Harry and Draco had the same schedules, and they both agreed that adding three elective classes to the core seven subjects instead of just two had perhaps been madness on their parts. Although the core courses now only had two classes per week, the workload hadn't slacked off. Adding Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures had greatly added to the work.

They both felt lucky that they had a lot of prior knowledge in potions from Severus and ancient runes from Lucius. Herbology was central enough to potions that they were ahead in it as well.

Arithmancy was another tale, he and Draco had tried to review the books over summer, but were quickly lost. Now, with Professor Vector explaining things it was a bit clearer, but they knew they were definitely not at the top of the class this time. To their relief Padma seemed to be the 'prodigy' in the class with Mafalda close behind. Oddly enough Justin Finch-Fletchley also seemed to have 'the knack' for magical numbers. All three of them were willing to help Draco and Harry understand the equations, to their relief.

Hermione, though, was determined to catch up to the leaders in the class and grilled Mafalda relentlessly on how arithmancy worked. Hermione expected Arithmancy to work totally logically, which would have worked for her. However there were magical rules as well that could affect the outcome – not always completely logically. A good base in regular mathmatics helped – and some that were home schooled needed 'a refresher' in that. Basic arithmancy was fairly logical, but once one added other elements – like runes or astronomy or worst of all - tarot cards, the outcome was much harder to deduce.

They were only on the most basic of equations, but the Professor had warned them of what was to come. Draco said it was to scare off those that weren't ready to really work at it. Indeed, during the first week more than one had dropped it and had taken up something else. One could do that the first week – after that you were stuck with what you had signed up for.

Defense against the dark arts was much more interesting with Lupin teaching. The boggart class had been fun – with Pavarti's huge cobra and Ron's spider. Seamus' banshee was something new for most of them as well - not to mention it had turned into a cerebus for Hermione, who did not remember Fluffy with any fondness and everyone agreed that had been an exciting moment.

Neville's boggart had been his grandmother, who started to shout at him, but he quickly turned her into a dancing clown before she got more than a few words out. Blaise and a few others had hung back, avoiding the chance at practice, which had ended when the boggart had turned into a dementor for Harry.

Harry was already reeling in dizziness, with Draco catching him from the back, when Lupin had leaped between them, and the boggart turned into something round and white. Lupin dismissed the class after turning the object into a balloon, telling them to study the chapter on redcaps for the next class. Harry munched on some chocolate that Draco produced as they went out the door.

Lupin watched the boys pensively. He'd been expecting Voldemort to appear, though since Harry had never seen him in his true form perhaps that was impossible. Lupin was insisting that Flitwick teach the upper years the patronus charm, and maybe the younger years should have a chance at it as well. Dudley had mastered it – so could others. Even the shield form was useful.

Flitwick, having agreed to show the charm to the upper years had decided to tweak the older students pride by having Dudley - a mere third year - come into class briefly and show them his bear patronus. The patronus was impressive and made the older students really apply themselves in an effort to not be outdone by the third year.

Once any of the upper years had the charm down they were encouraged to show the younger students. After a month dozens of patroni could be seen scurrying up and down the hallways all day. This was a relief to the teachers as it meant the students were a bit safer from the suffocating presence of the dementors, plus the patroni had a cheering effect on the students who were most affected by dementors being around.

The weeks progressed without incident until the first Hogsmeade weekend was to arrive just after Halloween. Harry was already a bit melancholy, as always on the anniversery of his parent's deaths. He'd been looking forward to this weekend, until he realized his dad hadn't signed the permission form as yet.

He approached Severus' office door thursday afternoon. He could see the two seventh year assistants teaching the second year class through a large window in Severus' office. It was one-way glass – Harry knew it looked like blank wall inside the classroom. The voices could be heard – though distantly, so Severus could come in and correct the assistant with a sneer and in a faintly condescending tone. Assistants usually only let that happen once before researching far more carefully about the potion they were to teach.

"Dad? About Hogsmeade this saturday ..." Harry began, and stopped at Severus' look of apology mixed with determination. "You're not letting me go are you?" Harry clenched his jaw, anger boiling up inside. Dad had prefects and assistants as well as a large number of Weasleys haunting his every move this year. It was suffocating. He rarely got even to the courtyard before someone would drag him inside on some pretext or other. At first it had been touching, now he was ready to punch someone.

