The Rejection of Sirius Black

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Minerva McGonagall marched down the corridor from the Transfiguration classroom, quite forgetting that she had three well-behaved students sitting at their desks waiting for her. Her robes swooshed about her feet as she descended the staircase, listening closely to the echoes and sounds in the stairwell, eyes darting about. She caught hold of a fifth year Ravenclaw ascending the stairs, carrying her textbooks. "Miss. Austen, have you seen Sirius Black anywhere?"

"No, Professor," she replied, looking nervous at being stopped and questioned by a teacher.

"Off you go then, off you go," McGonagall released the student and hurried on her way. She reached the landing at the Entrance Hall stairs and peered over the balcony to the flagstones below. Filch was busy cleaning each and every ruby from the Gryffindor hour glass, having finished polishing the sapphires, emeralds, and canary-coloured diamonds in the other three glasses, suspended by a pulley system. Below him, Mrs. Norris lurked, pacing, her tail swishing, but otherwise the pair of them remained undisturbed. McGonagall continued on her way.

Elphinstone Urquart was in the corridor coming up the stairs that led down to the Muggle Artifacts Museum and the Library, and he smiled seeing McGonagall headed his way. "Good afternoon, Minerva," he said happily, eyes twinkling.

McGonagall held up her palm to stop him, "I am on a mission, Elphinstone, not to be interrupted."

He smirked at her sharp tone - amused, as always, by Minerva's ability to go from one end of the spectrum to the other in moments - and turned, falling into step beside her. "And what, pray, is your mission?"

"Locating Sirius Black," she said, voice firm.

"What's he done now?"

"I don't know yet," McGonagall replied.

Urquart raised his eyebrows.

"He's late for class."

"And what else is new?"

McGonagall shook her head. "I'll talk with your later," she said, and she turned, leaving him behind in the corridor as she pushed her way through the doors and into the courtyard at the foot of Ravenclaw tower. 

"Poor chap," muttered Urquart, shaking his head, imagining the state that McGonagall would be in once she caught up with Sirius Black. "In for a thrashing, he is."

Outside, McGonagall took pause to ask each and every student she passed whether they had seen hide or hair of Sirius Black at any time that morning, and she received a varied array of answers - many said they'd spotted him at breakfast, one or two sighted him in the corridors. The most helpful answer came from Emmaline Vance, who said that she and Marlene Mackinnon had seen Sirius out on the lawn by the green houses when they'd been on their way out for their class with the Slytherins that morning, though they hadn't spoken with him. McGonagall made at once out the gates at the Bell Towers and down the steps to the grounds, briskly drawing her wand as she looked about the grassy path that led down past Hagrid's Cabin in one direction and out to the Quidditch Pitch in the other. Her eyes squinted and she contemplated, then started toward the Forrest beyond Hagrid's cabin.

At the edge of the woods, Hagrid was standing with Fang, working on digging up a patch of earth, a row of seedling plants in various sized pots and sacks stood beside him as he worked. "Morn'n', Professor," Hagrid said, joyful at seeing McGonagall.

"Good morning, Hagrid," McGonagall replied, "Have you seen Sirius Black?"

"Oh, not in a couple hours now," Hagrid replied. "I was jus' givin' 'im a scoldin' for smokin' one of them muggle cig'rettes - too close to ter the green houses, I said to him. Told him to put that rubbish out and he had a good attitude about it, I said ter him if it was up to me an' I had the power to do it, he'd be servin' a detention right off." Hagrid shook his head. "Went off that way," he pointed vaguely 'round the way toward the lake.

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