"Morning," Harry says brightly to Ron, Hermione and I as he and Danny join us at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.
"What are you looking so pleased about?" says Ron, eyeing Harry in surprise.
"Erm...Quidditch later," says Danny happily, pulling a large platter of bacon and eggs towards him.
"Oh...yeah..." says Ron. He puts down the piece of toast he is eating and takes a large swig of pumpkin juice. Then he says, "Listen...you don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to - er - give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit."
"Yeah, OK," says Harry.
"Look, I don't think you should," says Hermione seriously. "You're both really behind on homework as it -"
But she breaks off; the morning post has arrived and, as usual, the Daily Prophet is soaring towards us in the beak of a screech owl, which lands perilously close to the sugar bowl and holds out a leg. Hermione and I push a Knut into its leather pouch, take the newspaper, and scan the front page critically as the owl takes off.
"Anything interesting?" says Ron.
"No," I sigh, "just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married."
Hermione and I open the paper and disappear behind it.
"Wait a moment," says Hermione suddenly. "Oh no...Sirius!"
"What's happened?" says Danny, snatching at the paper so violently it rips down the middle, with him holding one half and Hermione she I holding the other.
"'The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer...blah blah blah...is currently hiding in London!" I read from our half in an anguished whisper.
"Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything," says Harry in a low, furious voice. "He did recognise Sirius on the platform..."
"What?" says Ron, looking alarmed. "You didn't say -"
"Shh!" say Hermione and Danny.
"...Ministry warns wizarding community that Black is very dangerous...killed thirteen people...broke out of Azkaban..." the usual rubbish," Hermione concludes, lying down our half of the paper and looking fearfully at Harry, Danny, Ron and I. "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all," she whispers. "Dumbledore did warn him not to."
Harry and Danny look down at the bit of the Prophet they tore off. Most of the page is devoted to an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, which is apparently having a sale, as far as I saw from the few seconds I looked at it.
"Hey!" Harry says, flattening it down so Hermione, Ron and I can see it. "Look at this!"
"I've got all the robes I want," says Ron.
"No," says Danny. "Look...this little piece here..."
Ron, Hermione and I bend closer to read it; the item is barely an inch long and placed right at the bottom of a column. It is headlined:
TRESPASS AT THE MINISTRY
Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham,
has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass
and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August.
Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watchwizard Eric
Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-
security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused
to speak in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and
sentenced to six months in Azkaban.
YOU ARE READING
Dawn Rivera
Fanfiction"One is the lock, one is the key, one is the sacrifice the world shall shall grieve." Dawn has wanted to go to Hogwarts ever since she was a little girl, and nothing her older sister Gertrude says will discourage her. Little does she know that the m...
