Sirius Black daughter - Athena Black (Book 2)

Five

"What's going on here? What's going on?" Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filchcame shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. 

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Harry. 

"You!" he screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll —" 

"Argus!"Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Athena, Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs.Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr.Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Black." 

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly."My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs —please feel free —"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore. 

The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape. As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Athena saw  several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Athena, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching. 

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression Athena had ever seen him wear: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. AndLockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.  

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry,racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk,unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands.Much as she detested Filch, Athena couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him. Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened: She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.  

"She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented. 

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?" 

"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore. "But how, I cannot say...." 

"Ask him!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry. 

"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —" 

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found — in my office — he knows I'm a — I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly. "He knows I'm a Squib!" he finished. 

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!" 

"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, and Athena was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do them any good. "Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't heat the Halloween feast?"