The Mudblood

Chapter 80 : Year 4

"Are you feeling any better today, Fitz?" Fred Weasley asked me on Tuesday morning as we entered the Great Hall for breakfast. I had attended all of my classes on Monday, the day after the Slytherin party, but I hadn't heard a word that anyone had said the entire day due to the blaring pain behind my right ear.

"Yeah, actually," I replied truthfully, scratching the back of my head. "Perhaps I was just sick...or something..."

Fred pressed his lips together with uncertainty as we approached the Gryffindor table. "Are you sure you didn't...See anything? Nothing at all?"

I cleared my throat, slowing my pace so we wouldn't reach our Gryffindor friends so quickly. "Well...I did have a few dreams last night...when I actually managed to sleep. All were about...Azkaban."

His eyebrows creased in an abnormal expression of serious contemplation. "And do you think it meant anything?"

"Maybe... I never really know until something actually happens..." I pondered, my voice soft as my thoughts drifted through the endless possibilities. "Sorry I didn't make it to dinner last night. Anything exciting happen?"

"Well, I heard that Harry asked Cho Chang on a Valentine's Day date," Fred mused with a childish grin.

"Valentine's Day?" I blurted in disbelief. "It's only the middle of January-"

"You can never plan a date too early, I s'pose," Fred cut in with a vague tone. "Guess he didn't want Michael Corner to snag her first."

"Michael? Isn't he still dating Ginny?"

"Hasn't stopped him from flirting with Chang so far, has it?" Fred countered with a bitter eyebrow raise.

"Lainey!" Ginny greeted, as we'd just stepped up across from where she sat between Hermione and George. "How are you? If you're still feeling ill, I don't mind taking you to the hospital wing to get out of Potions."

"Wouldn't that be a dream," I muttered as I squeezed onto the bench between Ron and Fred. "I'm doing better now though, actually... Must have just been...something...odd..."

"Harry had some head pain too yesterday, didn't you, Harry?" Ron prompted as he chewed obnoxiously on food.

Harry reluctantly peered his head around Ron to glance at me. "Voldemort was happy last night," he confirmed in a rough, exasperated tone. "I don't know what it means, but it can't be good. What did you See?"

My eyes flickered around to the expectant faces as I cleared my throat. "Uh-nothing, really...just...dreams of Azkaban, I s'pose..."

All five pairs of surprised eyes went wide, but before Hermione could even open her mouth to spew out the questions on her tongue, a swarm of owls came swooping into the Great Hall, and an unrecognizable one dropped a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of her.

"What is that?" Ginny blurted, her eyes protruding even farther as she stared at front cover of the newspaper.

Hermione swallowed before unfolding the paper and spreading it flat on the table, revealing a page full of black and white photographs of prisoners. I'd barely even glanced at the words on top of the page before Hermione let out a yelp that drew the entire table's attention toward us.

"What?" Harry and Ron chorused while Ginny continued to gawk at the page, shaking her head.

"'Mass Breakout From Azkaban'," I read breathlessly. "They're all Death Eaters, aren't they?"

Hermione pursed her lips but couldn't manage to nod. "Appears that way..."

"And they're blaming the escape on Sirius," Harry fumed as he reached over to snatch the paper.