-Hiraeth- RL & SB

𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.

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

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

One casual wave of his wand and 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; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.

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

"I'm going to go find Amara, rest up." said Dahlia

The girl walked to where the Slytherin's had set up their sleeping bags and found Amara talking to Cindy.

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

"I don't know but Dumbledore thinks he might be," Dahlia said

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.

Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Professor Dumbledore came in and talked to the prefects.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.

"No. All well here?"

"Everything is under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently, she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

Dahlia heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps.

"Headmaster?" It was Snape. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched..."

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape.

"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before — ah — the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation.

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.

"It seems — almost impossible — that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed —"

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. "I must go down to the Dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster."

Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left.

"What was that all about?" Dahlia wondered

oOo

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of their next Herbology class telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Undaunted, the Gryffindor team was training harder than ever under the eye of Madam Hooch. Oliver told Amara and Dahlia that Gryffindor wasn't playing Slytherin because Malfoy's arm was still injured. Instead, they were playing Hufflepuff. Dahlia shook her head, though she didn't believe all Slytherins were evil, Malfoy and Flint sure managed to get on her nerves.

The day before the match, the winds reached a howling point and the rain fell harder than ever. It was so dark inside the corridors and classrooms that extra torches and lanterns were lit.

Dahlia and Amara walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts together. Dahlia was excited to see Remus, even though she would never admit it. As the girl entered the classroom she was disappointed to see that it was Lupin at the teacher's desk; it was Snape

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Amara asked as she sat down

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile.

"Today we shall discuss —"

Dahlia watched him flick through the 3rd year's textbook, which he obviously had to have known they had already covered since they were 7th years.

"— werewolves," said Snape.

"But, sir," A Slytherin said, "we've already learned about werewolves in our 3rd year. We're due to start Chameleon Ghouls —"

"Miss Davidson," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!"

With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books.

"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.

Most everyone raised their hand, for they had all learned this before.

"Miss Davidson."

"The werewolf differs from the true wolf in several ways. Werewolves can be distinguished by their shorter snout, more human-like eyes, the tufted tail, and their mindless hunting of humans whilst in wolf form." Davidson said

"Correct. 10 points to Slytherin."

When the bell rang at last, everybody quickly got up and left, grateful that class was over.

"I wonder what Snape's deal was today. We already learned about werewolves, it's like he knows a werewolf and hates him." Amara snorted

A lightbulb went off in Dahlia's. Remus was a werewolf, the full moon was close which was why Snape was the substitute. The drink that Snape brought in for Remus was most likely wolfsbane.

"Amara, sometimes your randomness is very helpful."

"Why thank you!" Amara beamed