughed, giving her a few quick pets before packing away her treats and following Hermione out of the common room, where Harry and Ron were waiting for them outside of Ravenclaw Tower.

"Were you bored?" Harry asked worriedly.

"No, not at all. I spent the day with your uncle. He showed me a Grindylow and we chatted a bit."

Horror crossed Harry's face. "He didn't tell you stories, did he?"

"I particularly like the one where you stole his broomstick and got stuck in a tree," said Charlie mischievously.

"No way!" cackled Ron. "I might stay behind next time!"

"No you're not!" snapped Harry, his face flaming red. "He didn't tell every embarrassing story of my life, did he?"

"No," assured Charlie. "There wasn't enough time." Her brow creased and she added, "Professor Snape brought him a potion, but he wouldn't tell me what it was. Is he okay?"

"Yes!" Harry said loudly. His friends stared at him oddly and he coughed. "He's fine. He gets sick pretty often, so he's always having to take potions."

"He actually drank what Snape gave him?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Doesn't he know that Snape has wanted that job for years?"

"Now, Ron. Professor Snape would not try to poison him in front of Charlie, and he's not as bad as we used to think. He hasn't been nearly as spiteful towards us as he was before," said Hermione. "He seems to be willing to start over and we should as well."

It was still difficult for Ron to think of Snape as anything but the great dungeon bat who terrorized every student except for his Slytherins. But Hermione did have a point, as hard as it was to admit it, and he shrugged. "I guess."

They went to the Great Hall together, and it was not long before the Halloween feast got into full swing. Charlie happily loaded her plate with pumpkin pie and roast beef sandwiches. Hermione told her every detail of their trip in Hogsmeade and Charlie could not help but feel a bit jealous that she had missed it. But she enjoyed her time with Remus greatly, and hoped she would be able to continue their visits for the rest of the Hogsmeade trips.

The night passed by in a blur and before Charlie knew it Dumbledore was shooing them off to bed. She and Hermione joined Ron and Harry, and the four shuffled out of the Great Hall with the rest of the students.

"Better than a Deathday Party, right?" asked Harry lowly, not wanting to be overheard by the ghosts floating overhead.

Ron elbowed him. "Shut up."

As the rest of the Hufflepuffs went in the direction of the kitchens, where the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room and dorms were located, Harry stayed with his friends. "Uh, you're going the wrong way," said Charlie in amusement.

"I'll backtrack," he said, hands shoved in his robe pockets. "Besides, Ron always walks you guys to Ravenclaw Tower. I need to step up."

"I don't always walk them there. I mostly just walk them to our split-off point," corrected Ron.

Hermione grinned. "He's too lazy to walk us the entire way. But we take what we can get."

"Well this is my chance to shine," said Harry cheekily. "I'll walk you the whole way."

"Honestly," said Ron with a huff, though he couldn't stop himself from smiling as his friends laughed.

When they reached the part of the castle where Ron and the Ravenclaws would go their separate ways, they could hear shouts coming from the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

"That doesn't sound good," said Harry nervously.

"Come on." Ron broke into a jog and his friends followed after him. When they reached the seventh floor it was to see a massive traffic jam of Gryffindors in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Geez!" exclaimed the redhead. He squinted up ahead and spotted his sister with a group of her friends. "There's Ginny."

They wrestled their way through the panicked students and Ron tapped Ginny on the shoulder. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know."

"Someone get Headmaster Dumbledore, quickly!"

Percy's sharp, urgent shout spurred the four even further forwards. When they broke through to the front, they were greeted with the sight of the portrait slashed to pieces and the Fat Lady nowhere to be found. "Blimey," Ron whispered.

"You don't think..." Hermione began, eyeing Charlie worriedly.

"I hope not," whispered Harry.

"Who else would have a reason to do this?" asked Charlie warily. "But I don't understand. Why would Sirius Black try to break into Gryffindor Tower?"

"He probably thought that's where you would be Sorted," Ron suggested, slightly pale. "I mean, everyone thought you'd be a Lion when you came to Hogwarts. How would Sirius Black know otherwise that you're an Eagle?"

It was then Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall and Flitwick arrived. The students quickly parted to let them through and their frantic cries were halted by Dumbledore raising his hand. He studied the damage with serious eyes. "Professor McGonagall, I want you to find Mr. Filch and search for the Fat Lady. I want to know exactly what happened here."

McGonagall hurried off and Dumbledore scanned the crowd. His keen gaze zeroed in on Hermione, Charlie and Harry slowly inching their way from the crowd and a burst of panic went through him. If Sirius Black was still in the castle, then it would not be wise for three third-years to wander the corridors alone—especially if one of them was Charlotte Potter.

"Miss Potter, Miss Granger and Mr. Lupin, stay where you are," he said sternly. They immediately froze in place with guilty eyes. Flitwick's expression sharpened when he found his two Ravenclaws where they weren't supposed to be.

"I'll deal with you two later," he promised before turning to Dumbledore. "What do you think happened?"

Dumbledore turned towards the Charms professor after making sure no other students were trying to sneak away. His brain worked overtime, trying to figure out why Black had attempted to enter Gryffindor Tower instead of Ravenclaw Tower. "I do not know. Perhaps Black assumed that Charlotte was Sorted here, and acted accordingly. There is no written record of Charlotte being Sorted into Ravenclaw, and word would not have reached him in prison. At this point, enough time has passed that people have stopped talking about it. I'm sure he believed Charlotte would be Sorted in the same House as her parents and his former companions."

"The Fat Lady is in a right mess," came the familiar cackle of Peeves. The poltergeist was watching the chaos with a wide smile, floating above the crowd.

"Did you see what occurred here?" Dumbledore asked sharply.

Peeves nodded his head cheerfully. His humour faded when he noticed Charlie among the crowd, her face pale with worry. "Yes, Professor Head. The Fat Lady wouldn't let him in without a password and he attacked her. She ran off in tears and fled through some paintings a few corridors over. Sirius Black has one nasty temper."

Screams rang out and Dumbledore quickly regained control. "Everyone will report to the Great Hall at once!" he ordered. "Prefects, lead your House to safety! Filius and Severus, retrieve your students. I will alert Pomona and Minerva."

"Miss Potter and Miss Granger, you will stick closely to the Prefects," instructed Flitwick. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Lupin, you will not leave this group," snapped Snape.

"Yes sir!"

Nearly Headless Nick followed them, comforting the students were sobbing in terror. Peeves floated near Charlie in an almost protective manner and she gave him a weak smile.

"We're very lucky nothing happened to the Fat Lady," Hermione said optimistically. "And it was a good thing we were all at the feast."

Charlie nodded distractedly. Something was bugging her, but she wanted to tell her friends when they were settled in the Great Hall. There was a piece of the puzzle out of place and she wanted to know where it fit.