No Body No Crime □■ Hermione Granger

Chapter 32

Throughout the next day, everywhere they went they saw signs of tighter security, Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black, Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan had been fired, his portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back. She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had agreed to return to her job only on condition that she was given extra protection, so bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her. They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs.

But while most students were concerned with hearing Ron Weasley tell the story for the millionth time, Arlene was preoccupied.

Neville was nowhere to be seen, he didn't show up for the newspaper, he wasn't at dinners and Hermione had told her that Professor McGonagall was furious with him, forcing him to wait outside the Common Room and wait for someone to arrive as she instructed the Fat Lady not to tell him the password.

But while she was worried about Neville, she had plenty to deal with on her own.

She sat at the Gryffindor table, nibbling on toast as she waited for Ron, who looked very happy about reciting the story again, to finish talking to Sage, who was standing next to him wearing her reading glasses and scribbling down everything he was saying.

"... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft...I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down...I rolled over...and I saw him standing over me...like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair...holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches...and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered." Ron told her eerily, looking very pleased at the formality of the interview.

"Why, though?" Arlene finally spoke up, lifting her chin from her palm and voicing some of the doubts she's been having "Why did he run?"

Why had Black, having got the wrong bed, not silenced Ron and proceeded to Harry? If Black was guilty, then he had proved twelve years ago that he didn't mind murdering innocent people, and this time he had been facing five unarmed boys, four of whom were asleep.

"He must've known he'd have a job getting back out of the castle once Ron'd yelled and woken people up," said Harry thoughtfully. "He'd've had to kill the whole house to get back through the portrait hole, then he would've met the teachers."

Still, Arlene stared at the notebook in her hand, filled with all her conspiracy theories. She had noticed that she was starting to make arguments in Sirius' favor, she couldn't believe that she actually wanted him to be innocent.

People believe what they want to believe

"Well," Sage declared, looking over her notes "I think this is everything, Arlene?"

Her friend started to rise, grateful that they were finally finished.

"Er, actually, one more thing." Harry held up a tiny piece of paper.

Dear Harry and Ron,

How about having tea with me 'round 12? I'll come collect you from the castle. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL; YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN.

PS. BRING ARLENE

Cheers,
Hagrid

"Oh no," Arlene groaned, knowing exactly what this means, but she promised to be there nevertheless.

The night at the Gryffindor tower made First Page, unsurprisingly, with Sage finishing the article three hours after she spoke with Ron.

When it was finally time to meet Hagrid, Arlene put on her plaid skirt, white shirt and varsity, and arrived ten minutes early to find that he was already waiting for her.