Y/N was pacing. The fire was burning low now, and he was awaiting the arrival of his mother. It had been around twenty minutes since his encounter with Black. Once he had recovered enough from his adrenaline surge, he'd pulled out the slightly older diary addressed to his mother and wrote.
'I need to speak to you and Professor Dumbledore, now. Urgent.'
He hoped this had gotten the message across. He didn't want to send the school into full lockdown, but he had to tell someone. And he'd much rather it was Dumbledore.
He was snapped out of his musings as there came the muffled voice of Sir Cadogan once more and the portrait hole swung open. Y/N could see Minerva's face on the other side as she gestured for him to join her.
'Why is it always you who seems to have the urgent things happen to them?' she asked as they began to move off up the corridors.
'Because I'm the one who can get in touch with you,' said Y/N with a half-smile. 'And also, I'm friends with Harry Potter. Danger seems to be in his blood.'
'Unless I'm very much mistaken, you seem to have been with him every time he's charged headfirst into it. In fact, it's normally him charging in after you,' said Minerva flatly.
'Well, this time trouble found me.'
Minerva looked at him questioningly as though hoping he'd go on, but he simply shook his head. He didn't want to recount this story more than once. Her reaction to it the one time would be enough.
They arrived outside the gargoyle protecting Dumbledore's office. Minerva gave the password, and the gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside. The two of them ascended the stairs and Minerva knocked once on the door.
'Enter.'
They stepped inside and Professor Dumbledore smiled at them from behind his desk as Fawkes took flight from the stand alongside it and came to land on Y/N's shoulder. He stroked the bird affectionately whilst Minerva stepped forward.
'Forgive me, Headmaster, but Y/N says it's urgent he speaks to both of us.'
'That's quite alright, Minerva. We have learnt by now that Y/N's emergencies tend to be very real emergencies.'
The two of them turned and looked at Y/N expectantly, who took a deep breath.
'Sirius Black broke into the Gryffindor Common Room.'
Dumbledore was on his feet so fast that Y/N staggered and McGonagall's face drained.
'He's not still there! He left but-'
'I will see it for myself Y/N if you don't mind,' said Dumbledore. He waved his wand, and a silvery bowl came floating out from one of the nearby cupboards. It settled itself down on Dumbledore's desk. 'I want you to think extremely hard about what happened, Y/N. About that memory. Then place your wand here-' he held an index finger to his own temple, '-and draw it away. Don't lose sight of that memory.'
Y/N closed his eyes and thought hard. He rested his wand against his temple and drew it away, and as he did the memory went hazy, unfocused, bits began to blur and then it was gone. He opened his eyes, and hanging from the end of his wand was a silvery thread. It looked a little bit like the Patronus charms wisp.
'Now, place it in the basin, Y/N,' said Dumbledore, gesturing him forward. Y/N walked forward and dropped the silvery strand into the basin. His head pulsed as he approached, but he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore it. It rested in the water - at least it seemed to be water - before expanding, enveloping the entire base of the bowl, and then an image began to appear, an image of the party in the Common Room. Dumbledore looked up at Y/N. 'Is this correct?'
Y/N nodded, and Dumbledore said, 'Simply place your face in the water.'
Together, he, Dumbledore and McGonagall all pressed their faces against the surface.
Y/N felt himself be pushed forward, his feet left the ground and he began toppling into the bowl, his arms flailing wildly. And then just as quickly as it began, it stopped. His feet hit the carpeted floor of the Common Room, and the noise of the party assailed his ears. Dumbledore landed on his left, and McGonagall on his right, just as the past Minerva walked in and began shutting down the party.
He watched himself wave Ginny goodnight and give Hermione a kiss on her forehead as she moved off, and then settle himself down in one of the armchairs by the fire.
'Sir, where are we?' asked Y/N.
'We are in your memory,' said Dumbledore. 'The Pensieve, that thing we just placed our faces into, is a powerful magical item that allows the user to relive his or her memories. As I get older, I find I have less space for those memories that matter, so I place them in here so I can remember them forever. Right now, we are in yours.'
Y/N turned to look at the him sitting by the fire, rubbing his head absent-mindedly. The pulsing was still there, and whilst it wasn't growing, it was constant. He hoped it wouldn't be much longer.
