Ch 7. continue of 7th chapter

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!

And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds,

out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry's legs were

like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He

was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits

along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice

Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging

tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their

feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when

they came to a sudden halt.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as

Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to the first years. "A poltergeist." He raised

his voice, "Peeves -- show yourself"

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide

mouth appeared, floating cross- legged in the air, clutching the walking

sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle.

"Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked

Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on

Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as

he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as they set off again.

"The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even

listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a

pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said. "Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait

swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled

through it -- Neville needed a leg up -- and found themselves in the

Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the

boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase -- they were

obviously in one of the towers -- they found their beds at last: five

four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had

already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their

pajamas and fell into bed.

" Great food, isn't it?" Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings.

"Get off, Scabbers! He's chewing my sheets."

Harry was going to ask Ron if he'd had any of the treacle tart, but he

fell asleep almost at once.

Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange

dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which kept talking to

him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was

his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn't want to be in Slytherin; it

got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened

painfully -- and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with

it -then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh

became high and cold -- there was a burst of green light and Harry woke,

sweating and shaking.

He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he

didn't remember the dream at all.

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