The next three days in the castle passed by peacefully, with no unexpected incidents or disturbances. Most of the castle's young wizards and staff were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Christmas holidays, looking forward to the festive decorations, the delicious feasts, and the presents from their families and friends.
However, there were some people who were not having a comfortable time at all. For example, there was a 'Semi-Retired' professor who had to share a room with a particularly energetic and argumentative cat, who kept jumping on his bed, scratching his furniture, and meowing loudly at all hours. Additionally, Harry had been feeling restless and anxious these past few days. The name he had glimpsed on the Marauder's Map that afternoon was like a thorn in his heart, causing him sleepless nights and troubling dreams.
Harry didn't tell Ron and Hermione about this because he could predict their reaction. They would surely think that he was under too much pressure and hallucinating. But to be honest, even Harry himself found it hard to believe what he had seen.
The appearance of Sirius Black's name in Professor Watson's office was truly magical and confusing. It was hard to understand what had happened.
'How did Black manage to enter the castle undetected? What was he doing in Professor Watson's office? And why did he disappear so quickly?'
Outside the window, the moon was absent, and the dormitory was pitch black after the lights were turned off. The only sounds were the occasional hooting of owls and the rustling of leaves.
After a while, lying in bed pretending to sleep, Harry heard the familiar and loud snoring of his dorm mates. He raised his head slightly and looked around. Then, he pulled out the Marauder's Map from under the soft mattress and covered himself completely with the bedsheet.
Ever since Fred and George had warned him that day, Harry had stopped carrying the map with him to avoid being caught during surprise inspections. Instead, he hid it in the dormitory, under a loose floorboard.
'Lumos!'
The map glowed and Harry whispered, using the light from his wand to examine it once again.
Professor Watson's office was still empty, with neither the fleeting name nor Professor Watson's name present.
This situation didn't surprise Harry. Every night after lights out, he would take out the Marauder's Map to check, and he had never seen Professor Watson's name appear. It was as if he never stayed in his office, or he had some way of hiding his presence.
'What could be happening?'
After folding the map and putting it back under the bedsheet, Harry stared at the ceiling in the darkness, lost in thought.
Furthermore, it was still a mystery how Professor Watson knew about the Marauder's Map. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had discussed this, and the most likely possibility was that Professor Lupin had informed Professor Watson about the map's existence. And the reason why Professor Lupin knew about it could only be one thing - he had either seen it before or he was the creator of the Marauder's Map.
But these were just speculations, and Harry couldn't possibly go and ask Professor Lupin to clarify. That would be walking into a trap. He didn't want to risk losing the map or exposing his secret.
Hermione still held her original view, hoping that Harry would hand over the map. But this suggestion was strongly opposed by Ron, and even Harry himself didn't want to do it.
"Just think about it, Hermione," faced with Hermione's angry protest, Harry said, trying to reason with her. "At the very least, I can use the map to monitor Black. If he has already infiltrated Hogwarts, I can get an early warning."
Anyone could tell that this was just an excuse, but Harry didn't want to lose this interesting map.
"How sneaky," Harry muttered as he turned over, not knowing who he was referring to. Then, the overwhelming drowsiness washed over him, and his conscious mind gradually faded away amidst the sound of snoring.
Dumbledore was back!
The next morning, Harry and Ron rushed to the Great Hall, excitedly asking Hermione about the news they had heard.
"Is it true, Hermione?" Harry asked eagerly, scanning the staff table but not seeing the comforting sight of Dumbledore's silver-haired and aged figure. He felt a pang of disappointment and worry. "Where is he? I didn't see him!"
"Dumbledore probably came back this morning. He looked a bit tired. Later, Professor Watson also came down. He talked to Professor Dumbledore for a while, and then they both went to the direction of the lawn on the playground -"
"Professor Watson looked exhausted too. I really hope it's not because of taking care of Crookshanks," Hermione said, her brow furrowed with concern. She wondered if Crookshanks was giving him any trouble or demanding too much attention.
Due to the cold weather, the snow on the ground remained thick and showed no signs of melting. The top layer exposed to the air had even frozen into solid ice, making a creaking sound with every step. The castle grounds were covered in a blanket of white, sparkling under the pale winter sun.
For Watson and Dumbledore, they both had ways to easily float on the surface of the snow, but they chose not to. Instead, they took one step at a time, steadily making their way towards the frozen lake. They wanted to enjoy the scenery and the fresh air, and also to have some privacy for their conversation.
"You look exhausted," Dumbledore said, turning his face towards Bryan under the dancing willow branches. He had noticeable dark circles under his eyes and a look of apology on his face.
"I'm sorry for leaving you in such a mess, Bryan."
"Just consider it part of the generous salary," Bryan shrugged, sniffing the faint familiar scent emanating from Dumbledore's body. He recognized this smell. He raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought it was just my imagination, Headmaster Dumbledore, but did you go to the underground world beneath the Knockturn Alley?"
"Hehe, Mr. Viper, you are quite familiar with that place," Dumbledore said, not hiding his whereabouts.
"Well, before I left, I told you that I was going to search for clues about some of Tom's Horcruxes.
Well, this journey can't be said to be very smooth. I was delayed by Connelly, who asked me to accompany him in some difficult negotiations.
Later, I followed some clues and found the place where Tom worked when he was young. I unearthed some secrets from there. There was a key figure, a house-elf, who was sent to Azkaban by Tom. So, I had to turn back and go to the Ministry of Magic to apply for a visit to Azkaban. When the Ministry checked the relevant information, they found that the house-elf had been released after serving his sentence a year ago.
You know, a house-elf who has committed a crime will have hard time to find a new home. I guessed that he might run to the underground world to make a living, so I went to have a look."
"Oh," Bryan's expression suddenly became regretful. "You arrived a few steps too late, Headmaster Dumbledore."
"Yes," Dumbledore chuckled. "I discreetly checked some memories and indeed found that the house-elf had spent some time in the underground world. However, that giant… Fortunately, luck was on its side, and it managed to escape."
It was quite a convoluted process.
Bryan pursed his lips. "So, did you find him in the end?"
"Not yet, but I believe it's only a matter of time. Yes, I must make good use of my time. Considering the age of that house-elf, I worry it may not survive this winter. Of course, I haven't forgotten my other responsibility, so I came back to take a look before embarking on a more difficult pursuit."
"Will you be disappointed when you see that Hogwarts was the same with or without you, Dumbledore?" Bryan teased.
"I feel genuinely relieved, Bryan," Dumbledore chuckled. He was glad that Bryan and the other professors had managed to keep the school running smoothly.
Dumbledore only stayed at Hogwarts for two days. After dealing with the backlog of paperwork, he quietly left again. Professor McGonagall was furious about this because Dumbledore had informed her that he might not be able to return until the next term. During this time, she and a few other heads of houses, along with Bryan, would be in charge of everything at the school.
"Perhaps it's for the best," Bryan said sympathetically to Professor McGonagall as he had to help substitute for a Defense Against the Dark Arts class for Hufflepuff. "I mean, Lucius Malfoy threatened the board to have Dumbledore removed earlier this year. It would have been a good opportunity to go along with it."
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