Sirius Black's daring escape from the high-security prison of Azkaban was like a menacing sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of most of the wizarding world, bringing great trouble and anxiety to their daily work and life. For Harry, this feeling was especially profound, as he was the target of the notorious fugitive who had betrayed his parents to Voldemort.
The first week of school, after Black eluded the Ministry of Magic again, Hermione, who had been quarreling with Ron for a while because of Scabbers, his old and mangy rat, always reminded Harry not to do anything adventurous or reckless. Even Hagrid, the friendly half-giant, forbade him to visit him after dark, fearing for his safety.
Outside, it was still stormy, with thunder rumbling and lightning flashing, but the dome of the Great Hall was a pure and flawless starry sky, enchanted to reflect the weather outside. Harry turned over in his sleeping bag, feeling no fear in his heart, but rather a sense of relief that the boot hanging in the air had finally landed.
Hermione was explaining to everyone in a whisper why Black couldn't enter Hogwarts by apparition or flying, while Percy, Ron's pompous brother, who had been promoted to head boy this year, walked briskly past the rows of sleeping bags, ordering the chattering little wizards to shut up and go to sleep in a stern voice.
The professors were busy searching the castle, and every hour, one of them hurried back to the Great Hall to make sure nothing happened here. They looked tense and worried, as they knew that Black was a powerful and dangerous wizard, who had once been a loyal follower of Voldemort.
At eleven o'clock at night, after checking the Ravenclaw dormitory, Professor Flitwick, the tiny and cheerful Charms teacher, returned to the Great Hall and confirmed that everything was safe here. He didn't leave immediately, but ran to a group of Ravenclaw students and squatted down to say something to a little witch.
Curious, Harry raised his head slightly and looked over there. After a few glances, he found that it was a Ravenclaw girl who was crying softly because of the shock, and Professor Flitwick came down to comfort her. The girl looked a bit older than them, with a gentle face, and was beautiful, with long black hair and almond-shaped eyes. She wore a blue and bronze scarf around her neck, the colors of her house. Harry raised his head higher and looked at her a few more times, feeling a strange attraction to her.
The professors came in and out of the Great Hall, but they never saw Professor Lupin's figure. He was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Harry liked him very much. When they met during the day, Professor Lupin told him that he would not attend the Halloween feast, but would go to Hogsmeade to spend the holiday with a friend, but by this time, Professor Lupin should have come back.
After a while, Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, who had also gone to check the castle, came in with a serious and grave expression. His stern eyes scanned around and found Percy, who was patrolling near Harry and the others, and then walked quickly towards him.
"Professor, do you have any clues about him?"
Percy asked in a low and eager voice, hoping to impress the headmaster with his diligence.
"No, what about the situation here?"
Dumbledore asked calmly, stroking his long silver beard.
"Everything is normal, sir."
Percy answered proudly, puffing out his chest. As Dumbledore and Percy were exchanging some information, the door of the Great Hall creaked open, and Snape, the beloved Potions master, hurried over, bringing the same news of nothing.
"Have you thought about how he got in, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Snape asked in a sneering and sarcastic tone, as if he knew something that Dumbledore didn't.
Percy was dismissed, and Harry turned his body and pretended to sleep. His ear looked like it was on the pillow, but it was actually floating, thanks to a charm that Hermione had cast. Hermione, Ron, and Dean, who shared a dormitory with Harry, were in the same situation. They all wanted to hear what Snape and Dumbledore were talking about.
Snape's gloomy expression was no different from usual, but there was a fire of hatred and anger in his black eyes.
"There are many possibilities, but none of them stand up to scrutiny, Severus,"
Dumbledore's voice was very deep and powerful. He looked down at Snape with no expression on his face.
"Of course, if you have any brilliant insights, I'd love to hear them."
Snape's eyes lost their fire, and instead, there was deep resentment and bitterness.
"It's just a trivial insight, Dumbledore. Before the start of term, when you decided to hire that person, I also told you frankly about this possibility, and now the situation seems to confirm my guess, doesn't it?"
Dumbledore glanced at the little ones pretending to sleep on the ground, and his deep blue eyes behind the half-moon glasses were warning.
"I'm sorry to say, Severus, I don't see how the current situation has anything to do with the possibility you mentioned."
Dumbledore's tone clearly indicated that he wanted to end this topic, but it didn't work. It only angered Snape completely.
