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21

𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚖 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 <𝟹

A/N: long ass chapter 😩

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Everyone was afraid.

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 speeding 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.

Ron had become a celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience. Though still terrified by the night's events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked what had happened, with lots of detail.

"...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."

Y/N rolled her eyes having heard the story for the twentieth time today.

"Why, though?" Ron added as the group of second year girls who had been listening to his chilling tale departed. "Why did he run?"

'I'm not what everyone thinks I am'

His words replayed in her head.

He had proved twelve years ago that he didn't mind murdering innocent people, and this time he had been facing five unarmed boys, four of whom were asleep.

"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. "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. Y/N felt terrible for him.

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. 

Neville was forced to wait outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in.

 None of these punishments, however, came close to matching the one his grandmother had in store for him. 

Two days after Sirius' break-in, she sent Neville a Howler.

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 bright red envelope clutched in its beak. 

"Run for it, Neville," Ron advised. Y/N grinned remembering Ron's memorable Howler from last year, she had it memorized word for word.

Errol landed with a 'thump'

Ron's eyes widened upon having a red letter dropped right at his fingertips.