𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 ☆ 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑛 𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝑌𝐸𝐴𝑅 𝑇𝐻𝑅𝐸𝐸 ☆ 7

The evening meal that night was great, even though it wasn't a special occasion. Even Harry, Ron and Hermione, fit to burst with sweets from Honeyduke's, managed to stomach a helping or two of most things.

The quartet climbed the moving staircase with Ron talking about Hogsmeade. "Honeyduke's sweet shop is good, but nothing beats Zonko's Joke Shop, we never did get a chance to go to the Shrieking Shack, though, have you heard that it's the most haunted-"

Rosalyn cut across, bored and jealous. -"Most haunted building in Britain, yeah I know."

The four of them realised something just then. Alot of Gryffindors were gathered around the Fat Lady's portrait, chatting and talking. Rosalyn, Ron, Harry and Hermione were on a moving staircase going towards that portrait, but at the moment it didn't really look like they were getting anywhere.

"What's going on?" Was all Rosalyn said.

Ron was quick with. "Ah, probably Neville's just forgotten the password again."

Rosalyn stamped on Ron's foot hard and he yelped in pain, Neville was right behind them, "Hey!" He reprimanded.

Rosalyn muttered to him behind Ron's back. "Don't worry, he'll always blame someone else if something goes wrong." She had grown up with Ron, and had seen this as a common factor in a catastrophe if he was there.

Neville seemed a little more cheered up as Percy said. "Guys let me through please, excuse me I'm head boy!"

"Havin' fun there, are you Perce?" Yelled Fred to his elder brother, Percy rolled his eyes, puffed out his chest and continued his shouting.

"Get back all of you, no one can enter this dormitory until it has been searched."

A few people screamed and when Rosalyn and the gang came closer, they saw why. The portrait that would normally open to let them into the common room was slashed, the canvas peeling in a horrible way that seemed, to Rosalyn, like a big animal had cut it with their claws.

Ginny then ran up in front of the golden quartet and said, distressed. "The Fat Lady, she's gone!"

Rosalyn looked a bit scared but Ron laughed, relieved it wasn't anything more serious. "Well that's alright, she was a terrible singer."

"It's not funny, Ron!" Hermione snapped.

Loads of other portraits had now picked up on the fact that there was something wrong and were dashing from frame to frame, doing some sort of evacuation.

Students from other houses had now came and joined in, but Percy was quick with sending them back. "Ravenclaws, back to your common room!" He yelled above the chatter. "Hufflepuffs I don't know! I don't know what's going on, now go!"

He got most of them away, and then Dumbledore and Filch came running up the stairs, Dumbledore running, robes billowing, Filch hopping behind, a quite amusing sight.

Students pressed themselves into the banisters to let the headmaster and caretaker through. Dumbledore went closer to the painting and Hermione and Rosalyn glanced round Filch to see what was going on.

Dumbledore looked at the scratches on the canvas and Filch glanced at the students, Mrs Norris too. It was as if they expected it to be one of them. Actually, Rosalyn thought, that was stupid, it was exactly what they expected.

Dumbledore had now finished his examination and was talking to the caretaker. "Mr Filch, if you would, round up the ghosts, tell them to search every painting in the castle to find the Fat Lady."

Filch was now looking at a painting across the corridor. "There'll be no need for ghosts, Professor, the Fat Lady's there," he pointed to the painting, and the whole crowd ran up the corridor to the Fat Lady.