Because they'd spent too long in the Room of Requirement, after Cho and Conna reminded them, the group hurried off toward the auditorium.
"I can't believe it! We actually missed the Halloween feast."
Fred rushed ahead at lightning speed, muttering as he walked, "Pumpkin pie... fried pork chops... meat pasties..."
"Shut up, Fred." George, right behind him, grumbled, "I wasn't even hungry before, but now I feel like I could eat a whole cow."
They picked up their pace, quickly reaching the end of the corridor.
Just around this corner, a bit farther ahead, was the staircase. From there, down the stairs, they'd reach the auditorium.
Then, Fred, who was at the front and the first to leave the corridor, suddenly stopped and asked, "Wait, has the feast already ended?"
"How could it…" Conna said, "The feast just started ten minutes ago, it's nowhere near over yet. You must be starving out of your mind."
"Then why is someone already back?" Fred pointed ahead with his hand.
"What?"
The others hurried to the corner, then turned their heads and followed his pointing finger.
Just ahead was the staircase, and beyond that, a shadowy figure stood in front of a huge portrait.
The lighting was dim, so they couldn't make out the person's features, but they recognized the painting.
The Fat Lady's portrait— the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"That's weird, who's that?" George blurted instinctively. "He got full after ten minutes…"
Before he finished speaking, the Fat Lady in the portrait let out a massive, ear-splitting scream.
"You're Sirius Black…"
"Riiip!"
The figure raised a hand, frantically tearing at the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Let me in… he's inside… let me in!"
His voice was strange—hoarse and muffled, as if squeezed from his throat, sounding more like an animal's growl.
"The Fat Lady just said… he's Sirius Black?"
Fred seemed to realize only now, but his reaction was quick: he drew his wand instantly.
"Obviously." Cedric did the same, staring at the shadowy figure like facing a mortal threat.
The figure noticed their movement, and suddenly spun around.
A beam of light lit up his face…
Filthy, tangled hair hung to his elbows, sunken eyes, waxy pale skin stretched tight over his cheekbones—he looked like a skeleton wrapped in skin.
"It really is Black!" Fred grew more nervous. "He looks exactly like the picture in the Daily Prophet."
Black grinned menacingly when he heard, like a beast about to go berserk.
"Stupefy!"
"Incarcerous!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
…
Without hesitation, Cedric and the others unleashed their best charms all at once.
Five beams of different colors shot straight toward Black.
But Black's reaction was just as fast.
As they cast their incantations, Black dropped to all fours, dodging every spell with uncanny agility.
He stayed in that hands-and-feet posture, quickly fleeing to the other side of the corridor.
"We can't let Black escape—he definitely doesn't have a wand yet!" Fred shouted, about to give chase, only to realize someone was even faster.
"I'll go after him—you guys go to the auditorium and alert the professors!"
Kael didn't even look back: "I handled the Dark Wizard Oren back in first year, I've got experience…"
Maybe he was too eager—Kael collided with a suit of armor as he ran out, blocking Fred's path.
Delayed by this, by the time Fred looked up again, Kael had already vanished down the other end of the corridor.
"Wait, it's too dangerous for you to go alone…" Fred shouted loudly.
But Kael didn't stop.
Leaving the corridor, then crossing a few more, Kael soon spotted Black.
Black lifted a tapestry emblazoned with a Fire Dragon, about to slip into the passage behind it.
"Stop!"
Kael fired a charm, which exploded right by Black's ear.
He'd meant to stop Black this way and talk to him, but Black ignored the spell completely; instead of slowing, he sped up and dove into the passage, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
This passage was a shortcut to the fourth floor, with its exit in an empty classroom.
This time, Kael didn't give chase—he just peeked into the passage.
Black was clearly over-nervous, just focused on leaving the castle as quickly as possible. He probably wouldn't listen to anything right now.
And explaining would only waste time; who knew, maybe before he could get a word out, the others would arrive.
"Kael…"
Speak of the devil.
As soon as Kael let that tapestry drop, Fred, George, Cedric, and Conna came running, out of breath.
"Why'd you all come?" Kael turned and asked. "Why didn't you notify the professors in the auditorium?"
"Don't be ridiculous… there's no way we'd let you confront Black on your own." George complained.
"Cho already went to the auditorium," Cedric said.
"You were running so fast, we had to ask Peeves to find you… Where's Black…"
"Are you alright?" Conna hurried over nervously. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No," Kael said, "But Black got away, I couldn't catch him."
"Even you couldn't catch up?" Fred said, astonished.
Honestly, they'd only worried about Kael getting hurt facing Black alone—they never thought he'd lose him.
Kael had produced the Hogwarts Map for four years in a row; he knew every twist and turn in the castle by heart.
Is Black really that amazing… Is he always able to get away?
"No choice…" Kael shrugged, "He seems familiar with the castle, always finds the best escape routes. By the time I got close, he was gone."
"Oh, right—Black's a Hogwarts graduate too." George suddenly remembered, "I think the Daily Prophet said he was a Gryffindor as well. He'd definitely know his way around the eighth floor."
Fred glanced at the nearby Fire Dragon tapestry and said thoughtfully, "Do you guys think it's possible he came from…"
"So that's where you're all hiding…"
A familiar voice called out from behind, cutting Fred off.
The group turned around.
Professor Dumbledore was standing not far behind them; no one had noticed how he appeared—almost like he'd been there all along.
…