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Chapter Text

Harry woke up at 7:30 am to ruckus in the dorm. Seamus and Dean were chatting while Neville was rushing around looking for his divination book, (to no avail,) and Ron was loudly rummaging through his trunk, looking for clean robes. His curtains for his bed were open on one side, facing Ron, and the other side was half open. Ron noticed he had woken up and explained.

“I was checking if you were awake. It’s almost time for breakfast, I’m starving.” He tossed his good robes on the bed and threw on a sweater over his dress clothes. “No magical creatures today. C’mon.”

Harry pulled himself out of bed, dragging his clothes out of his trunk and putting them on, then trudging to the bathroom.

He looked in the mirror, noticing eye bags; he had gone to sleep late last night to complete charms homework, which he hadn’t even finished anyways. It’s alright, he would copy off of someone at breakfast or during lunchtime. 

He scrubbed his face of sleep, then brushed his teeth and tried fixing his hair, but gave up. He really could never tame his hair.

“Wait up!” He called after Ron, who was just going down the stairs. He grabbed his bag and ran to catch up with him, taking quick practiced steps on the stairs trying to catch up, when he stepped into the trick step, propelling him down the stairs. He crashed down onto the ground below, scratching his hands in an effort to catch himself.

“Are you alright?” Hermione helped him up and he nodded, looking at his hands. They started to bleed, and he pressed them against his black robes trying to stem the flow. 

The group headed to breakfast, extra careful on the stairs. They sat down, Ron immediately digging in, while Hermione took her time, using a fork and knife, of course properly. 

“Ronald, slow down, you’ll choke.” Hermione reprimanded, to no avail. He said something through a mouthful of pancake, and she groaned in disgust.

Harry started working on his charms homework, asking Hermione to explain a question, and writing down the answer subtly because she didn’t know she had given it away. He finished it just when breakfast was over, so he grabbed a slice of toast and took a large bite before dropping it on Ron’s plate, right before everything on the plate vanished.

First class was transfiguration, which was easy because they were studying shapes, a juvenile concept but it was in depth. Their assignment was just some notes from their textbook.

Next, potions, which all three of them dreaded, although Hermione would only quietly remark her dislike. Harry and Ron, however, were loud about it, which resulted in 10 points taken away each. They brushed it off, however, and finished the assignment, a healing potion for dogs which was supposed to be a thick, muddy constancy and an off-white color, but for both of them it ended up being thin and beige. Only the Slytherin’s were deemed ‘acceptable,’ despite many other potions from the Gryffindors looking perfectly fine.

As they were walking to lunch, There was another trick step, although this time Ron fell. 

“Y’know, that’s odd, I don’t remember that being there.” He commented, dusting off his robes as the two of them helped him up.

“It was probably always there, you just don’t pay attention.” Hermione said offhandedly. This sparked an argument between the two that lasted all the way through lunch and until they had to part ways, one going to divination and the other arithmancy. 

“I agree with you, Ron, I think there are more trick steps. I don’t remember the one in the common room, even though I’m sure I’ve been up those stairs hundreds of times.” 

“Exactly! I don’t understand why she doesn’t believe me!” The two climbed up the ladder into the hazy, stuffy room, their easiest class, since they could just make up things that made some form of sense.

“Welcome, class,” said Trelawny, bottle-thick glasses making her eyes look huge. “Today’s subject is tarot cards.” Ron and Harry shared a look; today’s class would be easy.

“Everyone already has cards on their table, instructions on the card in the box. Begin!” She announced with a flourish. 

“Right, then, I shuffle the deck while thinking of my question,” Ron said, reading off of the card. He picked up the deck, pausing to ask what the question even should be.

“Well, maybe…” Harry considered it for a moment. “Why you and Hermione are arguing so much.” Ron looked a little indignant, but decided to do it anyway. 

He shuffled the deck, then laid out 5 cards, face down. “Okay, now we reveal, from top to bottom.” 

Ron flipped over the first card to show The Fool, reversed. Harry looked at the definition in his book, reading it aloud. 

“The Reversed Fool represents recklessness, inconsideration and being taken advantage of. Well, sounds pretty fitting to me.” Ron looked affronted, retorting, “Well, yeah, she’s inconsiderate of Scabbers! He’s still missing.” He huffed.

