第 30 页

through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were

boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran

toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick.

"But, Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play - the cup

Gryffindor -"

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Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her

megaphone:

"All students are to make their way back to the House common

rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further

information. As quickly as you can, please!"

Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry over to her.

"Potter, I think you'd better come with me ......

Wondering how she could possibly suspect him this time, Harry saw

Ron detach himself from the complaining crowd; he came running up

to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry's surprise,

Professor McGonagall didn't object.

"Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Weasley .....

Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about

the match being canceled; others looked worried. Harry and Ron

followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the

marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time.

"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a

surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has

been another attack ... another double attack."

Harry's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall

pushed the door open and he and Ron entered. .

Madam Pomfrey was bending over a fifth-year girl with long, curly

hair. Harry recognized her as the Ravenclaw they'd accidentally

asked for directions to the Slytherin common room. And on the bed

next to her was

"Hermione!" Ron groaned.

Hermione lay utterly still, her eyes open and glassy.

"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I

don't suppose either of you can explain this? It was on the floor next

to them ......

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She was holding up a small, circular mirror.

Harry and Ron shook their heads, both staring at Hermione.

"I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor

McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case.

"All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock

in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time.

You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use

the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch

training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more

evening activities."

The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listened to Professor

McGonagall in silence. She rolled up the parchment

from which she had been reading and said in a somewhat choked

voice, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is

likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these

attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know

anything about them to come forward."

She climbed somewhat awkwardly out of the portrait hole, and the

Gryffindors began talking immediately.

"That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one

Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff, " said the Weasley twins' friend Lee

Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed

that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming

from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin - why

don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and

scattered applause.

Percy Weasley was sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he didn't

seem keen to make his views heard. He was looking pale and stunned.

"Percy's in shock," George told Harry quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl

Penelope Clearwater - she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the

monster would dare attack a prefect."

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But Harry was only half-listening. He didn't seem to be able to get rid

of the picture of Hermione, lying on the hospital bed as though carved

out of stone. And if the culprit wasn't caught soon, he was looking at a

lifetime back with the Dursleys. Tom Riddle had turned Hagrid in

because he was faced with the prospect of a Muggle orphanage if the

school closed. Harry now knew exactly how he had felt.

"What're we going to do?" said Ron quietly in Harry's ear. "D'you

think they suspect Hagrid?"

"We've got to go and talk to him," said Harry, making up his

mind. "I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster

loose last time he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets,

and that's a start."

"But McGonagall said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're

in class -"

"I think," said Harry, more quietly still, "it's time to get my dad's

old cloak out again."

Harry had inherited) ust one thing from his father: a long and sil

very Invisibility Cloak. It was their only chance of sneaking out of

the school to visit Hagrid without anyone knowing about it. They

went to bed at the usual time, waited until Neville, Dean, and Sea

mus had stopped discussing the Chamber of Secrets and finally

fallen asleep, then got up, dressed again, and threw the cloak over

themselves.

The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors

wasn't enjoyable. Harry, who had wandered the castle at night sev

eral times before, had never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teach

ers, prefects, and ghosts were marching the corridors in pairs,

staring around for any unusual activity. Their Invisibility Cloak

didn't stop them making any noise, and there was a particularly

tense moment when Ron stubbed his toe only yards from the spot

where Snape stood standing guard. Thankfully, Snape sneezed at

almost exactly the moment Ron swore. It was with relief that they

reached the oak front doors and eased them open.

It was a clear, starry night. They hurried toward the lit windows

of Hagrid's house and pulled off the cloak only when they were

right outside his front door.

Seconds after they had knocked, Hagrid flung it open. They found

themselves face-to-face with him aiming a crossbow at them. Fang

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the boarhound barked loudly behind him.

"Oh," he said, lowering the weapon and staring at them. "What're

you two doin' here?"

"What's that for?" said Harry, pointing at the crossbow as they

stepped inside.

"Nothin' - nothin' - " Hagrid muttered. "I've bin expectin' doesn'

matter - Sit down - I'll make tea -"

He hardly seemed to know what he was doing. He nearly

extinguished the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then

smashed the teapot with a nervous jerk of his massive hand.

"Are you okay, Hagrid?" said Harry. "Did you hear about

Hermione?"

"Oh, I heard, all righ'," said Hagrid, a slight break in his voice.

