The Intruding Sirius and the Hidden Assessment

After waving goodbye to Luna, Wizet turned a corner in the corridor and entered a secluded passageway.

As planned, he would travel to Hogsmeade, using it as a transit point, to reach the Ruined Castle of Aindale.

Not long after Wizet left by the firelight, another corridor in the distance became lively, and the Gryffindor students were in an uproar.

Before long, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall arrived. The portrait that should have been hanging at the entrance of the common room had been severely damaged, and the Fat Lady in the portrait had disappeared.

Peeves floated in the air, occasionally doing a somersault, watching everything before him with great joy.

When Dumbledore was about to search the castle in search of the missing Fat Lady, Peeves grinned wickedly and told Dumbledore the truth of the matter.

Sirius Black attacked the portrait of the Fat Lady because he tried to go inside, but the Fat Lady refused his request, so he became angry and destroyed the portrait.

After listening to Peeves's words, Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses and said with some worry, "He might still be in the castle."

"Minerva, take the students back to the Great Hall first!" Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Tell Filius, Pomona, and Severus ..."

"Have them gather their students from their respective colleges and bring them all back to the Great Hall! Also, notify Filch and the Ghost to help check every floor of the castle..."

Professor McGonagall led the students back to the Great Hall, and the corridor fell silent once more.

Dumbledore stroked his beard, clapped his hands lightly, and summoned a House-elf, instructing him to mobilize the other House-elf to help search the castle, focusing on the abandoned classrooms.

The Prefect were taking attendance, while Dumbledore conjured up countless sleeping bags, arranging for the students to spend the night in the Great Hall.

Dumbledore closed the Great Hall door, Nearly Headless Nick, just happened to pop out of the ceiling.

He floated up to Dumbledore, performed a courtly bow, and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore, we have already searched the area once, but we have not found Sirius Black."

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's what we should do!" said Nearly Headless Nick. "Please let us know if you need anything else."

Dumbledore nodded and replied, "Of course!"

After the Nearly Headless Nick left, a House-elf appeared. "Your Excellency Headmaster Dumbledore! We searched the abandoned classrooms but found no suspicious persons!"

"Have they already left?" Dumbledore murmured, nodding to the House-elf. "You've had a long day. Get some rest!"

"Oh! Your Excellency Headmaster Dumbledore, please don't say that!" the House-elf exclaimed excitedly. "Will it be the usual tonight, a pot of strong tea and a plate of snacks?"

"Hmm..." Dumbledore shook his head, then nodded and sighed, "Put it in the Headmaster's Office now!"

After the Prefect finished counting the number of students, they began to report one by one.

Penelope Clearwater arrived last, her voice filled with anxiety and worry, "Headmaster Dumbledore, Wizet isn't in the Great Hall! Could he be...?"

"Miss Clearwater, Wizet is safe now," Dumbledore reassured her gently. "He left the castle on business, and we all know that."

After a moment's thought, he added, "It's nothing serious. I hope you can keep it a secret for him."

"It's good that nothing happened!" Penelope breathed a sigh of relief. "Headmaster Dumbledore, I'll keep it a secret."

"Miss Clearwater, please inform the other Prefect," Dumbledore said. "Tell the students that the candles will go out in ten minutes, and then it's time to rest."

"Wizet ...that reminds me of something..." Dumbledore reached into his pocket and pulled out a bookmark.

A quill pen appeared out of thin air, which he grasped in his hand and slowly wrote a line: "Wizet, I remember you have a map..."

As night falls, there's no need to return to the common room in Hogsmeade; the entire village is still immersed in joy.

Wizet appeared at the back door of the Hog's Head and followed the door to Aberforth Dumbledore.

"Oh my!" Aberforth exclaimed with delight, "How did you get here?"

Wizet lowered her voice, mimicking Aberforth's words, "Come over for a couple of drinks with me during your vacation, I'll like you even more..."

"You rascal!" Aberforth burst into cheerful laughter. "Don't be so rigid, isn't this just perfect!"

He Scourgify a glass and poured Wizet a glass of pomegranate juice. "But I think... it's definitely not that simple."

"Given your personality, you should be in the lounge right now, either reading a thick book or doing something else..."

"I'm planning to participate in that..." Wizet pointed ahead, where there was also a poster for the All-England Wizard Duelling Competition.

This poster is rather simple. Although the content is similar, it lacks magical effects, not to mention the wax Portkey. It's a very plain poster.

"Practice makes perfect!" Aberforth and Wizet clinked glasses. "I've heard some drunkards say that before..."

"The initial selection assessment for this Triwizard Tournament... seems to have some hidden elements, which I think should be quite suitable for you!"

"Hidden content?" Wizet drank half a glass of pomegranate juice. "Is it... increasing the difficulty of the assessment to gain some kind of advantage?"

"You guessed right!" Aberforth gave a thumbs up. "In the end, it's all about adding suspense. A duel between evenly matched opponents is what makes it exciting enough, don't you think?"

Wizet nodded. "Of course!"

"The hidden content lies here..." Aberforth explained, "During the initial selection assessment, you can request the organizers to increase the difficulty."

"If you can pass the doubled difficulty test, you can advance to the next round. It's Halloween Eve now... there's a month to register..."

He considered the timeline for a moment, then shook his head. "In short, I should only need to participate in the competition after the Christmas holidays at the very least."

"That's great!" Wizet exclaimed with delight. "No more interruptions from the games...and a full Christmas break. Aberforth, thank you for telling me that!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Aberforth cursed. "If you hadn't come today, wouldn't I have been unable to tell you anything?"

"Have a couple more drinks..." Wizet raised his glass knowingly, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing, "I'll drink mine, you can drink as you like."

"You little brat! You even finished the pomegranate juice?" Aberforth cursed again, but then picked up the glass and drank the wine in it in one gulp.

"No need for a couple more drinks, just get that damn test passed as soon as possible and come back to tell me the good news!"