Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 281 Neville's Performance

Late at night, in the Gryffindor Tower.

In the picture frame, a short, chubby pony is grazing on the grass, its mouth glistening with brownish-green grass dust. Sir Cadogan paces back and forth along the edge of the frame, contemplating a new command. This is a pastime for knights and their mounts to pass the time while on duty.

The portrait cave was quiet inside and out, with only the sounds of torches and kerosene lamps splashing fuel. Percy dismissed the students from the common room before the lights were turned off. Outside was the corridor on the eighth floor of the castle. The sounds from the courtyard and grounds became almost inaudible. Occasionally, the evening breeze would sweep through the corridor from the windows, causing the firelight to flicker and cast shadows.

There was nowhere to hide in the corridor; the gaps behind the statues and armor were so narrow that they only allowed pet cats to pass through when chasing mice.

The silence was broken by slow footsteps, like the student boots that came with the Madam Malkin's Robe Shop.

The chubby pony's ears perked up, and as the footsteps drew closer, its chewing of grass slowed. Cadogan gripped his spear tighter. It was curfew time after lights out, and the young wizards were all in their dormitories; no one else would be coming back from outside.

The footsteps stopped in the shadows at the entrance to the portrait. The newcomer paused a few feet from the opening, hesitated for a moment, and seemed to be recalling the password for the evening:

"A beast whose heart has been blinded by dragon's dung?"

"Password correct..."

Although he couldn't see the visitor's face clearly, Sir Cadogan remained wary. But the rules were set, and he could only follow the school rules and open the door for visitors who gave the correct password. The blocking stone at the portrait cave began to move.

The light from the common room shone on the face of the late-night visitor. Sir Cadogan's lance was still pointed at the shadowy figure. The short, stout pony looked up and suddenly froze.

Standing at the entrance to the portrait hole was an ordinary student who had grown a few inches taller over the summer and lost his baby fat, but his face still retained a childish look. Neville Longbottom, a third-year student and the head of the drama club, was an old friend of theirs.

Neville scratched the back of his neck: "Sir Cadogan, it's me. I can't find my password list, so I'm looking in the corridor outside."

"Don't you remember the password?" Sir Cadogan asked, puzzled.

"I do remember... but you can't just leave something lost unattended."

"Why not use a summoning spell?"

“The summoning spell has a range limit. I’m not Professor Levent, so the spell can’t cover the entire castle; it can only search an area roughly one floor high.” Neville felt embarrassed and stood blankly at the cave entrance, trying to gain Cadogan’s understanding.

"Then have you found it?"

“No…” Neville said awkwardly, “I was casting spells while searching, and when I was on the second floor I disturbed Mr. Filch. I was worried that he would mistake me for a night owl, so I came back first.”

Sir Cadogan sheathed his lance and waved his hand impatiently: "You were just out for a night stroll, it's too late, you know? Go back to sleep first, look again tomorrow, or don't bother writing any more lists, you can remember the password now."

“I’m afraid I might forget it again someday, so I feel at ease carrying the password with me at all times.” Neville gave another shy smile.

“You just lack confidence, you’re unwilling to believe in yourself, and you lack the courage to charge at the dragon. Go back to the common room and look for it again. Don’t leave it in your dormitory.” Sir Cadogan grumbled as he fully opened the portrait cave.

Neville nodded, said goodnight, and crawled into the passageway behind the doorblock.

After passing through the passageway to the common room, Neville stepped out of the cave and looked around. It was late at night, and the only things in the room were a few candles that hadn't burned out yet and the glowing embers in the fireplace.

There is a rug in front of the fireplace, specially for pets, including Crookshanks and Lefève, who sometimes lie on it to keep warm.

The Gryffindor common room is spacious enough, filled with armchairs and sofas, as comfortable as a candy house in a fairy tale. The windows are closed, and it is warm enough, with the doorpost occasionally opening to let in fresh air from outside.

Just as Neville picked Rafe up from the carpet, he heard a rumbling sound behind him as a boulder was being moved.

Someone else has come back.

……

The black dog walked lightly up a dark staircase, trying to stay close to the wall and shadows, relying on the scattered moonlight and the candlelight in the picture frame for illumination.

The castle's staircase is like a magical maze, never stopping even at night, turning and connecting in a fixed pattern. Ordinary students can only wait for the right time to pass quickly, just like traffic lights in the Muggle world.

