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Aurora Areli
"HARRY! RORY!"
Hermione was tugging on each of our sleeves as she stared at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us — before Dumbledore locks the door —"
"Okay," Harry said, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go."
We slipped through the doorway behind us and down a tightly spiralling stone staircase. As we reached the bottom of it, we heard voices. We flattened ourselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.
". . . only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"
"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last . . . I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape . . . and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him . . ."
I scowled when I caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed our hiding place. When their footsteps died away, Harry, Hermione and I waited a few moments, just to be sure they were gone, before we started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor — then we heard a cackling ahead.
"Peeves!" Harry muttered. He grabbed my hand and I seized Hermione's wrist. "In here!"
We tore into a deserted classroom to our left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridors in tearing spirits, laughing his head off.
"Oh, he's horrible," Hermione whispered, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish Sirius . . ." She checked her watch. "Three minutes!"
We waited until Peeves' gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.
"Hermione — what'll happen — if we don't get back inside — before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted.
"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"
We had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance.
"Okay — I can see Dumbledore," Hermione said tensely. "Come on, you two!"
We crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.
"I am going to lock you in," I heard him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."
Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Harry, Hermione and I ran forwards. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver moustache. "Well?" he said quietly.
