★ ★ ★

It was hogsmeade week but harry wasn't able to go due to his aunt or uncle not signing his slip and Sirius was persuaded into not allowing it due to the escapee' from Azkaban — which left him at Hogwarts alone.

He ended up going to the fireplace to talk to Sirius since he had questions about Miralette Crouch.

"Pstt. . . Harry!" Sirius screeches through the fireplace.

"Sirius! Finally!" Harry replied, the boys face noticeably lighting up at the sight of his godfather.

"You said you needed to talk about something important?" The boys godfather questions earning a nod from the boy in return, "I'm guessing it has to do with what Arthur and maybe Moons has told you about the escape from Azkaban?"

"yeah. . ." He replies whilst ruffling his hair, "If im being honest I'm scared Sirius—" he shares, earning a sympathetic look in return, "I mean a mass murder is after me. ." he continues making Sirius wince at the boys words, "What do I do?"

"Okay I need you to listen to me very clearly, do you hear me?" Sirius starts, earning a firm nod in return, "You trust me, don't you?" Sirius asks the boy — suddenly turning very serious.

"Yeah of course I do, you know I do!" He answers truthfully not understanding where he is going.

"Okay well trust me when I tell you— you have nothing to worry about." He states with the sternest voice Harry has ever heard from him. "You're not going to die, she's not going to harm you. It's all going to be okay." he tells the boy, soothing his nerves.

"Are you sure?" asks the boy, shocked at how composed the man is.

"Yes, I am." He says completely ignoring the way he could've made a pun but thought it wasn't the time — that's when you know you should listen to him.

"Okay. . . I've got to go now Ron and Mione will be back in a minute." Harry states, trusting his godfathers judgment completely.

"Alright kid— if you see moony tell him I say hello and to answer my bloody letters — in those exact words." Sirius replies. "Pretty please." he adds with an innocent smile making Harry laugh.

"Okay I'll see you soon!" Harry answers with a small laugh,  Sirius disappearing into the flames.

★ ★ ★

Before Harry met up with his friends he bumped into his uncle remus who invited him in for some tea which he gladly accepted and was having a nice conversation until Professor Snape walked in completely ignoring Harry. He gave Remus a drink which confused Harry but he didn't say much about it. The bell chimed telling Harry that his friends would be back so he told his uncle what Sirius had asked to tell him then said goodbye.

"There you go," Ron says as he passes Harry a bag of sweet treats, "We got as much as we could carry."

"Thanks, what's Hogsmeade like then? Where did you go?" Harry questions.

They list off a bunch of stores, rambling excitedly whilst Harry starts too much on the sweets.

"The post office! About two hundred owls, all sitting in shelves, all colour coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!"

"Honeydukes have got a new kind of fudge, they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look—"

"We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they got all sorts of things at The three Broomsticks."

"Wish we could have brought you some Butterbeer, it really warms you up—"

"What did you do?" Hermione asks, cutting Ron of the end of his sentence, "did you get any work done?"

"No," Harry responds, "I spoke to Sirius by the fireplace then I bumped into Remus and he made me some tea— it was nice," he states with a wide smile which slowly deflates when he remembers what else happened, "then Snape came in . . ."

He recounted the story of the smoking goblet, and Ron's mouth fell open.

"Lupin drank it?" Ron gasps, "is he mad?"

"We'd better go down, the feast'll be starting in five minutes . . ." Hermione tells the boys.

The three of them hurry downstairs, still discussing Snape.

"But if he. . you know—" Hermione drops her voice, glancing around nervously, "if he was trying to. . to poison Lupin— he wouldn't just do it in front of Harry."

"Yeah, maybe." Harry responds as they reach the great hall.

It had been filled with hundreds of candle filled pumpkins, along with plenty of other themed decorations.

★ ★ ★

After the feast they go start to scurry back to the Gryffindor common room, just for the stairs to be filled up. The glance at each other before trying to move past to see what's happening.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Hermione quivers.

"Let me through, please," the voice of Ron's older brother, Percy, echoes across the staircase, "what's the hold-up here?" He asks, "you can't have all forgotten the password— hey excuse me!" He shouts raising his voice before lowering it again, "I'm head boy!"

Then a silence falls upon them, sending a chill along the entire corridor.

"Someone get Professor Dumbledore, quickly!" Percy says sharply.

"The fat lady! She's gone!" Ginny shrieks, Ron grabbing his younger sister in return, pulling her towards him for protection.

Next moment, Dumbledore is here, sweeping through the crowds on the stairs, towards the portrait; all the paintings start freaking out, the golden trio — and Ginny — stare at each other with the same alarmed expression.

Ginny was right, the fat lady had vanished. The painting was nothing but a normal painting but it had been viciously slashed that strips of the painting had fallen off onto the floor — great chunks fallen apart.

Dumbledore and Filch — along with the caretakers cat — examine the portrait. "Professor Filch. . Go and round the ghosts and look for which painting the Fat Lady has found herself into."

"You'll be lucky." comes a cackling voice making everyone turn around.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" Dumbledore says in his usual calm voice, making Peeves grin fade.

He never taunts Dumbledore.

"Ashamed, Your Headship, sir," he says, adopting an oily voice that's worse than his usual cackle, "doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. . sir, dodging between trees. Crying something dreadful," he says sounding oddly happy, no one knowing that the person who did this was the poltergeist's favourite student back when she studied at Hogwarts, "Poor thing," he adds unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" The headmaster asks quietly.

"Oh, yes, Professorhead," Peeves responds, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms.

The golden trio look at each other with a nervous expression.

"She got very angry when the lady wouldn't let her in, you see." He continues to explain.

Hermione's grip on Harry's forearm tightens.

"Nasty temper she's got, that Miralette Crouch!"

The caretaker Filch finds the Fat Lady causing everyone to follow Dumbledore to see what's happening; the golden trio and ginny being the quickest.

"Dear lady, is it true— what Peeves said?" Dumbledore asks the Fat Lady calmly.

"Eyes like the devil, she's got, and a soul as dark as her name." She whimpers out.

"Peeves was correct— it's her headmaster. ." She continues, "the one they all talk about! She's here— somewhere in the castle!" the woman looks around before looking back at the headmaster, "miralette crouch!" she cried out before hiding again.

★ ★ ★