Chapter 409: Cadogan, the Password Guardian
Chapter 409: Cadogan, the Password Guardian
Just as Michael had predicted, a lively party was held in the Hufflepuff common room that evening, lasting well into the night.
During the festivities, Rattler flew out the window with a small box. When he returned, it was filled to the brim with Honeyduke's candies, replacing the gold coins it had initially held. The atmosphere became even more festive.
Kyle felt sure that their laughter and merriment must have reached the adjacent kitchen, as the house-elves kept bringing them more snacks, and every empty plate was instantly refilled.
As the night wore on, some finally succumbed to sleepiness, setting aside their cookies and yawning as they returned to their dorms.
The party gradually came to an end.
Kyle lay in bed and soon drifted into a deep slumber.
...
After what felt like only a couple of hours, the door to the dormitory was abruptly knocked upon.
Cedric, clad in his pajamas, entered and turned on the light, rousing the two occupants of the room.
"What is it, Cedric? Isn't the party over yet?" Ryan asked, rubbing his eyes as he climbed out of bed.
"It's not about the party..." Cedric replied gravely. "Sirius Black broke into the Gryffindor dormitory a while ago, attempting to kill a student."
"Black broke into the dormitory?" Ryan was instantly alert, his face reflecting his disbelief. "You must be joking!"
"I'm not," Cedric shook his head. "Professor McGonagall has confirmed it. It's true."
Ryan was petrified, standing rigidly in place.
"Get up, you won't be able to sleep tonight," Cedric continued. "Professor Sprout just came by. She wants everyone to stay in the common room until the professors have finished searching the castle.
Hurry up and join the others, I need to notify the rest."
When they arrived at the common room, quite a few people were already gathered there. Conner waved at Kyle from a sofa in the corner.
"Have you heard?" she asked quietly. "Sirius Black broke into the Gryffindor dormitory."
"Yeah," Kyle nodded. "Cedric already told me."
"Do you think he might..." Conner glanced towards the entrance, a worried expression on her face.
"Don't worry, he won't," Kyle reassured her. "To enter the Hufflepuff common room, the first requirement is to have a wand... You can't knock on those barrels with your hand."
...
More and more people gathered in the common room, all of them in their pajamas, discussing the recent events with animated whispers.
They couldn't fathom how Sirius Black had managed to break into one of the house dormitories.
"I thought Gryffindor had a password," someone yawned and asked.
"And I heard that Sir Cadogan changes the password frequently, sometimes up to two or three times a day. How did Black guess it?"
"Maybe he tricked the portrait... I recall Sir Cadogan looking a bit daft, and his wits aren't the sharpest either."
The group huddled together in the common room, chatting and awaiting news of Black's capture.
At dawn, Professor Sprout returned, informing them that Black had escaped once more.
She told them to go back to sleep, but many remained where they were.
Feeling that they wouldn't be able to sleep even if they returned to their dorms, they opted to stay in the common room.
With more people around and the warmth of the fireplace, it felt safer than being in the dormitory.
Professor Flitwick went to the gatekeepers with a large photo of Sirius Black, and Filch was busy as a bee, running up and down the corridors, plugging up every crack and crevice in the walls.
"You won't believe what happened..."
"It's terrifying..."
At the Hufflepuff table, Fred and George were regaling their peers with a colorful account of the previous night's events.
"Black stood right in front of Ron, knife in hand..."
"Poor little Ron, he must've been terrified..."
"Wait, who did you say? Ron?"
Cedric interrupted them, a puzzled look on his face. "But shouldn't Black have been after Harry? Everyone knows it was Harry who defeated his master."
"His initial target was undoubtedly Harry," Fred said, "but I think he got the beds mixed up."
George shrugged. "Everyone pulls their curtains shut when they sleep, so Black couldn't see who was who. He just had to take his chances. And as it happened, Ron's bed was the closest to the door..."
"He probably didn't expect to be discovered so quickly, either."
"There's more," Cedric said, pouring himself some more cornflakes. "How did Black get in? Did your portrait, Sir Cadogan, not notice him at all?"
At this, Fred slammed his hand on the table, indignant. "Of course, he noticed! That idiot let him in!"
"That bumbling knight," George chimed in. "We thought he was amusing, but he turned out to be an absolute moron."
"He even saw Black's face and didn't care; he only cared about the password," George said angrily.
"Thank goodness they brought back the Fat Lady..."
"That fool of a knight belongs in a corner of the North Tower, where he can't do any harm."
"So Black knew your password?" Conner asked.
"He knew all the passwords for this week." George said, "Because..."
"Oh!"
Before he could finish, a chorus of exclamations cut him off.
At the Gryffindor table, Neville had jumped up, a red letter in his hand, and was fleeing the Great Hall as if his life depended on it... a Howler.
The sight of him sent the Slytherins into peals of laughter.
Then they heard the Howler go off in the entrance hall... Neville's grandmother's voice, magnified a hundred times, screaming about how he had brought shame upon the Longbottom name.
The Slytherins laughed even harder.
Hermione rushed out of the Great Hall, presumably to comfort Neville.
"Just as you see," Fred said with a shrug. "Neville wrote down all the passwords for the week on a piece of parchment, and then he lost it..."
"Black must've found it somewhere..." George continued, "...and then he came to the tower and recited the password."
"Professor McGonagall was furious," Fred said. "She's banned Neville from Hogsmeade and won't let anyone tell him the passwords."
"Poor Neville," George added. "He can only get back to the common room now if someone fetches him."
...
(End of Chapter)
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