As though on queue, he heard himself saying something about Neville, and then the now horribly familiar muttering noise from outside of the Common Room followed by Sir Cadogan's 'And a pleasure to meet you sir!'
He watched as Sirius Black stepped into the Common Room and as he moved between Black and the stairs. Heard their conversation all over again. Seeing Blacks anxiety, his drive, his need to push past Y/N but not wanting to be caught. Then the disengage, the cogs wheeling, the loss of attention once he heard Scabbers wasn't present.
Y/N got a dirty look off his mother when he mentioned about overhearing from Fudge about Harry's dad, but he ignored it. This wasn't the time to be worried about getting in trouble. Finally, he watched Black sweep from the room as he stepped forward and picked up the list just as Neville's face appeared around the doorway. His final conversation with Neville and then the memory faded. He felt a hand on his shoulder as he was pulled backwards.
The sensation of falling in was now reversed, that coupled with the dull throbbing of his head caused him to almost stagger over as he came out the Pensieve and his mother had to catch him.
'That was an extremely brave, and an extremely foolish thing that you did in that Common Room, Y/N,' said Dumbledore the moment Y/N had taken some of the chocolate his mother offered him and colour began to return to his face. 'Minerva, please go and see to the removal of Sir Cadogan. As long as he remains, other students like Mr Longbottom may feel the need to write down passwords. This will put others at risk. I will speak to Mr Longbottom separately.' Minerva nodded and, with one last look at Y/N, swept from the room.
'Sir,' said Y/N as he steadily pulled himself upright. 'What do you think Black meant?'
'I don't know, Y/N,' said Dumbledore. 'I have my theories as I'm sure you do. Perhaps he was simply lying to ensure he was not caught-'
'I don't believe that, Professor,' said Y/N quickly.
'And why is that?' said Dumbledore, gesturing to a seat near his desk and looking at Y/N as though he was simply a teacher asking a subject question.
'Well…' said Y/N slowly, 'you saw the way his guard dropped once I said Scabbers wasn't in the Common Room. And Crookshanks has been after Scabbers from day one, that wasn't a lie. But on the day Ron found the blood and hairs, Crookshanks had been locked in another room with Ginny. It couldn't have been him. Ginny was watching him all day, and from the moment Hermione first bought him he's been chasing him. And Kneazle's have a really good sense of character. So I… I believe him sir.'
'The worrying thing is, Y/N. So do I,' said Dumbledore. 'Black may not have acted like an innocent man, and quite frankly I don't think he intends to, but he seems to be after something other than Mr Potter. Which then simply raises the question of why or how exactly this rat could have been capable of anything other than being a rat.'
'Do you have any theories on that, Professor?'
'I do. Few that hold merit and none of which I am willing to disclose. However, I ask that you tell as few people as possible about this encounter, Y/N. I will not prevent you from telling Miss Granger or Miss Weasley. Or even Mr Potter and Mr Weasley if you must. But do not allow it to go further than that. I will address this publicly once we know more.'
'Of course Professor, and about Neville-'
'Mr Longbottom will not get in trouble, Y/N. Whilst his move was foolish and could have led to something much more dire had you not been awake, he cannot be blamed for not remembering a password that changes every couple of days. Nor for a cat stealing it. From the sounds of it, he kept the note safe in his dormitory for his own use and it was simply taken.'
'Speaking of sir, if Crookshanks is helping Black-'
'Then we will do nothing about it,' said Dumbledore simply. 'We cannot control the actions of a cat. Not least of all one that is intelligent. It will escape whatever we confine it to and continue to assist Black in any way it can. I only hope that they find this Scabbers sooner rather than later and this can all be over and done with.'
Y/N wanted to press, he knew Dumbledore knew more than he was letting on. But whilst Dumbledore was still quite pleasant, he had a look on his face that said quite plainly he was not going into further detail.
'What's next then, Professor?'
'Nothing,' said Dumbledore simply.
'Nothing?' asked Y/N.
