BORN TO DIE | R. Arcturus Black

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Chapter Four: Hogwarts Circa 1977

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"I can't believe it," Sirius muttered, "I mean, when have we ever seen McGonagall cancel a class?"

"She didn't cancel it per-say," replied Peter, his voice muffled thanks to the quill he held between his teeth. His eyes wandered from book to book, searching for a specific paragraph. "You know what I mean, plus I heard someone say she was rushing to Dumbledore's office! And it's not just us. She's dismissed all transfiguration classes!" Sirius said. He turned to his side and winked at a Ravenclaw brunette sitting on the table next to them. She blushed before turning to share something with her friends

"Something must be going on," Remus replied, glancing up from his book as he tapped it to save his place. "But what could possibly be so important that she would cancel class? Dumbledore's not the type to call meetings for nothing."

James, who was too busy counting the freckles in Lily's hand, raised his eyes to meet his best friends, "Do you think it has something to do with You-Know-Who?" He asked quietly. He could feel Lily tense up next to him. "I mean, it would have to be something very important for Mcgonagall to leave class like that, and to dismiss all the students? Something must've happened, no?"

"Wouldn't all the heads be called if it had something to do with You-Know-Who?" Marlene pitched in, her blonde hair clipped up, "And even if that was the case, we would have heard about it from the Prophet, and Dumbledore would be obligated to make an announcement."

"Not necessarily," Sirius said, "Remember, there were plenty of times during You-Know-Who's rise to power that the Prophet refused to publish any news about it. It's likely that the Heads and the Daily Prophet have already received news about some sort of threat, and they're just trying to contain the situation without the rest of us knowing about it..."

"They can't do that!" James exclaimed, "We have a right to know!"

"Unless... what if something happened at Hogwarts and Dumbledore and the Heads were keeping it a secret?" Remus said, lowering his voice even further. "It's just that if something big did happen, they would want to prevent a panic among the students, right? They might have kept it a secret until they figured out the best way to handle it."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "Maybe that's why McGonagall's in such a rush. She's got to report to Dumbledore and find out what's going on."

"But what could it be?" James asked, his tone growing more curious by the moment.

"Either way, I think we should get back to studying. After all, we were not even aware of what happened. It could've been about something else completely, and then we would have wasted all this time theorising what may or may not have happened." Lily said sharply.

The group shot her a look of concern. They all noticed the change of demeanour since her return from winter break but had refused to speak of it. "You're right," James said, sighing. "We've got studying to do." James said and glared at Sirius, who was teasingly wiggling his eyebrows at him. "But if you hear anything from McGonagall or Dumbledore, let us know, okay Lily?"

"I will," Lily promised, her expression softening as she returned her focus to her books. The group returned to their studying, but the tension in the air remained as they tried to continue their work. It was clear that something important had happened, and they all felt a sense of unease at the thought of what it might be.

Sirius was about to open his mouth and voice his thoughts when Remus stepped on his foot, "Ah!" Remus glared at him from across the table, and Sirius clammed his lips shut, wiggling his toes. "So, what are we doing this Hogsmeade weekend?" James asked.