Like that, after the Sirius Black incident, things around Hogwarts changed noticeably.
The biggest change for Gryffindor came first.
The portrait of the Fat Lady had been damaged badly enough that she refused to return to her frame, disappearing entirely after the attack. In her place, the entrance to Gryffindor Tower was now guarded by Sir Cadogan.
Surprisingly, most Gryffindors considered it an improvement.
At least Sir Cadogan didn't randomly begin singing in the middle of the evening.
"Well… this is already better," Ron muttered the first night they returned to the tower without being assaulted by the Fat Lady's opera attempts.
The problem was that Sir Cadogan came with his own issues.
He changed passwords constantly, challenged students to duels for no reason, and once woke half the tower at midnight yelling about "cowardly invaders near the staircase," which turned out to be a suit of armor.
Still, Gryffindors adapted.
The rest of Hogwarts had less patience.
Security around the castle tightened heavily after Black's intrusion. Professors patrolled the corridors more often, especially during evenings, and students caught wandering after curfew were dealt with far more seriously than before.
And outside the castle—
The Dementors remained.
They circled the grounds constantly, dark figures gliding near the entrances and edges of Hogwarts like living shadows. Even during daylight their presence dragged the atmosphere down, and students avoided going near the gates unless they absolutely had to.
Some older students had started openly complaining.
"It feels like we're living inside Azkaban," one Ravenclaw seventh-year muttered during breakfast loud enough for half the hall to hear.
The feeling spread quickly after that.
No one liked the Dementors near the school.
Not students.
Not parents either.
In the wizarding world, Dementors were feared for a reason, and plenty of parents were furious that creatures like that had been placed around children, even if the Ministry kept insisting it was necessary to catch a dangerous escaped criminal.
The Ministry repeated the same excuse every time.
But as weeks passed and Sirius Black still wasn't caught, people were getting less willing to accept it.
During that time, Remus Lupin had also started giving Harry private lessons for the Patronus Charm after realizing how badly the Dementors affected him.
Which, honestly, made sense.
The Dementors reacted to Harry more strongly than anyone else in the school. Every time they got near him, things went wrong fast enough to notice.
Victor had his own version of that problem.
"Draco," he said flatly, watching his brother wave the wand again at the practice dummy in front of him, "didn't I tell you to think of something happy? What exactly are you thinking about? Your wand isn't even reacting."
Draco Malfoy lowered the wand slightly, annoyed.
"It's harder than it sounds," he muttered.
Victor stayed seated in the chair nearby, one leg crossed over the other, completely unimpressed by the excuse.
"Well," he said dryly, "would praise from me count as a happy memory? Because at this point that might be your only option."
Draco shot him a look.
"That's not funny."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Draco tried the spell again anyway, focusing harder this time, but the result barely changed. A few weak silver sparks came out before fading immediately.
Victor sighed quietly.
"You're forcing the spell too much," he said. "The Patronus Charm isn't about power. If it was, half the idiots in Hogwarts would already know it."
Draco lowered the wand again.
Then, after a pause, he looked back at Victor suspiciously.
"Why are you even helping me suddenly?" he asked. "You barely helped me with homework in first or second year."
Victor looked at him for a moment before answering.
"You're thirteen now," he said. "And getting older means people start expecting more from you. Better you stay ahead than spend your time trying to catch up later."
Draco blinked slightly.
That wasn't the answer he expected.
For a second, he just stared at Victor, trying to figure out if he was serious or not.
Because concern was not something he usually associated with his brother.
"And Victor… what even is this room?" Draco Malfoy asked, looking around again.
The place had appeared out of nowhere.
One moment there had only been a blank stretch of wall, and the next a door had formed there like it had always existed.
Inside, the room looked more like a private training hall than anything else—open space, practice dummies, shelves lined with random objects, even padded walls near the far side.
"It's called the Room of Requirement," Victor said. "The room changes depending on what the person needs. It only appears if someone genuinely wants something from it."
Draco's eyes moved across the room again, curiosity replacing some of his earlier frustration.
"So Hogwarts has a hidden magical room that just appears when someone wants it badly enough?" he asked. "How does nobody talk about this?"
Victor shrugged slightly.
"Hogwarts has a lot of things people don't talk about."
That answer somehow sounded believable.
Draco stepped toward one of the shelves, still looking impressed.
"When did you even find this place?" he asked.
"First year."
Draco turned immediately.
"You found this in first year and never told me?"
Victor looked completely unbothered.
"You would've bragged about it within two days."
Draco opened his mouth, then stopped because that was probably true.
Victor pushed himself up from the chair then, taking out his wand.
"Enough questions," he said. "Now try the Disarming Charm on me."
Draco blinked.
"On you?"
"Yes, Draco," Victor replied, standing properly now as he rolled his sleeve back slightly and raised his wand. "Live combat is far better than throwing spells at training dummies. Dummies don't move, don't react, and don't try to hit you back."
Draco's expression shifted immediately at the last part.
"You're going to attack too?"
Victor gave him a look.
"If someone points a wand at you in real life, Draco, they usually aren't planning to stand still politely while you practice."
"And if you manage to beat me, I'll teach you some fourth-year spells early."
That got his attention instantly.
"Seriously?"
Victor nodded once.
"Seriously."
Draco's hesitation disappeared almost immediately after that. His stance adjusted, shoulders straightening as competitive instinct kicked in hard enough to overpower caution.
*****
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