0278 I see dead people

The previous defeat in the last game had left a bitter taste in Gryffindor’s mouth, so when they finally defeated Ravenclaw this time, the young wizards in the same house erupted in jubilation as if they had won the Quidditch Cup. even though they still had to face Slytherin in the final match. Harry barely had time to think about the unusual human-like actions of the little black dog that had been watching him from the stands as he was immediately surrounded by his classmates who carried him back to the castle. Now, they needed another celebration to commemorate this glorious victory.

While Harry was showered with compliments and congratulations, Fred and George Weasley slipped away unnoticed. They returned two hours later, laden with crates of butterbeer, bottles of pumpkin juice, and bags full of Honeydukes’ sweets. They dumped their loot on the nearest table and began to distribute them among the eager crowd.

“How did you get these?” Angelina Johnson asked, catching a peppermint toad that George tossed to her.

“With a little help from the Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,” Fred whispered conspiratorially to Harry, who was sitting next to him.

“The secret passage has been opened?” Harry asked in surprise. He thought that Professor Watson, had sealed all the secret passages that led to Hogsmeade after they had used one of them to sneak out of the castle. Harry had told Fred and George about this, hoping that they would not try to upset Professor Watson.

“It’s been a while,” George said, leaning in and speaking with a nostalgic tone. “Professor Watson is really a good bloke. He probably knows that young wizards need some fun and relaxation after all the boring coursework, so he left some ways for us to enjoy ourselves.”

“I think you must have forgotten–” Hermione, who was chatting with Ginny, overheard the conversation of the boys and interrupted them impatiently. “The whole castle is filled with Professor Watson’s ‘eyes’.” 

“But he’s not at Hogwarts today. Loads of people saw him leaving at breakfast!” Ron said, grinning broadly. 

It was true that Professor Watson had left the school that morning, along with Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster.

‘If Sirius Black who was after him, wanted to cause trouble today, it would be the perfect opportunity.’

Harry was curious about what Fred and George had been up to, but this sudden thought made his heart skip a beat.

‘It couldn’t be such a coincidence. Sirius Black couldn’t be so well-informed.’

Harry felt a pang of paranoia and pushed the thought away. He picked up his glass of butterbeer and walked towards Seamus Finnigan, who was making his way through the crowd to congratulate him.

As the warm liquid slid down his throat, the slight anxiety he had felt vanished from his mind.

At that moment, the portrait of the Fat Lady, who guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, swung open, and Percy Weasley walked in with a sour expression on his face. He ignored the chaotic scene in front of him and grabbed a bottle of butterbeer from the table. He raised it towards Harry from across the room and then drank more than half of it in one gulp.

“What’s wrong, Percy?” Ginny asked, covering her mouth and giggling. “Your girlfriend doesn’t want to pay you ten Galleons?”

Percy’s face darkened even more. He said in a gloomy voice, “Penelope said she only agreed to bet with me because she didn’t know Harry had a Firebolt. She threatened me that if I ever mentioned it again, she would break up with me.”

Laughter erupted near the fireplace, drowning out all the other joyful noises in the common room.

More and more students joined the celebration, and the common room was never quiet even during lunch and dinner.

By nine o’clock in the evening, Harry, who had drunk a lot of butterbeer and pumpkin juice, collapsed weakly on the soft couch. Ron’s condition was not much better than Harry’s. He was sprawled on the floor, leaning on the coffee table, his eyes glazed, and drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. Only Hermione was still in good shape. She had claimed a coffee table for herself and was burying her head in a book called “The Family Life and Social Habits of British Muggles.” She was the only one who seemed to care about their homework, which was due the next day.

Staring at the exquisite candle hanging from the ceiling for a long time, Harry’s eyes began to feel sore. He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes, thinking that maybe it was time to call it a night. However, Colin, a second-year student, suddenly appeared and took several photos with his camera, causing Harry’s eyes to feel a sharp pain from the bright flashes.

‘It’s time to rest.’ Harry thought so and stood up, ready to greet Ron, but his gaze swept across the doorway behind the Fat Lady, and his movements suddenly stiffened. His cheeks, reddened by butterbeer, were filled with confusion.

The noise in the room suddenly disappeared strangely, and Harry stared at the little creature crouching in the doorway. He thought Colin’s flash had caused him to have an illusion, so he blinked his eyes and quickly looked again. But the fact proved that what he saw was real.

The little creature in the doorway blinked its eyes and looked back at him, its eyes full of seduction.

“Ron?” Harry called softly.

“I might have had too much butterbeer, but I think you should see what’s at the door,” Harry said.

Ron mumbled a few times. He wanted to look up, but his tiredness and numbness made his attempt fail. He didn’t even have the strength to ask Harry what he wanted him to see.

Harry stared at the doorway, afraid that if he looked away, the little creature would disappear from his sight.

“Hermione?” Harry called his other friend, hoping she could help confirm. After all, this matter was crucial to Ron and Hermione’s friendship.

“Oh, what is it now?” Hermione, who was interrupted from her studies, said irritably. “I still have 422 pages to read in this book!”