'Black has played his hand. He's made it apparent what he's after. I assume from what you said, you currently have no idea of this rat's whereabouts?' Y/N shook his head. 'Then all we can do is wait and watch. I will have security increased, and passageways blocked. This is the second time he has made it into the castle undetected and whether he's after my students or not, this cannot be allowed to let slide. Any flaw in Hogwarts defences must be removed. However, we can't hunt for him. These last few months have proven that to be useless, and we cannot hope to predict his next move as we do not know where what he's searching for has gone.'
Y/N nodded and got to his feet. He hadn't even noticed Fawkes resettle onto his shoulder, but the bird now took flight and fluttered back up to its pedestal. Y/N watched Fawkes for a few moments before Dumbledore spoke again.
'Wonderful creatures, phoenixes. I hear your Patronus has taken on the shape of one?' he asked.
'A hybrid. A mix of Phoenix and Otter. Me and Hermione.'
'A wonderful mix up of two young, powerful souls,' said Dumbledore his eyes also now turning onto the bird. He raised his wand, Y/N felt that same ancient pulse, and a silverly phoenix soared from the end of it giving a distant cry of song. It glided slowly around the room before dissipating and vanishing into vapour.
'Your Patronus is a phoenix as well, sir?'
'Yes,' said Dumbledore simply. 'Now, off to bed with you, Y/N. Professor Flitwick is waiting at the bottom of the stairs to escort you.'
Y/N took his leave and greeted Professor Flitwick, but his mind was elsewhere. Wandering back to the conversation he'd had with Remus.
'There is only one other person who has spoken to and treated me the way that you are now. And his Patronus is exactly the same.'
()()()()()()
'What were you thinking?!'
'What was I meant to do? Just let him waltz on upstairs? Unless you're forgetting, that's my dorm too, he'd have been in there with me either way!'
Hermione, Ginny, and Y/N were sitting in a corner of the Common Room in the early hours of the morning. Y/N had just finished recounting the events of the night to them. He was surprised he'd been able to remember it all given the withdrawal of the memory into the Pensieve, but figured it would be weird if he just forgot the memory forever.
Ginny was flat faced, he could almost hear the cogs in her head whirring whilst Hermione was squeezing Y/N's hand so tightly he was losing feeling.
'You could have been hurt, he had a knife, he broke in, what if you'd have been-'
''Mione it's okay,' said Y/N pulling her into a hug, which only served to move the tight squeezing to a different part of his body. 'I'm alive, I'm fine. And now we have a better idea as to exactly what Black's after.'
'But why Scabbers?' said Ginny slowly. 'My family has had him for years. I still remember hearing about Percy getting him just before I was born-'
'Wait, Scabbers is twelve?' asked Y/N sharply, looking around at her. 'I thought Percy got him once he started Hogwarts?'
'No?' said Ginny, looking surprised. 'He had him for longer than that. From what I know, they just found him in Percy's room one day. Mum kept throwing it out and it just kept getting back in. Percy got fond of it and decided he wanted to keep him. Mum looked after him mostly to begin with obviously, but once Percy was old enough-'
'And you've never thought that's weird?' asked Y/N.
'What do you mean?' asked Ginny.
'Gin, the average lifespan of a rat is 2-3 years,' said Y/N. 'If Scabbers is twelve and possibly older besides then there really is something dodgy going on there. That's way too long for a rat to live. Especially just an ordinary rat.'
'Can't say I ever thought about it,' said Ginny. 'I don't exactly wish death on pets, so when they make it a few years longer it's kind of a happy surprise.'
'I'm fairly sure I've read somewhere that the world's oldest rat only managed to reach seven,' said Hermione thoughtfully. 'It was in a world records book that muggles use.'
'A what?' said Y/N, steered from his thought trail.
'A world record book. Basically, the best person in the world at something is accredited in there. Oldest person, tallest person, person who can run the fastest and so on. It spread to animals as well. I think the world's oldest rat is Rodney. He made it to seven. That was about four years ago now.'
'That's actually a fairly smart idea,' said Y/N. 'Good way to recognise people and see how we grow.'
'Muggles do get some ideas over wizards, even without magic,' said Hermione with a smirk.
'That's why the most intelligent girl of our age was born one. She's got the best of both worlds,' said Y/N, kissing the top of Hermione's head and making her blush.
'If you two have finished,' said Ginny sternly.
'No, but go on.'
