. . .
"Harry!"
Hermione stood a little behind Harry and Matilda, she began to worry about their time running out.
Matilda began tugging at his sleeve, looking back at Hermione who was looking down at her watch. "We've only got about ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us — before Dumbledore locks the door—"
"Okay," said Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go..."
They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves 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?"
Matilda's small hands clenched into fists at her sides as she listened to Professor Snape talk about Dumbledore.
"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..."
Matilda rolled her eyes at Fudge's words as Harry, who stood beside of her, clenched his teeth. Matilda had caught sight of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed their hiding place. Their footsteps died away. The three students waited a few moments to make they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor — then they heard a cackling ahead.
"Bloody hell!" Matilda muttered, rolling her eyes. "Peeves."
"In here!"
Harry had pulled Hermione and Matilda by their wrists into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.
"Oh, he's horrible," whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish off Sirius..." She checked her watch. "Three minutes, Harry!"
They waited until Peeves's 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!" They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay — I can hear Dumbledore," said Hermione tensely. "Come on, Harry!"
YOU ARE READING
¹𝐒𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 ─ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲
Fanfiction𝗔 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱. 𝐎𝐑 ⤵ 𝗜𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗴𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲...