Chapter 53: Anything Different

The Hall was buzzing excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened. Chris saw Colin, Luna and Ginny in a corner. She joined them. 

"What happened? Why Professor Dumbledore called you?" Colin asked. 

"Nothing special," Chris replied casually. 

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!" 

They climbed fully dressed in their sleeping bags. 

"So Sirius Black wanted to enter the Gryffindor tower?" Luna whispered from her sleeping bag. "I hope there are no nargles, here." 

"Yes. I wonder what Sirius Black wanted to do here? You've any idea Chris?" Ginny whispered back. 

"I'm thinking about the same thing," Chris replied. 

"But how did he get in here?" said Colin surprised. 

The four of them were sleeping a little far from the rest. All around them, people were asking each other the same question: "How did he get in?" 

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away. "Just appear out of thin air, you know." 

"Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth-year. 

"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas. 

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" Chris heard Hermione saying. 

"Probably," said Ron. "Why?" 

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in, too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered. . ." 

"He fooled the Dementors once. I don't think it's difficult to do it again," said Chris a little loudly so that Hermione can hear her. 

Hermione turned towards her. "Probably." 

Nowadays, Hermione was talking normally with Chris. She said that she was angry with Ron and snapped at Chris. After that they were good. 

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!" 

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the Prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the Hall, Chris felt as though she was sleeping out of doors in a light wind. Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep, Chris still wasn't able to sleep at all. She was staring at the enchanted ceiling, feeling she was watching the sky. 

'Why Professor Dumbledore asked me if something is wrong? There are teachers, head boys, girls and Prefects then why he asked me to keep an eye on Harry and the castle. Though it's not possible for me to watch the entire castle if he asked me to then I've to do something about this.' 

Chris was thinking about Sirius Black when Dumbledore came in. Chris watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. 

"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper. 

"No. All well here?" 

"Everything under control, sir." 

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow." 

"And the Fat Lady, sir?" 

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently, she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr Filch restore her." 

Chris saw the door of the Hall creak open again, and Snape came in. 

"Headmaster?" said Snape. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there, either." 

"What about the Astronomy Tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?" 

"All searched. . ." 

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger." 

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape. 

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"Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next." 

Chris saw Percy's face, rapt with attention, and Snape's profile, which looked angry. 

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before – ah – the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation. 

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice. 

"It seems – almost impossible – that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed –" 

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. 

"I must go down to the Dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete." 

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy. 

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster." 

Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the Hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the Headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face, then he, too, left. 

'The start of the term? Appointed? There are only two persons, who were appointed this year. Professor Lupin and Hagrid. Professor Snape has no problems with Hagrid, I guess. . . but he has with. . . Professor Lupin. So he is suspecting that Professor Lupin is helping Sirius Black, but why? Where is the connection?'

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder. The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat grey pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day. Neville Longbottom, who was talking to Ginny a lot nowadays, always forgot the password, so he tried to walk in groups, so anyone can answer the password for him. One day, Chris and Ginny even found him outside the common room, almost asleep on the floor. They woke him up and took him inside with them. 

"He's barking mad," said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. "Can't we get anyone else?" 

"None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer."