No one in Gryffindor Tower slept that night. The whole house stayed awake in the common room, waiting to hear whether Black had been caught. Professor McGonagall came back at dawn, to tell them that he had again escaped.

Throughout the day, everywhere they went they saw signs of tighter security; Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan had been fired. His portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back. She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had agreed to return to her job only on the condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of surly security trolls had been hired to guard her.

Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and Ron was rather enjoying the experience.

". . . I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft . . . I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down. . . . I rolled over . . . and I saw him standing over me . . .like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair . . . holding this great long knife must've been twelve inches . . . and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered"

"Why, though?" Ron added to Harry."Why did he run?"

Percy thought the same thing Why had Black a man who murdered thirteen muggles without regret, having got the wrong bed, not silenced Ron and proceeded to Harry?

"He must've known he'd have a job getting back out of the castle once you'd yelled and woken people up," said Harry thoughtfully."He'd've had to kill the whole House to get back through the portrait hole . . . then he would've met the teachers. . . ."

Neville was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him a detention, and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the tower. But the worst was the thing a Hogwarts student could receive over breakfast — a Howler.

Two days after Black's break-in, she sent Neville one. The school owls swooped into the Great Hall carrying the mail as usual, and Neville choked as a huge barn owl landed in front of him, a scarlet envelope clutched in its beak. And when he opened it, Neville's grandmother's voice, magically magnified to a hundred times its usual volume, shrieking about how he had disgraced the whole family.

Hagrid also invited Harry and Ron for a tea party. So Percy decided to just do his homework. Being excellent in Potions, he really didn't do much. So when Harry and Ron came back at nine o clock, a large group of people was bunched around the bulletin board.

"Hogsmeade, next weekend!" said Ron, craning over the heads to read the new notice. "What d'you reckon?" he added quietly to Harry as they went to sit down.

"Well, Filch hasn't done anything about the passage into Honeydukes. . . ." Harry said quietly.

"Harry!" said a voice in his right ear.

"Harry, if you go into Hogsmeade again . . . I'll tell ProfessorMcGonagall about that map!" said Hermione.

"Can you hear someone talking, Harry?" growled Ron, not looking at Hermione.

"Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you! I mean it, I'll tell —" So now you're trying to get Harry expelled!" said Ron furiously."Haven't you done enough damage this year?"

"That's enough Ron!" Percy scolded. "You can't hold on this petty grudge 'bout your pets. I thought Hagrid would've knocked some senses into you."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but with a soft hiss, Crookshanks leapt onto her lap. Hermione took one frightened look at the expression on Ron's face, gathered up Crookshanks, and hurried away toward the girls' dormitories.

"So how about it?" Ron said to Harry as though there had been no interruptions. "Come on, last time we went you didn't see anything. You haven't even been inside Zonko's yet!" 

Percy looked at them, he shook his head and went back to his dorm.

The next Saturday morning, Percy alongside Hermione visited Hogsmeade again. They first visited Spintwitches Sporting Needs looking through some new quidditch equipment and to his aghast, Hermione forced him to buy new quills at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. As they started to leave with enough quills and ink to last two years, he noticed Ron buy Dungbombs, Hiccup Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, and a Nose-Biting Teacup. How he had acquired this much money, made Percy suspicious until Hermione nudged him that she was done.

Then they went to the three broomsticks and had a wonderful time trying new drinks. Ranging from simple cherry syrup to gilly water. He almost tricked Madam Rosmerta by transforming into Percy Weasley into buying firewhiskey but Hermione caught him and dragged him outside pulling his ear. Regardless, poor Rosmerta didn't even know what happened.

But all the happiness was gone when an owl from Hagrid gave them a letter.

Dear Hermione and Percy,

We lost.

I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts.

Execution date to be fixed.

Beaky has enjoyed London.

I won't forget all the help you gave us.

Hagrid

So when Percy and Hermione returned to the castle, they were waiting for Harry and Ron to come back and when they came back, they didn't look in a good mood.

"Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely as she stopped in front of them. "Or have you just been to tell us?"

Percy cracked his knuckles but didn't say anything.

"No," said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. "I just thought you ought to know . . .Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."