TRUST ME, harry potter ( very slow updates )

THIRTY-NINE, PADFOOT'S LETTER!

IT WAS SAFE TO SAY THAT NOBODY in the Gryffindor Tower fell back asleep that night; The castle was being searched, again, and everybody came back into the common room to see if he had been caught at least five times. They were all on edge now, but Cassie knew the truth. She knew he was innocent. If he wasn't innocent, there was no way Fran would let him live at theirs with Forrest there.

Throughout the day, everywhere they went they saw signs of tighter security; Professor Flitwick was teaching the front doors to recognize a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes.

And finally, 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 was still extremely nervous, but had agreed to return to her job with the condition that she was given extra protection. A bunch of security trolls had been hired to guard her. They paced the corridor in a menacing group, talking in grunts and comparing the size of their clubs.

Cassie was standing with Harry and Ron, Callie had gone to speak to Rowan and Aurora about something.

"D'you reckon we should tell someone?" Harry asked Ron and Cassie, gesturing to the one-eyed witch passageway that was left unguarded. It was clear that they were the only ones who knew of that passageway.

"We know he's not coming in through Honeyduke's," said Ron dismissively. "We'd've heard if the shop had been broken into."

Cassie nodded along with Ron, "Besides, you wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade if you—"

"I can just sneak out with you guys," Harry told her, smiling slightly. "I have an invisibility cloak, remember?"

Cassie smiled sheepishly, "Oh, yeah... Wait. You would still need this passageway; There's Dementors, they can see right through the invisibility cloaks."

It was Harry's turn to smile sheepishly. "Oh, yeah,"

Ron cleared his throat, "I'm still here," he said, waving his hand. "I know I nearly got killed, but I didn't!"

Ron was an instant celebrity, much to his delight. Cassie rolled her eyes as a group of girls walked past, and asked him what had happened.

"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."

Cassie sighed and shook her head. She shared an amused glance with Harry.

"Why, though?" Ron added to Harry and Cassie as the group of girls who had been listening to his chilling tale left. "Why did he run?"

"Maybe," Cassie started, "He wasn't after you? He could've been after... I don't know, Scabbers?"

"Scabbers is dead," Ron said plainly, "Because of Hermione's stupid cat!"

Cassie rolled her eyes, "Yes, I know he is dead, Ron," she stated, "I was just using him as an example."

"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 after Cassie had spoke. "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. 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, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him. None of these punishments, however, came close to matching the one his grandmother had in store for him. Two days after Black's break-in, she sent Neville the very worst thing a Hogwarts student could receive over breakfast -- a Howler.

Cassie was sat at the Gryffindor table, per usual, when the school owls all swooped into the Great Hall, carrying the mail. Neville choked as a huge barn owl landed in front of him, a scarlet envelope clutched in its beak.

Cassie smiled when a letter landed in front of her, with her name written on it.

"Run for it, Neville," Ron advised, as everybody eyed Neville's Howler.

Neville didn't need to be told again. He grabbed the envelope, and holding it before him like a bomb, sprinted out of the hall, while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight of him. They heard the Howler go off in the entrance hall -- Neville's grandmother's voice, magically magnified to a hundred times its usual volume, shrieking about how he had brought shame on the whole family.

Cassie ripped open her letter, her eyes scanning every word, a grin on her face.

My precious angel — Cassie,

I'm guessing you wouldn't send a letter first, as you're probably too busy stuck in your thoughts and struggling to figure out what you believe.

I am going to tell you the truth, whether you believe it or not, it is up to you.

That night in Godrics Hollow, when HE killed James and Lily, I was in yours, taking care of you and Callie so your mum and Remus could've taken care of the others. It was hard for them, two sets of twins and a newborn baby.

Well, I took you and Callie up to your room — you may or may not remember this, I remember when Dumbledore informed us of your powers. I put you and Callie in your bed, it was quite late so you needed to sleep.

But, you couldn't. You were crying. You were the one that told me James and Lily were dead; You were the one that protected me from a killing curse— I'm assuming you know that you're my guardian angel.

I wasn't the Potter's secretkeeper. I was at first, but I made James change it to Peter, I would've been the obvious choice. Words cannot describe how guilty I feel, ever since that night, I've been blaming myself. If only I hadn't made James change it to Peter, they would've been alive.

Peter is still alive. I saw him on the cover of The Daily Prophet, I saw him in Ron's hands. Scabbers isn't a normal rat, Cassie, he is Peter Pettigrew. Crookshanks have been going after Scabbers, because I told him to. The cat knows everything.

Your mum knows everything, too, and so does Forrest. You need to get the others to believe you, I know it is going to be hard, but if they believe you, then I would be able to stay at yours until my name is cleared. Francesca is working on clearing my name right now as I write this letter.

PS: Scabbers is still alive somewhere, keep an eye out — find him and keep him in a jar.

Love,
Padfoot.

A/N: Just to let you all know, huge plot twists are coming soon — I don't know when yet, but they will be soon. ALSO check out my George Weasley fanfic 'Cherry'.
QOTD: what is your favourite snack?
AOTD: chocolate covered pretzels!