Together (A Harry Potter love story) 3

17

"What's the hold-up here?" Percy yelled. "You can't all have forgotten the password - excuse me, I'm Head Boy-"

And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. I heard Percy said, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

My first instinct was to look at Harry, who was staring at me. I bit my lip, making a silent agreement with him, before shakily reaching out and taking his hand. He froze, before sending me a small smile and squeezing my hand gently.

"What's going on?" Mione asked, who had just arrived.

"We don't kn-"

Professor Dumbledore appeared, sweeping towards the portrait; the students squeezed together to let him through, and Harry unconsciously pulled me closer to him, so that my face was nearly against his chest. My heart beat rapidly, and it wasn't just because of the silence.

"Oh, my-" Mione exclaimed, grabbing Ron's arm.

I gasped; the Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely.

Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes sombre, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin and Snape hurrying towards him. Lupin caught my eye and mouthed 'stick with Harry'. I raised my eyebrows, but nodded.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "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!" said a cackling voice.

It was Peeves, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage and worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than 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," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added, unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly. Harry's grip on my hand tightened.

"Oh, yes, Professorhead," Peeves answered, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see."

Peeves flipped over, grinning at Dumbledore from between his own legs.

"Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where we were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused. I caught sight of Elwood, who was trembling; but I wasn't sure if that was because of Sirius Black, or because of Austin Hampton, who had just walked up to him.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Dumbledore told us as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all the doors into the Hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here-" Harry groaned loudly -"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, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."