𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖

It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets.

 "How did you do that?" squealed Angelina Johnson as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd. Only one person wasn't joining in the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting in a corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles. Harry broke away from the table where Fred and George had started juggling butterbeer bottles and went over to her. 

"Did you even come to the match?" he asked her. 

"Of course I did," said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. "And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday." 

"Come on, Hermione, come and have some food," Harry said, looking over at Ron and wondering whether he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet.

 "I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. "Anyway..." She glanced over at Ron too. "He doesn't want me to join in." 

There was no arguing with this, as Ron chose that moment to say loudly, "If Scabbers hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them —" Hermione burst into tears. 

Before Harry could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still sobbing, ran toward the staircase to the girls' dormitories and out of sight. 

"Why did you do that?" Ginny demanded as I and Ginny marched to Ron. "You are so insensitive!"

 I nodded grimly. "Go away," Ron sighed.

 "Come on, Ginny," I sighed as I took her hand. 

"Can't you give her a break?" Harry asked Ron quietly as we went away. 

"No," said Ron flatly. "If she just acted like she was sorry — but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something."

The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed. There were groans from everyone, except me. 

"Come on," I said to Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. 

"This is terrible," Angelina said as she pulled herself to the girls dorms.

 "See you," I said to Katie as we all waved to her.

 "Can't we party for a little longer?" Alicia called.

 "Do you want detention, Miss Spinnet?" Professor McGonagall called, sharply.

 "No ma'am," Alicia said scared. "I'm going to sleep. Thanks!" 

Alicia hurried off. "She's scared," Angelina whispered.

I was peacefully sleeping when someone yelled, "AAARRGGHH! NOOO!"

 I sat up in bed. "What was that?" I asked. Angelina switched on the light.

 When I looked at her face, I knew I wasn't dreaming. 

"Let's go," Alicia said.  We all walked through the door and looked around the Common Room.

 "It wasn't just us," I muttered as almost all of Gryffindor hurried out to see what was happening. 

"Who shouted?"

"What're you doing?"

"What's all the noise?" 

  "Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?" Harry, who had just appeared, asked.

 "I'm telling you, I saw him!" Ron said.  

"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!" Katie bellowed. 

"Excellent, are we carrying on?" said Fred Weasley brightly. 

"Everyone back upstairs!" said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke. 

"Perce — Sirius Black!" said Ron faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!" 

The common room went very still. "Nonsense!" said Percy, looking startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron — had a nightmare —" 

 "I'm telling you —" Ron started. 

"Now, really, enough's enough!" Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around. 

"I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!" 

 "I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. 

"I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron 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. 

"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?" I nodded at Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. 

"How could he have?" Katie asked hoarsely.

 "Ask him!" said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask him ifhe saw —" 

Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. 

"Sir Cadogan, did you just let aman enter Gryffindor Tower?"

 "Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadogan. There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room. Katie's mouth had dropped; Angelina started at Sir Cadogan; Alicia looked scared. 

"You — you did?" said Professor McGonagall. "But — but the password!"

"He had 'em!" said Sir Cadogan proudly. "Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!" Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk.

 "Which person," she said, her voice shaking, "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?" When no one raised their hand,  I raised mine. "You, Miss Fortescue?" Professor McGonagall asked. "I expected so much more of you!" I shook my head. "Not me, Professor," I said. "But I think I know who."