The next morning dawned soft and gray, the kind of winter light that made Hogwarts feel half-asleep and half-haunted.
Cassius, however, felt neither.
He felt annoyed.
Because the moment he sat down at the Draconis table for breakfast—
Daphne elbowed him.
"You sure you didn't run off because you were scared of the confetti cannons we set up?"
Astoria leaned in innocently. "They were very loud."
Ginny smirked. "Truly terrifying. Understandable."
Hermione shook her head at them, though she smiled. "Leave him alone. He let us have the match."
Luna ladled porridge onto her plate. "And destiny frequently calls people right when they're celebrating. Or using the loo."
Cassius muttered into his pumpkin juice, "…I'm never living this down."
"Nope," Ginny confirmed cheerfully.
But despite the teasing, their eyes were soft—warm—watching him with the quiet knowledge that he had done something dangerous.
They simply didn't push yet.
And Cassius?
He let the normalcy wash over him.
At least long enough to finish breakfast.
But afterward—
He slipped away.
Because there were two wizards in the castle who needed to hear the truth.
Not the one he reported to the faculty, but the real unhindered truth.
And one in particular who would tear half of Britain apart to catch Pettigrew if he learned the rat had been close.
~
Sirius Black's private quarters smelled faintly of coffee, leather polish, and a kind of chaotic bachelor energy that never quite faded no matter how old he pretended to be.
Cassius knocked once.
The door practically exploded open.
"PUP!"
Sirius dragged him inside by the shoulders with the fervor of a man who expected a full recounting of a battle and wouldn't accept anything less.
Remus was already seated beside the hearth, a mug of tea in hand, looking far too calm.
Though Cassius noted the faint tension in the were—no, former werewolf's jaw.
"Cassius." Remus nodded. "We heard rumors."
"Rumors," Sirius barked, "that you took on a bloody army of Dementors by yourself!"
Cassius sighed. "…I didn't intend to."
"Not the point! This is the part where you explain in horrifying detail why my heart nearly stopped!"
Remus raised a brow. "Sirius, let him breathe."
"No! He can breathe when he explains!"
Cassius sat.
Both men leaned forward immediately—Sirius on the edge of his seat, Remus with quiet seriousness.
But before he could begin the door sounded once more the arrival of another visitor.
*Knock Knock*
With a simple wave of his wand, Sirius opened the door from afar only to reveal the form of Severus standing outside.
Even with a simple scowl on his face, Sirius nodded his head, allowing the man entrance into the room.
Severus quietly took a seat next to Cassius before joining the other two in turning his gaze to the young man.
All three's eyes were clearly looking for an explanation.
So Cassius recounted everything:
The shadows near the forest.
The three dark presences.
The Carrows.
Bellatrix.
The swarm of Dementors.
His Patronus.
And—
"Pettigrew wasn't with them."
The room fell silent.
Remus's grip tightened on his mug until the ceramic creaked.
Sirius went perfectly still.
"…You're sure?" he asked, voice low and dangerous.
Cassius nodded. "His name showed on the Marauder's Map moving inside the castle, not near the others. But i lost track of him when i had to fend off the Dementors, by the time i could look next he was already gone again."
Sirius's eyes burned with old fury. "That rat—he was here. In these walls." His voice cracked. "While we were all celebrating."
Remus set his mug down gently, but his voice held steel.
"And the others? They weren't trying to sneak in?"
Cassius shook his head. "No. They moved too openly. Too loudly. It felt… staged."
Severus's brows knit. "A distraction."
"Exactly," Cassius replied. "Whatever Pettigrew did, he did it alone. And with purpose. While the others were willing to take losses for him to achieve his end."
Remus rubbed his chin. "If he was taking orders… the dark lord may be moving faster than we thought."
Sirius cursed under his breath.
Cassius waited for the inevitable question.
It came.
"Do we tell Dumbledore?" Remus asked.
Cassius exhaled slowly.
"I don't think so."
Sirius stared. "Cassius—"
"He's already juggling Dementors, Lily's paranoia, and Harry's training, Grindelwalds reappearance," Cassius said calmly. "He'll overreact. And with how tense things already are… the last thing we need is him making assumptions based on incomplete information."
Remus exchanged a look with Sirius.
Sirius finally grunted, running a hand through his hair.
"…Merlin help me, but the kid's right."
Remus nodded slowly. "Dumbledore is wise, but he isn't… subtle."
Cassius smirked. "And Pettigrew is."
Sirius growled. "When I get my hands on him—"
"I know," Cassius said. "But we'll get him."
Silence followed, but it wasn't discomfort.
It was resolve.
Sirius leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "You know, you could give a man a warning before taking on a thousand Dementors."
Cassius shrugged. "More like a hundred."
Remus's eyes softened.
While Severus's eyes twinkled breifly with a mark of pride, though tightly veiled even in the presence of... allies.
"Cassius… thank you. For coming to us."
"You're the ones who'll understand the stakes," Cassius said. "And you're the ones who deserve to know."
Sirius punched his shoulder—hard.
"Ow."
"That's for not letting me join you in the forest!"
Remus smiled weakly. "You did good, Cassius. But be careful. Pettigrew's cunning. He's slippery."
Cassius nodded.
"I'll be ready. No we'll be ready."
As Cassius left, the door closing behind him, he heard Sirius's voice drift after him:
"Moony?"
"Yes?"
"…We're going to kill that rat, right?"
Remus sighed.
"With great enthusiasm."
"Don't worry, i may not like you two much, but i'll get you your chance at revenge without fail." Severus added.
Cassius couldn't help but smile.
Even in the chaos—these two were constants.
While his father was changing opening up slightly.
And together?
They would solve this.
One way or another.
Cassius was tried of playing games, instead he was ready to flip the board just to forcibly end it.