Heavy footsteps came from behind the door, followed by the jingling of metal.
"Who is it?"
Accompanying the creaking sound of the door opening, a rough voice rang out.
Hagrid's enormous figure appeared in the doorway, wearing a pink apron, flour stuck to his wild beard, and holding a wooden spoon in one hand.
Inside the room, the fire burned brightly, making the Half-Blood Giant sweat on his forehead, his cheeks flushed.
"Oh, Vid!" Hagrid looked down at the figure and broke into a warm smile: "You came at the perfect time; I'm in the middle of baking a cake!"
"Thank you, Hagrid, but there's something I want to ask you right now."
Vid quickly spoke: "I remember it used to be you at the main gate, responsible for letting people in and out of the school, is that still the case?"
"Of course!"
Hagrid proudly patted the string of keys at his waist, making a jingling sound.
He chuckled and said: "I've always been the keykeeper of Hogwarts, even after becoming a professor; Dumbledore never took away that job from me; he trusts I can do it well!"
Vid stared intently into his eyes and asked again: "Always been? So if someone from outside wants to enter the school, they must be let in by you, is that right?"
"Ah, well..."
Hagrid extended a finger and scratched his face, feeling that he had spoken too confidently, his face slightly flushing.
"It's supposed to be like that, but you know...sometimes I have to teach classes! Nowadays, there are a lot of people coming and going from outside..."
With flour all over his face, he bent down and said: "Professors at the school can also bring outsiders in, but they rarely do; mostly, it's Professor McGonagall who handles troublesome guests; Filch is the school's gatekeeper, so naturally, he can help show the way too."
Hagrid sneered and said: "That old chap always wanders around like a vulture, eager to catch a few students and give them detention!"
"Thanks for the information, Hagrid!" Vid nodded hurriedly and said: "I have something to do, gotta go!"
The boy waved his hand, his figure already sweeping past the vegetable garden like a gust of wind.
Hagrid was momentarily stunned, then shouted loudly: "Hey, kid, don't you want to try my cake?"
"Next time—"
The shouting voice carried by the wind, Vid already ran nearly a hundred meters away.
"Hey, what a pity, wonder what could be so urgent."
Hagrid turned back into the house, looked at the cake batter, and muttered to himself: "Maybe a bit more Powder of Fanged Flyer Shell? The texture should be better..."
He pondered over his cake, almost completely forgetting Vid had come to see him earlier.
...
Vid ran swiftly, his robes fluttering, Sirius's footsteps always accompanying him.
"What's wrong?" The man asked concernedly: "What did you mean by asking Hagrid?"
"I just suddenly figured something out."
Vid said intermittently while running: "Someone who can make others lower their guard and not react even if ambushed might not just be someone very trusted...it could also be...someone everyone disregards, thinking he could never pose any threat..."
"What?" Sirius responded a beat late: "—Filch? How could it be? That guy is a Dud! I figured it out back in school!"
—Yes, how could it be?
Just like in the original, Sirius and Harry hated Kreacher, never thinking he would betray them.
Kreacher, disliked by his masters, is just like Filch, an "unseen person"—the wizards don't pay them any mind nor think they could pose any threat, like a clown...an annoying decoration.
But "decorations" have thoughts and biases, and in a crucial position, even the slightest move can create a significant impact.
"I'm not sure yet." Vid strode quickly up the steps, paused to catch his breath, and said: "I need to...verify something more."
His gray eyes fixed sharply on the lights in the castle, the gaze like a blade.
Sirius, in invisibility, silently drew his magic wand.
"Be careful." The adult advised steadily: "If that guy is indeed the Dark Wizard who created the skeletons, he's far more dangerous than Filch."
"I know."
Vid seemed to relax, passing through the porch, his footsteps echoing with a peculiar rhythm in the corridor.
It was dinner time, and there weren't many people in the corridor; those passing by mostly had a few books in their arms, casting envious looks Vid's way.
In two days, it'd be final exams; students who usually relaxed were finally facing their annual nightmare. Seeing Vid not needing to take exams, the envy couldn't be stronger.
But only Sirius knew, Vid looked relaxed but was actually tense all over.
Turning the corner, a sharp scolding broke the silence.
"...Riding broomsticks in the corridor, I'm going to string you all up..."
Filch hunched over, yelling at two first-year students who were trembling. The other students walked around the area, afraid the gloomy, harsh caretaker would catch some mistake and give them a few days' detention.
Vid narrowed his eyes slightly, scanning the caretaker from head to toe, and his racing heart finally settled.
Perhaps sensing a particularly strong presence of a gaze, Filch suddenly turned around, meeting Vid's eyes, a flash of anger in his cloudy eyes.
"You—you stepped on the mud outside and came in!"
Filch rushed like a scrawny cat whose tail got stepped on, his nostrils twitching as if searching for evidence of a crime.
"Mud! The whole corridor is mud! Even if you're the school's Champion, don't you know to follow a bit of school rules?"
Vid was momentarily stunned by the yelling, he looked down and realized he had indeed left a trail of muddy footprints behind.
It had rained in the evening, and the damp mud outside the castle clung to his shoes and got brought inside.
Usually, before stepping on the stairs, Vid would consciously cast a Scouring Charm on himself, to not add to poor Filch's workload. But today, he indeed forgot about it.
Of course, there were many muddy footprints in the corridor, his own trail wasn't particularly noticeable.
"I'm fed up! No one respects my work!" Filch grabbed Vid's arm, dragging him toward his office, grumbling angrily: "Come with me, I'm giving you a detention! The crime is tarnishing the castle..."
The two first-year students who were originally getting scolded looked at the caretaker in a panic, unsure if they should follow too.
Then, Vid, being dragged along, turned and waved, signaling them to leave. The two cautiously glanced at the caretaker, then quickly ran into the Great Hall, looking back to show Vid a grateful expression.
Filch seemed to entirely forget about the two from before, focused on making an example, catching Vid the Champion, intent on giving him a spot of punishment.
And beside him, Vid's lips also curled slightly.