Redemption For A Monster (Marauder fanfic) Book Three

9- A List Of Passwords

Sirius stormed inside the shack one evening in Febuary, slamming the trapdoor shut behind him, making Sara jump.
"What was that for?" She demanded.
Sirius kicked the wall angrily, and ran his fingers through his hair.
"What has happened?" Sara asked cautiously.
"Crookshanks just told me that Wormtail has gone missing" revealed Sirius.
"What do you mean, missing?"
"Apparently a spot of blood was found on one of Ronald Weasley's bedsheets, and now all the Gryffindors believe that Crookshanks ate the rat. Wormtail has faked his own death, for a second time, and gone into hiding. He must have thought me and the cat were getting too close to catching him".

"Well what do you we do now?" Questioned Sara.
"I don't know. Hopefully he hasn't gone far. Hogwarts is the safest place around, so I don't think Wormtail will leave the castle" replied Sirius.
"If he hasn't run away, then what was the point of faking his own death again?"
"Well this way, he doesn't have to spend any time in Gryffindor tower, near Crookshanks, or follow the Weasley boy around school. He is free to roam the castle as he pleases, and stay hidden from me"
"I can't believe that traitor would fake his death for a second time, to hide from you. If Crookshanks won't be able to catch him, then how are we going to reach Peter?"
"Simple. I break back in, and have a good search around the castle, until I find him. I'll do it every night if I have to".

"You can't, it's too dangerous!" exclaimed Sara.
"I don't have another choice. We are running out of time!" shouted Sirius.
"I know that, but you can't keep breaking into Hogwarts, any more times than necessary. It's just too dangerous"
"We only have a few months left Sara. Once the summer holidays arrive, Wormtail will disappear forever, and we'll never find him"
"I know! But we can't just...".
Sara trailed off, when she saw the trapdoor that led to the secret passageway, start to move. She stepped away from it, and flicked her wand, causing the door to swing open.
The pair prepared themselves for a fight, but relaxed when they saw Crookshanks jump into the room.

"Crookshanks? What are you doing here? And what have you got in your mouth?" Asked Sara, as she knelt down and stroked the cat.
Crookshanks dropped the piece of paper it had been carrying in its mouth, and turned to face Sirius, who had transformed into Padfoot.
Sara picked up the note, and stood to her feet, as she began to read it.
"Sirius, this looks like a list of passwords" Sara gasped.
Sirius turned back into a human, and snatched the paper from Sara, to read it for himself.
"What did Crookshanks say?" She asked.
"This piece of paper comes from one of the boys who shares a room with Ronald Weasley. And you're right, it is a list of passwords, for the Gryffindor tower, for the rest of the week.
After I attacked the Fat Lady, her portrait got replaced by an insane knight, who likes to change the passwords a lot. So with this, I'll be able to get in to the dormitory, any time this week" answered Sirius.

"Hold on, didn't we just say that Wormtail probably isn't hiding in the Gryffindor tower anymore" reminded Sara, as she sat down, and started stroking Crookshanks, who had climbed into her lap.
"We have to start somewhere. Just because he's faked his death, it doesn't mean that he isn't hiding in the boys room somewhere. And even if he's not there, we can still cross it off our list of places to look" replied Sirius.
"Well, I'm coming with you this time. I can search all of the girls rooms, while you search the boys"
"I'm not sure about this Sara"
"Well Wormtail might be hiding in one of the girls rooms, because he knows that you won't be able to find him there, since boys can't enter the girls rooms, as I'm sure you'll remember"
"I do. But I still don't want you coming with me".

"You said yourself that we are running out of time. We need to check all of the castle, and that will be quicker with two people, and you know it" stated Sara.
Sirius sighed and nodded his head.
"Alright, you can come. Just don't make me regret it".
"I won't" promised Sara.
"And remember, that this isn't a sight seeing mission. We are to find Wormtail, not enjoy walking around Hogwarts" reminded Sirius.
"Don't worry, I know how high the stakes are. I'm well aware that we have to be quick, and careful"
"Good".

"Well, when should we do this?" Asked Sara.
"Tonight?" Suggested Sirius.
"Look, I know you want to do this quickly, but we have to think about this carefully. We can't just rush into it, we need to plan a bit first, and decide on the best day to break in"
"Right. Any ideas then?"
"Give me a minute... It's Quidditch tomorrow"
"Yes, it is"
"Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, if Gryffindor win the match, there's bound to be a big party in the common room"
"So you're saying that tomorrow is not a good day to break in?"
"No, the opposite. After the party has finished, the students are going to be exhausted. Which gives us the perfect chance to break in, while they're all fast asleep".

"Sounds good to me. Although we won't have as long to search the rooms, as we know from experience how long Gryffindor parties can go on for. But at least they will all be sound asleep" admitted Sirius.
"Yes. McGonagall will stop the party, if it goes on for too long. You know what she's like. I don't remember our parties in the common room, lasting later than 1oclock in the morning. And we wouldn't want to break in earlier than then on a normal night anyway" replied Sara.
"You're right. We can wait in the forest, below the Gryffindor tower, once it gets to Midnight, and wait for the lights to go out. Then we will make our way inside the castle"
"Right... What happens if they lose the match though?"
"Well if they lose, they will probably go to bed really early, because they will all be miserable. So the plan will still work".

Crookshanks lept out of Sara's lap, and trotted down the trapdoor, allowing Sara to stand back up.
"We should probably get some sleep then, if we aren't going to be getting any tomorrow" sighed Sara, as she brushed ginger cat hair off of her skirt.
"Good call" agreed Sirius, as he followed Sara towards the bedroom.
"I assume that we are going to watch the Quidditch match tomorrow?" Sara asked.
"Of course. Harry is going to be playing on the broomstick we got for him, I wouldn't miss it for the world"
"Yeah, hopefully we will have better weather this time. I didn't enjoy getting soaked last time"
"Nor did I, but it was worth it, to see Harry fly"
"Yes. Yes it was".