The Boy in the Cupboard

Chapter 9

"It was him!" The silence was broken by a furious Filch as he stormed back down the stairs, finger jabbing toward Harry of all people. "I've seen him, letting his dog chase Mrs. Norris around. Now the mangy mutt's killed her! I'll kill it! I'll kill him! I'll-"

"Argus!" McGonagall said sharply from the top of the stairs. "Mrs. Norris was not attacked by a dog."

Argus seemed thoroughly unconvinced, actually shaking with rage. "Then why is she dead?"

Using British Sign Language so Filch wouldn't understand, Ron remarked that the cat wouldn't be in one piece if a dog had gotten her.

Remus climbed the stairs, and the rest followed him to the larger crowd of students gathered at the scene on the second floor. Remus read the message on the wall and inspected Mrs. Norris.

"She's petrified," he told Filch after a bit, more politely than Padfoot felt Filch deserved. "I'm not entirely sure how-"

"Ask them!" Filch stabbed his finger at Harry and his friends. "None of them look surprised to see her like this."

"Because we were here before!" Ron argued. "We were at a Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party. Colin has pictures. And then Harry ran up here, and we saw the water and the blood and the cat."

"Why weren't you at the feast, Harry, m'boy?" Slughorn asked, more concerned than accusing.

"Looking for a place to stash her body!" Filch spat. "I saw him at the broom cupboard."

Harry flicked his rubber snake like a whip and whispered "Secrets."

"Mr. Potter did not petrify your cat." Minerva told Filch in a tone that brokered no argument.

"He couldn't," Malfoy smirked to Crabbe and Goyle. "He's practically a squib!"

"It was Malfoy," Fred shouted. George added that Malfoy had said Mudbloods would be next. Both twins clearly would have hexed Malfoy for using that word if the staff hadn't been present, and Ron looked to be barely holding back as well.

McGonagall sent all students to their common rooms, including some of Harry's friends, but Harry himself stayed behind with Remus. Padfoot nudged Harry.

"Did you see something?" Remus asked. Harry tugged at his ear. "You heard something?"

Ron hesitated, then offered "He had his ear to the wall, and then-"

Hermione filled in some of the story and Colin interjected to contribute other bits.

"...rip..." Harry mumbled. A few professors looked as if they might have thought Harry was spending too much time with Luna, except an attack had clearly taken place.

"We'll look into this," Remus nodded at the other professors. "But for now, I have to take Harry. We've an outing planned."

Visiting Godric's Hollow felt, if possible, even worse now than previous years. The events from tonight lingered, further darkening the mood from the events of eleven years before. It didn't feel like the right mood for trick-or-treating.

Harry hadn't even dressed up this year. He wandered from cottage to cottage, but his own mind was clearly elsewhere as well.

For the next few days, students talked of little but Mrs. Norris's petrification. Luna invented all sorts of ridiculous theories, to Hermione's annoyance. Ginny seemed particularly shaken, though she hadn't been at the scene to see Mrs. Norris.

Filch was still enraged, either skulking at the spot where Mrs. Norris had been found (and unsuccessfully trying to clean the blood off the walls) or trying to get students, especially Harry, in trouble for looking happy.