'You do raise a good point, Y/N. Longer lived and beyond any reasonable timescale are very different things at least for muggle rats. But is there a chance he's magical in some way?'
'Pretty sure Harry said the lady in the Magical Menagerie asked them that,' said Y/N, 'and Ron just said no, she didn't seem to want to doubt him either. If he does have any magical properties, I've hardly ever seen him show them. Might be worth asking Percy but I really don't know. Does he even look like he's aged?'
Ginny shook her head.
'He's always looked the same for as long as I've known him. The biggest change has been in this last year.'
'Just wish we had more time to focus on it,' said Y/N, his eyes wandering back to the book on past Hippogriff trials open in front of him. 'Between classes, homework, revision, Quidditch and preparing this stuff for Hagrid, we haven't really had much time.'
'There's nothing you can do anyway, Y/N,' said Hermione reassuringly as she reached over to pick up the piece of parchment they were using for notes. 'We don't know where Scabbers is anyway. And even if we did, what are we going to do? We can't exactly turn him into Black or anything can we?'
'If it gets rid of him and the Dementors then it might be worth it,' growled Y/N as he flicked the page moodily.
'What are they doing?' asked Ginny, staring over towards the notice board where a small group of 4th years had gathered and were chatting excitedly.
'Probably some Easter event they've got on or something,' said Y/N, turning his eyes back to the book as Ginny got to her feet and moved over.
'Hogsmeade,' she said bitterly a few moments later as she sank back into her chair. 'This Saturday.'
'Maybe we can actually have a proper date this time without Harry interrupting it,' said Hermione, looking cross.
'Speaking of, reckon he's going to try and sneak in again?' asked Y/N.
'Definitely,' said Hermione. 'Even if we told him not to, he would, though it doesn't mean I'm not going to try.'
'Good luck with that,' said Y/N. 'Harry and Ron are attached at the hip and the second I go anywhere even slightly close to them, they both disappear.'
'We know Black's not after Harry now though, maybe he'll be allowed in?' asked Ginny.
'Yeah, we know that' said Y/N, gesturing around at the three of them, 'and so do mum and Dumbledore. But no one else does. And I don't intend to tell him. Him thinking Black is after him is the only thing making him be careful at the moment. If he knew, he'd just rip the cloak off and strut around Hogsmeade.'
'I hate that you're right about that,' said Hermione, rolling up their notes and beginning to close up the books. 'Come on, we need to get this to Hagrid before breakfast. He's got the trial on Friday.'
()()()()()()
Over the course of the next week. Y/N could see the teachers subtly making changes to some of the items of the school to empower them against another break in. And Sir Cadogan was quietly swapped out in the middle of the night for the Fat Lady. She seemed constantly on edge, but there were several ghosts and suits of armour patrolling the corridor in front of her at all times.
The weekend of the Hogsmeade visit rolled around quickly. They bade a very sullen faced Ginny goodbye from the Common Room and made their way down to the Entrance Hall where Filch was ticking off names and peering into faces. They passed Harry on the Marble Staircase as they walked down, hand in hand.
'He's going,' said Y/N the moment they were out of earshot.
Hermione nodded solemnly.
'Ron's acting isn't exactly convincing,' she said.
'Neither is the fake innocent face Harry is trying to put on. He was practically stroking the map in his pocket.'
'The map!' said Hermione suddenly.
'What about it?'
'We can use it to find Scabbers!' she said excitedly. 'He should pop up on it shouldn't he?'
'Pretty sure the twins have told me before that it doesn't work on animals. But if he's magical then maybe it would know. We could also use it to see how Black's getting into the castle. It's worth a look either way,' said Y/N.
'Well. That's a job for later,' said Hermione as they finally had Filch tick off their names and she immediately wrapped herself around his arm. 'Where to first?'
'I was going to ask you the same thing,' said Y/N happily. Hermione's affection had gone from embarrassing to endearing in a heartbeat. He loved it now when she latched herself onto his arm. The way she pushed her hair back before she let her face fall down onto him. The way she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly.
'Earth to Y/N.'
'Sorry,' said Y/N, shaking his head. 'Lost in thought. What were you saying?'
'You want to start with the Shrieking Shack? We didn't get a proper look in it last time.'
