Everyone had been invited to the party, though it was mostly Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors at the party. The party went on allday and well into the night. Kirra, Fred and George disappeared for about an hour and returned with armfuls of bottles of Butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, andseveral bags full of Honeydukes sweets.
'How did you do that? Where did you go?' Jasper Rowle, spoke up as he grabbed some butterbeer from the Hufflepuff girl
"Its a secret" the girl told the boy with a smile as George started throwingPeppermint Toads into the crowd.'With a little help from Stripes, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs,' Fred mutteredin Kirra's ear.
Kirra noticed Mattheo standing over in a corner by himself, sipping butterbeer as he kept a protective eye on her, he never really was one to like parties. Kirra broke away from the table where Fred andGeorge had started juggling Butterbeer bottles, and went over to him.
'How you hanging in there Love?' she asked him softly, taking a sip of her own drink and then wrapping her arm around his waist
"Good" the boy replies, a smile tugging on his lips as he looked down at the tiny Hufflepuff at his side, "How are you going? I mean this party is technically for you"
Kirra shook her head, "the whole team deserves this party, nobody did better than anyone else, we are a team, it was everyone's win" she said with a smile and then she unwrapped her arm from him and then grabbed his hand, tugging on it softly.
"What are you doing?" Mattheo asked her, a grin tuggin on his lips as he stayed put
"Dance with me?" she asked him, a bright smile on her face as she looked at her boyfriend hopefully
"You wanna dance?" he asked her in surprise
"Yeah... I'm old school remember" she said playfully and Mattheo rolled his eyes with a grin
"So I'm about to dance with an old lady?" He asked her playfully
"Well if you don't want to I'm sure I can go and find someone else who will dance with me, maybe Blai-"
Mattheo grabbed both of her hands and pulled her onto the dance floor, the music that was playing was loud and upbeat, it wasn't a slow dance song, but the two third years didn't seem to care as Mattheos arms went around her waist and her arms went around his neck, her fingers tangling in the girls at the back of his head
"I cant believe you're making me do this" he mumbled to her with a small smile, "If I were in my first year and I saw this, I would have dropped dead in shock" he muttered to her and a small giggle fell from her lips which made his cheeks heat up and caused butterflies to erupt in his chest
"Yeah, and then you might have tried to drown me again" she added playfully, raising her eyebrows at him
A small sigh fell from his lips and a chuckle followed, "I was an asshole" he answered honestly, "I still am... but you bring out the best in me"
"No" she said, shaking her head with a smile, "You bring out the best in you, I just help encourage you to be your best self"
He bowed his head and buried it into her neck, the two of them swayed side to side, enjoying each others company, they were in their own world. And after all this time Mattheo finally realised what the feeling was when she held him in her arms... not only was it love it was his whole purpose, it was what he lived for. He craved... no, he needed her touch.
"I'm completely and totally in love with you, and nothing could ever change that," He whispered into her ear as they continued to rock back and forwards
"I'm completely and totally in love with you Mattheo" she replied softly, her head leaning to the side to rest ontop of his, it was like every single other person in the common room had completely disappeared and they were the only two in there.
"If anything ever happens... I should have drowned you when I had the chance.. that's what I will say to let you know I love you, it'll be like a codeword" he whispered to her... he knew something was going to happen, he wasn't naive, his father would come back, and he wouldn't be surprised if his mother managed to escape either.
"Thats a bit morbid" she said with a chuckle, "besides, why would we even need a codeword. We are always going to be together right?" she asked him softly and lifted her head. Mattheo removed his head from her neck and looked down at the girl with a serious look on his face
"You never know what could happen, you should know that" he whispered to her and she nodded her head softly, she knew that he was right, she just hoped that it was different this time, she prayed that it wouldn't come down to anything like that. Why couldn't she just be happy for one life?
The Hufflepuff party only ended when Professor Sprout turned up in her tartan dressing-gown and hair-net at one in the morning, to insist that they all returned to their houses and went to bed. Kirra said goodbye to her Slytherin friends and they went back to their own house and then Max and Kirra tiredly walked up to bed.
What nobody expected to happen that night, was for Sirius Black to have a piece of paper with a week's worth of Gryffindor passwords on it, and for the replacement, portrait to let him in... only for it to end with Ronald Weasley waking up screaming bloody murder after seeing Sirius Black standing over him with a knife.
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Everywhere they went next day they saw signs of tighter security; Professor Flitwick could be seen teaching the front doors to recognise a large picture of Sirius Black; Filch was suddenly bustling up and down the corridors, boarding up everything from tiny cracks in the walls to mouse holes.
Sir Cadogan had been sacked. His portrait had been taken back to its lonely landing on the seventh floor, and the Fat Lady was back. She had been expertly restored, but was still extremely nervous, and had only agreed to return to her job on the condition that she was given extra protection.
A bunch of surly 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. Kirra and Harry couldn't help noticing that the statue of the one-eyed witch on the third floor remained unguarded and unblocked.
It seemed that Fred and George had been right in thinking that they – and now Kirra, Harry, Ron and Hermione – were the only ones who knew about the hidden passageway within it. 'D'you reckon we should tell someone?' Harry asked Kirra and Ron.
'We know he's not coming in through Honeydukes,' said Ron dismissively. 'We'd've heard if the shop had been broken into.'