"I am sorry, Harry." Severus answered, though there was little apology in his tone. "There is no one I can trust your safety to this weekend – the next one both I and Lucius will be able to go, and you can explore all you wish." Severus was tempted to remind him that it wasn't like he'd never been to Hogsmeade before, but from Harry's blazing eyes he knew that the remark wouldn't be welcome.

He hated being at odds with Harry, but he wouldn't sacrifice his safety for a few treats. Harry turned and stormed out the door and then struck the nearby suit of armour with a fist, making a loud clang. Severus was tempted to take points, but a pained yelp from Harry told him that hitting the armour had been its own punishment.

Harry stalked to the great hall, flopping down beside Dudley and Padma at their usual table. His anger was blunted a bit when Seamus and Dean came running in with Seamus shouting, "He's been sighted, he's been sighted!" Dean threw down the paper and Draco came over to stand behind Harry, all of them pouring over the article.

"Dovetown?" Hermione asked breathlessly. "But that's not far from here!" She gulped at the set look of anger on Harry's face. "I'm sure they'll catch him – they have so many patrols in the towns anywhere close ..."

" 'aven't caught 'im yet, 'ave they?" Seamus announced breezily, oblivious to Draco's distress and Harry's fury.

"It's like trying to catch smoke." Dean said dolefully. "Like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

Harry got up from the table with a jerk. Blasted Aurors and stupid dementors … worthless, all of them. They'd been after Black for months. He hoped with a burning fury that Black did try something … that he did break into the castle. Harry intended to be ready for him. DADA was actually useful this year, though Lupin tended to focus on defense against magical creatures – redcaps, kappas … he had even gotten a gringylow from the Black lake.

Still, Lupin let the students use the dueling room with the supervision of prefects to practice spells. Flitwick was organizing a dueling club, and talking the governors into sponsoring a team of sixth and seventh years to go to competitions. Harry and Draco, in the meantime, had been looking for spells that could actually do some damage. Draco had said nothing – just giving Harry long looks. But Draco was a Slytherin and understood the idea of avenging one's family.

Still, Draco felt it prudent to have Harry relieve some of the bottled-up anger in a less destructive manner. He dragged Harry outside to the pitch, calling to Quidditch players, regardless of their house. Once there, with players scrambling for brooms, Draco let a snitch loose and took off after it in his Gyrfalcon form. Harry immediately grinned and followed him as an osprey.

It soon became a 'keep the bird seekers away from the snitch' game, with a little practice tossing the quaffle around thrown in. The birds zoomed after the snitch, catching it time and again and then flying through a hoop and letting it go. More students soon followed in the chilly November air and watched the birds whirling around the players, avoiding them and the bludgers with ease.

Albus watched the inpromptu game pensively. The portraits outside Severus' classroom had reported Harry leaving Severus' office unhappily – Severus never allowed a painting with a person in it inside his office. Albus agreed that Harry must be protected, but Harry was unlikely to appreciate it. Still, he could go on the next excursion, so perhaps he would be patient.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Sirius crept back to his cave after watching the birds flying around the Quidditch pitch. Moving around the dementor infested forest as padfoot was easier than as a human. He had 'borrowed' enough things to make his cave habitable – certainly it was better than his cell at Azkaban.

He threw himself on his makeshift bed and waved a warming charm around the cave. He had some bluebell lights and had warded the entrance against the elements. Molly's wand disliked him – it was used to women's magic and household spells. However the wand recognized him as a relative of Molly's, however distant the relationship was, and it reluctantly obeyed him. He still didn't dare try glamors – the wand really rebelled with those. He tended to apparate to nearby towns and steal food rather than try to buy it. The patrols were heavy and he'd been spotted more than once.

Black stayed away from Hogsmeade after school started, not wanting them to see him so close to the school. If they knew he was here, and not roaming nearby towns it would be raining Aurors and dementors in Hogsmeade – and there were already enough of them around as it was.