'Of course I do. Anywhere with you is a delight.'
Hermione's cheeks went pink, but she beamed up at him and together the two of them made their way into the town happily. They took the turning just inside the entrance and began the steady climb up towards the Shrieking Shack.
Y/N saw it under a new light following his conversation with Remus. The idea of Remus as a Werewolf running past the windows, a shadow blurring past.
'It's an odd feeling, isn't it?' asked Hermione. 'The buildings haunted, to the point where it got named after it. And yet I feel calm here. It's like I want to just go inside and explore.'
'There's an entrance under the Whomping Willow,' said Y/N. 'Remus told me, but obviously you'd need to get past the Willow which is fifty times easier said than done.'
Hermione turned to face Y/N, holding his hands in hers. She raised her face to look into his eyes and he stared down into hers.
'It feels weird that we're always having these moments in front of this shack. Of all the places. There are so many more romantic places in Hogsmeade, and yet here we are.'
'We can head to Madam Pudifoot's tea shop if that's more interesting to you,' said Y/N, remembering the small, cramped, pink store that seemed to have been designed specifically for couples that they'd passed on their first trip through the town.
'Shut up,' said Hermione as a smiled curled her lips. 'Don't think that's either of our scenes.'
'Are you not a pink and frilly kind of girl?'
'Not really my style. Not saying I wouldn't rock it, but a little bit too girly for me. Blue seems far more fitting for me,' she said slyly.
'What's wrong with being girly?' asked Y/N, eyebrows raised.
'Brains are hotter,' she reached up and grabbed Y/N's face pulling him into a kiss. It was a fierce kiss, with the same energy she'd had in the duelling club the year before. And it was a while before either pulled away. Then, in sync, they both did.
'Always in front of the Shack,' smirked Y/N, glancing across towards it. 'What is it about it? The way the boards are nailed in? Or the way the wind ripples through the gaps?'
'Shut up.'
'Or maybe it's the way the house looks slightly crooked, as though someone tried to push it and didn't quite get it all the way.'
'I will jinx you, Y/N.'
'Oooooh I know! It must be the silence despite the fact that it's meant to be haunted. Really helps add to the atmosphere of wondering.'
Hermione's arm moved and Y/N flinched, her hand had just disappeared into her robes when she sighed and simply laughed.
'You're lucky I love you.'
The words had definitely slipped out, made even more apparent by the way her hand jumped to her mouth, her eyes went wide.
'I- I didn't-'
But the response came easily to Y/N. He'd known he felt this way for a while. This was more than just a crush. More than just someone he liked. This was a girl, the girl, that he would stay with for as long as they both could.
'I love you too.'
Hermione's hand drifted slowly away from her mouth, her face was difficult to read and for a few moments Y/N thought he'd messed up. Then she threw herself at him and almost sent both of them crashing down to the floor. She would have done if not for the fence surrounding the shack. Y/N managed to catch it and prop himself up against it.
'I've almost said that to you so many times. Like that time in the library when I got annoyed at Palmistry.'
'I figured so, especially with how Ginny was giggling once you hid your face. But I didn't want to force you into anything.'
'You could have said something instead of letting me worry about it!' cried Hermione.
'You mean like you did last year?'
Hermione glared at him, and then her face cracked into a happy smile and she pulled herself back in against his chest.
'Well then, let me do it properly this time. I love you, Y/N.'
'I love you too, 'Mione.' The two stayed like that for a few more minutes before Y/N broke the silence. 'Always the shack.'
They made their way back down the hill about five minutes later, Y/N still wincing slightly as he walked. They re-entered the high street and began to make their way up towards Dervish and Banges, Hermione wanted to see if they had anymore planners for future years as the one Y/N had gotten her was proving useful, when they saw Ron walking alone towards the Post Office. Or seemingly alone. The dull pulse that wracked Y/N's brain said otherwise.
Hermione gave a sigh and handed Y/N a piece of chocolate without a word as Y/N simply shook his head and the two of them pressed on. Whilst Dervish and Banges didn't have any more of the planners readily available, they were able to put in a request for one and the shop keep assured them that they would be willing to hold onto it until the next time they could visit Hogsmeade, even if that wasn't until the following year.
