31. Settling in.

That night back in my room Serenity showed me all of the items she had retrieved and I made sure to reward her long and hard for her work during the night. Thank goodness for silencing charms.

My little cream filled assassin would no doubt be sleeping in the next morning in my trunk inside of the Gate of Babylon.

~~~~

The Truth Unveiled

Breakfast in the Great Hall carried on as usual, with students chatting over plates of food, unaware that their morning routine was about to be disrupted.

At the Ravenclaw table, Ryan sat with Yue and Rachel. He had noticed the barn owl long before it arrived, his senses picking up on its approach. It was a plain, unremarkable bird—deliberately so. When it finally landed in front of Dumbledore and dropped a simple, unmarked envelope onto his plate, Ryan already had a good guess about its contents.

Dumbledore, for his part, remained outwardly calm as he unfolded the parchment and read its message. But Ryan, watching closely, caught the fleeting shift in his expression—the twinkle in his eyes dimmed ever so slightly. That was enough to confirm it.

Beside him, Yue glanced up from her book, her crimson eyes locking onto the Headmaster with quiet curiosity. Rachel, leaning her chin on one hand, let a small smirk form on her lips. "Something's about to happen," she murmured.

Ryan didn't reply, merely watching as Dumbledore tucked the letter into his robes and rose from his seat.

The Great Hall quieted instantly. Conversations faded, forks were set down, and all attention turned to the Headmaster. Even those who had not noticed the owl could feel the shift in the atmosphere.

Dumbledore's voice, though gentle, carried an unmistakable weight.

"Mr. Weasley, if you would be so kind as to bring your pet rat forward."

Ron, midway through stuffing a sausage into his mouth, froze. "Huh?" he mumbled through his food.

"Scabbers?" Hermione turned to him, frowning.

Ron instinctively tightened his grip on the rat, who had begun to tremble violently in his hands. "Why?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion. Scabbers was acting strange, more than usual—his little body shook like a leaf in the wind, and his beady eyes darted around the room as if searching for an escape.

Dumbledore's gaze remained unwavering. "Now, Mr. Weasley."

That was the final warning.

With a sudden, high-pitched squeak, Scabbers bolted.

The rat launched itself from Ron's grip, landing on the floor with a soft thud before taking off in a mad scramble toward the exit.

The Great Hall erupted in gasps as students turned in shock.

But before the rat could get far—

A flash of red light cut through the air.

Ryan saw Severus Snape move. With a mere flick of his wand and no incantation spoken, a silent Stunning Spell shot across the room and struck Scabbers mid-sprint. The rat seized up, letting out one final, pitiful squeak before collapsing onto the cold stone floor, motionless.

Silence.

Yue's crimson eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the now-still rat. Rachel's smirk widened ever so slightly. Ryan, meanwhile, exhaled grinned. "Not bad."

Ron jumped to his feet, his face twisted with confusion and anger. "Scabbers! What are you doing to him?!"

Dumbledore, his expression unreadable, stepped forward. With a flick of her wand, McGonagall levitated the unconscious rat into the air, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Dumbledore turned his gaze toward the hall, addressing not only Ron but every watching student.

"Rest assured, Mr. Weasley, and all of you—this matter concerns the safety of Hogwarts. You will receive an explanation in due time."

His eyes swept across the gathered students, lingering for a brief moment on Ryan before he continued.

"For now, please continue your breakfast."

With that, he turned on his heel and strode toward the exit, McGonagall and Snape following, the stunned rat floating between them.

The doors shut behind them.

For several long seconds, the Great Hall remained silent—before erupting into a storm of whispers.

"What just happened?"

"Did they think the rat was cursed?"

"Why was Snape's spell silent?"

Ryan leaned back in his seat, twirling his fork between his fingers. Yue rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, while Rachel chuckled softly.

"Hogwarts is already proving to be entertaining," Rachel murmured, amusement in her voice.

Ryan smirked. "And things are just getting started."

Breakfast continued, but everyone knew—something had changed.

And Hogwarts would never be the same again.

The day had been one of silent victories.

Ryan, Yue, and Rachel spent most of it in the Ravenclaw common room, comfortably observing the chaos they had set in motion. Classes had been canceled, a clear sign that Hogwarts was dealing with the fallout of their actions.

Yue glanced up from her book, her crimson eyes reflecting the dim light. "They moved faster than expected," she mused.

Rachel smirked. "Well, when you find out a grown man has been living in your school disguised as a rat, people tend to panic."

Ryan only nodded. Dumbledore had acted immediately, as he should have. The Ministry must have worked through the day to confirm Pettigrew's identity and push through the necessary procedures.

Dinner was going to be interesting.

Dinner and the Fallout

As students filled the Great Hall, the air buzzed with nervous energy. The morning's events had thrown everyone off balance, and the sudden cancellation of classes had only fueled speculation.

And then, right on cue, the owls arrived.

A wave of them flooded the Great Hall, dropping copies of a special Daily Prophet edition. The moment Ryan saw the headline, he knew the world had just shifted.

"PETTIGREW CAPTURED! SIRIUS BLACK EXONERATED!"

Ryan tilted the paper toward Yue and Rachel as they read through the article.

—Peter Pettigrew, long presumed dead, was discovered living as an unregistered Animagus in Hogwarts itself, disguised as a student's pet.

—Aurors confirmed his identity, leading to his immediate arrest.

—With new evidence, the Ministry conducted an emergency trial for Sirius Black, confirming his innocence in the betrayal of the Potters.

—Sirius Black was officially declared a free man.

The Great Hall erupted.

Gasps and frantic whispers filled the air as students scrambled to read the paper. At the Gryffindor table, Ron looked completely horrified, his face pale as he clutched the newspaper with shaking hands.

Hermione sat stiffly beside him, her brows furrowed in deep discomfort. "We lived with a man in our dorm," she muttered, her voice almost too quiet to hear. "He's been there the whole time."

Harry, seated next to her, looked equally disturbed. "That's just—wrong." He shuddered. "Imagine if he—ugh." He cut himself off, unwilling to finish the thought.

Ryan glanced toward the staff table. Dumbledore remained calm, watching the students' reactions with quiet understanding. McGonagall looked utterly appalled, her lips pursed tightly as she read through her own copy of the Prophet.

Snape, as expected, was completely unreadable—but Ryan caught the subtle tension in his posture. He wasn't happy.

Ryan smirked, setting the paper down. Yue rested her chin on her palm, clearly amused, while Rachel let out a low chuckle.

"Well," Rachel mused, "that certainly turned Hogwarts upside down."

Ryan leaned back in his seat, satisfied.