Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
————————————
Aurora Areli
PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE SENT ALL the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where we were joined ten minutes later by all the extremely confused Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin students.
"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told us as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all the doors to the Hall. "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," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."
Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the Hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing . . ."
With a casual wave of his wand, the long tables flew to the edges of the Hall and against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.
"Sleep well," Professor Dumbledore said, closing the door behind him.
The Hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.
"Rory!" said a familiar voice to my left. I turned just in time to see Atticus weaving his way through the sea of people, looking very worried.
"Hey, Att," I said with a weak smile.
"Someone's just told me what happened," he said, frowning. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, don't worry," I assured him. "He was gone before we got there. I'm just a little shaken up is all."
Att looked extremely relieved. "Good, good."
"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" Percy shouted. "Come on now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"
"C'mon," Ron said to Harry, Hermione and me; we seized four sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner. Atticus followed, setting his up with a some of his friends a little ways away.
"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.
"I really hope not," I said, "but Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be . . ."
"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," Hermione said, as we all climbed fully dressed into our sleeping bags. "The one night we weren't in the Tower . . ."
"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," Ron said. "Didn't realise it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."
Hermione shuddered.
All around us, people were asking each other the same question: "How did he get in?"
"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," a Ravenclaw a few feet away suggested. "Just appear out of thin air, you know."
