Amaris awoke to the sound of screaming. She sat bolt upright in her bed, Pachua winding himself around her in shock and silently reaching for her wand. Another cry rang out and she scrambled out of the heavy hangings that surrounded her into the darkness of the room.
"Lumos," she muttered, illuminating her surroundings.
The other girls were leaning out of their beds now, looking like ghosts in the cold, white glow of her wand.
"What is it?" Hermione asked in a terrified whisper.
"I don't know, it came from one of the other rooms," Amaris replied, beginning to stalk towards the door to the spiral staircase that led down to the common room. The others crowded behind her, curious but wary.
Once she'd eased it open, the sounds of voices flooded in, some irritated and others sleepy and confused. Amaris started down the staircase, followed by an increasing group of girls as they joined from the other dorm rooms. They entered the common room which was filled with the warm light of the dying fire. The remains of the party covered every surface and a group of boys stood amongst it all. Amaris was not at all surprised to find Harry and Ron at the centre.
"Excellent," one of the Weasley twins said brightly, as he made his way down the other flight of stairs, "Are we carrying on?"
But Amaris could tell from their faces that the group of boys hadn't come down here to continue the party.
"Everyone back upstairs!" Demanded a voice of someone who was trying very hard to express authority and failing. Percy Weasley shoved past his brother on the stairs, Head Boy badge pinned at an angle to his pyjamas.
Ron went up to him, almost pleadingly, "Perce, Sirius Black!" He said faintly, "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"
Amaris, along with the rest of the room went very still.
"Nonsense!" Percy managed after a few tries, "You had too much to eat, Ron - had a nightmare."
"I'm telling you-" Ron began to protest.
"Now, really, enough's enough!"
In unison, the room turned towards the portrait hole, where a furious Professor McGonagall was entering the room. She slammed the portrait closed behind her.
She was still in her tartan dressing gown but it didn't make her any less intimidating, "I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better from you!"
"I certainly didn't authorise this, Professor!" Percy said, puffing himself up indignantly, "I was just telling them all to get back into bed! My brother here had a nightmare-"
"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron yelled. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"
Professor McGonagall stared at him, then seemed to come to her senses. "Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have got through the portrait hole?"
"Ask him!" Ron was almost in hysterics as he pointed a shaking finger to the back of the portrait that guarded the way in. "Ask him if he saw."
With a sceptical glare at Ron, the teacher made her way back outside. Everyone shuffled forward, listening.
McGonagall cleared her throat, "Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?"
"Certainly, good lady!" the painting announced delightedly.
A stunned silence descended on the room.
"You-you did?" The professor stammered. "But-but the password!"
YOU ARE READING
The Outcasts Of Hogwarts
Fanfiction"I know you know what I am, Professor Lupin. Our kind can always recognise one of their own" "Yes, but there's something different about you. Something I can't understand" There's a new student at Hogwarts when Harry returns for his third year. She...
