As Ivan was returning to the Gryffindor Lounge, he ran into Professor McGonagall, who was in charge of the night's patrol.
"Hales, why are you out so late? I believe Professor Flitwick warned you at dinner that it would be best if you stayed in the dormitory these nights…"
Professor McGonagall looked at Ivan, who was running around the castle alone, and questioned him with a serious face.
But I haven't had dinner yet… Ivan complained to himself.
He spent the rest of the afternoon and evening experimenting with his newly acquired abilities in the Room of Requirement, apart from a brief meeting with Sirius, and had no idea what Flitwick had said in the Great Hall at dinner…
However, it was not convenient to tell Professor McGonagall these things, so after a moment's hesitation, Ivan apologized.
"I'm so sorry, Professor McGonagall! I'm so used to finding an empty spot after dinner to practise my magic, I was so engrossed today that I didn't notice the time…"
Professor McGonagall's stern expression softened at Ivan's words.
"Hales, while it's a good habit to take time out every day to practise magic, it's dangerous out there these days, so you'd better take a break. What if you run into Black while he's still hiding in the castle?"
Professor McGonagall tried to console him, then stressed how dangerous Black was, worried that Ivan would think highly of his strength and let his guard down.
After all, in her opinion, even if Ivan's magical prowess far exceeded that of his peers, or even rivaled that of an adult wizard, he was still, at the end of the day, only thirteen years old and inexperienced in combat.
Ivan had no intention of refuting, and humbly promised to be more careful next time…
Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction and left Ivan to continue his inspection of the castle.
"By the way, when you get back to the dormitory, try to talk some sense into Harry and calm him down…"
Harry? What about him?
Yvonne was confused and wanted to ask Professor McGonagall what had happened.
When he opened his mouth to speak, Ivan stopped, wondering if he had been told about this in the Great Hall as well. If he asked, he might reveal that he had been missing for most of the day.
With this in mind, Ivan casually agreed, since he would just have to ask Ron and Harry in the dorm.
"Hey, kid, password!" said a jumpy voice as they reached the door to Gryffindor's room.
Ivan looked up to see that the portrait of the Fat Lady hanging in the doorway was gone, replaced by a portrait of Sir Cadogan and his fat grey horse.
Black's easy entry into Gryffindor with a Confunding Charm was a huge blow to the Fat Lady, and although no one blamed her, she blamed herself and insisted that she could not handle the duties of Keeper.
Failing to persuade her otherwise, the professors gave the Fat Lady some time to cool down and replaced her with Sir Cadogan, the only one who was willing to play Keeper.
The new Sir Cadogan was less likeable than the dutiful Fat Lady, as he was known for teasing others into duelling with him, and for changing the password frequently.
"It's a cunning liar, isn't it? If you haven't had time to change the password…" Yvonne began helplessly.
He could only pray that his luck would hold, or he would have to follow Black's example and cast a Confunding Charm.
"Yes, you've got it! Keep your eyes peeled for that, and get inside!" Sir Cadogan mounted his fat horse and swung the door open.
Ivan, relieved, went straight into the Gryffindor common room. A large fire was burning brightly in the grate, its heat taking the chill out of the night, and the sound of a couple of wizards who had not slept could be heard chasing each other around the room.
Yvonne deliberately moved closer so that she could hear him better.
All kinds of playful laughter reached his ears, and soon Ivan was able to confirm that, at least in a non-transfiguration state, laughter had no effect on him…
This discovery delighted Ivan, and he returned to the dormitory in high spirits. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Harry and Ron arguing.
"Calm down, Harry! It's only a matter of time before the Ministry catches him. You don't have to die for this!" Ron said, looking worriedly at Harry.
Harry, however, looked extremely upset, and, not appreciating the gesture, began to speak hysterically.
"How do you expect me to calm down? They knew why Black was after me, but they kept it from me for so long! Do you know what I saw and heard on the train when I encountered the Dementors?
I heard my mother screaming and pleading with Voldemort to spare my life! If you had screamed like that before you heard your mother killed, you would have wanted to find the traitor… and have your revenge!"
Ron had a resigned expression on his face, but when he heard the commotion at the door, he turned to Ivan and called out happily, "Ivan, you're just in time to talk to Harry!"
"What happened?" Yvonne was surprised, and he could tell from their conversation that she was right.
Ron didn't hold back and explained everything.
It was only then that Ivan learned that Harry had been brooding over Lupin's slip of the tongue since the previous night, and had been pestering the professors about it since then.
McGonagall and the others were very tight-lipped, but the professors were not the only ones who knew what was going on, so Harry managed to get information out of Malfoy.
The price was being mocked by Malfoy for being a coward who only dared to hide at Hogwarts and did not have the guts to seek revenge on Black…
Harry, of course, was furious and was about to confront Sirius Black! Luckily, Ron stopped him in time, and Hermione quietly informed Professor McGonagall to stop him.
"You're going to stop me from going to Black for revenge, too?" Harry's face was stony with anger.
However, Ivan shook his head gently and said, "No, I don't intend to do that!"
Harry was taken aback, not having expected this from Ivan.
Ron's eyes went wide as he stared at Ivan, suddenly realising that he had made a mistake in asking Ivan to console Harry…