The Dream Trilogy Book One: To Dwell On Dreams (A Harry Potter FanFiction)

Chapter Forty Six

Chapter Forty Six

The Fat Lady practically pitched a fit when she caught sight of Harry. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" she started gushing, flapping her arms about. "Is it really you? Oh where have you been!"  

"Shh!" Harry said, trying to calm her. "Yes it's me, and it's a long story. I don't want anyone to know I'm back yet. It's really important. So - can I just get in - Cauldron Cakes." 

She looked about, nervous. "Well of course we changed the password dear, we thought there was a major security breach." 

"What!" cried Harry. "You've got to be kidding, Cauldron Cakes, Cauldron Cakes!" 

"I'm sorry dear!" said the Fat Lady, genuinely upset. "But who's to say you're not an imposter!" 

Harry began pacing, starting to think of his options, when he heard voices coming from the other direction. He scooted up and away, ducking behind a suit of armour, as Colin Creevey's younger brother Dennis walked up to the portrait chatting with Natalie McDonald. Harry knew her as one of the Chasers on Gryffindor's reserve team. 

"Hello dears," said the Fat Lady hurriedly. "Would you mind whispering the password today, I've got an awful headache." 

"Oh I'm sorry," said Natalie, sympathetically, as Dennis said; 

"Have you taken any paracetamol."  

Natalie sighed. "She's a painting Dennis, she can't take medicine." 

Harry saw Dennis look the portrait up and down. "Then how does she even get a headache in the first place." 

"Chop, chop!" cried the Fat Lady, slightly shrill, then remembered she was supposed to be whispering. "In you go." The two second years shrugged and leant in to say whatever the password was. Harry watched the golden frame swing open to reveal the tunnel behind, and waited unlit the portrait began to swing shut again to bolt it over. He stuck his fingers in the gap just before it closed. 

"What are you doing?" cried the lady, looking down in horror at Harry. 

"It's an emergency," he grunted, pulling the picture frame back open. "I'm sorry, I'll explain it all later." 

"Help!" yelled the Fat Lady as Harry scurried in and swung the portrait behind him. "Sir Cadogan! It's an emergency!" 

He'd hoped that Dennis and Natalie would have carried on up to their respective dormitories, but they'd been waylaid by several other second years in the common room. Why aren't you eating lunch? thought Harry crossly as he sprinted across the room towards the boys' fifth year room.  

"Harry?" called Natalie after him. Harry flew past them without even looking round. As he took the stairs two at a time they all slammed back their chairs and ran after him. Harry banged open his bedroom door and pulled his trunk from under his bed; yanking the lid open, it only took a couple of seconds to find what he was looking for. His father's Invisibility Cloak.  

Just as he flung it over his head, two of the second years, Dennis and another boy Harry didn't know, came pelting into the room. Harry stood quietly up as the boys looked around the empty room, confused. Natalie McDonald charged in after them. 

"Where is he?" she panted.  

"I dunno," said Dennis, "he definitely came in here, and that's his trunk opened over there."  

"Was it really him?" squeaked another girl beside Natalie. Dennis nodded.  

"Definitely," he said resolutely.