Shawn had been out of sight for half a month, even missing his classes, though Snape had granted him special permission.
But lately, yet another legend about Shawn had begun to spread.
The rumor had started when Shawn's roommate Goyle accidentally let something slip. His exact words had been, "For some reason, Shawn slept for an entire day. After he woke up, he started leaving early and coming back late, and he stopped going to class. Oh, and the cakes I hid disappeared."
Then came countless rounds of, "I'll tell you a secret, but don't tell anyone else."
By its umpteenth retelling, the new version had become, "Shawn sleepwalks, turning into an extremely evil ghost that no one can track down. In the middle of the night, he drools as he slits your veins with a little knife, then dips little cakes in your blood and eats them."
This time, even the kindhearted girls paled at the mention of Shawn.
On the way to Transfiguration, Draco once again overheard the young wizards discussing this legend. He couldn't help turning to glare at his lackey.
Goyle hunched his shoulders. He desperately wanted to argue that it wasn't like that and really wasn't his fault, but then fear crossed his face as he worried about Shawn punishing him.
Seeing his underling looking so spineless, Draco sighed and offered a casual reassurance.
"You... forget it. I'll put in a good word for you."
Shawn's whereabouts really had been unpredictable lately. He had entrusted Purple Shadow to Alice, Draco, and the others, and had given Purple Shadow instructions too.
But whenever Purple Shadow had nothing to do, the bird still searched the whole castle for Shawn, barging into the girls' dormitories and roaming the bathrooms. Even the professors' offices couldn't keep the bird out.