"—no you aren't Rory. Unless you wanna be expelled."
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"GUYS!" HERMIONE was tugging at their sleeves, staring at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us – before Dumbledore locks the door –"
"Shit." Aurora mumbled.
"OK," Harry said, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go ..."
They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiralling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.
"... only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"
"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last ... I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape ... and once young Harry's and well the twins as well, are back in their right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him ..."
"Bullshit. That greasy old bastard— " Aurora started to furiously whisper but stopped when Hermione elbowed her ribs. "Sorry."
She caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed their hiding place. Their footsteps died away. They waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor – then they heard a cackling ahead.
"Peeves!" Harry muttered, pulling them aside. "In here!"
They tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in tearing spirits, laughing his head off.
"Oh, he's horrible," Hermione whispered, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish Sirius ..." She checked her watch. "Three minutes!"
They waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.
"Hermione – what'll happen – if we don't get back inside – before Dumbledore locks the door?" Atlas panted.
"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"
They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital-wing entrance. "OK – I can hear Dumbledore," Hermione said tensely. "Come on!"
