"I've already searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery—nothing."
"The seventh and eighth floors have been checked completely. All rooms. No sign."
"I was responsible for the sixth and fifth floors—every classroom has been inspected. Still nothing."
"I've searched the fourth and third floors—nothing unusual."
"The greenhouses and the first and second floors have also been checked. No one there."
"The basement has been thoroughly examined. Empty!"
One by one, the professors came into the Great Hall to report their search results to Dumbledore. But Sirius Black, who had already been tossed into the Black Lake, was not going to be found.
Meanwhile, Professor Snape and Assistant Professor Black stood silently to the side. No one knew that Regulus Black had only just returned—he had gone back to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor to deal with the misbehaving big black dog.
"Maybe we should search the Forbidden Forest too," Snape suggested lazily, a look on his face that was as annoying as ever.
There was certainly some resentment behind Snape's words—resentment toward Dumbledore for agreeing to Regulus Black's plan of allowing Sirius Black into Hogwarts. Back in the day, the brooding Half-Blood Prince and the Marauders had always been at odds.
"In other words, Sirius isn't in the castle—and frankly, I don't want him lingering at Hogwarts either."
Dumbledore didn't respond to Snape's jab. Instead, he maintained a calm and composed demeanor. More than half the students in the hall were still awake, and those words were meant for them. Both Dumbledore and Snape knew it—this was all part of Regulus Black's plan. If Hogwarts were to suffer damage, whether to its reputation or resources, Dumbledore would never have approved. That's why Regulus reacted so harshly when Sirius destroyed the portrait.
In the original movies, the destruction served a narrative purpose. But now, in the reality of this moment, it was an unwelcome accident.
"Quite an impressive trick, wouldn't you say? Coming and going at will, wandering through Hogwarts as he pleased, completely undetected. How did he manage that?"
Since Dumbledore didn't respond to his earlier remark, Snape decided to change the topic.
"Truly impressive. There are many ways he could've done it—each more unbelievable than the last."
There was a trace of pride in Dumbledore's voice. After all, Sirius was once his student and a key member of the Order of the Phoenix. With his name soon to be cleared, Dumbledore naturally had plans for him. The stronger his allies, the better.
"Perhaps someone in the castle helped him."
As he spoke, Snape turned to glance at Regulus Black standing behind him.
"I'm certain no one here colluded with Sirius. However, I am considering sending the students home."
"What about Potter? Should we warn him?"
"Maybe. But for now, let him sleep. Only in dreams do we truly enter a world of our own. Let them swim through oceans, or soar among the highest clouds in the sky."
With Dumbledore's words, the remaining awake students gradually drifted into a deep sleep. In their dreams, they were either swimming through vast oceans or flying high above the clouds.
That night, all the students slept soundly. Only the night-watch professors were left with dark circles under their eyes. Peace and quiet returned once again to Hogwarts.
"Today's lesson is going to be a lot of fun! I was lucky enough to catch a Boggart in a cabinet. Does anyone know what a Boggart is? No one?"
Remus Lupin was teaching a class shared by Gryffindor and Slytherin today. The topic: Boggarts—a type of shape-shifting creature.
But the class atmosphere was less than ideal. The Slytherins looked on with scorn. Many of them clearly knew what a Boggart was but had no interest in answering the question—especially since Lupin was a Gryffindor himself. So, they collectively chose silence.
The Gryffindors, on the other hand, looked completely lost. It was clear they didn't know what a Boggart was, and were waiting for Professor Lupin to answer his own question. After their recent experience in the Care of Magical Creatures class, all the students were a bit fearful of these hands-on lessons. Everyone was simply waiting for Lupin to release the creature from the cabinet.
The cabinet rattled violently and banged loudly—especially when anyone got close. If you assumed there was a person locked inside and opened it out of kindness, the very next second, you'd come face to face with your deepest fear. A Boggart transforms into whatever terrifies you most. It could even frighten someone to death.
"Alright then! Let's first learn the spell to repel a Boggart. It's quite simple. Repeat after me: Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" the students chanted in unison.
"That's right—there's no particular technique, no specific wand movement required. You just take out your wand and say the incantation."
Remus Lupin looked quite pleased as he switched on a phonograph. Lighthearted blues music filled the room, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
"Now, line up one by one. When you face the Boggart, it will turn into the thing you fear most."
Remus Lupin had already planned who would go first, and only this particular student could truly carry it off.
"Neville! Yes, you—come on, Neville. Tell me, who are you most afraid of?"
Lupin picked his target out from the Gryffindor crowd, draped an arm around him, and asked softly.
"Professor Snape!" Neville answered stiffly, not disappointing Lupin in the slightest.
"And who are you least afraid of?"
Lupin continued asking, even though he already knew the answer. But it was important to prompt Neville in front of the others—a good show was about to begin.
"The person I'm least afraid of is my grandmother."
Neville replied honestly, completely unaware that he had just walked into Professor Lupin's trap.
"If the Boggart turns into Snape, imagine him wearing your grandmother's clothes," Lupin whispered into Neville's ear. Thanks to the blues music, the rest of the students in line didn't hear a thing.
"Alright, get ready—begin!"
With a flick of his wand, Lupin opened the wardrobe door. The Boggart inside, which had been thrashing about, stopped at once. Instinctively, it began to transform into the thing the opener feared most.
And sure enough, an identical-looking Professor Snape stepped out of the wardrobe, looking as though he were furious at being locked inside by Neville. But since it was a Boggart in disguise, this Snape couldn't speak.
Even without a single cruel word, Neville was trembling with fear. Mustering all his courage, he raised his wand.
"Riddikulus!"
The fake Snape suddenly spun around, and his clothes transformed into an old-fashioned woman's outfit. On his head appeared a large hat adorned with a stuffed vulture.
Neville immediately relaxed—he hadn't expected Snape in his grandmother's clothes to look so hilarious.
The other Gryffindor students erupted into laughter as well.
The Slytherin students, on the other hand, didn't look pleased—especially Draco Malfoy. After all, Snape was his godfather!
Glares from the Slytherins shot toward both Neville and Professor Lupin. Neville was shielded by many Gryffindors, while Lupin showed no awareness at all that he was the mastermind behind it all.
"Next! Keep it going!"
The next student was Parvati Patil, one of the Indian twin sisters.
She stepped in front of the Boggart, and the Snape figure immediately began to spin and transformed into a giant cobra.
As an Indian student, it wasn't unusual for her to fear something like a serpent god.
"Riddikulus!"
The huge cobra instantly turned into a jack-in-the-box clown, rocking back and forth while making all sorts of bizarre, cackling noises.
"Just like that! Keep going!"
Lupin called up the third person in line—Harry Potter.
Harry stepped up to the now-laughing jack-in-the-box, but instead of finding it funny, he felt a strange sense of unease. The Boggart sensed Harry's fear and began to change.
A Dementor appeared before Harry Potter—not only did Harry recoil in terror, but the other students were also visibly shaken.
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