Only a few students can grasp the tricks hidden in the chaos, using the patterns of staircase transitions to choose faster and more convenient shortcuts.

The black dog was starting to miss this feeling.

When they were in Hogwarts, they were usually the last to leave their dorms, but they always managed to arrive at the Great Hall or classrooms before everyone else, and they almost never lost house points for being late.

Returning to the castle after sixteen years, he was secretly blessed by Lady Luck; every turn and platform on the spiral staircase was just right, as if the castle itself was welcoming his arrival.

But for some reason, after arriving on the eighth floor, he had a strange feeling, as if several eyes were watching him from the shadows. The wizard's keen intuition told him that he should turn back and not continue forward.

He recalled the countless times the raiders had roamed the castle at night, and his cowardly, stout companion always hid at the back, head down, eyes dark.

Just like when twelve Muggles were blown up in the street.

"Meow……"

A piercing meow echoed through the dark, silent stairwell, startling the black dog so much that its heart skipped a beat. The building manager's pet cat, which also served as its search assistant, had caught up with them.
It had no bulging eyes like light bulbs, nor sharp claws that lunged at them.

The meowing was coming from the front, not from the keeper's cat.

The black dog stopped, took a few deep breaths, and slowly peered into the narrow crevice behind the statue, where the cat's meows were coming from.

"Meow?"

A large, ginger-yellow cat with a flattened, persimmon-like face, holding a piece of parchment under its front paws, which it then thrust forward.

"Gryffindor's password list?" The black dog's eyes lit up.

"Meow?"

Crookshan nodded, and a very human-like look of confusion immediately appeared on his persimmon-like face. Why were you so scared when you heard the cat meowing? Was Filch chasing after you?

"Woo..."

The cat and dog huddled together and whispered for a few minutes before coming up with a strategy: Crookshanks would lure Mrs. Lorris away, while Sirius would continue upwards to eliminate Scabbers.

……

Climbing the spiral staircase all the way to the eighth floor of the castle, you'll find yourself at the exit of the staircase leading to a side corridor. Carefully avoid the passageway leading to the headmaster's office, and then avoid the portraits of Barnabas and the trolls. At the end of the last corridor is the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower.

Along the way, you will pass a semi-open corridor where moonlight shines through the railings, creating a scene of shadows on one side and silvery brilliance on the other.

The black dog, carrying the list, passed through the middle, its figure weaving through shadows and silver light. Its shadow was stretched long, constantly twisting and swaying, from one side to the other, as if it were swimming across the North Sea to finally reach the shore during a prison break.

When they reached the corner of the corridor, the black dog had already stood up, transforming into a tall, slender figure, holding a list of passwords in his hand.

The portrait at the entrance to the Portrait Cave has been changed; the knight on a ponies has replaced the fat lady. That knight used to always issue inexplicable challenges to the students, often shouting noisy things, yet he always managed to guide lost freshmen. His name was something like Cadogan?

“This time he has prepared the password.” Sirius thought of the fat lady he had angrily torn up and suddenly felt a little guilty.

He lowered his head and obediently came to the cave entrance, mumbling, "You beast whose heart has been blinded by dragon dung."

"Another night owl. Can't you guys just behave yourselves?"

Sir Cadogan grumbled under his breath, stepping aside the doorblock. As he entered, he saw the list and assumed it was a friend of Neville's who had found it and brought it back.

……

Neville turned to look at the cave entrance, where a tall, slender figure stood in the shadows, dressed in a gray-black robe, with a roll of parchment unfurled in his hand.

"Are you a seventh grader? Did you just come back from your night out?"

"Um……"

Upon hearing the reply, Neville looked him up and down with suspicion. Even if he couldn't remember the name of a seventh-year Gryffindor student, his face should be familiar. The figure in front of him was indeed quite unfamiliar.

And that roll of parchment... it looks so familiar.

With a skeptical attitude, Neville waved his wand and whispered:
[The list arrives]

The parchment the figure was holding slipped from his hand and landed directly in Neville's. The password was neatly written on it, and every stroke was a familiar handwriting.

The man also entered the common room, exposed to the candlelight. His face was covered with a scraggly beard, his disheveled hair was long and black, his eyes were melancholy and dim, his face was thin and haggard, his footsteps were slow, like the panting of a hunting dog, and his iron-gray eyes swept indifferently.