His lucid times were becoming longer, and much more clear. But this was mostly away from Hogwarts and the cave – and the nearby dementors. When he roamed farther away, scavenging old newspapers and gossiping with people while heavily cloaked he could comprehend that it was now 1993.

He'd also found out that Snape was Harry's guardian and had had a three-day tantrum over that. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore had been that stupid. Didn't he know that Snivellus had to be tormenting the boy endlessly?

Snape likely cursed Jam...uh, Harry and tortured him daily, and then put him under a spell so he acted okay. There was simply no way that greasy old Sniv would treat James' boy well. He needed to get Peter and be exonerated. He knew that much clearly – at least when he was away from Hogwarts grounds. Once he got near his old school his sense of time and place would blur. He would find himself retracing old events, wandering down old paths he and his friends had taken and the day would be gone with nothing accomplished.

Another problem was that part of him didn't mind living in the past. Still, he realized from the snow in the air that it was November and he needed to do something.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Harry bounded down the trail behind Hagrid the next day, along with an eager Draco and Dudley, for their first lesson with the kindly half-giant. Professor Kettleburn still had most of the classes, but was deferring the 'risky' creatures to Hagrid.

Harry had heard from Severus that Hagrid had wanted them to have some 'monster book of monsters' that tended to bite, but Kettleburn had squashed that and they had a big book full of wonderful illustrations, instead. A bit pricey, but they all agreed it was worth it. Even the pictures of the dragons beat their wings and breathed fire. A few times Harry was sure that he saw smoke coming from the pages.

He was feeling much better after meditating – or maybe it was just lightly napping with the danburite crystal in his hands. It was soothing to let his feelings flow out through it – letting the anger and frustration be washed away by Tom and Yvane's comforting presence through the crystal. After an hour or so he'd gone to his desk and written a lengthy letter, knowing they would wonder what had him in such a froth.

After scribbling down all his grievences he could see that they were a bit unreasonable. Yes, it sucked that he would miss the first Hogsmeade weekend, but it was for his safety. Black's ability to elude capture was also aggravating, but did he really think he could do better? He ended the letter saying that he knew that he just needed to be patient – but he was just finding that difficult.

Harry managed a mostly sincere apology to his dad and helped clean the classroom, taking a lunch with him and felt he'd mended things. Now he wondered what murderous beast Hagrid had in mind – his dad wouldn't tell him what it was, but the grimacing and growling from Severus had told him that it was likely dangerous.

Sure enough, as they got to the clearing, they could see a small herd of about half a dozen creatures that seemed to be half horse and half eagle in the wooded area beyond the fencing. One had been separated out and was standing regally in the open area in front of them.

Hagrid grandly introduced ... "Today's lesson – a hippogriff named Buckbeak … isn't he beautiful?"

Draco was quite taken with the sight – or he would have been, if there had been more of a barrier than Hagrid between he and the creature. Harry was also fearfully awestruck. Most of the children were nervous – expecting that a creature with razor sharp talons and such a deadly beak very well might kill anyone that blinked wrong. A predatory golden gaze fell on the silent third years, making them wonder if he might mistake them for lunch.

Hagrid gave a lecture regarding hippogriffs – he hadn't intended to, but Kettleburn had insisited that the third years needed to know more than 'this is a hippogriff, don't insult him'. So Hagrid went over some history, the general care-giving needed and their uses – they were superb for long distance flying and quite swift. Not as fast as granians over shorter distances, but they could fly all day if needed.

The class was totally silent – whether from interest or terror, no one could have said, and Hagrid finished up the lecture with, "So who wants ta be firs' ta come up an' be introduced ta 'im?"

The entire class edged back except for Harry, who was frozen in horror at the thought of anyone going near the balefully glaring hippogriff. Draco stayed by Harry, though he edged behind Harry, just a little.

Hagrid beamed mistakenly at Harry, "Well done, Harry, well done!" Harry looked around in despair, realizing that Hagrid thought he was volunteering. Draco gave him a sheepish look, and patted his shoulder in sympathy.