Flipping over the next card revealed The Hierophant, reversed. Again, Harry looked at the definition, reading it out loud again. 

“The Reversed Hierophant represents lack of center, lost inner voice, and repressed feelings.”

“What a load of dung.” Ron rolled his eyes, flipping over the 3rd card. The Wheel of Fortunes, upright.

“The upright Wheel of Fortunes represents change, cycles, and inevitable fate.”

“Wow, we might really be screwed.” Ron remarked sarcastically.

“Don’t say that! You never know, and I wouldn’t want our group to break up because of this.” He pointed to the sloppily placed tarot cards in front of him, which made Ron laugh.

“I guess not. It’s probably not real, anyways.” That earned them a glare from Trelawany, but luckily she kept relenting to Lavender and Parvati about what the true meaning of their cards was. 

The 4th card was The Magician, reversed. 

“The reversed Magician represents trickery, illusions, and being out of touch. Do you think that has to do with the stairs?”

“Maybe…” Ron paused for a second, before flipping over the final card.

The 5th and final card was The World, upright.

“The upright World represents fulfillment, harmony and completion. Well, at least there’s a happy ending.” Harry lamented. He began packing up the cards, and Trelawany dismissed them with her usual ominous tone. 

They were the last to leave, and right as Harry took the final step on the ladder, it snapped in half, surprising him.

“Merlin! That has to be it! That can’t be a coincidence! C’mon, let's go find Hermione!”

Their next class was History of Magic, so it would be a perfect time to discuss what’s been going on.

They reached the classroom, and Hermione was sitting there, books and quill in place, and Ron sat eagerly next to her, ready to explain, when she held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. 

“I believe your silly fantasies, Ronald. I fell in a trick step near the Arithmancy classroom that I’m positive wasn’t there before.”

Ron perked up at this information and began relaying to her the tarot cards. She listened carefully, despite having previous doubts about divination. 

“So, now we just have to figure out who’s putting out trick steps, and why!” Hermione exclaimed.

The group’s immediate suspect was Peeves, who was always pulling a prank around the castle. Then, there was, of course, Sirius Black.

“I mean, you have to at least consider it!” Hermione defended. “A trick stair in the common room? I mean, a sprained ankle, you can’t move, you’re a sitting duck!”

“Yeah, yeah. How would he get in, though?” Harry shuddered, “The dementors attack students unprovoked; imagine what they would do to him.”

“Good point,” She countered, “But if they’re busy attacking other people, how will they find him?”

“Guys, c’mon!” Ron interjected. “Let’s tell McGonagall. I don’t really feel like tripping down a flight of moving stairs.”

“Good idea.” Harry said. “Let’s see her after this class, magical creatures and defense are cancelled today because of the weather. I heard from Dean and Seamus that apparently we were supposed to defend against a mysterious magical creature, but it doesn’t appear in the snow.”

The group walked out of class, making a direct beeline for the Gryffindor head’s office. They began chatting about potential creatures that are susceptible to getting hurt from cold, and they went down the stairs forgetting about the steps. 

“So, probably not pixies, those can stay indoors.” Ron commented. “We learned our lesson about those with Lockhart, anyway.”

Hermione had grabbed her monster book out of her bag, attempting to open it, when it jumped out of her hands and started running away. Harry ran after it, tripped on a trick step, and landed on it, successfully trapping it.

“Another step!” Ron yelled, pointing at the offending step. Hermione pushed right past him, sweeping up the book and helping Harry up. His nose was bleeding, running down his face and dripping off his chin.

“Let's go see Madam Pomfrey, that’s bleeding an awful lot.” Hermione rummaged through her bag, handing him a packet of tissues.

By the time they made it to the hospital wing, the tissues were all used up, abandoned in a passing trash can. They were all discussing the stairs with even more passion after the evidence they gathered.

“Have a seat here.” Madam Pomfrey gestured to a bed, but they weren’t listening at all. She stood between the three of them, snapping them out of this stupor of conversation. “Goodness, what are you talking about? And are you alright?” 

The group immediately started explaining their theory at a quick pace, careful to add in each detail. She patched up his hands, gave him a towel to soak up the blood and ordered him to lie down. 

“Where were you three even headed?” She asked.

“Well, we wanted to tell McGonagall, but I guess it all worked out, because we have more evidence.” Ron said. Madam Pomfrey frowned, then went to her office to floo McGonagall.