Neville's gaze was fixed on his face, fine beads of sweat appeared on his back, and he stood stiffly in place.

That face was once published in the newspaper. Although it was a photo from a long time ago, those memorable eyes haven't changed much.

"Sirius Black..."

"Thank you for your help in getting me back here. The last time I set foot in the Gryffindor common room was 16 years ago..."

Sirius tried to soften his voice, hoping to put the young wizard at ease. After all, he wasn't some vicious Death Eater, nor was he carrying a wand. He didn't want to harm any unrelated students, nor did he want his whereabouts to be exposed.

But the students of Gryffindor were just as stubborn, impulsive, and courageous as he had been when he was in school.

Within seconds of spotting the fugitive, Neville composed himself, realizing he was no match for Blake on his own, and that the dormitory was well soundproofed and wouldn't hear his cries for help.

We must make a big fuss to warn Sir Cadogan.

Neville covered his wand with the parchment in his hand and quietly pointed the tip of the wand at the portrait hole.

“Longbottom’s child, you’re not a very good actor. It was clever of you to cover your wand with the list, but your eyes were always on my back, which gave away your intentions.”

Sirius Black kept a safe distance to avoid provoking the student. "I must remind you that the walls of Hogwarts are magically reinforced. Even if a third-year wizard casts a spell at full power, he won't make much of a commotion. Sir Cadogan might not even notice."

Neville thought for a few seconds, silently put down the list of wand shields, but remained on guard.

“Even if Sir Cadogan noticed your warning, it would take him a few minutes to go to the other frames to inform the professors. Before the professors arrive, I have ample time to go upstairs to accomplish my purpose, and then leave the common room to hide. But please believe me…”

Sirius looked Neville into his eyes. "I have no intention of hurting anyone—you, your roommate, your classmate."

"What about... Harry?" Neville asked tentatively.

“Harry…” Sirius’s eyes dimmed. “I care about him more than anyone else in the world. I hope he lives to be a hundred years old. I am his godfather.”

"So what was your purpose in infiltrating the castle?"

Sirius hesitated, speaking very slowly: "Harry is your roommate, and Ron from the Weasleys is your roommate too, right?"

Neville stared at the fugitive's face, momentarily stunned.

Sirius noticed he seemed a little hesitant and breathed a sigh of relief: "I didn't mean to hurt them, it's just that he had one with him..."

[fainted to the ground]

【Split into pieces】

[Burning Flames]

The moment the tip of the wand burst into light, Sirius reacted immediately, leaping forward to dodge the attack while snatching Neville's wand and throwing it at him with a Stunning Charm.

The adult wizard's close-range attack was so fast that the third-year wizard couldn't react in time. In his haste, he could only raise his arm to block, and then his eyes rolled back and he lay on the ground.

At this moment, the cutting spell hit the wall with a muffled thud. The flames landed on the sofa, but only a few scattered sparks appeared, leaving a few black marks, and failed to ignite.

Sirius waited quietly for a moment, making sure no one was disturbed, before looking down at the boy lying on the carpet. He was amused by the boy's innocent and harmless appearance.

The earlier hesitation was just a performance to lower his guard; the boy was always thinking of making a big commotion to warn Kadogan and the students upstairs.

"As expected of a Longbottom child, you've completely inherited your parents' stubbornness."

Sirius sighed, glanced at the wand in his hand—thirteen inches long, made of cherry wood, with a unicorn hair core—and said, “I’ll borrow it for now and return it right away.”

He pulled a blanket over Neville, tucked the corners of the blanket in, and stepped onto the stairs leading to the boys' dormitory.

The footsteps gradually faded away.

Neville's eyes flickered a few times, then he sat up abruptly, pulled the unconscious Rafer from his sleeve, patted the toad's head, and scrambled towards the portrait cave, shouting in panic:
"Sir Cadogan, Sir Cadogan!"

"Quickly inform the principal, Blake has barged in!"

……

After inspecting the third floor, Melvin and Hagrid leisurely made their way to the fourth floor.

The wizards in the portraits on both sides of the corridor slept peacefully with their eyes closed. Occasionally, a ghost hidden in armor would peek out and greet them. The night at Hogwarts was peaceful.

A series of hoofbeats rang out, and the knight in the painting crossed the frame again and again, while Sir Cadogan's hoarse shouts echoed through the castle:
"Blake has broken into the castle!"

(End of this chapter)