Book 2: Swords and Wands: The Prisoner of Azkaban
Summary: The demigods return in their second year to more surprises then they would ever have thought. Who is this Sirius Black and what does he have to do with Harry Potter? Find out in Book 2 of Swords and Wands
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, HOO, or HP and I never will.
Chapter 4: Siriusly
By the time September ended, there was still no progress on the demigod powers. Piper had improved her charmspeak vocabulary if only by a few words. Frank and Hazel were strolling down an empty corridor the day before Halloween.
"Why don't you like Lupin?" Hazel asked. She had been wondering about it ever since he proclaimed his woes on the well-liked professor. Even Hazel loved his class better then the one last year.
"There's something-" Frank paused as if looking for the right words. "animal about him. It's just there in the air and the way he moves and speaks and walks. You guys just don't see it."
Hazel hesitated. "I don't see it, but I believe you, Frank."
"Really?" Frank beamed.
"Sure." Hazel hooked elbows with him.
"Now come on, Percy smuggled some snacks from the kitchen and he isn't going to wait for us to eat them."
They practically skipped toward the Hufflepuff common room, laughing all the way.
On Halloween, the demigods threw another meeting. They gathered around the tree, admittedly with bags full of candy, and instead of using powers just talked about everything from their time as witches and wizards to the second giant war.
"Back when we were fighting the war, did we ever think that in a year and few months that we would be sitting under a tree at a school for magic?" Piper asked.
"Back when we were fighting the war, I thought I would not be alive in a year and few months." Percy smirked. Annabeth punched his shoulder and rolled her eyes.
"I think we would've laughed if somebody told us that." Jason smiled. "Especially on our way to Rome. We didn't know how to fight Gaea. We didn't even know how to save Nico."
"Well, I'm glad we're here." Hazel smiled. "Because we may have to fight a war in any second, we'll still have each other."
"Ugh." Leo fake gagged. "That was too sentimental."
Hazel rolled her eyes but her smile didn't leave her face, not even when the giant squid popped out of the lake and stole a candy that had rolled to the coastline.
The Great Hall had been decorated for the feast. It was lit up with hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of live bats, and flaming orange streamers, swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like water snakes.
At the Halloween feast, the demigods stuffed them full. Ginny, Jason, and Piper kept on getting more of the chocolate fudge pudding. Percy, Hazel, and Frank were enjoying their tiny cakes. Annabeth played with a gelatin-like food. Leo had stuffed his mouth full with a lot of food.
The feast ended with the Hogwarts ghost doing a performance. Ginny, Jason, and Piper left the place smiling and laughing.
"I can't believe Henry screamed." Ginny stated, laughing.
"It's not like we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with ghosts everyday, Ginny." Piper joked, throwing her arm around the redhead's shoulders and the other one around Jason.
"No, it's such a shame they'd be great dinner guests." Jason joined in.
They all laughed, turning down the corridor leading to the Gryffindor common room, expecting to get in right away, but were stopped by a forming crowd at the portrait. Silence was thick as they joined Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
"What's going on?" Ginny asked.
As if to answer, Headmaster Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait causing some Gryffindors to squeeze together to let the headmaster through. The six Gryffindors at the back moved forward to see what was going on.
"Oh, my-" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm.
Jason and Piper both had gasped, hands over their mouths. They were as shocked as everybody else in the corridor. The Fat Lady was gone, vanished, from her portrait. The portrait itself was ripped into strips of canvas that littered the floor, chunks of it torn away quickly.
Dumbledore spared it one quick look before turning somberly to Professor McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape who were hurrying toward them. Ginny, Jason, and Piper moved out of the way to let the rushing professors pass.
"We need to find her," Dumbledore spoke. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."
"You'll be lucky!" A cackling voice spoke.
Peeves the Poltergeist bobbed over the crowd, looking delighted at the sign of wreckage and worry on every person's face.
"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore said calmly. Peeves' grin faded, not daring to taunt Dumbledore. He adopted an oily voice that was the equivalent to his cackle.
"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," his voice was happy. At this moment in time, Piper was reminded greatly of Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, one of her favorite stories. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly.
"Did she say who did it?' Dumbledore asked quietly, waiting for his worse fears to be confirmed.
"Oh yes, Professorhead," Peeves spoke as if he was cradling a large bombshell under his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore between his legs. "Nasty temper he's got that Sirius Black."
The houses gathered at the Great Hall once again, murmuring quietly and looking extremely confused. Annabeth sent Percy a confused look who looked even more confused at her. Leo and Luna studied the faces of their fellow students, looking for answers. Frank and Hazel gently tapped their feet.
"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professor McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," He added to Percy Weasley who was looking proud and important. 'Send word with one of the ghosts."
Dumbledore paused, ready to leave the hall before saying, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing…"
With a wave of his hand, the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the edges of the hall. Another wave; the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.
Percy grinned at Annabeth who was looking appreciative at the show of magic by the talented, powerful man.
"Sleep well," Dumbledore said, closing the door behind him.
Immediately the Great Hall buzzed with activity, Gryffindors telling the other students what happened. Percy overheard it from a tall Gryffindor girl who talked about as loud as if she was speaking through a bullhorn. Frank and Hazel heard it from George and Fred. Leo and Luna heard it from a group of Gryffindors gathering excitedly.
"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" Percy Weasley shouted. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"
Everybody began grabbing sleeping bags and dragging them to corners or empty spots. Ginny, Jason, and Piper all went into their separate sleeping bags, tucked in a corner.
"Do you think Black is still in the castle?" Ginny asked, staring up at the starred dark ceiling.
"Yeah, bet he is looking for us right now." Jason commented mildly.
Piper sent him a scalding look before consoling the suddenly nervous girl. "No, he probably left when he realized no one was in there."
"The lights are going out now!" Percy Weasley shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"
The candles all went out at once. The only light showing came from the silvery ghosts, drifting about, talking seriously to the prefects. The enchanted ceiling glittered with stars. Whispers filled the hall, ignoring the darkness. It was like sleeping outdoors in a light wind.
Every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to check that everything was quiet. By 3:00am, soft snores filled the room, the demigods joining them.
Life will be changed at Hogwarts, once again. The demigods wondered if this school-in-danger thing would happen every year.
They suspected it would.
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