After the three explained everything again, the two adults alerted Dumbledore, who sent out Flitwick and Lupin to check the stairs for what type of charm or potential dark magic it could be, while also issuing an announcement for students.

Fred, George and Lee all visited, eager to chat while also simultaneously confirming it wasn’t them.

“Hey, not a bad product though, no? A portable hole in the ground?” George said. Fred pulled out a small notebook and wrote the idea down; they shared a look that promised planning later.

Ron eyed the notebook, but Fred stashed it right away, leaving no room for further questions. 

“Do you guys have any ideas of who it could be?” Hermione asked the three. They looked at each other, clearly a bit nervous to answer, to which Hermione added, “Besides Sirius Black.” 

They all collectively relaxed slightly and began to list off their suspects.

“So, it could be Peeves, although he’s not one to do harmful pranks that could seriously injure students.” Lee said.

“On the other hand, what if it’s a student themselves? An ill-advised prank?” George suggested. Hermione’s eyes lit up, and she straightened her posture. 

“Of course! Students are afraid of Sirius Black, and want to stop him from harming them! And since he’s after Harry, it might be a Gryffindor!” She stood up, “I’m going to tell McGonagall!” She headed into the office where Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall were talking.

Ron and Harry watched her walk away. “Do you think that’s possible?” Ron asked.

“I mean, probably. People are scared, for good reason.” Harry responded. He sat up a little, laying against the bed frame, considering something.

“I know what we need to do to prove who did it,” Harry said. “Follow me.”

Chapter Text

It was 5:00 in the Gryffindor common room, and Harry, Ron and Hermione were situated on a couch directly facing the staircase, albeit a little to the left as to not block people’s paths

“The step was set only after everyone left, so everyone is bound to fall. Now, we wait and see who steps over.” Harry said.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Ron shrugged. He started ‘working’ on his homework, really copying off of Hermione who was actually doing the work, while Harry pretended to lazily read Quidditch Weekly. 

The first person who climbed up the stairs was carefully observed, tripping slightly but continuing their trek up, dismissing it. The second, third, fourth, fifth, and every other person who went up did the exact same.

“No one is skipping the step.” Ron commented. “Are we sure this will work?”

“I’m not sure. Let me check upstairs.” Harry said, standing up. 

When he made it to his dorm, Neville was there, working on homework on his bed.

“Hey, what's up?” Harry asked. “Working up here?”

“Yeah,” Neville responded. “It’s quieter up here than down in the common room. Easier to concentrate.”

Harry rummaged through his trunk, frowning. “My sneakoscope isn’t in my trunk.”

“Really? Odd.” Neville lamented, not looking up from his work.

“Yeah. I wonder where it went… Oh, I found it!” Harry held up a thick pair of socks that were bundled up at the bottom of his trunk. When he removed it from its wraps, it started spinning like crazy.

“I think it’s broken. I’m bringing it to class tomorrow to ask Flitwick to help me fix it.”

“Really? Let me see.” Neville said. Harry tossed it to him, and he examined it. 

“Weird, it looks pretty similar to the one my Gran got me. It’s in my room at my house, but mine works fine. Maybe something fishy is going on right now.” He said, handing it back to Harry.

“Hmm… Maybe. Thanks, Nev.” He walked out the door, running into Colin 

Creevy, who was running out of his dorm. 

“You all right, Colin?” Harry asked. 

“Fine, just going to see my Hufflepuff friend outside… See you, Harry.” He hurried off, and Harry noticed he rushed down the stairs in a perfect cadence, tripping up only to skip a certain step. Harry followed suit, rushing over to find Ron and Hermione arguing about something.

“You guys! I know who the culprit is!” He interrupted. This stopped them, and they both said in unison, “Who?” 

“Keep your voices down!” He said, looking around. “Colin Creevy! I saw him skip the step, and he told me he was going to see his Hufflepuff friend, maybe to convene after they got called out?”

Hermione went to respond, but Ron grabbed the sneakoscope out of Harry’s hands, looking at it whirl. “Isn’t this broken?” 

“Now’s not the time, Ronald! Come on, let's go tell McGonagall!” Hermione whisper-shouted.

The three rushed off to her office, which was all the way to the right of the common room.

