Black and Potter | H. Potter

40 ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆ she knows.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

| SHE KNOWS |
song: dark red by steve lacy.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

THE DOOR OF THE OFFICE OPENED.

"Hello, Potter," said Moody. "Come in, then."

Harry walked inside. He had been inside Dumbledore's office once before; it was a very beautiful, circular room, lined with pictures of previous headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts, all of whom were fast asleep, their chests rising and falling gently.

Cornelius Fudge was standing beside Dumbledore's desk, wearing his usual pinstriped cloak and holding his lime-green bowler hat.

"Harry!" said Fudge jovially, moving forward. "How are you?"

"Fine," Harry lied.

"We were just talking about the night when Mr. Crouch turned up on the grounds," said Fudge. "It was you who found him, was it not?"

"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling it was pointless to pretend that he hadn't overheard what they had been saying, he added, "I didn't see Madame Maxime anywhere, though, and she'd have a job hiding, wouldn't she?"

Dumbledore smiled at Harry behind Fudge's back, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes, well," said Fudge, looking embarrassed, "we're about to go for a short walk on the grounds, Harry, if you'll excuse us . . . perhaps if you just go back to your class —"

"I wanted to talk to you, Professor," Harry said quickly, looking at Dumbledore, who gave him a swift, searching look.

"Wait here for me, Harry," he said. "Our examination of the grounds will not take long."

When Dumbledore opened the door, another figure, who had apparently been leaning against the door and eavesdropping, stumbled inside.

Ara stared back at him with the most innocent smile she could muster, "Professor! I was. . .er—looking for Harry. . ."

"Ah, Miss Black, good thing that you're here, please wait with Harry until I return, I'm certain we have matters to discuss," said Dumbledore with twinkling eyes.

"Right," Ara nodded, and then she spotted Fudge and Moody, she scowled at the former.

"Pleasure seeing you, Black," said Moody as he shuffled towards the door.

They trooped out in silence past her and closed the door, now it was just her and Harry. After a moment or so, Ara heard the clunks of Moody's wooden leg growing fainter in the corridor below.

"What are you doing here?" questioned Harry.

"Damn, what a way to greet me," Ara feigned hurt. "But to answer your question, I'm nosey, besides, I figured your headache wasn't just that, and I assumed this would be where you'd come."

"Yeah, you're right," muttered Harry, referring to his headache.

"So, what did you see?" said Ara as she went to stroke Fawkes, Harry followed after her.

Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, was standing on his golden perch beside the door. The size of a swan, with magnificent scarlet-and-gold plumage, he swished his long tail and blinked benignly at Ara.

She let out a small laugh, and Harry couldn't help but stare at her as if she was the most interesting thing in the world, he momentarily forgot about the question she asked.