Harry walked forward, trying to appear confident and followed Hagrid's prompting in approaching Buckbeak. He bowed deeply and awaited Buckbeak's answering bow. Harry thought he'd made it through safely when Hagrid tossed him on the hippogriff's back and sent him for a ride. Harry clutched Buckbeak's neck desperately until they glided over the lake. It was almost like flying as an osprey, making Harry remember that if he fell, he could always transform. This took the pressure off and Harry enjoyed the rest of the ride.

Harry hopped off Buckbeak, and smiled happily at the relieved looking Draco. Blaise and Neville pushed forward, both of them furious that yet again Harry Potter was showing them up.

"Oh, please, I bet he's not dangerous at all." Blaise said loudly.

"You're just acting like you've done some heroic deed, bowing and scraping to an overgrown chicken." Neville agreed with a sneer.

Dudley came forward, along with Ron, frowning. "Don't crowd it … Hagrid said ..." However Dudley's warning came too late. Buckbeak was quite incensed at having his space invaded by these cretins who didn't bother to bow and reared up with a savage cry.

Blaise and Neville cringed back, but Harry was also still in front of the hippogriff, who clawed at the offending children with no care for who else was there. Draco would not have risked his hide to save Zabini or Longbottom. But Harry – Harry was about to have his head clawed off and he couldn't allow that to happen.

Draco had excellent reflexes and had worked with enough equines to know when one was about to explode. He reacted almost before Buckbeak struck. He shoved Harry out of the way – crashing both of them into Blaise and Neville, shoving them to safety as well. Buckbeak's clawed foot caught Draco in the shoulder, and sliced down the arm to the wrist.

The class erupted into screaming girls, shouting boys and became total chaos with the students milling frantically – uncertain whether to flee or try to help.

Harry leaped up to drag Draco to safety with Dudley running forward with Ron to help. After an initial scream Draco had clenched his teeth, refusing to scream any further in front of everyone else. Hagrid had gotten between the hippogriff and the other students quickly and got it to back off.

Hermione raced forward, "You need to get him to the infirmary, right away! He's losing a lot of blood." She was right, Draco's uniform was soaked with it and a stream of it was flowing onto the ground.

Hagrid quickly scooped up Draco, who was feeling a bit faint – and furious. "I'll get you two for this Zabini and Longbottom – just see if I don't." But Draco was angry with Hagrid as well. "Why didn't you control that bloody pigeon?" Draco griped the whole way to Madame Pomfrey. Sniping at Blaise and Neville's stupidity and complaining about Buckbeak's viciousness kept him conscious and his mind off his pain.

The rest of the class had raced ahead and soon the word spread that Draco Malfoy had been killed by a monster in Hagrid's class. Hagrid had barely laid Draco on the bed when Lucius raced in, followed by Severus. Lucius' head swam just a little in relief upon hearing Draco's voice loudly complaining about the state of his robes.

"The blood will never come out ..." Draco exclaimed in despair.

Poppy didn't bother answering, just pouring dittany on the wound and barking at Severus to get a blood replenishing potion down him, along with a pain reliever. Lucius sank into a chair by Draco's bed and listened to Harry and Dudley's rather disjointed tale of what had happened. Hagrid had wisely left after delivering Draco to the infirmary.

Poppy set the muscle and tissue knitting spell and Draco drifted off with the pain potion working. She looked at Lucius' pale face and banished the blood-soaked clothing to the laundry and covered Draco with a blanket.

"He'll be just fine, Mr Malfoy. Just a nasty laceration when all's said and done." Poppy soothed. Dudley and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Severus nodded, he'd assessed the injury and known Poppy could handle it. But Lucius was quickly becoming angry, now that his panic was gone.

"This should not have happened in the first place." He hissed. "Zabini and Longbottom were at fault, of course, but Hagrid should have had better control of the students and that bloody menace of a hippogriff."

Poppy shooed the students off, "Draco needs sleep – to mend and to let the blood replenisher and spells work. You can fetch him for classes in the morning."

Lucius was pulled to the door by Severus, who let him continue to vent about incompetent teachers and murderous creatures. Harry and Dudley headed for their next classes – Harry to arithmancy and Dudley to divination.

"Trelawny will be ecstatic – she's been predicting a horrible death would occur soon." Dudley said unhappily. Dudley would have dropped the class after the first week … but Padma was there and she sat at the next table – it made all the predictions of doom worth it.

