My Hogwarts has a serious problem.

Chapter 395, page 392: Black is the Wormtail!

"Why would Black give you something like this? Hermione is just making things up out of thin air."

At lunchtime, Ron and Harry walked together toward the Great Hall, but they ultimately did not ride the Firebolt.

Although they said it was impossible, Harry and Ron were secretly worried inside.

"Let's listen to Hermione and have Lynn take a look after dinner. It shouldn't take long."

The tables in the auditorium were all moved to the wall, leaving only one table in the center of the room that could seat sixteen people.

Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, and Flitwick were all there, as was the caretaker, Filch.

Filch had taken off his usual brown coat and was wearing a very old and rather outdated tuxedo.

Besides them, there were only five students: two extremely nervous first-year students, a calm-looking Gryffindor first-year student Betty Riddle, a gloomy Slytherin sixth-year student, and Lynn.

Since Umaru wasn't around, Lynn would ask her to go home and spend Christmas with Kira every year.

"Merry Christmas!" Dumbledore said after everyone had arrived.

At that moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the table.

"There aren't many of us, so using those tables in the other courtyards would be a bit silly. Sit down, sit down!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione wanted to sit next to Lynn, but Lynn was sitting next to Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall was next to him. So the three of them had to sit at the end of the table.

Lynn was chatting with Professor McGonagall beside him. Professor McGonagall seemed to be in a good mood, and she had a smile on her face as she spoke to Lynn.

"Firecrackers!" Dumbledore exclaimed enthusiastically, handing Snape the tail of a large silver firecracker.

Snape reluctantly took it and pulled it. The firecracker exploded with a bang, like a gunshot, revealing a topped witch's hat with a statue of a mountain eagle on top.

Harry remembered the Boggart incident in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, exchanged a glance with Ron, and they both grinned.

Snape pursed his lips and pushed the hat toward Dumbledore, who immediately took it and replaced his own wizard hat.

"Eat up!" he said with a smile to everyone at the table.

The Christmas lunch was equally lavish; although there were only a dozen or so of them, the house-elves still prepared a huge table full of dishes.

Professor Trelawney, the prophecy professor, arrived late and had a minor argument with Professor McGonagall because she made a rather ominous prophecy, but this little incident did not affect Harry and his friends' enjoyment of the food.

As soon as lunch was over, the three of them hurriedly took Lynn to his Gryffindor dormitory.

The Firebolt's design was too conspicuous, so Harry naturally wouldn't bring it out.

"Hermione suspects that this thing was given to Harry by Black and that it must have been cursed. You must check it first before you can make sure it's safe to ride it."

Ron said somewhat indignantly, "If you ask me, how could Black possibly give Harry something so valuable?"

Lynn didn't say anything, but took the fire bolt from Harry's hand and examined it carefully.

Whether or not there was a curse on the broom, Lynn knew perfectly well.

When Black went to the broom shop to buy it, he didn't even touch it himself. Instead, he had the clerk pack it up and order it to be delivered to Harry Potter on Christmas Day.

But Hermione was right; the broom was indeed a gift from Black to Harry.

"There are no evil curses. Apart from the windproof spell and other related spells that come with this broom, there are no other special spells on it."

Harry and Ron immediately became overjoyed.

"I told you Hermione's worries were unnecessary. Come on, Harry, let me try it."

Lynn returned the broom to Harry.

"The absence of a curse doesn't mean Hermione's guess is wrong; this broom could very well be a gift from Black to Harry."

With Lynn standing by her side, Hermione naturally glared at the two of them, not wanting to be outdone.

Harry and Ron stopped trying out the new broom, and Harry looked at Lynn with a puzzled expression.

Why would he send me something so expensive?

Lynn shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either, but then he continued to speak.

"I don't know why, but you might have a chance to ask him yourself tonight."

Harry was taken aback at first, but then he realized what was going on.

"You mean, we can catch Blake tonight!"

"It's not that we can, but that we have a chance. As for how great that chance is, we'll have to see how lucky we are tonight."

Harry and Ron immediately lost interest in studying the fire bolt.

Even if it were confirmed that the flying broom was indeed a gift from Black, Harry would never ride it, even if it had no evil curses on it.

"Tonight? What are we going to do?" Harry asked eagerly.

Blake's every move was under Lynn's surveillance, and now the big black dog had sneaked into the castle through the secret passage behind the statue of the blind, hunchbacked old witch.

It was good at finding places; it chose an empty classroom very close to the Gryffindor Tower and hid inside.

Next to that classroom was the staircase leading directly to the Gryffindor common room; Black could see who it was whenever someone passed by on the stairs.

Blake had been secretly watching Lynn and the other two as they went upstairs.

Because there were too many of them, and lunch had just ended, with Dumbledore heading upstairs to his office, Black did not choose to act rashly.

But soon, Lynn will create a good opportunity for him.

"Blake is in the castle right now!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all shocked upon hearing the news.

Ron seemed a little nervous. He had just been attacked by that vicious bastard, and knowing that he was nearby made him appear somewhat afraid.

Harry, however, was somewhat skeptical of Lynn's words. He took out the Marauder's Map from his pocket, read out the password, and revealed a panoramic view of Hogwarts.

There were very few people left in the castle during Christmas, so the names on the map were all clearly visible.

"But Black's name isn't shown on the Marauder's Map, so he couldn't possibly know about it, nor could he shield himself from its magic."

Lynn blinked and pointed to his own name on the map.

"If I wanted to, this map would never be able to find me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lynn Belloc's name on the Marauder's Map was erased as if he had received his command.

Harry was stunned by what he saw.

"And why wouldn't Black know about the Marauder's Map? Maybe he was involved in its creation."

Lynn's words struck Harry like a bolt from the blue.

He thought of the codenames of the four producers on the Marauder's Map, the relationship between his father, Black, and Peter that he had overheard in Hogsmeade, and the prophecy Lynn had made to him!

A bold guess slipped out of his mouth.

"Sirius Black is Wormtail!"

(End of this chapter)