Harry Potter And The Fortunate Queen

"Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."

"No thanks Professor." Chris answered.

"So how is your studies going on in other subjects?" Lupin said and tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout.

".. umm.. it's going fine. Between the Quidditch matches, it's gets a little difficult but I'm working." Harry said.

"Hmm... and what about you Christina? You're very good at class I've noticed." Lupin asked as he poured a cup of tea for himself.

"Well... I'm also in Quidditch team now. So I'm also balancing both as much as I can." She said smiling.

"Oh! So you both are Quidditch players? Very nice." Lupin smiled with a nostalgic look on his face. "I remember, when I was in Hogwarts, my best friend was also a great Quidditch player. I went to support him almost every match."

"My father was also a Quidditch player in his days." Harry said smiling.

Lupin sightly frowned and was about to say something, when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," called Lupin.

"Ah, Severus," said Lupin, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Snape set the smoking goblet down, his eyes wandering between Chris, Harry and Lupin.

"I was just showing them my Grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.

"Fascinating," said Snape, without looking at it. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, yes, I will," said Lupin.

"I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more."

"I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."

"Not at all," said Snape, but there was a look in his eye. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.

Harry looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.

"Why –?" Harry began. Lupin looked at him and answered the unfinished question.

"I've been feeling a bit off-colour," he said. "This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it."

"Professor Snape doesn't like you very much. Do he, Professor?" Chris asked looking at the goblet.

"Well I'll not put it it like that... it's just we've our differences.. You can say that... We're in school together.." He laughed a little. "I was Gryffindor.. he was Slytherin.. you can imagine the rest."

"Like Malfoy and Harry..." Chris said smiling.

"Kind of..." He said and took another sip.

"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," Harry blurted out.

Chris looked at him.

"Really?" said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he drained the goblet and pulled a face.

"Disgusting," he said. "Well, Harry, Christina, I'd better get back to work. I'll see you two at the feast later."

Chris and Harry nodded and left his office.

"Do you think Snape is trying to poison Professor Lupin?" Harry said as soon as they turned a corner.

"What? Why'd he do that?" Chris asked shocked.

"I don't like the way he looked at us. Then you saw the goblet... it was... so..."

"Harry, how much you know about potions?" Chris asked and Harry didn't answer. "Maybe it was just what Professor Lupin said. Your imaginations are really crazy."

They came into the moving hallway. It was the most confusing hallway, it moves all the time so no one knows were it'll go.

"We're lost." Harry said.

"No. We're not. Let's go and see where it takes us." Chris said pulling Harry.

They walked through the corridor and ended up in a different hallway, which Chris soon realized, was the pathway to the lake.

"See.. when we want something dearly... it comes to us on its own." Chris said smiling and went towards the lake.

They sat on the grass beside the lake.

"So.... your Dad was a Quidditch player too?" Chris asked.

"Yes. I got to know it in my first year." Harry answered.

"Harry what's wrong? You're not looking yourself."

".. argh... I know... I just wanted to see Hogsmeade but..."

"Hey.. it's ok.. you'll see it next year. Don't get upset over this.." She stopped then said, "Is it about Sirius Black?"

Harry looked at Chris.

"Look, I heard you three few days ago and I know something is going on with Sirius Black and you. I don't want invade in your life, but if you feel like telling me, you can, whenever you want."

Harry nodded.

At dusk, Chris was talking with Colin, Ginny and, Luna, who was still in their common room, when the seniors came back from Hogsmeade. Fred and George brought some sweets for Ginny. Ginny shared them with Chris, Luna and Colin. Then they decided to go to the Great Hall for the Hallowe'en feast.

Soon they reached the Entrance Hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

The food was delicious. Everyone was tasting everything they found. Chris noticed, Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione in a little far on the table.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a spot of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a re-enactment of his own botched beheading.

Chris had great time. Then they bid bye to Luna who followed the other Ravenclaws and Chris, Ginny and Colin came back to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor which ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked to Ron, who was standing in front of her, along with Harry and Hermione.

Next moment, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping towards the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Chris, Ginny and Colin moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh God!" Ginny exclaimed.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely.

Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes sombre, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin and Snape hurrying towards him.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.

It was Peeves the poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing," he added, unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh, yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over, and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

There was sharp intake of breaths around, different kind of m.o.a.ning sounds. Almost everyone was terrified.

'Sirius Black was here? He tried to enter the Gryffindor tower? Is he really wants to do something to Harry? No. Harry was at the Great Hall with everyone else. Black obviously saw the decorations all around, he knew it's Hallowe'en then why he attacked now when nobody will be in the Gryffindor tower?' Ginny broke the trail of Chris's thoughts as Dumbledore asked them to go to the Great Hall.

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the Hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the Prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the Hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to the leave the Hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing …"

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the Hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags. "Miss Norton!" Professor Dumbledore called. Chris looked up at him. "A moment please."

Dumbledore went out and Chris followed.

"Yes Professor?" Chris asked curiously.

"Did anything is happening with you? Something unusual?"

Chris thought about the Dementors then the Hippogriffs and Crookshanks. 'I already told this to Professor Lupin. No need to give more things to Dumbledore in this mess.'

"... well... No.. Professor." She answered.

"Good. Now, I've very important work for you. If you found anything unusual with Harry or just something different or wrong in the castle, you'll inform me; even it's just a feeling. Understood?" Professor Dumbledore said calmly.

"Yes. Professor."

"And do not tell anyone about this talk."

Chris nodded and entered the Great Hall.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

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." She 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.

"Yes. I wonder what he wanted to do their? You've any idea Chris?" Ginny whispered back.

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

"But how did he get in here?" Colin asked 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 for him it's difficult to do it again.." said Chris a little loudly so that Hermione can hear her.

Hermione turned towards her. "Probably.."

Nowdays, Hermione was talking normally with Chris. She said that she was angry on 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 he 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 a eye on Harry and the castle. Though it's not possibile for me to watch the entire castle but if he asked me to then I've to do something about this.' Chris was thinking about Sirius Black when Professor 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.

"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 is only two persons, who were appointed this year. Professor Lupin and Hagrid... Professor Snape have no problem with Hagrid.. I guess... but he have with... Professor Lupin.... so he is suspecting that, Professor Lupin is helping Sirius Black... but why? Where is connection?'