Thin Pages

The Midnight Duel

In this chapter: The Gryffindor first years finally get to fly in their flying lesson with the Slytherins, and Harry discovers he's actually really good at it! McGonagall must think so too, because she added him to the Gryffindor team! Things go downhill when Malfoy challenges Harry to a wizard's duel. Hermione tries to talk him and Ron out of it, but ends up joining them just to see Malfoy had set them up. To get away from Filch, they go through a locked door to see a Three Headed Dog!  

"Minerva, what are you doing here?" Remus asked as she walked past him into the sitting room.

"Where's Sirius?" she asked looking around.

"Why are you here?" Remus asked. "Tell me first, Sirius might want to run off and... and..."

McGonagall huffed impatiently as she pulled out the books which were shrunken. "I do not have much time, I have to get back before they know I'm missing. Although I get the feeling Albus knew what I was doing when I left. Now, where-"

"McGonagall?" came Sirius' voice. Both Remus and McGonagall turned to see the man in the doorway. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong? Is Harry okay?"

"He's fine." she said as she began to resize the books. She picked up the identical copies of the smallest book and held them out for them to take. Neither of them moved. "Did you not hear me when I said I do not have all day!"

Still a bit slow, they each took the book she was holding out. "What's this about?" Remus asked as he opened the first page.

"Dolores Umbridge's idea." McGonagall said with a nasty tone to her voice. "I do not know where she found them, none of us have been able to figure it out. They're about Potter."

If their faces were any indication, they didn't understand.

"Somehow, Harry's life was documented and put into these books. No I don't know who did it, and I do not know how. And I certainly don't know how she got her hands on them. But she's had the entire school reading them, even the ghosts are talking about them. Of course they can't read it, I think they may be listening in on people's discussion groups, another idea of hers."

McGonagall began pacing. Remus was flipping through the pages and Sirius watched her, holding the book almost like it was something dirty.

"There's seven of them, as you can see. In my free time, I've been trying to figure the pattern of how the books are split. I'm beginning to believe it's by Potter's year, one book for each of his Hogwarts years. Seven years, seven books."

"But he's only in year five." Sirius pointed out.

"Yes, that's what I said. It makes one wonder about the finale two. I thought about getting a look, just seeing what was in them but," she stopped pacing and stared at the other books. "We're unable to read the other six books."

"Why not?" Remus asked.

"They're spelled shut." McGonagall said. "Umbridge's way of stopping everyone from reading ahead, and I bet she gets some sort of satisfaction in having that same hold over the teachers as well, especially Albus."

"You can't break it?" Remus asked.

"I think I could, only I'd have to have the original." McGonagall said. "She used a duplication spell, so whatever happens to the original-"

"Happens to the other books as well." Remus finished with an understanding.

"Precisely," McGonagall said. "The good news for that is that she is stopping herself from reading ahead as well. As of this morning we were able to read up to chapter 8. I reckon tomorrow we'll be able to read chapter 9 as well."