Dinner was a very cheerful affair. They were all put together and ate through five delicious courses.

“I could get used to living here,” Cedric said.

“I know, I loved every day I spent here.” Megan said.

“Hey, Dad, how are we going to the station, tomorrow?” Fred asked.

“The Ministry’s providing a couple of cars.”

“Really? Why is that?” Percy asked pompously.

“Well, I no longer have one...” Mr Weasley said. “And as I work there, they’re doing me a favour.”

Megan’s cheeks flushed pink as she glanced at Ron, who looked uncomfortable two. They were the reason Mr Weasley’s car was no longer in their possession. They had flown it half way across England and hit a whacking tree with it. It had ever since been roaming the Forbidden Forest.

“Good thing too,” Mrs Weasley said. “Imagine lugging all your things! A right sight we’d be to Muggles...”

Some of them hadn’t finished packing so after dinner, everyone headed up to their rooms. Cedric accompanied Megan to hers.

“I was curious. We’re all several years younger than you, yet you keep hanging with us. How come?” Megan asked cheekily.

“Well, one’s sure not to be bored when you’re around,” he smiled.

“Oh, so you’re just friends with me because I’m a walking source of entertainment?” Megan teased, knowing he didn’t think that.

“No, I just think someone needs to keep you out of trouble,” Cedric teased back.

She nudged his elbow and laughed.

“Well, I still have to pack. See you in the morning, Megan.”

He kissed her cheek and headed away. Megan felt a slightly dumb smile reach the corner of her lips, and meant to turn to her room when she heard angry voices from the neighbouring room. It was ajar. She could hear Ron and Percy.

“It was here! On the table,” Percy was saying.

“And I didn’t touch it!” Ron snapped. “Why in Merlin’s beard would I want to take your stupid badge?”

“What’s wrong?” Megan asked.

“My Head Boy badge is gone.” Percy said.

“And Scabbers’ medicine! I got him some Rat Tonic, he’s been looking a bit poorly since Egypt, and I can’t find it anywhere. I think I left it downstairs...”

“You’re not leaving until I find my badge!” Percy snarled.

“I’ll get it,” Megan said. “I’m packed.”

She turned to the stair case and slipped into the bar. There, under a table, was the bottle. Just then, as she walked by the parlour, she heard more angry voices, this time belonging to Mr and Mrs Weasley. Megan was about to leave, not wanting to meddle with other people’s business, but the sound of her name made her stop.

“It makes no sense not to tell Megan,” Arthur was saying in a heated voice. “She’s got a right to know. But Fudge insists on babying her.”

“She’s just a child!” Mrs Weasley protested. “She’d be terrified by the truth! She’s happy not knowing, d’you really want her to go to school with that nagging in a corner of her mind?”

“Molly, it’s because she’s going there I want her to know! Black escaped from Azkaban! If he got out of there, he can get into Hogwarts! I don’t want to scare her, I want her to be ready! You know what those kids are like, getting into all sorts of trouble...”

Megan frowned. Azkaban was the terrifying Azkaban prison. No one could escape… or, at least, not until now.

“But we don’t even know for sure he’s after her...”

“He’s been saying it in his sleep, Molly!” Arthur said. “They’ve been hearing him mutter “At Hogwarts” over and over again in his sleep.”

“But she’ll be safe at Hogwarts!” Molly said.

“We thought Azkaban was safe,” Arthur reminded darkly. “Black is deranged, Molly. He wants Megan dead. We don’t know why, but if you ask me, he thinks that killing her, being the one who brought You-Know-Who down, would restore him. He had twelve years to think it through. As much as you can in that damned place”

There was a silence.

“Well... do what you think is right.” Molly said. “But what about Dumbledore? How could Megan possibly be in any danger with him around? I trust he knows?”

“Of course.” He agreed. “And we had to ask permission to stand a few guards around the school. He agreed, though he wasn’t happy about it.”

“Why shouldn’t he be? If they’re there to catch Black?”

“He isn’t very fond of those Azkaban guards. Nor, as a matter of fact, am I.”

“But if they save Megan...”

“Then I’ll never say anything against them again.” Mr Weasly said. “Come on, it’s late. Let’s get to bed.”

Megan slipped quietly up the stairs and hid behind the open door until she heard their bedroom door close. Then, she walked past, noticing Fred and George fiddling with Percy’s badge. She shook her head, handed Ron his tonic, and went to her room.

