Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0185 Dawn

"It is certain that Black did not come in from the school grounds, and those dementors guarding the entrance will not be easily fooled by him again." 

Lupin rubbed his eyebrows wearily and said, his voice hoarse from the long night of searching,

"And it can also be basically confirmed that he has left Hogwarts, we searched the entire castle, leaving no stone unturned, including the common rooms of the four houses, the student dormitories, the hospital wing, the underground corridors, the observatory, the library and Professor Sprout's greenhouse, and found no traces of hiding. Hagrid is currently asking the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest, and has not come back yet." 

Bryan nodded slightly, quietly pondering, and suddenly, he remembered the ghost girl who hid in the bathroom last year, who clearly saw everything, but said nothing. He wondered if there was anyone else who had witnessed something unusual, but had kept silent for some reason. 

"Since the Fat Lady confirmed that it was Black who hurt her. I mean, sneaking into the Gryffindor tower, finding that he couldn't enter the common room and then escaping from the castle, this is a long distance, even if all the little wizards and staff are in the Great Hall for Halloween, there should be some portraits and ghosts who witnessed his movements." 

"We have confirmed with them–" 

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and said, her expression stern and frustrated, "The ghosts were all in the basement celebrating Halloween in their own way, and the portraits were gathered together, they didn't see how Black came in. Peeves, who was kicked out of the ghosts' party for making trouble, was the first to find the frightened Fat Lady hiding in a landscape painting on the fifth floor. In short, Black picked a good time." 

"Yes, cunning Black!" 

In front of the headmaster, director and professors, the inconspicuous Filch seized the opportunity to nod and agree. His eyes gleamed with malice as he hoped that Black would be caught and punished severely for his crimes.

"Good timing–" 

Professor McGonagall's casual remark made Bryan's eyebrow twitch slightly, and he muttered a few words in a low voice, as if he had noticed something unusual. 

Dumbledore, who had his fingers crossed on his right leg, remained inexplicably silent, as if he had no intention of joining the conversation, but when he heard the few words Bryan muttered, Dumbledore's cheek also moved slightly, and a glint flashed in his eyes. He turned his head to look at Bryan, and the gazes of the two pairs of different-colored pupils met in mid-air, as if they had a tacit understanding. They seemed to share a moment of understanding, as if they had both realized something important.

"Oh, please!" Professor McGonagall said impatiently, "Don't make me guess at this time!" 

Ahem! 

Bryan coughed a little awkwardly, and then, after organizing his words in his mind, he slowly said, his tone calm and logical, 

"It's just a thought, Professor McGonagall, do you think Black chose Halloween on purpose to break into Hogwarts, or was it just a coincidence? If he didn't plan it, maybe he was too confused from being in Azkaban. But if he did, what was his goal in trying to enter the Gryffindor common room? He must have known that all the students, including Potter, were at the feast, and the dormitory was empty."

Bryan's statement made McGonagall and Lupin stunned, to be honest, they had indeed overlooked this point. 

"Maybe–" 

After a while, Professor McGonagall hesitated and guessed, "Black wanted to sneak into the student dormitory and wait for the child to come back–"

"That's possible." 

Bryan nodded and said, his eyes fixed on Lupin, whose eyebrow was hidden in the deep shadow, as if he was hiding something. 

"But that would mean that he had no intention of leaving after the murder. Is that his choice?" 

The top secret that the students didn't know was probably just ordinary information among the professors, and everyone here knew that among them, only Lupin knew Black best. 

"I'm sorry, I don't know what Black would do." Lupin said apologetically in a gloomy tone, his face pale and his eyes haunted by memories. "I used to think I knew him very well, but it turned out that he was not what I imagined." 

It was always unpleasant to discuss betrayal, and Professor McGonagall comforted Lupin softly, patting his shoulder gently. Bryan did not pressure him with his eyes.

"Okay, let me think, Argus," 

Bryan paused for a moment and turned his gaze to Filch, who was standing nervously by the door. He asked him in a calm voice, "Are the secret passages leading to the outside world in the castle sealed? I don't want us to make such a very low-level mistake that would allow Black to sneak in again." 

"All four secret passages were sealed before the start of school, Mr. Watson!" 

Filch snapped to attention, his tone respectful enough to make Bryan feel a bit surprised, but after thinking about it, Bryan could understand, Last semester he was the investigator sent by the board of governors to investigate the Chamber of Secrets incident and the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, both of which were temporary positions, and neither of which lasted long. But the Student Safety Office director was a permanent position, especially since Dumbledore had made it clear that the castle caretaker was under the jurisdiction of the Safety Office director. 

Although in the castle, Filch was despised as a nuisance by some troublemakers, but outside, he was doing a job that many capable wizards envied, and as a squib, he was naturally afraid of losing his dream job! 

When Bryan mentioned the secret passages, Lupin's body trembled violently, and his lowered eyes showed intense struggle, but in the end, he said nothing. 

*SceneBreak*

Dawn was approaching, and the world outside the window was no longer a thick and pure black, but a faint grayish-white, heralding the arrival of a new day. The distant horizon, with a hint of pink and orange, was awakening the sleeping creatures. The first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a faint glow on the castle and the lake.

"Okay–" 

Bryan walked to the window and opened the sash, letting the damp and cold morning breeze blow his hair as much as possible. He felt exhausted after a sleepless night, but he knew he had to act quickly. 

"Hagrid hasn't come back yet, but I think the chances of him bringing good news are not great. He went to look for Black in the Forbidden Forest, but I doubt he would find him there. Black is too smart and cunning to hide in such an obvious place. I'll reset those panoramic telescopes as soon as possible, and before that, I'll add some warning alarm features to them, as long as Black tries to break into the castle again, no matter which corner he comes in from, as soon as his face is captured by the lens, then all the telescopes in the castle will sound an alarm at the same time, notifying the young wizards to evacuate as soon as possible." 

Bryan's plan was undoubtedly a good one, and in the current situation where they could not find Black's invasion route, the most important thing was to make sure he couldn't break in again. 

The panoramic telescopes were magical devices that could show the view of most places in the castle, and Bryan had installed them in many corridors and halls. By adding some enchantments, he could make them detect Black's presence and alert everyone. He hoped that this would prevent any harm from happening to the students, especially Potter, who was Black's target. 

When the morning light came, he was the only one left in this office, and after a sleepless night, everyone took advantage of the time before class to rest. Bryan also lay on his bed, closed his eyes and quietly thought about the unanswered question. 

Did Black just happen to run into Hogwarts on Halloween, or did he do it on purpose? Bryan couldn't answer this question, but his keen intuition was telling him that this was not a coincidence. There must be some hidden motive behind Black's actions, something that he didn't know yet. 

Sirius Black, like Remus Lupin, was an important plot character, and Bryan only had a vague impression, as if both of them died in the end. 

"Die together?" 

Bryan whispered to himself, "I wonder if Lupin died because of the curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position, hmm, if that's the case, I feel a bit guilty. Should I break his two wolf legs in advance?" 

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