Hexad

book three, chapter fifteen

Harry Potter and the Grim Truth.

Chapter fifteen: Let It Go, Snape.

If the chapter gets kinda cringe down the line, let it be known my writing is shitty (it's also over 9k words and I am going to cry when I get to book 4)

ITS ALMOST 10K. HELP ME THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I REWRITE CHAPTERS I LIKE

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Barely anyone slept in Ravenclaw Tower that night-- Lisa was among the few who did, which wasn't very surprising for her-- and everyone else in the tower stayed up in the common room, afraid to be caught alone; Anxious to hear if Black had been caught. Professor Flitwick returned at dawn to tell them, much to everyone's chagrin, including his own, that Black had escaped yet again.

Throughout the day, all anyone could see were signs of tighter security. Professor Flitwick had begun teaching the front doors to recognise a large picture of Black; Filch was bustling up and down corridors, boarding up everything from the smallest cracks in walls to mouse holes. Sir Cadogan was fired immediately, returned to his lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Eagle Knocker had been returned to its rightful place, however, with extra protection incase Black decided he wasn't finished. A pair of surly security trolls had been placed to guard it; They paced the corridors menacingly, talking in grunts and comparing how hard they could hit eachother with their clubs.

Harry couldn't help but notice that the one-eyed witch on the third floor had gone unguarded and unblocked-- it seemed Fred and George had known what they were talking about, as not even Filch knew about it. Only the two of them, and now Harry-- and Lisa, and Padma, and Ron, and Draco, and Hermione-- knew about the secret passageway concealed within it.

"Reckon we should tell someone?" Wondered Harry as they walked past the corridor on their way upstairs.

"Eh," shrugged Padma. "He's not getting into Hogsmeade at all, I bet."

"We'd hear that the shop was broken into if he was getting in through there anyway." Ron agreed.

Harry, although slightly doubtful, was quite glad the way hadn't been sealed. If it were, he'd never be able to get to Hogsmeade.

Ron had become an instant 'celebrity' almost overnight. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than the others, and it was obvious he was enjoying it. Though still obviously shaken up, he was more than happy to tell anyone who asked what happened in full detail.

"...I was asleep, and I hear this ripping noise. Thought I was just having a weird dream, you know? But then I was real cold-- I woke up and saw the entire front half of my robes were ripped up, and Scabbers was trying to stuff himself under my arm -- I got up to try and see what it was, and I saw him... just standing over me... like a skeleton with loads of filthy hair... he had these great big claws, sharp enough to turn me into a skeleton.. He caught me lookin' at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered.

"Why though?" Ron added as the group of second-years listening to his story dispersed. "Why'd he run?"

"Probably because you screamed loud enough for half the bloody castle to hear." said Draco as if it were the simplest thing ever, "He'd have hell just trying to get in, I doubt he'd even be able to get out the common room once you'd alerted everyone he's there. He'd have to kill the whole House to even get through the portrait, and not to mention the professors.."

Amanda had secluded herself off from the school, and it wasn't an unusal sight to see Sue Li or Morag McDougal asking after her, begging to know if she'd been seen anywhere. Amanda was restricted from Hogsmeade until further notice, given about a week of detention, and, though not by the professors, the house had collectively decided she wasn't allowed to ask for passwords anymore. Despite that, she found her own way of getting into the common room every night, and nobody bothered to ask.