Chapter 62: First Invasion

After returning from Hogsmeade, the three of them freshened up, changed their clothes, and went to the Great Hall for the Halloween dinner together.

Thousands of jack-o-lanterns were hung in the auditorium, as well as a group of fluttering bats and many orange streamers that breathed flames. They floated lazily under the ceiling, like brilliant water snakes. The food at the banquet was delicious and everyone looked happy.

The dinner ended with entertainment provided by the ghosts, who suddenly appeared from the walls and tables to perform a kind of gliding procession; the ghost of Gryffindor, the almost headless Nick, successfully re-enacted the time when he was killed. head condition.

Everyone felt like they had had a great night, but less than ten minutes after the dinner ended, everything took a turn. The little joy accumulated at the Halloween party disappeared, and the atmosphere of panic filled the castle again.

When the dinner was over, Schelling followed the other Slytherin students back to the common room. But the Harry trio discovered that many people were crowding in front of the Gryffindor common room - that is, in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, and Peeves was jumping happily on top of the crowd's heads. look.

Before they could squeeze into the crowd, Professor Dumbledore arrived in a hurry after receiving the news. He hurriedly walked towards the portrait of the fat woman. The students in Gryffindor House crowded together to let him pass, and Harry and the others got closer. Some, trying to see where the trouble lies.

In front of them, the portrait of the Fat Lady was vandalized. The portrait and small pieces of canvas were scattered on the ground, and large pieces of canvas were completely torn from the frame.

"Professor McGonagall, please go to Filch immediately and tell him to look for the Fat Lady on every painting in the castle..." Dumbledore said quickly.

"Good luck!" a voice chuckled. It was Peeves, who loved to play pranks. He was jumping up and down above everyone's heads, and he was as happy as ever when he saw this unfortunate and troubled scene.

"What did you say, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked calmly, and the smile on Peeves' face faded a little. He didn't dare laugh at Dumbledore. He changed his tone to a flattering tone, but it was not much better than the weird chuckle just now.

Peeves grinned, "Sorry, Mr. Headmaster! She didn't want to be seen, she was messed up. I saw her running past the landscape on the fifth floor, sir, hiding among the trees, crying and saying something. Terrible thing."

"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Oh, I told you, head professor!" Pipis was as angry as if he was holding a big bomb in his arms. "She wouldn't let him in. He was very annoyed, you know. He has a really bad temper. Sirius Black!"

Everyone gasped when they heard Peeves' words, Sirius Black actually broke into the castle and even tried to enter the Gryffindor common room. This is so scary, but thankfully it's Halloween and everyone is out of the tower. Dumbledore asked all students to return to the Great Hall immediately. To ensure safety, the staff would conduct a thorough search of the castle.

The plot returns to Schelling.

After the dinner, the little Slytherin wizards who were still in excitement gathered in the common room. Schelling and his third-grade classmates occupied a corner, where they shared their experiences in Hogsmeade today. , such as Nott and Blaise showing off Ms. Rosmerta's beauty to Schelling who had no chance to catch a glimpse, Pansy and her best friends sharing the spoils of today's shopping...

At this time, prefect Gemma suddenly burst into the common room, "Attention everyone! Everyone go to the auditorium!" Her tone was a little urgent, and it seemed that something terrible had happened.

"What's going on, Gemma?" Schelling asked, standing up. Xie Lin and Gemma corresponded frequently during the summer vacation, and their relationship was so familiar that their names matched each other.

"I don't know. This is Professor Dumbledore's order. Something big must have happened." Gemma's tone showed anxiety. "Students from other colleges have also been called over. We must be careful." Can’t be late!”

So the little snakes crawled out of the common room hole again and rushed towards the auditorium. I don't know if it was a psychological factor, but the shadow of the torch was cast on the wall. The wall, which usually seemed dignified, thick and reliable, seemed to have become a stage for demons to dance wildly.

"Something has happened and the staff and myself will conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told the students. His tone was far from cheerful as usual, but mixed with a bit of solemnity and worry. At this time, the four deans joined forces to close all the doors of the auditorium.

"For your own safety, I think you may have to stay here overnight. I ask the prefects to stand guard at the entrance of the auditorium, and the presidents of the male and female student unions to stay in the auditorium to take charge. If anything happens, report it to me immediately," Dumbledore ordered Percy and Penello, and Percy's face was filled with the pride of an important person, "Just find a ghost to bring me a message."

