The Potter Twins and the Prisoner of Askaban {3}

12. Grim Defeat

"I know it's sad that  I never gave a damn about the weather, and it never gave a damn about me" ~ Do You See What I'm Seeing, Panic! At The Disco

Following Peeves massive announcement, Dumbledore sent us back to the Great Hall, where ten minutes later the other houses join us, looking confused.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Dumbledore tells us, as Flitwick and McGonagall close the doors. "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. Send word with one of the ghosts."

Dumbledore pauses. "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

One causal wave of his hand and the long tables fly to the edges of the Hall and stand themselves against the walls; anther wave, and the floor is covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," Dumbledore says, closing the door behind him.

The hall immediately begins buzzing with excitement; Gryffindors are telling the rest of the school what happened.

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

"C'mon," Ron says to us; we seize five sleeping bags and drag them into a circle in a corner.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispers anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," Ron says.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," Hermione says, as climb fully dressed into our sleeping bags.

We all prop ourselves up by our elbows so we could talk; except Tay, she simply turned over and laid down, her face almost completely covered by the sleeping bag.

The guilt stung my heart; she's devastated, and here I am, crushing on the boy that broke her heart.

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

I shudder involuntarily, and Harry reaches across and grabs my hand, squeezing it comfortably.

All around us, everyone is asking each other the same question: how did he get in?

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

"Disguised himself, probably," a Hufflepuff pipes up.

"He could've flown in," Dean Thomas suggests.

"Honesty, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" Hermione says crossly.

"Probably," Ron says. "Why?"

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," Hermione says. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in, too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouts. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all go out at once. The only light now comes from the silvery ghosts, who are drifting about, talking seriously to the Prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, is scattered with stars.