Harry nodded at Dudley in understanding. Trelawney had been taking more meals in the Great Hall, lately, once she realized that Harry Potter was a student (it had only taken her two years to notice). She peered over where she assumed Harry was and dolefullly shook her head, sighing about horrendous fates. Unfortunately she did this even when Harry wasn't in the hall, so the students were split in their decision as to whether it counted or not.

Dudley made his way to the Divination classroom, taking the seemingly endless circular stair instead of the rope ladder, though it was a much shorter distance. He sat at the table with Ron and Padma leaned over from the next table.

"Are they alright?" She asked anxiously. She didn't take the Care of Magical Creatures class, but everyone had heard of the incident, of course. "Someone said that Draco was dead …?"

The whole class listened breathlessly, including Blaise and Neville, who were huddled in a corner table, wishing they'd never heard of hippogriffs.

"Draco will be okay ..." and then decided that Zabini and Longbottom should sweat it out a bit more. " ...eventually. He was badly clawed saving Harry and a couple of morons that insulted the hippogriff – they were who set it off. Might take awhile to completely heal, even with the muscle and tissue knitting spells."

Blaise squirmed angrily, but prefered to remain silent until he knew what trouble he was in. Neville slumped sullenly across from him. He'd managed, until this year to maintain friendships with Dudley and Ron. Now he could tell they were furious with him – likely to chuck their friendship with him altogether. Dudley was obviously livid that Draco was injured and Ron was fuming and casting unsubtle glares at he and Blaise.

But, Neville was angry at Draco and Harry as well. It wasn't like they'd asked Draco to shove them aside, or risk his life. And they owed Draco nothing as far as he was concerned – Draco had been saving the sainted "boy who lived" - not Blaise and Neville, they had just been incidental. Incidental, that's all he'd ever been, he fumed. Well, he wouldn't be bowing and scraping to Draco bloody Malfoy over this.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Draco awakened the next day, realizing it was saturday – and the first Hogsmeade weekend. He'd been torn between staying with Harry, or going and making up for it by buying out Zonko's and Honeyduke's for Harry. Now, from the set look on Madame Pomfrey and his father's face he would be going nowhere – and his arm did still ache and was quite stiff.

Well, at least he didn't need to worry over it anymore. He didn't bother to argue, just sighed and said, "Well, I guess Harry and I will have to find something to do by ourselves, here." He gave his father a patently false look of innocence and Lucius rolled his eyes. Well, he and Severus could keep an eye on them here better than at Hogsmeade.

Poppy fussed over Draco's arm, clucking a little over the stiffness. "It will be a few days before the muscles are completely healed." She conjured a sling for his injured left arm. "Wear this – it will help you remember to not overuse the arm. The prior injury when you dislocated it attempting to stop Harry from falling has slowed the usual healing time. Don't aggravate it more than you must."

Draco nodded and went to the Great Hall, finding most of his year getting ready for the trip to town. He was hailed a hero by the Gryffindors. The Slytherins told him what spells to use from a distance next time. The Ravenclaws told him the statistics of how many were killed and maimed each year by hippogriffs. The Hufflepuffs beamed at him and said they were glad he was okay as they pressed chocolate frogs on him.

Fred and George's chocolate frogs turned him scarlet and gold for five whole minutes, of course.

Harry and Draco walked their various friends to the gates, and Draco pressed some galleons on Dudley, and gave him a list of chocolate he needed, "Make sure they sell you the good stuff they have out back – not that rubbish in the cases." Dudley just smiled and agreed, too happy that Draco was alive and feeling well enough to be snooty about his chocolate.

Ginny was smug – both Harry and Draco were going to be at the castle and hopefully bored today. She'd wheedled some secrets out of the twins, telling them she needed something to impress her friends with – she had tweaked their pride a bit. "I have six older brothers, and none of you seem to know anything about Hogwarts that everyone else doesn't know, too."

The twins had been unable to let that stand, and they had given her some information that they felt would not lead her into danger, but was interesting enough to make her eyes sparkle – neither Draco or Harry would be able to resist this!

