Marauders' Godson Book 3: Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Seventeen

Sirius Black had once again entered and escaped Hogwarts without being noticed by anyone -- save Edward. He became the second-most popular student in the school overnight (no one had yet topped The Boy Who Lived). Meanwhile, the school was getting tighter security. Flitwick taught the front doors to recognize a picture of Sirius Black; Filch covered every hole in the castle; and the Fat Lady returned, now being guarded by a half dozen security trolls who were armed with clubs and spoke only in grunts.

Ron was also an instant celebrity. Everyone was asking him what had happened, and he was only too happy to share.

"...I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft... I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down.... I rolled over... and I saw him standing over me... like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair... holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches... and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered."

"Why?" Topaz asked, with a thoughtful frown on his face. "Why would he run?"

"I think it was because of you and Onyx," said Edward quietly. "He knew you two were there. He wants you to trust him; he didn't attack who was in the room.

"I'm more worried about how he knew which room was Harry's."

"Yeah!" said Ron, looking alarmed.

"He must have a spy," said Hermione, white-faced. "That's the only way he could have known."

Everyone went silent at that prospect.

Neville and the triplets got the worst punishment. Neville had been banned from all third-year Hogsmeade trips, gotten detention, and was not allowed to know the passwords to get past the Fat Lady. And the Black triplets were forced to listen to sly, sneering, or blunt insults. Ruby then forced them to endure several different jinxes, the worst being the Bat-Bogey Hex. Zabini spent a week in the hospital wing after being covered in the bats.

Good news arrived two days after Black had attacked Ron, in the form of a letter from Hagrid.

Dear Ed, Draco, Onyx, Harry, and Ron,

How about having tea with me this afternoon 'round six? I'll come and collect you from the castle. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL; YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN.

Cheers,

Hagrid

"Why aren't Ruby, Topaz, and Hermione invited?" asked Ron blankly.

"You notice that they're on the side of Crookshanks," Edward pointed out. "I suspect Hagrid wants to talk to us about that."

Ron looked both angry and embarrased at that.

They met Hagrid in the entrance hall after dinner.

"Hey, Hagrid!" Onyx grinned as they walked down to his hut. "You want to talk about Hermione, Ruby, and Topaz?"

Hagrid stared at him.

"Eddy," Onyx explained simply.

"Ah."

Buckbeak was still stretched out on the floor, enjoying a palate of dead ferrets. Edward sat down in a chair facing away from the beast so he wouldn't have to look at the disgusting sight.

"What're they for?" Draco asked shyly, pointing at an ugly, gigantic brown suit and a yellow-and-orange tie hanging from Hagrid's door. Edward remembered that Draco hadn't met Hagrid yet, and the last time he'd spent longer than an hour with him that wasn't class time was in the forbidden forest two years ago.