Toni, Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat together at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, sharing the tales of their Hogsmeade adventure. They handed Harry the treats and butterbeer they had brought back for him, trying to lift his spirits. However, Toni couldn't help but notice the unmistakable sadness in Harry's eyes, knowing he had missed out on the outing. But amidst the excitement of their stories, the trio became curious about Harry's own experience during their absence. He had a tale to share.
"You spent time with Professor Lupin?" Ron asked, his mouth full of the delicious Halloween feast food.
"Yeah," replied Harry. "It was actually quite nice. He made me a cup of tea in his office."
"That sounds pleasant," Ron sarcastically remarked, earning a gentle elbow nudge from Hermione and a roll of her eyes.
"Anything else?" Hermione inquired.
"Well, there was one thing... It struck me as odd," Harry pondered. "Snape came to the office and gave Lupin a goblet of something, and Lupin drank it."
"He drank something from Snape?" Ron exclaimed, clearly astonished.
"Like a potion?" Toni chimed in, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, I'm not sure what it was, though," Harry replied.
"You don't think... you know... it was poison or something?" Ron interjected, his concern evident as he looked between his friends.
Toni let out a heavy sigh. "Come on, Snape wouldn't do that. No matter how much he desires the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, I don't think he'd go as far as poisoning Lupin."
"I wouldn't put it past him," Ron mumbled between bites of food.
Hermione shot Ron a disapproving glance before turning to Harry. "Did Lupin seem alright after drinking it?"
"He did. In fact, he seemed fine," Harry reassured them. "But it was just strange, you know?"
The four of them continued with their Halloween feast, shifting the conversation to Hogsmeade and its offerings. Harry expressed curiosity about the Daily Prophet article featuring Toni's father. She shared some of the minor details, omitting the suspicions raised by Theodore Nott, as they knew very little about the events that transpired during their second year.
Once the feast concluded, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Toni joined their fellow Gryffindors and made their way to the common room. Toni glanced around, searching for Neville, but to her surprise, he was nowhere to be found. Assuming he had already arrived, she carried on, engaged in conversation with her friends. However, their progress was halted by a crowd of students gathering near the Fat Lady's portrait.
"What's going on?" Toni muttered as they tried to peer over the students' heads.
"Let me through, please," Percy's voice cut through the commotion as he pushed his way towards the front. "Head Boy here, excuse me."
As Percy maneuvered past the crowd, an eerie silence fell upon the group. Toni immediately looked to Harry, who appeared pale with fear, sensing that something was amiss. Determined to find out what had caused the silence, the four of them pressed forward, finally reaching a vantage point near the portrait. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stood there, their expressions grave. When they stepped aside slightly, the truth became evident— the Fat Lady was gone, replaced by a gaping hole in the portrait, its torn strips scattered on the floor.
"Oh my..." Hermione gasped, her eyes widening in shock.
"We need to find her," Dumbledore said. "Professor McGonagall, please fetch Mr. Filch and-"
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Violet Summer: Prisoner of Azkaban
Fanfiction-- Book Three -- Antonia Rothley's return to Hogwarts for her Third Year introduces her to a world of fresh challenges and unfamiliar faces. As new dangers emerge from the darkest corners of the wizarding world, Antonia finds herself confronting a p...