If the one-eyed witch was boarded up too, Kirra and Harry would never be able to go into Hogsmeade again. Ron had become an instant celebrity. For the first time in his life, people were paying more attention to him than to Harry, and it was clear that Ron was rather enjoying the experience.
Though still severely shaken by the night's events, he was happy to tell anyone who asked, what had happened, with a wealth of detail.
'... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draught ... 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 scarpered.
Two days after Black's break-in, the school owls swooped into the Great Hall, carrying the post as usual, and Neville choked as a huge barn owl landed in front of him, a scarlet envelope clutched in its beak.
He seized 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, Kirra who was sitting amonst the Slytherins watched as he ran away with a sympathetic look on her face, she went to get up and check on him, but Jasper and Mattheo held her back.
"Its probably best to leave him alone to listen to it" Mattheo told her and she nodded her head, sitting back down. 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.
Kirra was too busy feeling sorry for Neville to notice immediately that she had a letter, too. "love, you got a letter" Mattheo told her and she snapped out of it and thanked Mattheo before taking the envelope. Kirra tore open the envelope the note inside said:
Dear Kirra,
How about having tea with me this evening round six? I've invited Ron and Harry too. I'll come and collect you from the castle. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN.
Cheers,Hagrid
She had no idea what he would have wanted to talk to her and the two Gryffindor boys for, but she had a hunch it would be about Sirius. So at six o'clock that evening, Kirra left the Hufflepuff Basement, passed the security trolls at a run, and headed down to the Entrance Hall. Harry, Ron and Hagrid were already waiting for her.
'All right, Hagrid!' said Ron. 'S'pose you want to hear about Saturday night, do you?'
'I've already heard all abou' it,' said Hagrid, opening the front doors and leading them outside.
'Oh,' said Ron, looking slightly put out. The first thing they saw on entering Hagrid's cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched out on top of Hagrid's patchwork quilt, his enormous wings folded tight to his body, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets.
Averting her eyes from the dead animals, she bowed towards the animal and it bowed back so she walked forwards and pat the large creature and it nuzzled its hand affectionately into her hand.
What are they for, Hagrid?' said Harry and Kirra turned her attention away from Buckbeak to see what Hagrid was talking about. She looked and saw a gigantic, hairy brown suit and a very horrible yellow and orange tie hanging from the top of Hagrid's wardrobe door.
'Buckbeak's case against the Committee fer the Disposal o' DangerousCreatures,' said Hagrid. 'This Friday. Him an' me'll be goin' down ter London together. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus ...'
Harry felt a nasty pang of guilt. Buckbeak didn't deserve this, this was all Malfoys fault. She noticed Ron and Harry had uneasy looks on their faces, of course, they had forgotten. They had also forgotten their promise about helping him prepare Buckbeak's defence; the arrival of the Firebolt had driven it clean out of the two boys minds.
Hagrid poured them tea and offered them a plate of Bath buns, but they knew better than to accept; they had had too much experience of Hagrid's cooking. 'I got somethin' ter discuss with you two,' said Hagrid, sitting himself between the two boys and looking uncharacteristically serious.
'What?' said Harry.
'Hermione,' said Hagrid.
'What about her?' said Ron.
'She's in a righ' state, that's what. She's bin comin' down ter visit me a lot since Chris'mas. Bin feelin' lonely. Firs' yeh weren' talking to her because o' the Firebolt, now yer not talkin' to her because her cat –'
'– ate Scabbers!' Ron interjected angrily. Kirra had to hide her smirk, the murderous git deserved it... but she doubted he was actually dead... but in her mind, she hoped he was.
'Because her cat acted like all cats do,' Hagrid continued doggedly. 'She's cried a fair few times, yeh know. Goin' through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more'n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she's tryin' ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak's case, mind ... she's found some really good stuff fer me ... reckon he'll stand a good chance now ...'
'Hagrid, we should've helped as well – sorry –' Harry began awkwardly.
'I'm not blamin' yeh!' said Hagrid, waving Harry's apology aside. 'Gawd knows yeh've had enough ter be gettin' on with, I've seen yeh practisin' Quidditch ev'ry hour o' the day an' night – but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two'd value yer friend more'n broomsticks or rats. Tha's all.'
Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks, Kirra felt bad for Hermione... she noticed that the three weren't hanging out as much anymore, but she didn't see them enough to figure out that the two boys were being assholes to the girl.
'Really upset, she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She's got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an' you two not talkin' to her –'
'If she'd just get rid of that cat, I'd speak to her again!' Ron said angrily. 'But she's still sticking up for it! It's a maniac, and she won't hear a word against it!'
'Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets,' said Hagrid wisely. Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow. Now Hagrid turned to her, "now yer' probably wondering why I asked yer to come down 'er too?" Hagrid asked the girl and she nodded her head
"I guess I just 'ad a question fer ya" Hagrid said and she already had a feeling what the question was going to be
"Yer remember don' ya?" he asked her and both of the third year boys looked confused but then Harry finally realised what the man was talking about
"Yeah, I remember everything... and the first time I started remembering something, was when I opened that hand carved dragon you made for me at Christmas back in the first year... so I guess I have you to thank for that" She said and gave the man a smile
A giant smile formed on Hagrids face, bigger than any of the three students had ever seen the man have, "I guess I owed ya one" he said with a grin, referring to all the times she had helped him when they weren't to school together.
At nine o'clock, Hagrid walked them back up to the castle.