𝐀𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬 | ʜᴀʀʀʏ ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ

✧. * 011. Dadfoot...In the castle? ✧. *

Aurora kept to herself about Lupin drinking the goblet. After thinking about it for the whole day and questioning her brother about it - because he was good at potions, she had a theory. However, she just needed to confirm it.

The food was delicious; even Hermione and Ron, who were full to bursting with Honeydukes sweets managed second helpings of everything. Aurora noticed that Harry kept glancing at the staff table. Professor Lupin looked cheerful and as well as he ever did; he was talking animatedly to tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher. She watched as Harry moved his eyes along the table, to the place where Snape sat. Did she imagine it, or were Snape's eyes flickering toward Lupin more often than was natural?

The feast finished with entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a spot of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had great success with a re-enactment of his own botched beheading. It had been such a good evening that Aurora's good mood couldn't even be spoiled by Malfoy, who shouted through the crowd as they all left the Hall, "The Dementors send their love, Potter!" 

Aurora, Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor which ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron said curiously. Aurora, using her tall abilities, peered over the heads in front of him. The portrait seemed to be closed.

"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the hold-up here? You can't all have forgotten the password – excuse me, I'm HeadBoy –"

And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a sudden sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore.Quick." People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe.

"What's going on?" Ginny said, who had just arrived. The next moment, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping towards the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Aurora, Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh, my –" Hermione exclaimed and grabbed Aurora's and Harry's arms. 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.

"We need to find her," Dumbledore said. "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 said. It was Peeves the poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore said 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?" Dumbledore said quietly.

"Oh, yes, Professorhead," Peeves said, 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 and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."