Courage

-32-

Book: Courage
Chapter 32
Word Count: 5043

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. Layla saw Cedric with his friends, looking around in confusion, and she approached him.

"Ced, hey."

"Hey!" Cedric smiled once he saw her, pulling her into a hug. Layla grinned in relief. She was worried that things were going to be awkward after their kiss, but it seemed like Cedric didn't know the meaning of awkward. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Sirius Black was in the school. He tried to get into the Gryffindor common room. He slashed up our portrait when he wasn't given access," said Layla. Cedric's eyes widened as he frowned in concern.

"Was anyone hurt? Is he still in here? Are you okay? Is—"

"I'm okay, everyone's okay," Layla reassured with a chuckle. "The professors are searching the school. He probably didn't stick around, though."

"That's true. Well, I'm glad you're safe, and everyone else," Cedric added the last part as an afterthought, causing Layla to chuckle again.

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

"Layla!" Ron called over to her. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, save me a sleeping bag," Layla yelled back before turning back to Cedric. "Well, I'll speak to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, sounds good. Get some sleep," sighed Cedric, pulling Layla into another hug, planting a soft kiss to the top of her head. Layla then smiled and walked back over to her friends. The four of them seized four sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner.

"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 Layla as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower."

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

Hermione shuddered.

All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?"

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, "Just appear out of thin air, you know."