77. Percy and Padfoot

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It was Saturday morning and Y/n was sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall with Hermione as Ron sat opposite them.

"Morning." Harry's voice said brightly as he sat down besides Ron.

"What are you looking so pleased about?" said Ron, eyeing Harry in surprise.

"Erm...Quidditch later." said Harry happily, pulling a large platter of bacon and eggs towards him.

"I would bet two Galleons he ran into Cho Chang this morning." Y/n whispered to Hermione who nodded in agreement.

"Oh...yeah..." said Ron. He put down the piece of toast he was eating and took a large swig of pumpkin juice. Then he said. "Listen now that you are both here...you guys don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to...er...give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit."

"Yeah, ok." said Harry.

"That is fine with me." Y/n agreed.

"Look, I don't think you should." said Hermione seriously. "While Y/n is caught up on his own you two are both really behind on homework as it.."

But she broke off, the morning post was arriving and, as usual, the Daily Prophet was soaring towards her in the beak of a screech owl, which landed perilously close to the sugar bowl and held out a leg. Hermione pushed a Knut into its leather pouch, took the newspaper, and scanned the front page critically as the owl took off.

"Anything interesting?" said Ron. Y/n shook his head, knowing Ron was keen to keep her off the subject of homework and continued with his breakfast.

"No." she sighed. "Just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married."

Hermione opened the paper and disappeared behind it. Harry devoted himself to another helping of eggs and bacon. Ron was staring up at the high windows, looking slightly preoccupied.

"Wait a moment." said Hermione suddenly. "Oh no...Sirius!"

"What's happened?" said Harry, snatching at the paper so violently it ripped down the middle, with him and Hermione each holding one half.

"The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer...blah blah blah...is currently hiding in London!" Hermione read from her half in an anguished whisper.

"It was Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything." said Harry in a low, furious voice.

"He must have recognized Sirius on the platform... " Y/n said in a quiet voice.

"What?" said Ron, looking alarmed. "You didn't say..."

"Shh!" said Harry and Hermione as they turned back to the paper.

"'...Ministry warns wizarding community that Black is very dangerous...killed thirteen people...broke out of Azkaban...' the usual rubbish." Hermione concluded, laying down her half of the paper and looking fearfully at Harry, Y/n and Ron. "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all." she whispered. "Dumbledore did warn him not to."

Harry looked down glumly at the bit of the Prophet he had torn off. Most of the page was devoted to an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, which was apparently having a sale.

"Hey!" he said, flattening it down so Y/n, Hermione and Ron could see it. "Look at this!

"I've got all the robes I want." said Ron.

"No." said Harry. "Look...this little piece here..."

Ron, Y/n and Hermione bent closer to read it, the item was barely an inch long and placed right at the bottom of a column. It was headlined

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