Although she said so, Hermione followed Harry’s gaze and then her expression became similar to Harry’s, as if they were both seeing a ghost.

As if time had stopped, Harry and Hermione stared dumbfounded at the rat crouching in the doorway, both feeling like they were in a dream.

“I think you better see what it is, Ron,” Hermione finally gave up on her book, her voice trembling as she made the same request as Harry.

And this time, Ron finally reacted. He propped himself up on the table, looking like he was about to vomit, but he still looked sluggish and uninterested as he glanced at the portrait of the Fat Lady.

At this moment, the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, and Percy, who had just finished patrolling the castle, found that the Gryffindor common room was still the same as when he left. He was about to get angry, but a gust of cold wind suddenly blew his robes. He lowered his head in astonishment and vaguely saw a yellowish, ghost-like figure darting away from his feet.

“Scabbers!”

Before Percy could turn around to check, his brother Ron pounced on him, brushing past his shoulder as he rushed out of the doorway, causing him to spin in place.

“Ron!” Although he didn’t understand what was happening, Harry who had regained his senses, didn’t hesitate. He followed Ron out as soon as he could.

“Wait, Harry!” Hermione also got out of the sofa, ready to follow them. But she suddenly remembered something, and wanted to stop Harry. But Harry ignored her, and she stomped her foot in annoyance, before going back to the sofa and grabbing Harry’s backpack. She took out the invisibility cloak and draped it over her arm, before running out of the common room.

“Hey, you can’t openly violate the school rules in front of a prefect!” Percy shouted angrily.

“Just this once, Percy.”

The last person, Hermione, waved her hand at Percy, who was still shouting, and then disappeared on the stairs. 

The sound of hurried footsteps pierced the silence of the castle, awakening the portraits that lined the corridor from their slumber. The portraits disapprovingly pursed their lips, muttering about the lack of manners and discipline among the students.

“Oh, for God’s sake, can’t you wait for me?”

Hermione finally caught up with Harry and Ron when they reached the fifth floor. She ran behind them, constantly using her small white hand to brush away the strands of hair floating in front of her eyes. 

Harry was about to ask Hermione what had delayed her, but his gaze shifted downward and he immediately noticed the invisibility cloak in her hands. He couldn’t help but admire her quick thinking. She had grabbed the cloak from their dormitory, knowing that they would need it to sneak out of the castle.

“I didn’t even think of that, Hermione. Your reaction was really fast.”

“You’ll find,” Hermione proudly raised her nose, glancing at the agile and unbelievably nimble Scabbers, her expression lightened as if a heavy burden had been lifted, “-that my judgment is always accurate!”

Harry and Ron didn’t say anything, but they both knew what Hermione was trying to say. Scabbers hadn’t died, which meant that Crookshanks was innocent. They had misunderstood Hermione before. 

Thinking about this, Harry couldn’t help but feel guilty, but at the same time, he felt very confused. The current appearance of Scabbers, who was running around so lively, showed no signs of being injured. So, what was the connection between the bloodstains on Ron’s bedsheet and Crookshanks’s fur on the night after Halloween last year? Had someone else tried to harm Scabbers? And if so, why?

While Harry was pondering this, Hermione suddenly grabbed the collars of Harry and Ron from behind and pulled them behind a tapestry at the corner without saying a word. Ron immediately wanted to ask something, but Hermione gestured for them to be quiet. She pointed at the other end of the corridor, where a figure was approaching.

It was Professor Lupin.

He was walking from the direction of the hospital wing, holding a toothbrush and some toiletries. Normally, he should have noticed them by now, but compared to the morning, Lupin’s face looked even more sickly, and his steps were unsteady, as if he were in a daze. His pale skin was covered with dark circles and scars, and his brown hair was greasy and unkempt. That’s why he didn’t notice them rushing down from upstairs.

The waiting time was agonizing. Just twenty seconds felt like a century. Harry, Ron, and Hermione held their breaths, hoping that Lupin wouldn’t spot them.

When Professor Lupin finally opened the door slowly, Ron immediately rushed out without hesitation. He didn’t want to waste any more time, he wanted to catch Scabbers before he escaped. Harry and Hermione followed him, but Harry couldn’t help but wonder.

“I never understood–” Harry also followed, but his face was full of confusion, “Why does Professor Lupin always look so sickly?”

“Well–” Hermione’s breathing rhythm was fast, she quickly glanced at the moon outside the window, then moved her lips, but didn’t continue speaking. 

“Oh, thank goodness!”

When they reached the first floor, Ron breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Scabbers reappear in their line of sight. Scabbers had somehow managed to evade them for a while, but now he was cornered. He had run out of the castle, and was heading towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest. But there was nowhere to hide, the forest was too dark and dangerous, and there were creatures that would love to feast on a rat.

Peter had a clear goal, it was heading towards the outside of the castle. When Harry and the others descended the marble staircase of the castle’s main entrance and arrived outside, Ron immediately called out anxiously, “Scabbers, you idiot, why are you running? It’s me, Ron!”

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