Hermione knocked three times on the door, waiting for a response, when she opened the door, telling them to go away if nothing was wrong, and that now was not the time.

“But something is wrong! We know-” Hermione began, but Ron cut her off.

“Sorry, nothing. Thank you,” He said curtly, closing the door himself, then turning to the two. “Colin and a Hufflepuff are in there right now!”

“They confessed.” Harry said. “I guess they figured to confess now, or face the wrath of McGonagall.”

“Hey, I would do the same.” Ron said. 

The next day, Harry stuck his foot experimentally in the trick step to find it solid. “Hey, they fixed it!” 

“Yeah… I wonder what the charm was.” Commented Fred from downstairs. “I would like to meet the prankster who came up with this as well…” 

“Hey, Ron, who was it, anyways?” George asked.

He made a zipping motion across his lips, then a key turning. “I can’t tell, plus, we don’t even know if it was them.”

“Them? There's two?” George said. 

“Thanks, Ronny.” Said Fred, and the two raced off, catching up to Lee and Angelina.

“I’m sure they’ll do nothing bad with that…” Ron said, trailing off as he watched the group huddle, talking amongst themselves.

They all walked off to the Great Hall, where they found, to their relief,  the stairs were also miraculously fixed.

The day carried on perfectly normal, nothing out of the ordinary happening until the trio got back from dinner to discover their dorm was being shut down again, this time because the stairs were unusable and potholes suddenly appeared everywhere in the common room.

Theories and gossip spread around the house as they walked over to the Great Hall to sleep, one of the predominantly dominant ones being that Sirius Black set traps around to kill people. Aside from that, the people were starting to make connections to the stairs from the previous day as well.

“Ooh, what if McGonagall dealing with Colin made him upset and he lashed out?” Hermione whispered to the group as they settled in the sleeping bags.

Ron shrugged. “I’m not sure, I mean, the little bloke doesn’t seem too violent, does he?”

“True,” Harry said, “But it has to be a Griffindor, I mean, who else would have the password?”

“Maybe someone wrote it down like last time.” Hermione said, glancing around at the people near the group. 

Just then, Dumbledore stood up, announcing something to the group.

“Fear not, this is not the work of Sirius Black, and this is already in the process of being reversed. Please be patient with us while we fix up your rooms.” He said warmly, eyes sweeping the room. 

With that, the lights began to dim fully, starry night sky winking at the house as they began to fall asleep.

Again, Harry couldn’t fall asleep, thinking too much about everything that was happening. As he lay awake, he heard footsteps and quickly shut his eyes.

“We’ve issued them a reassurance, is that not enough to quell them, Albus?” McGonagall asked in a hushed tone.

“The truth must be told; we do not know who it is, that is the simple fact of the matter.” He responded.

“Yes, but can’t we wait until the rumors calm?” She rebounded.

“Will they ever?” The statement was final, and Harry heard his robes swish away, then a small sigh from McGonagall, before she too walked away. 

After a minute or two, Harry opened his eyes to see if anyone else had heard that, but they were all fast asleep.

Tomorrow, he would tell them, and tomorrow, they would get to the bottom of this.

Chapter Text

It was bright and sunny at 6:00 on Saturday when they woke up so breakfast could be prepared and set out for everyone by 7, which meant moving the tables.

The house crowded bathrooms on all floors, brushing teeth, changing, or just lingered in the hallways until breakfast had begun.

The trio waited to get ready until after breakfast, which gave Harry plenty of time to debrief them about what he heard.

When breakfast rolled around, Hermione’s school owl dropped off The Daily Prophet, which had the horrible head title of “SIRIUS BLACK IN HOGWARTS?”

Panic began to arise in the student body, to which Dumbledore stood up, and silence fell over everyone.

His eyes no longer had the twinkle in them, and he announced in a solemn tone, “We do not know for sure, but there is a chance that Sirius Black is in the castle.” 

Gasps flooded the room, and some people screamed, but silence overtook them again as he continued talking.

“As we all know, there have been odd things going around the castle; increased trick steps, dorms being inexplicably falling apart. To this, we will find a solution. However, I regret to inform you all that this means we must let the Dementors begin roaming the halls.” He said grimly.

“Now, fear not, our staff will be trained to help control them, as well as the knights.” 

