Out of The Shadows (Golden Trio Era) {1}

The Poor Fat Lady

"There you go." Ron cheered. "We got as much as we could carry." A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell onto Harry's lap as the three of them spilled their goods. It was now dusk the trio were pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives. Harry looked warm yet saddened. "thanks." Harry said as he picked up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. "What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?" They told them where they went which seemed like everywhere, Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many other places.
"The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!" Hermione cried.
"Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look." Ron pointed to Harry's lap.
"We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks."
"Wish we could have brought you some butterbeer, really warms you up."

"What did you do?" Mikayla asked, looking anxious. "Did you get any work done?" "No." Harry shook his head. "Lupin made me some tea in his office. And then Snape came in..." He told Mikayla, Ron and Hermione all about the smoking goblet. Apparently Harry thought it was poison. Ron's mouth fell open in shock. "Lupin drank it?" He gasped. "Is he mad?"

"We better go down. The feast will be starting in five minutes..." Mikayla spoke trying to change the subject which failed quickly, they hurried through the portrait hole and into the crowd, they continued discussing Snape.
"But if he, you know," Hermione dropped her voice, glancing around nervously. "if he was trying to, to poison Lupin. He wouldn't have done it in front of Harry."
"Yeah, maybe." Harry said absentmindedly as they reached the entrance hall and entered into the Great Hall.

It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes. The food was delicious; even the three who were bursting from sweets from Honeydukes, managed second helpings of everything. Mikayla saw Snape suspiciously glancing at Lupin every now and again, loathing was the only description for the stare. Lupin looked rather cheerful, as though he had a new lease of life to him, he was talking animatedly to Professor Flitwick. Mikayla pointed out the stare to the others, turns out Harry had noticed the same thing. "Lupin looks better than ever though." Hermione argued that it was simple medicine that Snape gave Lupin. "I don't know 'Mione, I've got a bad feeling about this." Mikayla stared wearyingly at the pair, a swam of angry butterflies attack her stomach as she looked in the direction of the potions teacher.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading. It had been such a pleasant evening that Harry's good mood couldn't even be spoiled by Draco, who shouted through the crowd as we left the hall, "The dementors send their love, Potter!" Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Mikayla followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students. "Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron asked curiously. He and Harry peered over the heads of the people in front of them.
"The portrait seems to closed." Hermione said thoughtfully, having looked for herself.
"I wonder why?" Mikayla looked at Hermione anxiously.
"Neville's probably forgotten the password again." Ron rolls his eyes,
"Hey!" The foursome looked to see that the round faced boy stood next to them, eliminating Ron's theory.

"Let me through, please." Percy's voice sounded, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password. Excuse me, I'm Head Boy." And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick." People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe. "What's going on?" Ginny, who had just arrived, asked from beside Hermione. A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; they all squeezed together to let him through, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Mikayla moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh, my." Hermione grabbed Ron's arm. The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely. Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall and Snape hurrying toward him. Mikayla snuck behind them and touched the panting, she took a frosted breath as she feels another vision pulsing through her.

* "LET ME IN!" yelled the convict Sirius Black, "I NEED TO KILL HIM." He spoke louder, the Fat Lady refused once again, next thing Mikayla saw Sirius being replaced by the Grim, the black dog slashed the portrait, the Fat Lady screamed and ran to a nearby painted behind a hippo. Darkness filled Mikayla's view.*

"We need to find her." Dumbledore said. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady." "No need to Professor." Mikayla spoke from behind Dumbledore, causing him to turn and see her taking her hands off the painting. "She's right over there." Mikayla pointed at the Hippo painting on the opposite wall. The students all raced to see what the Fat Lady has to say but Mikayla stayed put as she already knew.

"Dear lady, who did this to you?" Dumbledore's voice rang through the hall, "Eyes like the devil, he's got, and a soul as dark as his name." The Fat Lady whimpered, "It's him, Headmaster. The one they all talk about. He's here, somewhere in the castle! Sirius Black!" The Fat Lady yelled his name causing panic to fill everyone up, Mikayla sat down beside the slashed up portrait as Dumbledore ordered the teachers to secure the castle, and the students to go to the Great Hall. All the students ran down the stairs to the Great Hall, Harry, Ron and Hermione stopped at the portrait to check on Mikayla.

The entire school laid on the floor of the Great Hall I'm sleeping bags, Mikayla was in between Harry and Ron on the floor, she was having problems falling asleep. "Psst! Mikayla." Mikayla turned around to face Harry, she raised an eyebrow at him. "You ok?" He asked clearly he must've noticed her shaking leg of anxiousness, "Yeah, there's just a lot going on with me right now." She shrugged playing it off as though it's multiple things that's got her wound up, not just the fact that she's having visions, that she can't explain. The doors of the Great Hall swung open, in walked Dumbledore, Snape, Flitwick and Filch. Mikayla closed her eyes quickly pretending she's asleep, she could sense Harry didn't bother since his back was to the Professors. "I've searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery. There's nothing there." Filch's raspy voice filled the pairs ears, Dumbledore thanked Filch, "The third floor's clear too, Sir." Flitwick announced, "I've done the dungeons, Headmaster. No sign of Black, nor anywhere else in the castle." Dumbledore explains that he didn't expect Black to stick around.

Snape and Dumbledore's voices got closer as they spoke about how remarkable it was for Black to get in without any help. By the sound of Snape's argument of the situation, he believes a teacher would let Black in, and Mikayla had a guess on who he meant. Lupin. Dumbledore however defended Lupin, saying no teacher would help Black inside the castle. Dumbledore goes on that he believes it's safe for the students to go back to their houses, "What about Potter and O'Brien, should they be warned?" Snape asked, Mikayla felt their presence right in front of her, "Perhaps. But for now, let them sleep. For in dreams, we entered a world that's entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud." Dumbledore brought the conversation to a close with a mystical sigh.