Professor Dumbledore stopped talking and was about to leave the auditorium, but then said: "Oh, by the way, maybe you need this!" He waved his wand lightly, and the long tables flew to the edge of the auditorium and automatically leaned against them. The wall stood; with another wave, hundreds of soft purple sleeping bags appeared on the ground.

As soon as the professors left, there was chatter in the auditorium. The Gryffindor students told the students from other houses what had just happened.

"Lie down and rest now! Lights out in ten minutes!" Percy shouted with indescribable enthusiasm and pride.

Sherrin pulled up four sleeping bags and walked to a corner with Daphne, Meredith, and Astoria. They got into the sleeping bags, with Daphne on the left side of Sherrin and Meredith on the right side of Sherrin. Astoria snorted in dissatisfaction before reluctantly sleeping on Daphne's left side, separated from Sherrin. My own sister.

Astoria said worriedly: "Do you think Black is still in the castle?"

Xie Lin said calmly: "I dare say he has left. Dumbledore is still in the castle. If he has not left, there is no chance. Tonight, the professors' search is destined to be in vain."

Meredith thought for a while and couldn't help but ask a question: How did Black get into Hogwarts?

A shrewd look flashed in Xie Lin's eyes, and he said: "Apparition is not allowed within Hogwarts. The floo network and portkeys are also monitored. All important passages, including the sky above, are guarded by dementors, so Invisibility magic is useless. Body shapeshifting or polyjuice potion may be able to sneak into Hogwarts, but Black, a wanted criminal on the run, is unlikely to do it without support (body shapeshifting is required) Information, polyjuice requires ingredients). Eliminating these impossibilities, the only possibility is that Black has mastered a secret passage that no one else knows!"

The three women watched him make such a solid inference in such a short period of time, and in such a methodical manner, they were both surprised and admired for a moment.

Then, a flash of shrewdness flashed in Xie Lin's eyes, and he said: "Instead of discussing this, why not discuss Black's intention of sneaking into Hogwarts?"

"Isn't it to kill Harry?" Meredith asked doubtfully.

The corners of Xie Lin's mouth raised slightly, "If it was to kill Harry, why did he choose this time today? Didn't he know that all the students were in the auditorium? To say the least, even if his intelligence was really wrong, Why did he tear up the portrait after finding out he couldn't get into the dormitory? "

"Indeed, there is no benefit in tearing up the portrait except to alert others." Meredith quickly came to his senses.

"Could it be that he escaped from Azkaban and is a little mentally disturbed?" Daphne said hesitantly.

Xie Lin slowly shook his head, "Do you think a mentally disturbed person can escape from Azkaban, cross thousands of miles from the North Sea, and sneak into Hogwarts? You must know that Blake's wanted order was issued by The Wizard at the same time. published in the world and the Muggle world, and being able to avoid numerous searches without being caught is enough to prove that his sanity is still there.

Schelling explained: "If we had not torn up the painting, we would not have known that Blake had invaded. It was not until the Fat Lady said it that we knew that it was Blake who had invaded and not anyone else, and it is impossible for him not to know that tearing up the painting I can’t silence the fat lady either.”

"You mean..." Meredith felt a little frustrated, as if she couldn't catch up with Xellin's thoughts.

"You mean, Black's purpose is not Harry. He tore up the portrait to create a false impression and divert attention. In fact, he wanted to get something from the Gryffindor lounge?" This time, Daphne responded first. Come here, although she is not very good at logic and reasoning, she is good at grasping people's hearts.

"That's right!" Xie Lin reached over and kissed Daphne on the cheek, making her blush while Meredith showed a sour and envious expression. "If you want to find a reason for Black's behavior, he chose this time to break in when no one was in the common room, and he was obviously looking for something. As for tearing down the portrait, it was purely to create an illusion of assassinating Harry! I dare to say that he will definitely come back. When the professors are watching Harry stupidly and focusing their attention on Harry, it will be the time for him to take action again. "

Daphne and Meredith had long been a little numb to Xuelin's power, but Astoria, who was in the audience, saw her idol peeling off his cocoon for the first time, and clarified the whole thing through a few small details. Even the professors They were all beyond their reach, their bright eyes shone with adoration and admiration, and they were also envious of Daphne and Meredith who could be so close to Xuelin.

The four fell into silence. Along with the silence, they also began to feel tired, and soon fell asleep.