First Infiltration

After returning from Hogsmeade Village, the three of them washed up, changed their clothes, and went together to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast.

Hundreds of pumpkin lanterns hung in the Great Hall, along with a flock of bats fluttering in the air and many orange ribbons that breathed fire, drifting lazily beneath the ceiling like shimmering water snakes. The food at the banquet was exquisite, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits.

The dinner party concluded with entertainment provided by Ghost suddenly appeared from the walls and tables, gliding in formation; Nearly Headless Nick ghost of Gryffindor, successfully recreated the scene of his beheading.

Everyone felt they had had a pleasant evening, but less than ten minutes after the banquet ended, everything took a turn for the worse. The lingering joy from the Halloween party vanished, and a sense of panic returned to the castle.

After the dinner party, Skylar went back to the common room with the other Slytherin students. But Harry, Harry, and their friends found a large crowd gathered in front of the Gryffindor common room—in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady —and Peeves was jumping happily above the heads of the crowd.

Before they could even squeeze into the crowd, Professor Dumbledore, having received the news, rushed over. He hurried toward the portrait of the Fat Lady, and the Gryffindor students crowded together to let him pass. Harry and his friends moved even closer, trying to see where the trouble lay.

Before them, the portrait of the Fat Lady had been maliciously vandalized; the portrait and small pieces of canvas were scattered all over the ground, while large sections of the canvas had been completely torn from the frame.

"Professor McGonagall, go to Filch immediately and tell him to look for the Fat Lady in every painting in the castle..." Dumbledore said quickly.

"Good luck!" a voice chuckled. It was Mischief-maker Peeves, who was jumping around on everyone's heads. Seeing this unfortunate and troubled scene, he was as cheerful as ever.

"What did you say, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked calmly, Peeves' smile faded slightly. He dared not mock Dumbledore. He switched to a fawning tone, but it was no better than his previous snicker.

Peeves grinned widely. "Excuse me, Headmaster! She didn't want to be seen; she's a complete mess. I saw her run past that landscape painting on the fifth floor, sir, hiding among the trees, crying and saying something terrible."

"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Oh, I told you, Professor!" Peeves was furious, as if she were holding a bomb. "She wouldn't let him in, and he was furious, you know. He has a terrible temper, that Sirius Black Black!"

Upon hearing Peeves' words, everyone gasped. Sirius Black Black had actually broken into the castle and even attempted to enter the Gryffindor Common Room. This was terrifying! Fortunately, it was Halloween Eve, and no one was in the tower. Dumbledore ordered all students to return to the Great Hall immediately, and for safety, the faculty would conduct a thorough search of the castle.

The story returns to Skylar.

After the dinner, the still-excited Slytherin wizards gathered in the common room. Skylar and his third-year classmates occupied a corner, sharing their experiences from Hogsmeade Village that day. Nott and Blaise boasted to Skylar, who hadn't had a chance to see Madam Rosmerta, about her beauty, while Pansy and her friends shared their shopping spoils...

Just then, Prefect Gemma burst into the common room. "Attention everyone! Get to the Great Hall!" Her voice was urgent, indicating that something serious had happened.

"What's going on, Gemma?" Skylar asked, standing up. Skylar and Gemma had corresponded quite a bit during the summer vacation, and their relationship had become so close that they could address each other by name.

"I don't know either. Professor Dumbledore gave the order, so something serious must have happened." Gemma's tone revealed her anxiety. "Students from other houses have also been called over. We absolutely cannot be late!"

So the Little Snakes once again filed out of the common room entrance and headed towards the Great Hall. Perhaps it was psychological, but the shadows cast by the torches on the walls made the walls, which usually seemed so solemn, solid, and reliable, appear like a stage for a chaotic dance of demons.

"Something has happened, and the faculty and I will be conducting a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told the students. His tone was far from his usual cheerful self, instead carrying a hint of solemnity and worry. At that moment, the four heads of the house closed all the doors of the Great Hall together.

"For your own safety, I think you may have to spend the night here. I've ordered the Prefect to stand guard at the entrance to the Great Hall, and the student Head Boy and vice presidents to stay inside and manage Great Hall. Report to me immediately if anything happens," Dumbledore instructed Percy and Penelope, Percy's face beaming with the pride of someone of importance. "Just send me a Ghost with the message."

