𝙳𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚖 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 <𝟹
The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder.
The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with the portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat gray pony. Nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.
"He's a complete lunatic," said Seamus Finnigan angrily to Percy. "Can't we get anyone else?"
"None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer." Sir Cadogan, however, was the least of Y/N's worries.
She desperately wanted to talk to him again, she wasn't afraid, he had his chance to hurt her and he didn't. All she wanted was an explanation.
Y/N's metamorphmagus abilities were steadily increasing as the days passed, she practiced with Hermione every night, she was now able to manipulate her eye color easily and changing hair colors became simple and took little to no effort.
"In 1764 which magical creature was at war with giants?" Cedric asked as he quizzed Y/N for her history of magic quiz.
"Uhhh-" Y/N said sitting at the edge of the couch. "Mountain trolls?" She said making it sound more of a question than an answer.
"Centaurs" Cedric said. Y/N groaned in annoyance and Cedric smiled in amusement.
"I hate that class, why the bloody hell do I need to know all these things?" She huffed slouching back against the couch.
Cedric shrugged. "It's good for jobs like being a curse breaker, or working with old magical artifacts. Any idea what you want to work as?"
Y/N took a couple seconds to think, it hadn't really occurred to her that she'd need to chose a career. Being an Auror sounded interesting, but she didn't fancy the idea of essentially being a magical police officer.
"I dunno" she said
"In fifth year you'll meet with your head of house and they'll tell you which options you have" Cedric said.
"Really? What do you want to work as?"
"I want to be a quidditch scout, I don't think I'm good enough to play professionally but I'd say I have a good eye for seeing if people play well"
"What do you mean? You're brilliant! I bet you could play professionally for any team, besides the Gryffindor team has noticed a huge improvement in the Hufflepuff team ever since you became captain"
Cedric flushed slightly from the compliments, he'd be lying if he said he didn't find it very flattering. "You really think so?" He asked.
Y/N nodded with a smile, "You're one of the best seekers at Hogwarts"
***
"No"
"Why not! It could be incredible, besides you've been getting much better" Hermione said leaning onto Y/N's bed post.
"And what if I get stuck? Or can't turn back properly!" Y/N argued.
"But- I read about it, as long as you concentrate you could easily do it" Hermione pleaded. Every since finding out Y/N was a metamorphmagus she had dedicated hours of her life to finding out just how much Y/N was capable of doing, it was difficult not to be intrigued.
"Just- oh! Try turning into crookshanks" she said eagerly grabbing her pet and placing him on top of Y/N's bed.
Y/N sighed knowing Hermione wouldn't give up until she had at least tried.
"Fine" she said sitting up and looking at the cat. She examined the hair thickness, length, how long the cat was, everything that she would need to change about herself.
She focused on the every small detail that Crookshanks physical appearance held, while Hermione watched in amazement.
"Well fuck-" she said when her arms turned into what Crookshanks legs looked like.
"Language" Hermione scolded looking mildly disappointed that Y/N hadn't been able to completely turn into a copy of crookshanks. She knew it would take practice but she couldn't help but want to explore every aspect of Y/N's ability. It truly fascinated her.
"it's an improvement.." she said shrugging as she picked up crookshanks who stared at Y/N's arms in horror.
Y/N turned her arms back to normal and leaned back against the headboard of her bed opening up her potions book.
"Hermione did you do your potions essay?" She asked.
"Yes"
"Can I cop-"
Hermione let out a small frustrated sigh, "You can't copy it, but I'll help you"
Y/N groaned, "never mind" she said flipping to the assigned page.
***
"He'll be here soon" Hermione said as she, Y/N and Ron walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"The weather is terrible, I can't imagine them playing like this tomorrow" Y/N said looking out the windows.
"It's easy to slip on your broom when it's raining" Ron said as they reached the door, the thought of Harry plummeting from the sky made her stomach churn. It sounded deadly.
"They shouldn't let them pla-" Y/N stopped talking when she saw Professor Snape sitting at Professor Lupin's desk.
As the rest of the class walked in the reactions varied, the slytherins seemed pleased that their head of house was teaching the class meanwhile the Gryffindors seems more annoyed and confused.
Y/N sat down besides Hermione and Ron sat down leaving the spot besides him empty for Harry.
Snape stayed seated for a couple minutes. After a while Snape stood up and walked to the front of the class.
"Your Professor" he said with distaste "has fallen ill today and is unable to teach-"
There were rushed footsteps heard as the doors opened.
"Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I —" Harry stopped walking and stared up in confusion at Professor Snape.
"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor.Sit down."
But Harry didn't move.
"Where's Professor Lupin?" he said.
"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a sneer. "I believe I told you to sit down?"
Harry stayed where he was.
"What's wrong with him?"
Snape's eyes narrowed."Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty."
Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down besides Ron. Snape looked around at the class.
"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far —"
"Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows," said Hermione quickly,"and we're just about to start —"
"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on Professor Lupin's lack of organization."
Y/N glared at Professor Snape for being so rude to Hermione, she was only trying to help after all.
"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more annoyed than ever.
"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you — I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss —"
He flipped through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered.
"— werewolves," said Snape.
"But, sir," said Hermione, unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks —"
"Miss Granger," said Snape in deadly calm and monotone voice, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again.
"All of you! Now!"
The class opened their books.
"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape. Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it usually did, had shot straight into the air.
"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione.
"Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between —"
"We told you," said Parvati "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on--"
"Silence!" snarled Snape.
"Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw-"
"Are you deaf?" Y/N said cutting him off being unable to contain her annoyance. "We've said we haven't learned anything abo-"
"50 points from Gryffindor" Snape snarled glaring intensely at Y/N.
"Oh no?" said Y/N sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.
"Detention Black."
"Lovely, I can spend some quality time with you Mr. Snape" Y/N said making Ron and Harry stifle their laughter while Hermione glared at her. Snape grew even more annoyed clenching his jaw and moving back to the front of the class.
"Anyone?" Snape said.
"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf —"
"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."
Hermione flushed in embarrassment and put down her hand, staring at the floor with her eyes watering. The entire class (minus the Slytherins who were smirking) glared at Snape.
"You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?" Ron said sounding very angry.
Snape advanced on Ron slowly.
"Detention, Weasley," Snape said, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."
No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape walked up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.
"Very poorly explained...That is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia...Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three..."
When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back.
"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, Black, stay behind, we need to arrange your detentions."
The class muttered in annoyance. He wasn't their real teacher, he had no right to assign so much homework. The class eventually left, Ron and Y/N stayed seated at their desks, Ron looked more so annoyed that he had gotten detention, Y/N leaned back on her chair and looked at her nails casually. It's wasn't rare for her to get detentions, she actually had them quite often throughout the years mostly for either talking back (usually only to Professor Snape when he made fun of Neville) or pulling small pranks with Fred and George. (Those were usually given by Professor McGonagall)
"Detention tonight after dinner. you'll both be scrubbing bedpans at the Hospital wing" he said, and with a bit of a smirk he added. "No magic."
Y/N and Ron shared annoyed glances and walked out of the classroom to catch up with Harry and Hermione.
"D'you know what that slimy haired git—"
"Ron!" scolded Hermione
"— is making us do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!" He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!"
"What if Sirius Black isn't all that bad" Y/N said quickly.
_______________________
𝔈𝔭𝔥𝔢𝔪𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔩
________
"ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴀꜱᴛ"