Limelight

iii. mad black

Naomi stopped the urge to roll her eyes after hearing Malfoy's comment about his 'near death experience', shouting for everyone to hear.

"How delusional can he be?" Nicole muttered beside her, all of them decided to seat with the gyffindors.

"No idea." Chris answered, looking at Malfoy's group of friends who were circling around him. Malfoy looks like an arrogant prick who likes the attention all on him, Naomi thought.

"Very delusional, apparently." Naomi quipped back, after hearing the blonde's comment about losing his arm, "I mean, it's not that serious."

"It just looks like Malfoy is finding some kind of way to sack Hagrid." Nicole said, "He said it, about Hogwarts being gone to the wolves."

"Dogs, he said dogs." Matt corrected, flicking his book to the next page.

"Same difference." Nicole rolled her eyes. Matt shook his head, doesn't have any energy to fight his sister.

"Again? Couldn't Hagrid have a peaceful year without him getting sacked?" Naomi voiced out, remembering how some Ministry Officials went to Hogwarts to capture Hagrid because of the Chamber of Secrets being opened again. Turns out it was a false information.

"Last year, the Ministry has false information, this incident is not." Evelyn said, "If Malfoy's father reported this incident, Hagrid will get sacked." She added.

"Oh, man!" Eleanor whined, "I mean, we can testify to help if this happens. Hagrid did warn us about the hippogriffs." She suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Jaspier agreed, "Maybe then, Hagrid will continue to teach Care for Magical Creatures, just like he wanted."

Naomi shook her head, capturing the attention of her friends.

"Have you forgot? Malfoy's deadly rich. If he is an arrogant prick, most likely his father is also. After the incident last year, I doubt that the Ministry will blink an eye for this incident, especially in Hagrid's side of the story. For me, it looks like the Ministry doesn't have a mind of its own. Easily swayed." Naomi said, then leaned to whisper, the others unconsciously started to lean.

"If the Malfoys took out some bit of galleons, I concluded that they'll have an immediate hearing and Hagrid will still lose." She whispered.

"That's horrible." Evelyn said, being a muggleborn, she still have some things that she needs to learn in the wizarding world. And the works of the Ministry is one of them.

"Sacred 28. Even if it's losing one by one per decade, it still has power." Naomi said.

The group was silenced. The serious conversation that they had before left them speechless.

"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Seamus Finnigan, a 3rd year Gryffindor, announced.

"Who?"

"Sirius Black!"

After his answer, a group of students circled the paper that Seamus placed on the table. Naomi and her friends is one of them.

She placed herself beside Harry Potter, who has his hands on the paper. She stretched her neck and tiptoed to get a closer look at the newspaper.

"Dufftown? That's not so far from here!" Hermione exclaimed, looking so alarmed.

"Is he trying to get into Hogwarts?" Eleanor asked.

"He can't be! With the dementors all over the place? That's a bloody mad move." Ron answered.

"He is mad." Nicole said, trying to see a glimpse of the paper.