He kept glancing nervously at the windows. He poured them both

large mugs of boiling water (he had forgotten to add tea bags) and

was just putting a slab of fruitcake on a plate when there was a loud

knock on the door.

Hagrid dropped the fruitcake. Harry and Ron exchanged

panicstricken looks, then threw the Invisibility Cloak back over

themselves and retreated into a corner. Hagrid checked that they

were hidden, seized his crossbow, and flung open his door once

more.

"Good evening, Hagrid."

It was Dumbledore. He entered, looking deadly serious, and was

followed by a second, very odd-looking man.

The stranger had rumpled gray hair and an anxious expression, and

was wearing a strange mixture of clothes: a pinstriped suit, a

scarlet tie, a long black cloak, and pointed purple boots. Under his arm

he carried a lime-green bowler.

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"That's Dad's boss!" Ron breathed. "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of

Magic!"

Harry elbowed Ron hard to make him shut up.

Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty. He dropped into one of his chairs

and looked from Dumbledore to Cornelius Fudge.

"Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge in rather clipped tones. "Very bad

business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone

far enough. Ministry's got to act."

"I never," said Hagrid, looking imploringly at Dumbledore. "You know I

never, Professor Dumbledore, sir -"

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence,"

said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge.

"Look, Albus," said Fudge, uncomfortably. "Hagrid's record's against

him. Ministry's got to do something - the school governors have been

in touch -"

"Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help

in the slightest," said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were full of a fire

Harry had never seen before.

"Look at it from my point of view," said Fudge, fidgeting with his

bowler. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing

something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more

said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty -"

"Take me?" said Hagrid, who was trembling. "Take me where?"

"For a short stretch only," said Fudge, not meeting Hagrid's eyes. "Not

a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught,

you'll be let out with a full apology -"

"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid.

Before Fudge could answer, there was another loud rap on the door.

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Dumbledore answered it. It was Harry's turn for an elbow in the ribs;

he'd let out an audible gasp.

Mr. Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, swathed in a long black

traveling cloak, smiling a cold and satisfied smile. Fang started to

growl.

"Already here, Fudge," he said approvingly. "Good, good. . ."

"What're you doin' here?" said Hagrid furiously. "Get outta my house!"

"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being

inside your - er - d'you call this a house?" said Lucius Malfoy, sneering

as he looked around the small cabin. "I simply called at the school and

was told that the headmaster was here."

"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" said Dumbledore.

He spoke politely, but the fire was still blazing in his blue eyes.

"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll

of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside.

This is an Order of Suspension - you'll find all twelve signatures on it.

I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have

there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate,

there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what

an awful loss that would be to the school."

"Oh, now, see here, Lucius," said Fudge, looking alarmed,

"Dumbledore suspended - no, no - last thing we want just now

"The appointment - or suspension - of the headmaster is a matter for

the governors, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy smoothly. "And as

Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks -"

"See here, Malfoy, if Dumbledore can't stop them," said Fudge, whose

upper lip was sweating now, "I mean to say, who can?"

"That remains to be seen," said Mr. Malfoy with a nasty smile. "But as

all twelve of us have voted -"

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Hagrid leapt to his feet, his shaggy black head grazing the ceiling.

'An' how many did yeh have ter threaten an' blackmail before they

agreed, Malfoy, eh?" he roared.

"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble

one of these days, Hagrid," said Mr. Malfoy. "I would advise you not

to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They won't like it at all."

"Yeh can' take Dumbledore!" yelled Hagrid, making Fang the

boarhound cower and whimper in his basket. "Take him away, an' the

Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! There'll be killin' next!"

"Calm yourself, Hagrid," said Dumbledore sharply. He looked at

Lucius Malfoy.

"If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside

-"

"But -" stuttered Fudge.

"No!"growled Hagrid.

Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy's

cold gray ones.

"However," said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that

none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will

* 26$*

ummer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake

alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into

bloom in the greenhouses. But with no Hagrid visible from the castle

windows, striding the grounds with Fang at his heels, the scene didn't

look right to Harry; no better, in fact, than the inside of the castle,

where things were so horribly wrong.

Harry and Ron had tried to visit Hermione, but visitors were now

barred from the hospital wing.

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"We're taking no more chances," Madam Pomfrey told them severely

through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every

chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off . . ."

With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the