Then clambered back up the incline, their voices fading away.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione reeled in the Extendable Ears. Harry, who had found

The need to remain silent increasingly difficult the longer they eavesdropped, now found

himself unable to say more then, “Ginny—the sword—”

“I know!” said Hermione.

She lunged for the tiny beaded bag, this time sinking her arm in it right up to the

Armpit.

“Here . . . we . . . are . . .” she said between gritted teeth, and she pulled at

Something that was evidently in the depths of the bag. Slowly the edge of an ornate

Picture frame came into sight. Harry hurried to help her. As they lifted the empty portrait

of Phineas Nigellus free of Hermione’s bag, she kept her wand pointing at it, ready to

Cast a spell at any moment.

“If somebody swapped the real sword for the face while it was in Dumbledore’s

office,” she panted, as they propped the painting against the side of the tent, “Phineas

Nigellus would have seen it happen, he hangs right beside the case!”

“Unless he was asleep,” said Harry, but he still held his breath as Hermione knelt

Down in front of the empty canvas, her wand directed at its center, cleared her throat, then

said:

“Er—Phineas? Phineas Nigellus?”

Nothing happened.

“Phineas Nigellus?” said Hermione again. “Professor Black? Please could we talk

to you? Please?”

“’Please’ always helps,” said a cold, snide voice, and Phineas Nigellus slid into

his portrait. At one, Hermione cried:

“Obscura!”

A black blindfold appeared over Phineas Nigellus’s clever, dark eyes, causing

Him to bump into the frame and shriek with pain.

“What—how dare—what are you—?”

“I’m very sorry, Professor Black,” said Hermione, “but it’s a necessary

precaution!”

“remove this foul addition at once! Remove it, I say! You are ruining a great work

of art! Where am I? What is going on?”

“Never mind where we are,” said Harry, and Phineas Nigellus froze, abandoning

His attempts to peel off the painted blindfold.

“Can that possible be the voice of the elusive Mr. Potter?”

“Maybe,” said Harry, knowing that this would keep Phineas Nigellus’s interest.

“We’ve got a couple of questions to ask you—about the sword of Gryffindor.”

“Ah,” said Phineas Nigellus, now turning his head this way and that in an effort to

catch sight of Harry, “yes. That silly girl acted most unwisely there—”

“Shut up about my sister,” said Ron roughly, Phineas Nigellus raised supercilious

Eyebrows.

“Who else is here?” he asked, turning his head from side to side. “Your tone

displeases me! The girl and her friends were foolhardily in the extreme. Thieving from

the headmaster.”

“They weren’t thieving,” said Harry. “That sword isn’t Snape’s.”

“It belongs to Professor Snape’s school,” said Phineas Nigellus. “Exactly what

claim did the Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did the idiot

Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity!”

“Neville is not an idiot and Luna is not an oddity!” said Hermione.

“Where am I?” repeated Phineas Nigellus, starting to wrestle with the blindfold

again. “Where have you brought me? Why have you removed me from the house of my

forebears?”

“never mind that! How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville, and Luna?” asked Harry

Urgently.

“Professor Snape sent them into the Forbidden Forest, to do some work for the

oaf, Hagrid.”

“Hagrid’s not an oaf!” said Hermione shrilly.

“And Snape might’ve though that was a punishment,” said Harry, “buy Ginny,

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 831