❝You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?❞
❝You should know the answer to that by now, Harry.❞
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Life has always been a bit disorganized for Novana Lupin. With her father's monthly transformations, the girl often found herself in the comp...
❝I'm fine, Harry. Thank you.❞ ❝You'd tell me if you weren't, right?❞
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"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHAT'S GOING ON?"
No doubt attached by Draco's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.
"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs Norris?" He shrieked, his popping eyes falling on Harry.
He screeched, pointing a crooked finger at the boy, "You! You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you, I'll —"
"Argus!"
Dumbledore arrived on the scene, followed by several other teachers, including Pandora Lupin. He swept past the quartet in seconds and detached Mrs Norris from the torch bracket.
Nova caught her mother's curious gaze and was relieved to see she did not believe they did anything to Mrs Norris.
"Come with me, Argus," Dumbledore said to Filch. "You, too, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Lupin, Miss Granger."
Lockhart stepped forward eagerly, "My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free —"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.
The crowd was silent as they parted to let them pass. Looking excited and as if he were important, Lockhart hurried after Dumbledore, along with Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin.
As they entered Lockhart's darkened office, there was a flurry of movement across the walls. Nova and Harry saw several Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore laid Mrs Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. The quartet exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.
Nova twiddled with her thumbs as he watched Dumbledore look over the cat. He looked at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. His long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs Norris's fur.
Pandora watched Dumbledore examine Mrs Norris while also looking at the quartet every so often to ensure they weren't too frightened. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression; it was as though he was trying hard not to smile. Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.
"It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her . . ."
Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs Norris, his face in his hands. As much as she disliked Filch, she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, especially if she had something to do with her death without her knowledge.