Dumbledore looked over the crowd one last time before saying, “In times like these we must stay calm. I encourage everyone to focus on schoolwork and nothing else, just remember, you will be safe.”

With that, he sat down, and conversation resumed as usual.

A heavy silence sat over the trio, despite conversation continuing all around them.

“You guys are allowed to talk about him around me, you know.” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not going to break down sobbing the minute you mention him.”

“Well, still, we wouldn’t judge you if you did, Harry,” Hermione said. “Honestly, I’d be stressed out if he was after me. And to think he might be here, well… I couldn’t sleep at night.”

A pause followed, where everyone picked at their food, then suddenly, Harry stood up from his seat.

“I’m a risk. You guys should keep your distance.” He said.

“What? No!” Ron said, grabbing his sleeve. “If anything, we’ll be more protected, I mean, being around the most guarded guy in the whole castle, well-” But he was cut off as Harry tugged on the sleeve Ron was holding and stalked away.

Ron began to stand, seemingly to follow him, when Fred put a hand on his shoulder, sitting him back down.

“Leave him be for a bit, it’s what you’d want, no?” 

Ron shrugged, looking on as the doors closed behind Harry.

Harry stumbled his way up the dormitory stairs, disregarding the many trick steps that were embedded in each footfall.

He threw open his trunk and rummaged through until he found what he was looking for; the photo album he received from Hagrid.

Usually, he would only look at it on Halloween, but today, he held it under his robes and ran far into the castle, reaching where he wanted to go the most, an abandoned corridor on the sixth floor.

He sat on the cold stone floor, flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for, a large group photo of the order, and there he was; Sirius Black, healthy and happy, so unlike how gaunt he looked now in the posters plastered on every newspaper in England. 

He pulled the photo from the book, trying to get a closer look, and when he lifted it, multiple newspaper clippings had fallen, all reports on the conviction of Sirius and the murder of Pettigrew. 

He combed through them, noticing odd details. An angry murder in the streets, only a finger blasted off, where Sirius Black was, and his relation to his parents.
He got up, deciding to apologize to Ron and Hermione and tell them what he thought. He stashed the book away into his robes and started carefully down the stairs, making his way towards the Gryffindor common room.  

Ron and Hermione were waiting there, doing what looked like arguing over something again. 

“Ronald, you are not going in there! We’re not allowed! Professor McGonagall told us we would get our trunks by this evening!”

“It’s not that! I think with everyone gone, Scabbers will have come out of hiding!”

“I thought you said Crookshanks killed Scabbers!” Hermione yelled, fidgeting with her bag. 

“Well, if he didn’t, you know…”

Harry looked on in amusement before realizing why he came down there in the first place.  

“You guys! I’ve been doing some research, and-” He was cut off by Hermione shouting his name.

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking!”

He looked at them both guiltily, confessing sneaking in the common room and hiding up on the sixth floor.

“Sorry for earlier, Ron. I didn’t mean to blow you off there. I was being ridiculous.” He looked up at them. “Still, I’m serious. If it’s confirmed he is in the castle, I will be keeping my distance.” They looked a bit dismayed, but he continued. “Ron, you remember the whole thing with Sirius Black invading the dorms and almost stabbing you. For now, though, well, he’s not here, so…” Harry shrugged.

Ron smiled a bit, which Harry took as forgiveness. Looking at the book Harry was holding with interest, Ron asked, “Hey, isn’t that your photo album?”

“Oh, yeah! Look what I found, guys, uh…” He filtered through the thick pages quickly, reaching the photo of the order.

“The Order of the Phoenix, the secret organization against You-Know-Who during the war.” Hermione said, looking on in interest.

“Voldemort.” Harry corrected. 

“Yes, yes.” She rolled her eyes, asking, “What about this picture?”

Harry peeled off the photo from its spot, thin paper clippings falling from their spot in the book and fluttering down onto the floor.

The three crouched on the ground while Harry explained what he found.

“Sure, but what about it?” Ron asked, flipping over the photo of Pettigrew’s mangled finger, shuddering. 

Harry simply shrugged, looking at the papers. Hermione picked up the photo album, flipping through it.

“Hm, that’s interesting,” She hummed, looking at a photo of James and his old friends from Hogwarts. She peeled the photo from the page, flipped it over, and paused, brow furrowed. “Prongs, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Moony.” She flipped the photo around. “In that order, it would be… your father, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and… Professor Lupin?” 

