Sirius black had broke into the castle.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of thecastle," Professor Dumbledore told us as Professors McGonagalland Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for yourown safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leavingthe Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was lookingimmensely proud and important.

 "Send word with one of theghosts."Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said,"Oh, yes, you'll be needing . . ." 

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to theedges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; anotherwave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purplesleeping bags. 

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him. 

The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors--whose Fat Lady had been attacked-- were telling the rest of the school what had just happened."Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on,now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!" 

"C'mon," Zoe said to me; we seized threesleeping bags and dragged them into a corner. 

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Zoe whisperedanxiously. 

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Nicholas, a few feet away. 

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Zoe as we climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and proppedthemselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't inthe tower. . . ."

 "I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Draco."Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here." 

I shuddered.

 All around us, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?" 

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feetaway.

 "Just appear out of thin air, you know.""Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth year.

"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas. 

"You really are idiots, aren't you?" I scoffed. 

"Why?" asked the Hufflepuff, quite hurt.

"Well," I said " the castle's protected by more than walls, you know. There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stoppeople entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'dlike to see the disguise that could fool those dementors, Dumbledore said they weren't fooled by anything. They'reguarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seenhim fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll havethem covered. . . ." 

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyonein their sleeping bags and no more talking!" 

The candles all went out at once. 

The only light now came fromthe silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to theprefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, wasscattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that stillfilled the hall, I felt as though I were sleeping outdoors in alight wind.

 Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to checkthat everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, whenmany students had finally fallen asleep Zoe and Nicholas included, Professor Dumbledorecame in.

 I watched him looking around for Percy, who hadbeen prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off fortalking. Percy was only a short way away from Harry, Ron, andHermione, and us, we quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore'sfootsteps drew nearer.

 "Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.

"No. All well here?"

 "Everything under control, sir." 

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able tomove them back in tomorrow." 

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

 "Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparentlyshe refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked.She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr.Filch restore her." 

I heard the door of the hall creak open again, and morefootsteps.

 "Headmaster?" It was Snape. 

I kept quite still, listeninghard

. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's notthere. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either." 

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room?The Owlery?"

 "All searched . . ." 

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

 "Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" askedSnape.

 I raised my head very slightly off my arms to free my otherear.

 "Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next." 

I opened my eyes a fraction and squinted up to where theystood; Dumbledore's back was to me, but I could see Percy's face,rapt with attention, and Snape's profile, which looked angry. 

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before — ah — the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation. 

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something likewarning in his voice. 

"It seems — almost impossible — that Black could have enteredthe school without inside help. I did express my concerns whenyou appointed —" 

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would havehelped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it soclear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply.

 "I must godown to the dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would informthem when our search was complete."

 "Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy. 

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no dementorwill cross the threshold of this castle while I am headmaster." 

Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walkingquickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then hetoo left.

 I glanced sideways at Draco. he had his eyes open too, reflecting the starry ceiling.

 "What was all that about?" he mouthed.

 The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days.The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilderand wilder; Hannah Abbott, from Hufflepuff, spent much of our next Charms class telling anyone who'd listen that Black couldturn into a flowering shrub. 

The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony.Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his timechallenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculouslycomplicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day. 

"He's a complete lunatic," we heard Seamus Finnigan say angrily toPercy. "Can't we get anyone else?"

 "None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the onlyone brave enough to volunteer." 

Sir Cadogan, however, was the least of my worries, I didn't care. Not my house. I wasnow being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk alongcorridors with me, and Fred and George(acting, I suspected,on his mother's orders) was tailing me everywhere like  guard dog, they were good company. 

To cap it all, Professor McGonagallsummoned Harry and me into her office, with such a somber expressionon her face I thought someone must have died. 

"There's no point hiding it from you any longer, Potters," she saidin a very serious voice. "I know this will come as a shock to you,but Sirius Black —" 

" know he's after us," said Harry wearily. we heard Ron's dadtelling his mum. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic."

 Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She stared atHarry and me for a moment or two, then said, 

"I see! Well, in that case,Potter, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for youto be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field withonly your team members, it's very exposed, Potter —"

 "We've got our first match on Saturday!" said Harry, outraged."I've got to train, Professor!" 

Professor McGonagall considered him intently. 

Why was I here?

"Hmm . . ." Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out ofthe window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain."Well . . . goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup atlast . . . but all the same, Potter . . . I'd be happier if a teacher werepresent. I'll ask Madam Hooch to oversee your training sessions."