Make Me.

Book 3 - Chapter 15

The crowd of Slytheins descended the dungeon stairs and didn't make it far into the common room that Halloween night, before one of the Slytherin prefects called from the top of the stairs in the Entrance Hall. He was shouting at them all to turn around and come back into the Great Hall. A few of the Slytherins ignored him and continued on, up until the yelling got much more frantic and serious sounding. Within ten minutes, the Slytherins were back upstairs, along with the rest of the other houses.

The Gryffindors were all looking quite shocked, whispering desperately to each other when Ellie followed the group into the hall. Dumbledore was standing at the front, waiting until everyone had returned to address them.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professor McGonagall and Flitwick closed the doors to 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 immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immediately important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Dumbledore paused, about the leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing. . ."

With one casual wave of his wand, the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls. Another wave and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly. Ellie shot a 'sorry' glance to Daphne and Pansy and seized up a sleeping bag. She was weaving her way through the crowd towards the Gryffindors. Catching bits and pieces of conversations as she went. There was something about the Fat Lady and something about Sirius Black. Ellie found Harry, Ron, and Hermione, huddling up in a corner and threw her bag down to join them.

"What happened?" she asked seriously.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"We were on our way back up to Gryffindor Tower and -" Hermione started.

Percy was shushing the room very loudly.

" - and the Fat Lady was gone. Her portrait was slashed to pieces. Peeves said it was Sirius Black," said Hermione severely.

"He got into the common room?" Ellie asked with wide eyes.

"No," said Ron. "But he tried, and got angry when she wouldn't let him in."

"You don't think he was after -"

"Me?" asked Harry with an annoyed tone in his voice. "Yeah, I'm sure he was."

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they all climbed, fully dressed, into their sleeping bags and propped themselves up on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower. . ."

"Maybe he's actually after something else," suggested Ellie. "If there was no one in the tower, whatever he wanted would've been free for the taking."

"I reckon he's just lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

"Why would he burst in here knowing every student and professor would've pointed their wand at him? He's obviously smart enough to know how to escape Azkaban -" Ellie argued.