The two boys looked at the photo, agreeing that it did look like him.

Harry flipped the photo over once more, eyes lingering on the names.

“This sounds familiar… I wonder where I’ve seen it…” He considered for another moment before springing up.

“I know! The Marauder's map!” He hurried over to the Fat Lady, who he argued with for a moment before she relented and let him in.

“Not my fault if you fall into oblivion!” She called after him. He wasn’t listening, instead running off heading to the stairs. Ron followed quickly after while Hermione called after the both of them.

“You guys! We’re not allowed! What if you fall?” She yelled. 

“C’mon, ‘Mione!” Ron shouted back, and she shook her head, following suit.

The three reached the boy’s dormitory after much jumping over and avoiding holes, and all three filed in, waiting as Harry dug through his trunk.

He stood up, holding the map before he pressed his wand in the pages, saying, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good!”

The map’s red letters splattered onto the page, “Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present The Marauders Map!” 

“Just wait ‘till Fred and George find out your father was one of the Marauders… They practically worship them!” Ron said, staring at the map.

“Let's show them at lunch.” Harry said, and Hermione glanced at her watch.

“It’s half past eleven. If we go now, I bet we can find them soon enough.” She said, beginning to walk off. 

The group carefully made their way down the stairs, past the common room and out the door when they saw Professor Lupin standing outside, talking to the Fat Lady.

“I’m going in to fetch some of the student’s trunks, it’ll take a bit of time, but-” He was cut off by the portrait swinging open. He jumped back, staring at the three in surprise.

“What were you doing in there?” He said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Uh…” Harry remembered the warning Professor Lupin gave him about using the map. He stuffed it in his robes hurriedly. 

“We just wanted to grab some assignments… We’re sorry, Professor, really, it’s just, the weather is cold, and there’s really nothing better to do, and-”

“Although I wished you three had followed directions, if you’re not injured, I can excuse it this time.” He said kindly, eyes passing over all of them. 

“What is that?” He said, pointing to the red album in Harry’s hands. 

“Oh, uh… A photo album.” He handed it to the Professor, who looked at the cover, observing the photo of Lily and James.

“Lovely. Now, what was that paper you placed so carefully in your robes?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

Harry guiltily presented the Marauders map, to which Professor Lupin frowned.

“If you’re going to use this, at least deactivate it in passing…” He remarked, pointing his wand at it. In neat handwriting, a message appeared, which the four of them read. 

“Am I really such a stickler for rules when I’m older?”

He laughed, shaking his head as he turned the map off.

“It’s true, then?” Ron blurted out, to which both Harry and Hermione glared at him. “You really are Moony, Professor?”

He paused, considering his answer. 

“Yes, I was one of the Marauders when I was your age.” He said. “Now, go off to where you were headed.” He made a shooing motion, turning back to the Fat Lady.

The three of them reached the great hall, having a seat while the seats around them slowly filled up. The three of them told Fred and George about Harry’s father and Lupin, Ron having accurately predicted their reactions.

“Merlin! Well, no wonder you have such a knack for getting into trouble, Harry.” Said George. “It’s in your genes! Goodness, imagine the things we could do together, with your prankster blood and our genius… Think of it, Fred!”

“I mustn't, George. You know daydreaming isn’t good for me!” He cried dramatically, holding his head in his hands.

The three of them, laughing, continued discussing various topics far after lunch was over. Accompanied by the twins and Lee, they were heading down to the kitchens to get some hot chocolate and biscuits.

The hallways were dim and cold, chilling wind sweeping in from the courtyard, so many were surprised to find dementors roaming the halls.

“I had forgotten all about them…” Ron groaned, wrapping his cloak a little tighter around his neck.

A group of Slytherins were also passing by, made to be known as Malfoy and his friends by the clamor and mocking coming from their group.

“Look, Potter, a dementor!” Malfoy shouted, pointing dramatically. He and his friends put up their hoods, holding their hands in the air, wiggling their fingers. “Going to faint?” 

“Sure, but you’ve grown a tolerance for them, no, Malfoy?” Harry said. “Got used to seeing them so often, what, visiting Auntie Bellatrix in Azkaban?"

The groups began throwing insults at each other until Professor Snape walked by, holding out his wand.