They made a stop at Honeydukes now that they knew Ron and Harry had already left and picked up the bits for themselves and Ginny as per usual. They stopped at Zonko's joke shop afterwards.
'I'm surprised you never buy more when we're in here,' said Hermione as they perused the shelves. 'They all seem like your style.'
'Whilst they are-' said Y/N as he investigated a small box of nose-biting teacups, '-they're a little bit too flashy for me. Words and wand tricks are more my style. This level of stuff is for the twins. But there's always something good around if you dig deep enough.'
Following this, the duo made their way towards the Three Broomsticks and settled themselves in. Whilst the weather wasn't unpleasant for the day, there was still something warming about sitting in a corner booth, Butterbeer on the table in front of him and Hermione leaning her head on his shoulder as she flicked idly through her Rune translations.
'I hope this never ends,' said Y/N idly as he drummed his fingers against the table.
'Hmmm?'
'This,' he said, gesturing at her head on his shoulder. 'It's like a dream come true, if you'd told me a few years ago that I'd be sitting in Hogsmeade with a girlfriend three years from now I'd have called you crazy. Especially after I met you. Didn't think I'd stand a chance.'
Hermione gave a warm smile and kissed him on the cheek.
'Well, it's very real. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you chase me off.'
'Well then you're staying for a while,' said Y/N, his eyes roaming the bar. He saw several hags cackling away near one of the far-off tables and what definitely looked like an ogre, though not as big or stupid, and-
'Oh no,' said Y/N as the twins slid through the crowd towards them.
'Well, he said 'oh no'. Guess we turn around now,' said George.
'Guess we won't pass this across,' smirked Fred as he withdrew a piece of parchment from his pocket. Y/N eyed it suspiciously.
'Use your weird magicy findy thing if you want,' said George. 'It's just a message from our brother.'
'The one who wants to take my house points, the one who wants to kill me or the one's I don't know?'
'The partridge in the pear tree,' said Fred as he threw the note down onto the desk. 'He just asked us to pass it on. Didn't say why, just said he'd rather we did it.'
'Well I appreciate it,' said Y/N with a nod and the twins moved off. Hermione eyed the note cautiously.
'You want me to open it?'
'I hardly doubt he's smart enough to enchant something onto it. And besides, it would have gone off for the twins. And I can't feel anything from it.' He picked up the parchment, held it so they could both see and flicked it open.
'Y/N
Meet me in the grounds near the Quidditch Pitch after Hogsmeade.
Ron'
'Short,' said Y/N as he folded up the note and tucked it away.
'Are you going to go?' asked Hermione.
'I see no reason not to. But I'm definitely taking my wand. Not going to let him get a free shot off.'
They finished up their drinks and then set off back towards the castle. Y/N was twirling his wand idly between his fingers as they walked. Hermione was doing her best to stay calm, but she too seemed nervous. They stepped back into the grounds and immediately turned towards the Quidditch pitch.
The setting sun reflected off the red hair before his face had even come into view. And standing alongside him was Harry. Y/N could still make out the faint outline of the scar across his cheek.
'At least we have a witness on both sides,' said Y/N as he detached himself from Hermione and stepped forward, his wand drawn.
'Planning on cutting me again?' Ron asked the moment he saw Y/N's wand.
'Call it insurance on if you decide you're going to get in my face again,' said Y/N.
'Well then, we'll keep it at a distance. But I'd rather Hermione came closer. This applies to her too.'
''Mione will stand as close as she wants,' said Y/N. 'I can't force her, neither can you.'
'Then I'll speak louder,' said Ron as he raised his voice. 'I'm sorry.'
Two words. Two very simple words. That immediately gave both Hermione and Y/N pause.
'You're-?'
'Sorry, yeah,' said Ron. 'I've been thinking about what you said. A lot actually. And Harry told me about you guys having Crookshanks shut away. I've been blaming you all for Scabbers getting worse when he was getting worse before Crookshanks. I've been yelling in your faces because Crookshanks has been acting like a cat. And then… you were right. I've been neglecting my friends, my family. I've been rude and obnoxious towards all of you. I don't expect forgiveness. I just want to say, I'm sorry.'
