Professor McGonagall strode up to the trio, her tone sharp and uncompromising.
"This time, since there were special circumstances and a professor accompanied you, I won't punish you. But let me be perfectly clear: next time, you are absolutely not allowed to leave the castle alone at night. Now, back to the common room—all of you."
Heads down, the three followed Professor McGonagall in silence.
Douglas made his way alone toward the hospital wing.
At the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, Professor McGonagall left them and disappeared down the corridor.
Clambering through the portrait hole, the three found the common room abuzz with excitement.
George and Fred were at the center of it all, handing out mountains of snacks and sweets. Above them hung a banner:
"The Weasley Brothers' Last Bash of the Term!"
Ginny explained that the twins, fully aware they'd be spending most of the term in detention, had decided to throw one last celebration while they still had the chance.
Ron scowled,
"That banner's bad luck! 'Weasley Brothers' means me, too. I don't want to spend the whole term in detention. Didn't Percy object?"
Ginny broke a pastry in half for Hermione,
"Percy hasn't come out at all. He's probably still in the dorm writing to his girlfriend."
Ron stomped his foot, shooed Ginny away, and pulled Hermione and Harry aside, lowering his voice,
"I've got something new to tell you. Listen up."
Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance, then turned to Ron.
Ron wore the look of someone about to reveal a tremendous secret.
"Maybe you didn't notice, but I heard it clearly just now. When Professor Holmes talked about Sirius Black, he always called him 'Sirius'…"
Seeing their surprised faces, Ron raised his eyebrows smugly,
"I kept quiet because I was thinking this through. According to what we know, Sirius Black was captured before Professor Holmes ever entered the wizarding world—they couldn't possibly know each other. But when he talks about Black, he sounds like he knows him well, like they're friends. And the task he set is… odd, don't you think?"
Harry frowned,
"But didn't we already talk about this? Hermione said my uncle wants me to learn more about Voldemort by investigating Black."
Hermione thought for a moment,
"I think this might have something to do with Professor Dumbledore. Two possibilities come to mind.
First, maybe it's just Professor Holmes's habit—he prefers using first names.
Second, maybe Professor Holmes knows Black after his escape, and Dumbledore knows too. They might actually believe Black is innocent and want to use your reputation, as the Boy Who Lived, to clear his name…"
At that, Hermione's brow furrowed and her expression darkened,
"Actually, I just thought of two more possibilities. One is like that ridiculous magazine said—maybe Professor Holmes is actually Black using Polyjuice Potion. The other is… remember today's Transfiguration lesson on Animagi? I've heard upper years say Professor Holmes is brilliant at Transfiguration. Maybe he's an Animagus himself."
Harry and Ron both looked baffled.
"But Professor McGonagall said there were only seven Animagi this century…"
Hermione huffed,
"What were you two listening to? Professor McGonagall said there are seven registered Animagi with the Ministry. What if Professor Holmes never registered?"
Harry and Ron still looked lost.
"Even so, what does that have to do with Black?"
Hermione sighed, exasperated,
"Don't you think Professor Holmes's dog showed up rather suddenly? And it's especially friendly to Harry. I've seen it myself at his house—how close it is to him. What if the dog is actually your uncle, and the Professor Holmes you see is really your godfather in disguise? Maybe they swapped places to make it look like Holmes broke the Dark Lord's curse."
Ron's eyes widened in horror,
"You mean Professor Holmes and the murderer Black are working together?"
Hermione nodded gravely,
"Based on what I know of Professor Holmes, he couldn't possibly be a Dark wizard. If our guess is right, then Black might actually be innocent."
Harry's feelings twisted in his chest. He touched the protective charm at his collar, then gritted his teeth,
"I'll try to test Padfoot tomorrow—to see if he's really my uncle in Animagus form. We have to keep this secret. If it's true, and he's an unregistered Animagus, he could be arrested.
But whether he is or not, I want to complete that task and find out the truth about Black… If this really is my uncle's request, I don't want to let him down.
Whether Black's innocent doesn't matter to me—my uncle's always been good to me…"
Ron frowned at Hermione,
"Why didn't you consider that Professor Holmes might already have been murdered by Black? That's the scariest possibility."
Smack!
Hermione slammed her hand on the table, making Ron and Harry jump. Heads turned all around the common room.
She yelled,
"The scariest thing right now is that I just realized I've got loads of homework I haven't done!!"
Instant silence. Every eye in the common room was on Hermione.
Ron looked at Harry, who groaned,
"Don't look at me—I haven't done mine either!"
A collective groan echoed through the room as students remembered their unfinished assignments. Hermione's outburst had instantly broken up the party.
Books and parchment appeared everywhere as students clustered around their class reps, seeking help.
Hermione dragged out a towering stack of textbooks, muttering furiously as she scribbled away.
Meanwhile, Douglas made his way alone to the Hogwarts hospital wing—only to be blocked at the door by Madam Pomfrey.
This time, unlike his secret visit to see Dobby, he wanted Draco Malfoy to know he wasn't sneaking around to threaten him—so he'd come openly, no Disillusionment or stealth spells.
Madam Pomfrey was as blunt as ever,
"No visitors in the hospital wing at night. You'll disturb the students' rest."
Douglas handed her a small gift, smiling apologetically,
"I'm just worried my class rep won't be able to make it to lessons tomorrow, so I came to check on him…"
It couldn't be helped—the hospital wing was Madam Pomfrey's domain. Even Dumbledore had to obey her rules here. It wasn't about magical power; it was just that truly skilled mediwitches like her were rare and irreplaceable.
She accepted the gift with a cold smile,
"What, you don't trust my skills? Well, you've sent plenty of students my way over the years—kept me busy enough! But you've never been on the receiving end of my care…"
Douglas gave an awkward laugh, then grew serious,
"To be honest, Madam, this is about Hagrid. You know about Mr. Malfoy's injuries. If he decides to make a fuss and gets Hagrid—who's only just become a professor—sacked…"
He didn't get to finish. Madam Pomfrey cut him off,
"That'd be for the best! Hagrid and I get along, but honestly, he's not a qualified professor. First lesson and he's already sent a student to the hospital wing—who knows what'll happen next? Kettleburn was headache enough, always had me worried at the start of every term. Now it's the same story, just a new face…"
Douglas smiled wryly,
"Hagrid's already making improvements. The students are helping him with a new teaching plan. He might even come to you with some questions about basic healing spells—just for emergencies…"
Madam Pomfrey frowned,
"Forget it. If a student's hurt, he should bring them straight to me. No amateur first aid—he could make things worse, and then I'll have to send them to St. Mungo's.
Go on in—he's the only one inside. Five minutes only. If you overstay, I'll come in and throw you out myself.
And as for Hagrid—help him if you can. He's suffered more than his share of injustice, and this mess isn't entirely his fault."
Douglas smiled gratefully and hurried into the hospital wing.
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