When she found the pair in the Great Hall they had been joined by that idiot Ravenclaw (and who knew there were such idiots among them?) named Luna. She was regaling Harry and Draco about a Crumple-horned Snort-something that no one had ever seen. The pair was downing some exotic dessert that they should not have been able to get so soon after breakfast.

At her questioning look Draco smugly said "I called Dobby and let him weep over my mangled arm for a bit and then asked for Basboosa – semolina cake with honey and lemon – I got it in while in Egypt and I usually can't talk him into making it."

Luna smiled dreamily "It helps keep the humdingers away – they don't like the lemon." The boys smiled while Ginny snorted.

"I've got something to show you … you'll really want to see this." Ginny said, though the boys looked skeptical. "A secret passage ..." This spurred true interest from them and they finished the last bites of cake and followed, Luna trailing along with them.

They climbed to the fourth floor and walked past the passage to the library. They were walking down the balconey toward another set of the moving stairs. Harry noted that on the opposing balconey two floors up was next to the entrance to the Gryffindor tower. Ginny led them into a large alcove that had a large window and window seat in it. There was also a huge mirror embedded in one wall.

Ginny walked to the mirror and after some fumbling was able to open the mirror like a door.

"Fred and George say that part of the tunnel's ceiling caved in partway to Hogsmeade last year, so they can't use it anymore, but I'd like to look at it – maybe we can fix it." This intrgued everyone, though Luna just remarked they could hide from the humdingers here as they disliked the dark.

They all cast the brightest lumos' they could and followed Ginny. At first it was just a circular stairway going down, lower and lower until they were below ground level.

The tunnel branched in two directions - one back went back into the castle, "Goes to the kitchens, they said." Ginny explained. The other way, the tunnel stretched what seemed forever. To their surpise the tunnel was quite tall and wide – they'd expected it to be small and cramped.

It was also, to their shock, painted - showing scenes of medival times – battles, dancing and festivals and possibly some rituals. As they walked along Draco identified and old Midsummers ritual and Luna, surprisingly, pointed out an old 'circle dance' taking place around a standing stone.

Harry had thought the walk in the tunnel would be boring, since there was a rockfall that would stop them, instead they poured over the pictures on the walls, hoping to identify the founders – they thought they had picked out at least Helga, once and possibly Rowena.

Draco tried to figure out why the walls were painted at all. "Maybe this was once a regular way to go to Hogsmeade? Like in winter, when trudging through the snow was a drag, or in bad weather?"

"In times of war as well." Luna spoke up, voice no longer dreamy. "I read that during muggle wars the occupants of Hogsmeade needed secret ways into the castle – it couldn't be seen by the muggles, even back then, but Hogsmeade still needed to be able to supply the castle with food – its why the tunnel goes to the kitchen."

They turned to her in shock, and she smiled puckishly and then took on her usual dreamy look. Draco briefly wondered if the hat had offered her Slytherin as well as Ravenclaw. Harry just smiled at her – he'd noticed that she didn't always act 'goofy'. He had wondered how much of it was a cover and how much was real.

"You have any books about Hogsmeade during the founder's time?" Harry asked. Luna just smiled and nodded.

They continued their explorations and they found the rockfall about the time their stomachs protested the long journey. Draco checked the time and Harry yelped "Two? It's two o'clock? Dad's going to go spare if he noticed I'm gone." They hurried back down the tunnel and raced up the stairs, though they were gasping at the top. Harry figured they'd gone up the equivalent of seven flights.

They came out of the alcove just in time to see the Gryffindor door guardian – the fat lady in pink go running past in the portraits on the wall, heading toward the library. She was screaming loudly, "It's the murderer, run for your lives!"

Harry whipped around to look up at the Gryffindor entrance and saw a thin, wild-haired figure slashing at the now empty portrait on the door and yelling.

"Black!" Harry screamed and ran toward the stairs at the same time as Black raced to the stairway down. Black had the advantage – he was going downhill and the already tired Harry was going up. He also had the handicap of Draco trying to stop him.

"He's a killer, Harry!" Draco panted, "He was highly trained – by both the Aurors and obviously the Dark Lord himself … don't try it."

