When the group made their way back to the dormitory, they crowded into George and Fred's room.
Ron picked up the cage, shot the twins a look, and asked, "Scabbers isn't just passed out from hunger, is he? You said he woke up, but he's still sleeping."
The five of them carried the cage to Douglas Holmes's office door. No matter how hard they knocked, the door stayed stubbornly shut.
Ron suggested sneaking in through the classroom's side door, but the others shot him down immediately.
"Are you mad?" Fred whispered. "Last time we had a good reason, but if we barge in now, the Professor's punishment would be brutal."
George and Fred draped their arms over Harry's shoulders, grinning. "Looks like your godfather's ditched you for a holiday..." "Probably because you failed your Defence Against the Dark Arts exam!"
Harry just eyed the unconscious Scabbers in the cage. Ever since the food ran out, the rat had been comatose. If not for the occasional twitch of a tiny leg, he'd have thought Scabbers was dead.
"So, are we just bringing the cage like this tomorrow?"
George and Fred shrugged. "No choice. We already tried—spells can't get through this cage at all." "Too bad it's not made of armor."
Ron looked at them in surprise. "You don't think this is another of the Professor's tests, do you? What do you reckon, Hermione?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. We'll see tomorrow. I haven't finished my homework yet."
Ron rolled his eyes. Should've known better than to ask.
George and Fred put on mock-dramatic voices: "Oh, the tragedy! We just finished exams!" "And they were mock O.W.L.s, too!"
—
The next morning, with most students having stayed up late celebrating, the Great Hall was nearly empty at breakfast. But the Charon Detective Agency members had all gathered at the Gryffindor table.
Harry glanced around—no sign of Draco Malfoy. Must've gone home for the holidays. Not that Harry was worried about him backing out of their little contract.
Hermione scanned the staff table. All four Heads of House and the Headmaster were present, but there was still no sign of Douglas Holmes—not even Lupin.
Halfway through breakfast, a flurry of owls swooped in.
Hermione casually flipped through the Daily Prophet. The front page was still dominated by Black's wanted poster—no new developments. But beneath the banner headline, a small new article had appeared:
[Hero Returns from the Dead—Black May Face His Oldest Foe Once More]
The article recounted a brief history of Peter Pettigrew.
Hermione frowned. Such a "coincidental" news item—could someone have leaked yesterday's discussion to the Daily Prophet? She'd once suspected the rumors about Black being a werewolf had come from the Charon Detective Agency, but after Hagrid's explanation, she'd dismissed the idea. Now, she was starting to wonder again. Were wizarding reporters just gossips, willing to print anything?
She looked up, noticing several other Agency members reading the same article, their faces a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
Hannah exclaimed, "Peter Pettigrew's ghost has really come back to Hogwarts?"
The five who knew the truth exchanged glances but kept silent. The Marauder's Map was their secret, and none of them wanted anyone else tracking their movements.
As breakfast was winding down, Dumbledore suddenly stood and announced, "Today, I, along with several Heads of House and Professors, must go to the Ministry of Magic. I am entrusting school affairs to my Head Boy and Head Girl for the day..."
Percy and Penelope stood up and nodded solemnly.
As Dumbledore and the Heads of House left, the Great Hall buzzed with speculation.
Harry frowned. "It's the holidays—shouldn't Professors be able to go wherever they want? Why make an announcement about it?"
Hermione found it odd too, but didn't dwell on it.
George and Fred winked at the trio. "If we can't find Professor Holmes, we can always ask Percy!" "As the Professor's little brother, that cage should be no problem for him, right?"
Ron shook his head firmly. "No way. He's not a member of Charon Detective Agency. Hermione already invited him, and he refused."
Hermione tapped the table thoughtfully. "Actually, George and Fred have a point. We don't just need to open the cage—we need a powerful wizard who can help if things get dangerous. I thought we could always count on Professor Holmes, but now he's nowhere to be found, and all the other Professors have left. Percy is the best option we've got."
Ron shrugged. "So, who's going to ask him for help? He always thinks Fred and I are just messing about."
The twins turned to their sister in unison.
Ginny rolled her eyes and tugged on Hermione's arm. "Come on, Hermione, let's go together."
—
8:55 a.m. Hogwarts Headmaster's Office.
Snape eyed the large black dog sitting beside Douglas Holmes. He couldn't fathom why Douglas would bring a dog to such an important meeting—unless it had some special use in catching Black? For some reason, just looking at the dog filled him with a strange sense of disgust. The dog glared back, as if itching to bite him.
Professor Flitwick was curiously examining a massive new mirror that had appeared in the office, tapping it with his wand.
Suddenly, the fireplace blazed with green flames, and several figures stepped out.
Minister Fudge emerged first, turning to Dumbledore: "Albus, where is Black?"
Then Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror Office, followed with five Aurors in tow. Douglas glanced over the group—no sign of Tonks.
Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "Now that everyone's here, Douglas, if you please."
Douglas nodded. With a sharp snap of his fingers, the giant mirror on the wall shimmered, revealing the current scene inside the Defence Against the Dark Arts office.
Professor Flitwick grinned. "A two-way mirror! Douglas, did you make this yourself? I've never seen one so large."
Scrimgeour eyed the scene in the mirror—a group of students clustered in a circle, chattering away. His sharp yellow eyes peered at Douglas over gold-rimmed glasses.
"Professor Holmes, we're here to capture Black, not to spy on student gatherings. Are you telling me Black is hiding among the students?"
At this, the other professors—especially Snape, who'd spotted Harry in the mirror—looked alarmed.
"Holmes, what exactly are you playing at? Don't tell me you think this detective club actually caught Black?"
Douglas shook his head and began, "Ever since I heard about Black's escape, I've been worried for Harry's safety. I've done some investigating... and I've even personally captured Black."
At that, several faces in the room went pale.
Snape and Scrimgeour both stepped forward at once.
"Where is he?" "Tell us where he is!"
Nearby, Lupin let out a loud sneeze, covering the soft, derisive growl from Sirius, still in his Animagus dog form.
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