𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐀 | 𝐏𝐉𝐎 𝐗 𝐇𝐏

𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘂𝘀

LILITH HAD MISSED A MONTH OF school. The second she got back, the Professors bombarded her with questions. Lilith merely charm-spoke them into believing that she had some family business before she made her way to her dorms.

She passed out the second her head hit her pillow. The next time she woke up, it was by a screaming from the common room. She let out a loud groan and dragged herself out of her dorm, and into the common room.

A few of the girls had come down their staircase, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Boys, too, were reappearing.

"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 —"

"Can't you all just shut up!" Lilith snapped.

Everyone turned to look at her in shock. First of all, she had never cursed, ever. Second of all, she been missing for a month. The second she comes back, she tries to shut them up?

"Lilith?!" Hermione's voice demanded, and Lilith shut her eyes as a pain shot through her head, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" She stormed towards her.

"I've been back home. Family problems, 'Mione." Lilith sighed tiredly, rubbing her hands over her face.

It seems that the Sirius Black matter has been forgotten as everyone rushed to ask her what happened, the chatter growing louder and louder by every second.

"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! Lilith just got back, and 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?"

"Ask him!" said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask him if he 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 a man enter Gryffindor Tower?" "Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadogan.

Lilith had completely forgotten about Sirius Black. Her thoughts had been too preoccupied by Typhon. She closed her eyes in annoyance as she leaned against the wall, sighing tiredly.

There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room.

"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.