A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 419 The Trail of Big Black

Chapter 419 The Clues of Big Black (Third Update)

The setting sun lazily shone on the earth.

The street was bustling with people when two figures suddenly appeared in a corner.

Hermione looked up, still wondering where she was, when William noticed her first. He grabbed her hand, crouched down, and hid in a small courtyard.

The two squatted on the ground, looking out through the fence.

"It's us!" Hermione exclaimed.

William and Hermione walked out of Honeydukes shop side by side. The boy was saying something, and the girl gently punched him, grinning happily.

"It's almost five o'clock. We should be seeing Annie and the others off through the secret passage by now." William glanced at the time.

Hermione stared at the two of them, gently covering her burning cheeks.

"What's wrong?" William asked, turning his head.

"Oh dear, I didn't notice before, but I just realized now. A lot of people are secretly watching us. Isn't that too high-profile?" Hermione said embarrassedly.

Observing yourself from this side is indeed a very strange experience.

Hermione also suddenly noticed a detail: ever since Paris, she had always habitually held William's hand.

She hadn't paid attention to it before; it was just a subconscious action.

For example, right now...

She quickly pulled her hand back.

"Being spied on is because of your fame, not because you were holding hands," William said. "So don't worry about it too much."

He laughed and said, "Besides, there's no one else here, and certainly no single people."

William turned his head away... and suddenly shut up.

Densely packed behind him,

There were at least a dozen dogs standing there, staring at the two of them.

It really is a dog!

The leader was a dashing wolf.

It has long limbs, a pointed head, a long face, pointed and erect ears, and beautiful gray-black fur.

It... stuck out its tongue, the corners of its mouth turned up, its eyes looked to the right, full of joy.

Okay, its eyes gave it away; it's a purebred husky.

The dogs' attention was quickly drawn to an owl that swooped low overhead, its talons hooked with a large bag of food.

The husky got excited, let out a howl, and led its pack of huskies in a chase.

The owl landed at the doorway and before it could react, a dog groped its chest.

You filthy scoundrel!

The round-faced, chubby Scottish chicken couldn't stand it any longer. It flapped its wings and unleashed the legendary Eagle Claw Kung Fu of the Diancang School.

Fat Chicken, relying on its excellent lightness skills and quick claws, was very good at counter-attacking and unleashed a lightning five-hit whip in an instant.

It scratched the dog about ten times, and occasionally pecked its buttocks at a tricky and vicious angle.

The husky growled a few times, building up its momentum. It didn't have many moves, just the vicious dog attacking its prey repeatedly with the "receive, neutralize, and release" technique.

It is ruthless and vicious, but its accuracy is not high.

After a fierce fight, neither side emerged victorious; both the husky and the owl had a hair from the other's private parts in their beaks.

The door was pushed open, and an old witch came out.

The dogs scattered in a flurry, the old witch accepted the food, and then fed the owls for a while.

"She's 'Mopsy the Dog,' a very famous witch," William whispered.

As a dog lover, Mopsy feeds all the stray dogs in Hogsmeade Village for free.

"Do you think she's seen Big Black?" Hermione asked thoughtfully. "Big Black left the Forbidden Forest and might wander to Hogsmeade."

Annie first met Big Black when she was traveling by boat.

"Very likely," William nodded. "Let's go ask."

The two men stepped forward, and William asked:

"Have you seen a huge black dog recently?"

It's ugly, but in a unique way—exceptionally ugly.

Mopsey pondered for a moment and said, "Wait a minute, I take a picture of every dog I take care of."

A moment later, Mopsey took out several photos of the stray dogs she had been taking care of recently.

"William, look!" Hermione pulled out a photo from the collection.

There's a... stray dog in the photo.

To be precise:

The big black dog had a pink backpack wrapped around its back, which was filled with vegetables, making it look particularly comical.

"..."

Why would Big Black rather be a human dog, doing hard labor for food, than eat Hagrid's food?

Heartbroken.

"Where is Big Black now?" William asked.

"It only comes to eat here at night; I don't know where it goes during the day," the witch shook her head.

"Okay, thank you then," William said gratefully.

Now that they knew Big Black was there, William and Hermione weren't in a hurry anymore; they could come back to find him next time.

Their immediate priority is dealing with the Dementors.

The two left Mopsey's courtyard and headed towards Honeyduke across the street. They needed to use the secret passage to return to Hogwarts.

William used a Disillusionment spell to evade Mrs. Swann and then passed through the counter into the cellar.

The cellar was filled with wooden chairs and crates, and the floor was covered in dust.

Lifting the floorboards revealed a deep, dark tunnel to the two of them.

William stepped onto the broken stone steps and walked down. Hermione followed closely behind, instinctively taking William's hand.

"What happened to Gryffindor?" As he walked, William raised his wand, illuminating the narrow passage.

"Why did the principal call everyone back to the auditorium?"

"Black sneaked into the Gryffindor common room," Hermione explained.

"When we returned to the lounge, we found it in a mess, as if a fight had taken place."

"It must have been Professor McGonagall's armored guards that were triggered by Black," William pondered.

"He gets attacked whenever he enters the common room."

"But how did he get in?" Hermione asked worriedly. "Black couldn't possibly have the password to the lounge."

"I don't know about that." William shook his head and asked softly, "What did the plump lady say?"

"The fat lady disappeared from the portrait, which was also vandalized, with debris scattered everywhere."

Mischief said she hid in fear.

"That's very strange." William squinted and said softly, "If Black had a password, there would be no reason for him to destroy the Fat Lady; it's just a painting."

"Maybe there was a password, and the fat lady wouldn't open the door for him. But he deliberately sabotaged it, and the fat lady got scared and opened it," Hermione said.

William nodded slightly.

That's one possibility, but there's another.

However, this can only be confirmed after asking Madam Fat.

"How do you think Black got into the castle?" Hermione raised her wand, the tip of which glowed white.

"They might have gone through the Forbidden Forest, coming from the direction of Hagrid's Hut."

"It's also possible that the school was entered through a secret passage, either the Willow Tree or the secret passage we're using now," William said.

"It's unlikely to be here, is it?" Hermione unconsciously rubbed William's palm and whispered:

"Black sneaked in during the dinner party. By then, Hogsmeade was closed, and the streets were teeming with Dementors; there was no way he could avoid them."

"Then it can only be the Man-Beating Willow or the Forbidden Forest."

William felt a slight itch in his palms, but having spent so much time with Hermione, he had gotten used to her little antics.

"If he managed to sneak into the school, how did he manage to alert the Dementors?" Hermione frowned.

"That's why Dumbledore sent us back," William laughed.

A large number of Dementors entered Hogwarts, and if William hadn't warned them, the students would certainly have been attacked upon their return.

William and Hermione must give everyone a reminder.

The two chattered on and on, walking for a long time along the low tunnel, and finally reached their destination.

"Separate left and right!" William tapped the rock wall gently with his wand.

A crack appeared, and William and Hermione slipped out. With another tap of the wand, the statue's hunchback immediately closed.

"Where are we going now?"

"To Professor Lupin's office!" William said with a smile.

"There's a great show there, you can't miss it!"