'You called him Crookshanks?' said Y/N. It felt so lame in response to everything Ron had just said, but so far he'd never said Crookshanks' name. He'd only ever been "that cat".
'Yeah, well, you called Scabbers by his, Hedwig by hers and Ves by hers. It's only fair.'
'I'm a long way from accepting you, Ron. Words are one thing. Actions are another,' said Y/N.
'I know. I know,' said Ron, 'but this is step one, isn't it? So, if you're alright to let me try then… I want to. I want to get better. Work past things. And I want to do it… with my friends.'
Y/N turned his eyes onto Hermione.
'What do you reckon?'
'I see no harm in giving him a chance,' said Hermione, her voice slightly raised so Ron and Harry could hear them, 'but I hope he knows that if anything like this happens again, we'll both be at liberty to wave our wands around.'
'I know,' said Ron. 'You two make one dangerous team, one dangerous couple, I'd be a fool to cross you again.'
'Figured it out in the end?' said Y/N.
'I had to tell him, he was almost there,' said Harry.
'For what it's worth, I'm genuinely happy for you both. You've been suited for each other since day one. And I've seen you both without the other one. You're better together,' said Ron.
'Keep this up Ron and I might actually start liking you again,' said Y/N as he stowed his wand and Ron's face cracked into a smile.
'Good. That means it's working.'
'Now why does Harry look like he's been beaten with a wet towel?'
()()()()()()
The four of them made their way back up to the Common Room whilst Ron and Harry told them all about their encounter with Malfoy up by the Shrieking Shack and the accidental reveal of Harry's head. Both Harry and Ron sprinting back to the castle, Snapes immediate incarceration of Harry once he'd gotten out of the secret passageway, Lupin being brought down to investigate the Marauder's map which Snape had attempted to use and Ron's arrival which had allowed them to get off with simply a watchful eye.
'I don't want to say I told you so,' said Hermione.
'Yes you do,' said Harry.
'You both get one,' said Ron.
'Told you so,' said Hermione and Y/N in unison.
'So, Remus has the map now?' asked Y/N, his heart sinking slightly, and Harry nodded.
'Said he wanted to hold onto it. Remus seemed to know what it was. Could be it was around when he was at Hogwarts.'
'Must have been,' said Y/N. 'The twins had it before this year and Remus wasn't even here. They said they stole it from Filch's office so maybe someone from Remus' year had it. Got a bit too loud-mouthed. Had it confiscated.'
'That must be it,' said Ron. 'Like Y/N said, this is Lupin's first year here since his own days. Can't be any other way he knows.'
'Feels like there's something more to it,' said Harry. 'Something deeper.'
But they were interrupted as they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady and it swung open. Ginny stepped out, her eyebrows raised.
'Must admit. Was only expecting to greet two people today. Hello Harry, brother.'
'Hiya Gin,' said Y/N brightly as she stepped forward. 'You have a good-?' but he was interrupted as she held out a letter.
'Addressed to you and Hermione. I didn't want to open it, but Ves brought it up.'
Y/N took the envelope and slid it open. The parchment inside was damp and had blotches seeping through it. Y/N immediately felt his stomach sink as he opened it, and read aloud.
'Dear Y/N and Hermione,
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'
'But all that stuff we did!' said Hermione, her eyes immediately filling with tears. 'All those dates, all those other cases.'
Ginny's eyes too were growing teary and both Ron and Harry were looking between each other looking oddly sheepish. But Y/N had his eyes locked on one of the patrolling suits of armour. It had stopped its patrol mid stride.
'No,' he growled, and the suit of armour began to shake slightly. 'They can't- They won't- Malfoy can't-' one of the bolts in the armours cuirass went soaring off and hit the wall.
'Y/N,' came Hermione's voice as a hand landed on his shoulder. All at once, the anger left him. The suit stopped shaking and began its patrol as though uninterrupted. It all left him the same way it had when Black had left the Common Room. He felt drained, tired. It was all a bad dream. It must be.
'They can't-' he gasped, and his voice broke.
'Come on, Y/N,' said Ginny gently as she and Hermione steered him inside, Ron and Harry following them in. Y/N settled himself down onto a chair, Hermione sat next to him and wrapped herself around him, as he felt the first few tears break through the barrier and began to fall softly down his cheeks.