Professor Dumbledore paused, preparing to leave the Great Hall, but then said, "Oh, right, perhaps you need this!" With a flick of his wand, long tables flew to the side of the Great Hall and automatically stood against the wall; with another flick, hundreds of soft, purple sleeping bags appeared on the floor.

As soon as the professors left, the Great Hall erupted in chatter as Gryffindor students told students from other houses what had just happened.

"Lie down and rest now! Lights out in ten minutes!" Percy shouted with an indescribable enthusiasm and pride.

Skylar pulled up the four sleeping bags and led Daphne, Meredith, and Astoria to a corner. They crawled into the sleeping bags, Daphne to Skylar's left, Meredith to his right, and Astoria gave a disgruntled hum before reluctantly settling down to Skylar 'Daphne left, with her older sister between Skylar.

Astoria asked worriedly, "Do you think Black is still in the castle?"

Skylar said calmly, "I dare say he's already left. Dumbledore is still in the castle; if he hasn't left yet, then there's no chance. Tonight, the professors' search is destined to be in vain."

Meredith pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but ask a question: How did Black get into Hogwarts?

A shrewd glint flashed in Skylar's eyes as he said, "Apparition is forbidden within Hogwarts' grounds. The Floo Network and Portkey are under surveillance, and all important passages, including the airspace above, are guarded by Dementor, so invisibility magic is useless. Human Transfiguration or Polyjuice Potion might be able to Hogwarts, but it's unlikely that Black, a wanted fugitive, could do so without support (Human Transfiguration requires intelligence, and Polyjuice Potion requires ingredients). Excluding these impossibilities, the only possibility is that Black possesses a Secret Passage known to no one else!"

The three women were both surprised and impressed by his ability to make such a solid and logical deduction in such a short time.

Then, a shrewd glint flashed in Skylar's eyes, and he said, "Instead of discussing that, let's discuss what Black's true purpose was in Hogwarts."

"Wasn't it to kill Harry?" Meredith asked, puzzled.

Skylar's lips curled into a slight smile. "If it was to kill Harry, why choose this time? Didn't he know all the students were in the Great Hall? And even if his intelligence was wrong, why did he tear up the portrait after realizing he couldn't get into the dormitory?"

"Indeed, tearing up the portrait would do no good except alert the enemy." Meredith quickly realized this as well.

"Could it be that he's become somewhat mentally unstable after escaping from Azkaban?" Daphne said hesitantly.

Skylar slowly shook his head. "Do you think a mentally unstable person could escape Azkaban, cross thousands of miles from the North Sea, and Hogwarts? Keep in mind that Black's wanted poster was issued simultaneously in both the wizarding and Muggle World. The fact that he managed to evade such rigorous searches without being caught proves he still has his sanity. He couldn't possibly do something so detrimental—"

Skylar explained, "If we hadn't torn up the painting, we would never have known that Black had ever invaded. It wasn't until the Fat Lady spoke up that we realized it was Black, not someone else, who had invaded. And he couldn't possibly have been unaware; tearing up the painting wouldn't silence the Fat Lady."

"You mean..." Meredith felt somewhat frustrated, as if she couldn't keep up with Skylar's train of thought no matter what she did.

"You mean, Black's goal wasn't Harry, and tearing up the portrait was just to create a false impression and divert attention, but actually he wanted to get something from the Gryffindor Common Room?" This time, Daphne reacted first. Although she wasn't very good at logic and reasoning, she was adept at understanding people's hearts.

"That's right!" Skylar leaned over and kissed Daphne on the cheek, making her blush. Meredith, on the other hand, wore a sour, envious expression. "If we were to find a reason for Black's actions, his decision to barge into the common room when no one was around clearly meant he was looking for something. As for tearing down the portrait, it was purely to create the illusion of an assassination attempt on Harry! I dare say he'll definitely come back. When the professors are all foolishly guarding Harry, their attention completely focused on Harry, that will be his chance to strike again."

Daphne and Meredith had long since become somewhat numb to Skylar's prowess. However, Astoria, who was listening in, witnessed for the first time how her idol meticulously unraveled the complexities of the matter through a few small details, a feat that even the professors could not match. Her bright eyes shone with admiration and adoration, and she was filled with envy for Daphne and Meredith, who could stand so close to Skylar.

The four fell silent. As the silence deepened, they began to feel weary and soon drifted off to sleep.