Having stayed too long in the Room of Requirement, the group hurried towards the auditorium after Cho and Conna's reminder.
"I really can't believe we missed the Halloween feast."
Fred walked quickly at the front, muttering to himself, "Pumpkin pie... fried pork chops... roast meat pie..."
"Shut up, Fred." George, following closely behind him, complained, "I wasn't hungry at all just now, but now I feel like I could eat a whole cow."
The group quickened their pace, and soon reached the end of the corridor.
Just around this corner, and not far ahead were the stairs. From there, they could head straight down to the auditorium.
At this moment, Fred, who was walking at the front and was the first to leave the corridor, suddenly stopped and asked, "Wait, has the banquet already ended?"
"How could that be..." Conna said, "The feast just started ten minutes ago, it's far from over. You must be too hungry."
"Then why are people already coming back?" Fred pointed forward with his hand.
"What?"
The others quickly reached the corner and turned their heads to look in the direction he pointed.
In the distance was the staircase. Further ahead, a dark figure stood in front of a giant portrait.
The light was a bit dim, preventing them from seeing the figure clearly, but they recognized the painting.
The portrait of the Fat Lady, which was also the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Really strange, who is this?" George instinctively said, "He got full in just ten minutes..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Fat Lady in the portrait let out a loud, nearly eardrum-piercing scream.
"You are that Sirius Black..."
"Rip!"
The figure raised his hand and frantically tore at the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Let me in... he's in there... let me in!"
His voice was strange, hoarse, and muffled, as if squeezed out from the throat, sounding more like a low growl of some animal.
"What did the Fat Lady say just now... he's Sirius Black?"
Fred seemed to have just realized, but he acted quickly, pulling out his wand immediately.
"Apparently, yes," Cedric also reacted, staring at the dark figure ahead as if facing a formidable enemy.
The figure also noticed the commotion and abruptly turned around.
A beam of light illuminated his face...
Dirty hair draped to the elbows, sunken eyes, tight wax-white skin stretched over the cheekbones, resembling a skeleton wrapped in a layer of skin.
"It's really Black!" Fred was even more nervous, "He looks exactly like the portrait in the Daily Prophet."
Hearing his words, Black grinned hideously, like a beast about to go mad.
"Stupefy!"
"Incarcerous!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
...
Without hesitation, Cedric and the others simultaneously cast their best spells.
Five different colored beams shot straight towards Black.
But the opponent reacted quickly as well.
As they chanted incantations, Black had already crouched on all fours on the ground, dodging all the spells with an odd movement.
Then, maintaining this hand-foot coordination, he quickly escaped from the other side of the corridor.
"Can't let Black get away, he certainly doesn't have a wand now!" Fred shouted, wanting to give chase, but found someone faster.
"I'll chase, you go to the auditorium to inform the professors!"
Kael said without looking back, "I dealt with Dark Wizard Oren in my first year, I have experience..."
Perhaps too anxious, Kael accidentally knocked down a suit of armor, just blocking Fred's way.
Having been delayed like this, when Fred looked up again, Kael had already disappeared to the other side of the corridor.
"Wait, it's too dangerous for you alone..." Fred shouted loudly.
But Kael didn't stop.
After leaving the corridor and passing through several others, he quickly saw Black.
The opponent lifted a tapestry with a Fire Dragon on it, intending to slip into the passage behind.
"Stop!"
Kael cast a charm, exploding near Black's ear.
He originally intended to stop Black this way to talk to him about some matters, but the opponent paid no heed to the charm's proximity, not only not stopping but accelerating into the passage, disappearing in a blink.
This was a shortcut to the fourth floor, exiting in an empty classroom.
This time Kael did not pursue, only peeking into the passage.
Black seemed overly anxious, just seeking to leave the castle quickly. He probably wouldn't listen to anything now.
Explaining seemed a waste of time then; before speaking the other might arrive.
"Kael..."
Speak of the devil.
Kael just finished setting down the tapestry when Fred, George, Cedric, and Conna rushed in, panting.
"Why are you all here?" Kael turned and asked, "Why didn't you go to the auditorium to inform the professors?"
"What nonsense are you talking about... we couldn't possibly leave you to face Black alone." George complained.
"Cho has gone to the auditorium." Cedric said.
"You ran so fast earlier, we had to ask Peeves to find your whereabouts... Where's Black..."
"How are you?" Conna stepped forward nervously, asking, "Are you hurt?"
"No." Kael said, "But Black escaped, I did not catch him."
"You didn't catch up?" Fred asked in surprise.
Truthfully, they only considered Kael's safety facing Black alone before, never thought he'd lose track.
Kael had been creating the Hogwarts Map for four years, knowing every route in the castle like the back of his hand.
Is Black really that skilled? Managing to escape?
"No choice..." Kael shrugged, "He seemed very familiar with the castle, always finding the most suitable escape routes. When I arrived nearby, he vanished."
"Oh, right, Black graduated from Hogwarts too." George suddenly thought aloud, "I remember the Daily Prophet saying he was a Gryffindor too, familiar with the eighth floor surely."
Fred inadvertently saw the Fire Dragon tapestry beside them, pondering aloud: "Could he have come from here..."
"So you're all here..."
A familiar voice sounded from behind, interrupting Fred's words.
The group turned around.
Professor Dumbledore stood some distance behind them. No one noticed how he appeared, as though he'd always been there.
...