“Thats enough. Five points from Gryffindor each, for fighting.” He paused. “And, Malfoy, take off that ridiculous hood.” He said, marching away.

“Yeah, Malfoy.” Ron said, sticking his tongue out. The respective groups walked away, still glaring at each other.

Once the group got their hot chocolate, they each went their separate ways, the twins and Lee off exploring the castle, Marauders map in tow, while Harry, Ron and Hermione went outside, walking in the cold air.

“I’m chilly…” Ron complained, jumping from stone to stone on the path.

“Well, yes, you’re wearing a sweater and your winter robes. Where’s your scarf? You’ll catch a cold!” Hermione scolded. Harry snuck up behind him, hands full of snow, eyeing Hermione. She grinned, also grabbing some snow discreetly, and they both stuffed it down his sweater.

“Oi! You gits!” Ron yelled, chasing after Harry who had run away, scooping snow from the ground, making snowballs. Hermione stayed behind, making more snowballs, then ambushed the two of them. Harry hid behind a tree, tackling Ron who attempted to take cover with him. The two fought, Hermione dumping heaps of snow on them both before they all ended up lying in the snow together. 

“Where are you guys going for the holidays?” Harry asked as they looked up at the clouds.

“Well, I’m staying here, Mum and Dad are off somewhere.” Ron said, shrugging. 

Hermione agreed. “My parents are going on a solo vacation to Paris for Christmas, so they asked if I could stay here. Beats last year, you know, with the whole polyjuice potion and all.” She said, laughing.

“What should we do?” Harry asked. “I mean, every day will essentially be like this, I suppose.” 

“I’m going to start studying for exams,” Hermione said, causing both boys to groan.

“Exams this, exams that…” Ron grumbled. “Can’t you relax for a bit, Hermione?” 

“I am relaxing.” She huffed. “Besides, with all of the extra classes I’m taking, it’s never too early.” 

“Yeah, yeah, classes. Waste of time, really. Where can I sign up to become an Auror and reminisce on my time at Hogwarts being fulfilling and memorable?” Ron said, turning his head towards Harry. “What do you plan on doing after Hogwarts?”

He paused, considering. “Well, I dunno. I haven’t really given it much thought.”

“Really? Well, there is Careers Advice in 5th year. Ask McGonagall about what you wanna do in the future then. Hey, maybe you can find out during divination.” 

“You will become… the driver… of the Knight Bus…” Harry said dreamily, waving his hands in the air. They all laughed, continuing doing impressions of Professor Trelawney until the cold soaked into their cloaks and underclothes and they were forced to go back inside.

Chapter Text

The trio walked in, enjoying the warmth of the Great Hall. Everyone had their trunks, but the common room still wasn’t available, so the Professors compromised by filling the room with cushy couches and pillows, as well as adding some warm lighting and fireplaces all over the room. Tea, hot chocolate, scones, and biscuits appeared on coffee tables and desks all around, charmed to stay at the perfect temperature.

They all grabbed their trunks, changed into pajamas and sat by the fire, Harry and Ron playing chess while Hermione began her homework.

An hour or two later, they were told to collect their things and put their trunks against the wall since they had to set up the great hall for dinner. The three of them threw on sweaters, all courtesy of Mrs. Weasley, and sat down to eat, hungry after being outside for so long.

“Before curfew, can we pop down to the owlery?” Harry asked. 

“Sure, sending a letter?” Hermione said. 

“I want to ship out an order I made for another broom catalog,” Harry said. “I’ve been looking through the ones Wood gave me, but I’m having trouble finding a good one.” 

Ron nodded along through mouthfuls of various food. Hermione eyed him in a disgusted manner, turning away from Ron to look up at the front of the room. 

“That’s odd, half the professors aren’t there.” She commented.

Sure enough, looking up, Harry noticed all of the heads of houses weren’t there, as well as Dumbledore and Professor Lupin.

“Maybe it’s about the common room being such a mess.” Ron said, peering over some tall 7th years.

The clock chimed 7:30, all of the food disappearing. Professor Flitwick rushed in, standing where Dumbledore usually stood. 

“Everyone, please step out in the hall. We must clear the hall for the Gryffindors.” He said.

Everyone filtered out within a few minutes, and the trio heard the tables whooshing away to the sides of the walls as they made their way to the owlery.