The sallow face swelled red in a few breaths, Snape's thin lips tightened, and the anger that lingered around him made Harry, who was a few feet away, feel his skin tighten. He felt a surge of fear and gloating for the Potions master, who seemed to be ready to explode at any moment.
"Just tonight!"
Snape gritted his teeth and said, his voice low and harsh.
"He left, and Black broke into the castle. Do you think this is just a coincidence, Dumbledore?"
He pointed his finger at the door, as if accusing Lupin of being an accomplice of Black. The atmosphere became very tense, and many little wizards twisted their bodies unconsciously because of anxiety.
Snape's appearance made many young wizards who were secretly listening worry that he would pull out his wand and fight with Dumbledore in the Great Hall. They knew that Snape and Dumbledore were both very powerful and skilled wizards, and they did not want to witness a duel between them.
"He went to spend Halloween with a friend, huh?"
Snape pressed on, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"Did you ask who his friend was, Dumbledore? Let me guess, it must be an 'old' friend!"
He spat out the last word with contempt, implying that Lupin and Black were still in contact.
It was strange. Facing Snape's questioning, Dumbledore didn't order him to shut up, but instead, there was a strange light in his eyes. He moved his silver eyebrows, as if thinking about something. He seemed to be considering Snape's words, and weighing the pros and cons of his next move.
"If you're really curious, Severus–"
After a long time, Dumbledore, who suddenly realized that Black's break-in was a very good opportunity, relaxed his eyebrows.
"Why don't we go and see? Anyway, I think Black probably won't stay in the castle for long."
He smiled slightly, as if he had made a decision that would surprise Snape. Once he made up his mind, Dumbledore became swift and decisive. He gave Professor McGonagall, who came down from upstairs, an order, and threw a sentence to Snape, then walked up the stairs with a brisk pace. He did not wait for Snape to reply, but left him standing there, looking stunned and furious.
Professor McGonagall, who was worried, walked to the side where the Slytherin students were sleeping, and Harry, who had been holding back for a long time, turned around, his green eyes full of confusion.
"Harry!"
Ron curled up like a Flobberworm and came over, and Neville, who had been kicked by Hermione, reluctantly gave up his position. He moved his sleeping bag to make room for Ron, who whispered to Harry,
"Snape is suspecting that Professor Lupin helped Black, isn't he? But how is that possible? What evidence does he have to think that?"
Ron's eyes blinked rapidly, showing his surprise and disbelief.
Although her relationship with Ron hadn't improved much, Hermione still gave her opinion impatiently when she heard this.
"It's obvious, Ron. From their conversation we can tell that Professor Lupin knows Black. That's not surprising. If Professor Lupin and Black are about the same age, then they probably went to Hogwarts together. Snape was probably in school then too. They all knew each other!"
She rolled her eyes, as if Ron was being very slow.
"Thanks, I almost didn't catch on!" Ron glared at Hermione and said sarcastically. He did not appreciate her tone or her attitude.
"But what does that prove, Hermione?"
Although he was a bit disgusted that Professor Lupin and Black, that bad guy, had been classmates, Harry still defended Lupin. He lowered his voice and said, "Hagrid was a classmate of Voldemort too!"
He reminded Hermione that being in the same school and class did not mean being on the same side.
"But the point is,"
Hermione ignored Ron's provocative look. She said solemnly to Harry, "From Snape's words we can tell that Black was probably on good terms with Professor Lupin before, but later, I guess, maybe because Black joined the Dark Lord, Professor Lupin broke up with him. But because of this, Snape doesn't trust Professor Lupin."
She tried to explain Snape's logic, though she did not agree with it.
"Then Snape should go back to his office and look in the mirror," Harry sneered, "maybe he was closer to Voldemort than Black!"
He knew that Snape had been a Death Eater, a follower of Voldemort, before he changed sides.
'He had no right to accuse Lupin of anything', Harry thought angrily.
It had been two months since the start of school, and compared to the annoying Snape, everyone knew what kind of person Professor Lupin was. Most young wizards thought that Snape was just making a fuss, and that Snape was just resentful that Lupin had taken the position he wanted. No one really believed that Professor Lupin would be the traitor who helped Black enter Hogwarts.
"However–"
After ending the discussion, Harry faced the starry sky and muttered in a voice that only he could hear,
"Who did Professor Lupin go to see?"
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