So Sirius Black was after her...? That did clarify a number of things. Fudge coming all the way to London, making her promise to not go to Muggle London... The two ministry cars... Megan then wondered why she didn’t feel more worried. Sirius Black had killed thirteen people with one single curse... and if Mr Weasley was right, he definitely seemed intent on finding her. The Weasley obviously thought she was too fragile to handle the truth. But Megan had faced death already and made it out. And she also agreed that Hogwarts was a safe place. Voldemort himself was terrified of him, Black wouldn’t be stupid enough to try and tackle him, would he...? At the same time, Mr Weasley did have a point too, if he had been able to escape Azkaban, which everyone seemed to be terrified of, he would probably be smart enough to sneak into Hogwarts... But she shook her head to chase the idea away. She couldn’t let herself panic over something like that. She was always with someone. Besides, if the oh-so-scary guards were around the school, Black had little chance of getting in. What bothered her was that it didn’t look like she had very good chances of visiting Hogsmeade. With her life being supposedly in danger, her every move would be watched carefully. And also the fact that people persisted in treating her like a baby annoyed her. She had escaped Voldemort three times already! She wasn’t a complete idiot...

“I’m not going to be killed,” she said to herself. “I love living too much.”

The next morning, Tom woke Megan with his usual smile. Megan got up, dressed and braided her hair again before getting Hedwig to go into her cage. Megan was just getting out of her room when she saw Ron barge out of his own room looking angry.

“The sooner we get on the train, the better...” he grumbled. “Percy’s driving me nuts with his stupid badge, and on top of that he accused me of spilling tea over his picture of his girlfriend! Now she won’t show herself because she got blotches on her nose.”

Harry, Cedric and Hermione were at the foot of the stairs. After the usual morning greetings, she said in a low voice:

“I need to tell you guys something.”

But Fred and George bustled in loudly, interrupting her. So, they headed down to breakfast and found Mr Weasley reading the paper again. She had no chance to talk to her friends in the chaos of leaving. Heaving their trunks down, piling them and the owls, not to mention Crookshanks, up in the cars...

“I’ll let you out on the train,” Hermione said when he hissed through his basket.

“No, you will not!” Ron said. “What about Scabbers?”

The rat was a lump on Ron’s trumpet.

“Let’s get going, then,” Mr Weasley said.

He and Cedric marched through the hall to the cars where Cedric went in first, followed by Megan. Ron and Hermione.

The journey was quiet compared to the Knight Bus. They were pretty ordinary cars, except for the fact that like the Knight Bus, they slipped through places no car would fit through. The drivers got the party trolleys and left while the others took their luggage to the platform. Megan noticed Mr Weasley stayed close to her all the time they walked.

“Okay,” he said when they reached the barrier. “We’ll go in pairs, since there are so many of us and not much time.”

Megan and Cedric took the first turn. They pretended to lean into the wall and quickly slipped through the magical barrier. The familiar large red steam engine and the platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children off appeared before, full of smoke and noise. Percy and Ginny appeared behind them.

“Oh, there’s Penelope!” Percy said. “Excuse me.”

He strode off. Megan and Ginny exchanged a cognitive glance and giggled. But Megan couldn’t help glancing at Cedric. The other Weasleys, Harry and Hermione soon joined up with them, and the next ten minutes were spent loading the trunks and cages. Then, Mrs Weasley gave all of them a hug.

“Do take care, Megan.” She said to her.

She smiled.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got great friends.”

While Mrs Weasley gave a few last minute pieces of advice to the others, Mr Weasley touched Megan’s shoulder.

“Megan, can I speak to you a moment?”

She nodded and followed him to a pillar a few feet away.

“There’s something I need to tell you before you leave...”

“Mr Weasley, I already know.” Megan said.

“Wh-What?”

“I... I heard you and Mrs Weasley talking last night...” she explained. “I couldn’t help hearing... I’m sorry.”

“Well... it’s not exactly how I wanted you to find out...”

“It’s fine, Mr Weasley. I would have found out sometime anyway. And this means you didn’t break your word not to tell me to Fudge.”

“Yes, but... you must be scared...”

Megan laughed, though a little more forcibly than she would have normally.

“Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I get scared at the first thing that comes to attack me, Mr Weasley.”

He looked very dubious.

“I’m not scared,” she assured. “I’m not playing the heroine, but I mean... he can’t be worse than V-I mean… You-Know-Who, can he?”

“Megan... I knew you were... well, not as fragile as Fudge believes but...”

“Arthur!” called Mrs Weasley as she shepherded people onto the train. “What are you doing? It’s about to leave!”

“Coming, Molly.” He turned to Megan. “Listen, I want you to give me your word –”

“That I’ll be a good little witch and stay in the castle?” Megan sighed.

“Not exactly,” said a very serious-looking Mr Weasley. “I want your word that you won’t go looking for Black.”

“... Mr Weasley, why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?” Megan asked.

“Arthur, hurry!” Came Mrs Weasley’s voice.

“Whatever you might hear...”

“I won’t, Mr Weasley.”

The train steamed loudly as it started to move. Cedric pulled the door open and held out his arm. Megan darted towards him and caught his arm. He hoisted her inside and closed the door. They waved at the Weasleys until they were out of sight.

“Phew, that was close. Thanks, Cedric.”

“Any time.” he smiled. “Come on, the others found a compartment.”