“Hedwig!” Harry called. A swoosh was heard as the great snowy owl descended, landing on his arm. 

“Send this to Quality Quidditch Supplies.” He said, tying it to her leg. Out of his pocket he took an owl treat and gave it to her, and she gave an affectionate coo before flying off.

The three watched her fly off as she became nothing but a tiny dot against the setting sun.

They made to leave when Ron suddenly stopped, rushing back to the window.

“Do you see that too?” He asked nervously, pointing to the ground near a group of pine trees.

There it stood, stark against the pale green grass; the Grim, in all of its horrible glory. 

Ron stumbled backwards, leaning against a pillar, looking white as a sheet. Hermione looked frightened for a moment before composing herself, turning to her left, where Harry stood, looking onwards blankly. 

“Ronald, don’t be so worried, I’m sure it’s not the- the Grim… It’s probably just some stray mutt, you know, the type you would find in Hogsmeade. A nice, friendly dog-”

“I’m gonna die!” Ron wailed, sliding down to the ground.

“No you’re not!” Hermione said in a panicky voice. “None of us are going to die! We’re gonna be just fine!” She said shrilly, but Ron wasn’t listening. He buried his head in his hands, silently weeping.

“Oh, stop being so silly! It’s just a mutt! Right, Harry?” Hermione turned around to face him and saw him still staring out at the forest.

“That’s the third Grim I’ve seen…” He said, turning to them. “But I haven’t turned in yet, have I?” 

Hermione suppressed her laugh, looking over to Ron. He looked up from his arms. 

“Three- that’s an unlucky number… Oh, we are so done for…” He said miserably, burying his head back in his hands. 

“C’mon, mate…” Harry said, hauling him up. “You’re just tired… Let's go to the Great Hall and get some sleep.” 

The three of them wandered back to the hall, Ron being guided by Harry and Hermione. As they entered, they were greeted by Professor Lupin.

“Hello, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasely, Miss Granger…” He said pleasantly. “I’m taking attendance.” He looked up from his scroll, surprised by Ron’s somber expression.

“What’s the matter, Mr. Weasley?” He asked with a concerned air.

“We were in the owlery and saw an old mutt which he thought was the Grim.” Hermione said.

“You should’ve seen it, Professor Lupin- it was a great dog with black, matted shaggy hair- I’m going to die in a horrible way soon- my old uncle-” He rambled, cut off by Professor Lupin, who looked alarmed.

“Where did you see this dog?” He said, eyes wide.

“It was near the Black Lake, you know, where all of those pine trees are. Why-” Harry asked, but he was cut off too.

“I’m very sorry to leave this abruptly, but I must go. Mr. Weasley, I recommend you get a calming drought from Madame Pomfrey and have a strong cup of tea. Goodnight, you three,” He said, hurrying away out the doors. 

“C’mon, Ron, let’s go see Madame Pomfrey…” Harry said, and they yet again left the hall.

“What could that be about?” Hermione said, peering up the hall for any sign of the professor.

“I don’t know, he seemed pretty serious.” Harry said. 

They reached the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey ushering Ron into a bed and giving him a light purple potion, which he drank and immediately became more relaxed.

“So, what got you so worked up in the first place?” She asked, giving him some tea to sip.

“I thought I saw the Grim. You were probably right, Hermione, it was just a stray.” He said, looking over to her.

Madame Pomfrey’s head turned immediately, and she asked in a hushed voice, “Have you alerted any staff of this sighting?” 

“Yeah, we told Professor Lupin… What, is there someone really allergic to dogs here or something?” Ron asked her.

“No, it’s really nothing of your concern.” She responded. “Now, do you feel well enough to go back or would you like to stay the night?” 

“I’ll go back. Thank you, Madame Pomfrey.” Ron said, setting down the tea and climbing out of the bed.

“Very well. Have a nice evening, you three.” She said, disappearing into her office.

“That was really odd.” Harry said. “I’ve never seen the teachers act so panicked before, except when they thought there was the basilisk loose in the castle, but-” Harry suddenly came to a stop.

“What? Do you hear it again?” Ron asked. 

“Ronald! Of course not!” Hermione scolded.

“What if Sirius Black is an animagus?” Harry said, staring urgently at the two of them.

“What?” They both said in unison.