Harry got to the fifth floor after Black already reached it and raced down a hallway. Harry ran after him, but the hallway of the East wing was empty as he raced around the corner. Nothing there but some suits of armor and a statue of Gregory the Smarmy – not even a portrait was there to point out where the killer had gone.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Ginny had raced to the seventh floor, shouting at the portraits to get the Headmaster – Black was in the castle! Albus received the news and sent a patronus to Lucius and Severus who were brooding in the Great Hall over their sons not attending lunch there. They had thought they were sulking in the Slytherin common room over not going to Hogsmeade.

He met Ginny on the sixth floor steps and ran after her with surprising energy, Luna trailing after them with no haste. They ran into the hall where Harry was cursing quite inventively and kicking a suit of armor who was pushing Harry away as best it could without hurting him. Draco was looking up and down the hall carefully, trying the doors once again, though they knew they were locked.

"Mr Malfoy – if Black is in any of those rooms, I would prefer you not enter it." Albus said.

Draco said nothing, but Harry glared from eyes that were luminescent with anger. "We were right behind him – if he'd gone in any of these huge doors, we'd have heard it close – they're pretty loud when they close."

Lucius and Severus arrived and Harry hissed. "He was here – and he got away again." Harry fought back tears of rage. It was unacceptable for Black to be out there, enjoying life with so many people in graves because of him.

Percy arrived close behind them. He'd returned early from Hogsmeade, intending to write to Tom, now it seemed there would be even more to put in the letter.

Severus put a hand on Harry's shoulder. There really was nothing he could say to reassure him that Black would be caught soon. Black was proving clever for someone who should be unable to function after a dozen years with dementors. Harry's rage drained away with Severus' touch. He knew there was nothing Severus wouldn't do to capture Black. It was just so frustrating.

Albus motioned to Percy. "Please take these four students to the Great Hall." Other teachers had also arrived during the commotion. "Filius and Pomona I need all students to the Great Hall until the castle is clear. Argus – direct all returning students to the Hall. Percy – my password it 'lemon cream pie' please firecall Hugo when the students are safe."

Albus, Severus and Lucius gripped their wands tightly, spells hovering on their lips as they made their way into the rooms on that hallway. They doubted he was there – Black was likely long gone. None the less, they were thorough in their search, but found no trace of him.

They met Hugo on their way back to the Great Hall, a pair of Aurors flanking him. The Aurors went to continue the search along with Severus and Lucius, though if he wasn't in the fifth floor corridor, Albus felt he simply wasn't there.

Albus and Hugo went to the Great Hall that was slowly filling with students. Percy was holding court at the front, reassuring students that while Black had gained entrance, that 'it was being dealt with' by Albus Dumbledore and Hugo Savage. They helped Percy settle the students and sat to mull over events.

This reassured most and the students sat down to the tables to discuss Black and this latest outrage. The story was told and retold as more students returned. Snacks were passed around, thankfully, as Ginny and her explorers were famished.

Just as the last students returned from Hogsmeade and dinner was to be served Lucius, Severus and the Aurors returned to report that Black was nowhere in the castle. Remus had returned with the last students and was shocked to hear of Black's entry into the castle. The fact that Black was gone surprised no one, and Albus announced that the students could return to their dorms after dinner.

Harry and Draco trailed into Severus' office behind their fathers after dinner. The men wanted a more detailed account of what had happened and the boys perked up at being able to tell them of their adventure in the tunnel. Both men were intrigued by this.

"I'd heard there were secret passages out of the castle – I never found one, though I found several inside it that are shortcuts here and there." Lucius said, smiling at the boy's immediate interest.

"Secret passages." Severus closed his eyes and shook his head. "Of course – there must be one on the fifth floor. He couldn't have escaped any other way." Severus sighed in disgust.

The boys stiffened in realization – not that they could have caught Black without knowing where the passage was.

"We need to find the secret passages and either seal them or lay traps." Lucius said emphatically.

"Yes, we do." A soft voice came from the doorway. Remus was there. "I'm sorry I didn't think of them … its been so long, you see. I know all the passages that Black knows … I can help you trap him."

Lucius and Severus sat back and stared at him. Perhaps the wolf meant it when he said he would protect Harry.

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