Indeed they had. Megan and Cedric sat down. Megan then noticed that there was an extra passenger. He was sleeping, but what struck Megan most was that it was an adult. She had always seen it full of students and aside form the staff such as the lady with trolley or the driver, had thought it only for the students. He was extremely shabby, and looked ill and tired. He looked young, with light brown hair.

“Who d'you think that is?” Harry wondered in a low voice.

“Professor R.J. Lupin,” Hermione said.

“How d'you know?” Ron asked.

“It's on his suitcase, look,” she answered, pointing.

A small battered suitcase did indeed bare the inscription “R J Lupin”.

“What could he teach?” Harry wondered.

“Obvious, isn't it? The only vacant position is the Defence Against the Dark Arts.”

“Well, I hope he's better than that idiot Lockhart...” Megan said.

They had had two teachers already. One had been a supporter of Voldemort and tried to kill Megan, while the second had been an A-class fraud.

“Yeah, and I mean he does look like a spell could finish him off...” Ron said.

Cedric, who was sitting opposite Megan, turned to her:

“What was it you wanted to tell us?” he asked.

Megan took a deep breath, and began explaining what she had heard. When she'd finished, Harry and Ron look thunderstruck, Hermione, horrified, had thrown her hands over her mouth and Cedric frowned, worried.

“He broke out of Azkaban to come after you?!” Hermione gasped. “... Oh, Megan, you'll have to be really careful, don't go looking for trouble...”

“Hermione, I don't go looking for trouble.” she said, fighting he exasperation out of her voice. “I don't need to, it usually finds me on its own.”

“Besides, Megan's not thick enough to go after someone who wants to kill her.” Ron said, but he was clearly trying to sound more at ease than he really was.

Megan sighed. She was touched that they worried about her, but it was a little disturbing that they were more scared than her when she was the one supposed to be in danger.

“You must never be alone.” Cedric said.

“But they'll catch him soon, won't they? I mean everyone's looking, even the Muggles have been warned.” Hermione said nervously.

“Yes, but if he managed to get out of Azkaban-Ouch!”

Megan had kicked Harry. Hermione was nervous enough without pointing out that Black wouldn't be so easily captured. Just then, a faint whizzing noise rung in the compartment.

“What's that?”

“Megan, I think it's coming from your trunk...” Harry said.

Megan stood up and opened her trunk. It was her Sneakoscope that had begun to spin.

“Oh, is that a Sneakoscope?” Hermione asked interestedly.

“Yeah. Cheap one, mind. Kept spinning when I tied it to Errol.” Ron said.

“Were you doing something untrustworthy?” Hermione asked, her eyes narrowed.

“No! Well... okay, I suppose I wasn't meant to use Errol, he doesn't like long travels...”

“Ron...!” Hermione said disapprovingly.

“How else was I supposed to get Megan her present?”

“It's okay, Ron.” Megan said, putting it back in her trunk so it didn't wake Professor Lupin up.

“We could get it checked in Hogsmeade.” Harry suggested. “Dervish and Banges have all kinds of magical instruments and stuff, according to Fred and George.”

“D'you guys know much about Hogsmeade? Hermione asked with a keen voice. “I heard it's the only entirely magical settlement in Britain.”

“Yes,” Cedric answered. “And there's all sorts of cool places. The Three Broomsticks, that's a pub, there's Zonko's, the joke shop, and of course, Honeydukes, the huge sweet shop. And it's an interesting historical site, too.”

“Yeah, maybe. But I just want to go Honeydukes, it's got Chocolate Frogs, Chocoballs, Pepper Imps, Sugar Quills...”

“But isn't there the Shrieking Shack? I read it's the most haunted building in Britain...”

“And the sherbet lemons...”

Ron was ignoring her completely. Megan shook her head with a small smile.

“You'll love Hogsmeade, I can't wait to show you around,” Cedric said to Megan.

Megan heaved a sigh.

“And I'd love to go with you, but... I can't.”

“What? Why not?”

“... The Dursleys didn't sign my form... and Fudge wouldn't either. He even seemed to think it was best if I didn't go... But then, he does treat me like a four year old.”

“You're not allowed to come?!” Harry asked horrified. “I'm sure McGonagall or someone will give you permission...”

Megan shook her head.

“I doubt it. None of them are related to me or anything…”

“Or Fred and George can help, they know the castle better than anyone.”

“Ron, I don't think Megan should be sneaking out of school with Black on the loose...!”

“Hermione, I know that's probably what McGonagall will say, but I'm not a baby.”

“And if we're with her – “

“Don't be silly, Ron, Black won't be frightened off by a bunch of third years and a fifth year, honestly!” Hermione said exasperatedly. “He killed thirteen people in a crowded street! What threat are we going to pose?”

She turned to unbuckle Crookshanks' cage.

“Don't let him out!” Ron shouted.

But too late. He sprung from the basket and hopped onto Ron's knees.

“Get off!”

“Ron, don't!”

Megan shushed them.

“You'll wake him up!” She said, nodding to Lupin.

But he only stirred a little.