After spending too much time in the Room of Requirement, the group hurried toward the Great Hall as Cho and Kanna reminded them of the Halloween feast.
"I can't believe we're missing the Halloween party," Fred muttered, picking up his pace. "Pumpkin Pasties… Pork Chops… Sausage Rolls…"
"Shut up, Fred," George said, close behind him. "I wasn't even hungry, but now I could eat a cow."
They quickened their steps, reaching the end of the corridor in no time. Just around the corner and down the staircase was the Great Hall. But as Fred rounded the corner, he suddenly froze.
"Wait," he whispered, stopping the others in their tracks. "Is the feast already over?"
"No way," Kanna replied, confused. "It started barely ten minutes ago. You can't be that hungry."
"Then why are some people already back?" Fred pointed straight ahead.
The others peered around the corner to see what he was talking about. Down by the stairs, a shadowy figure stood in front of a large painting—recognizable even from this distance as the portrait of the Fat Lady, the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.
"That's odd," George whispered, squinting at the figure. "Who would be finished so soon…"
But before he could finish, the Fat Lady's voice echoed through the corridor with a blood-curdling scream.
"You… you're that Sirius Black!"
The figure lunged at the portrait, clawing at it desperately. "Let me in… he's in there… let me in!"
His voice was a strange, ragged snarl, so hoarse and guttural that it sounded less human and more like the growl of an animal.
"What did she just say… he's Sirius Black?" Fred finally managed, eyes wide as he gripped his wand.
"Apparently so," Cedric said tensely, eyes fixed on the figure.
At the sound of their voices, the figure whipped around, and a sliver of light fell across his face, revealing the gaunt, skeletal features they recognized from The Daily Prophet: matted, elbow-length hair, hollowed cheeks, and eyes that burned with a dark, furious intensity.
"It really is Black!" Fred whispered, his voice shaking. "He looks exactly like the photo!"
Hearing his name, Black's lips twisted into a sinister grin, baring yellowed teeth like a wild animal about to attack.
"Stupefy!"
"Incarcerous!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
...
Without hesitation, Cedric and the others simultaneously unleashed their most powerful Charms.
Five beams of light in different colors shot straight at Black. But their opponent was fast—very fast. While the others were chanting, Black had already dropped to all fours on the ground and, in a peculiar yet nimble movement, dodged every Charm. Still crouched, he darted down the corridor's far end.
"Black must not escape; he hasn't gotten his wand yet!" Fred shouted. As he prepared to give chase, he realized someone had already moved faster.
"I'll go after him! You head to the Great Hall and warn the professor!" Kyle called out, not even glancing back. "I took down the Dark Wizard Oren in my first year—I've got experience..."
Maybe he was in too much of a hurry, but Kyle barreled ahead, accidentally toppling a suit of armor that fell squarely in Fred's path. The delay was enough; when Fred looked up, Kyle had already vanished down the opposite corridor.
"Wait, it's too dangerous for you to go alone!" Fred yelled.
But Kyle didn't stop.
After winding through a few corridors, he soon caught sight of Black. Black was lifting a tapestry of a dragon, preparing to slip into the hidden passage behind it.
"Stop!"
Kyle hurled a Charm that exploded by Black's ear, hoping it would force him to halt and listen. But Black gave no sign of acknowledging the blast; he simply sped up and vanished into the passage in an instant.
This passage led straight to the fourth floor, with an exit in an empty classroom. Kyle didn't follow but instead peered into the passageway. It was clear Black was desperate to leave the castle and likely wouldn't listen to anything Kyle had to say. And an explanation would waste time; by the time he was done talking, the others might already have caught up.
"Kyle..."
And just like that, they had. Kyle had barely let the tapestry fall back into place when Fred, George, Cedric, and Kanna arrived, breathless.
"Why are you all here?" Kyle asked, turning around. "I thought you were supposed to be informing the professors in the Great Hall!"
"What are you talking about... like we'd let you face Black alone!" George grumbled.
"Cho's already in the Great Hall," Cedric added.
"You were running so fast we had to ask Peeves to find you... Now, where's Black?"
"Are you alright?" Kanna asked nervously, stepping closer. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Kyle replied. "But Black got away. I couldn't catch him."
"You couldn't catch him?" Fred said in surprise. They had only been worried about the danger of Kyle facing Black alone; they hadn't imagined he'd lose him.
Kyle had been mapping out Hogwarts for years—he practically knew every passage and shortcut in the castle.
Could Black really be so skilled... that he could slip away just like that?
"There was nothing I could do…" Kyle shrugged. "He seemed to know the castle like the back of his hand and always picked the best escape routes."
"Oh, right—Black also graduated from Hogwarts," George suddenly remembered. "I read in The Daily Prophet he was a Gryffindor. He must know the eighth floor well."
Fred's gaze fell on the tapestry with the fire-breathing dragon beside him, and he said thoughtfully, "You think it's possible he came from..."
"So, you're all here…"
A familiar voice interrupted Fred, cutting him off. The group turned.
Professor Dumbledore was standing just behind them. No one had noticed his arrival; it was as though he had been there all along.