132 The Black during the Feas (1/2)

”There you go,” said Ron. ”We got as much as we could carry.”

”Which was about the size of my room,” said Arth with a grin. ”It'll last us about a month.”

A wave of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry's lap. It was dusk, and Arth, Ron, and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and after having the time of their lives.

”Thanks,” said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. ”What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?”

”Everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wiz- arding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks. Honey dukes-”

”The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!” Interrupted Ron.

”Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look —” Started Hermione.

”We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks —”

”I got you some butter-beer, have some —”

”What did you do?” said Hermione, looking anxious. ”Did you get any work done?”

”No,” said Harry. ”Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in. . . .”

Harry told them about a goblet that Professor Lupin was given. Ron's mouth fell open.

”Lupin drank it?” he gasped. ”Is he mad?”

Hermione checked her watch.

”We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes. . . .” They hurried through the portrait hole and into the crowd, still discussing Snape.

”But if he — you know” — Hermione dropped her voice, glancing nervously around — ”if he was trying to — to poison Lupin — he wouldn't have done it in front of Harry.”

”He wouldn't have done it while he was in Hogwarts.” Said Arth wryly.

”Yeah, maybe,” said Harry as they reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

The food was delicious; even though most of them were full with Honeydukes sweets, managed second helpings of everything.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts.

They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading except his head kept on falling off every time he bent over to present his neck.

After the feast, they followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

”Why isn't anyone going in?” said Ron curiously.