Herman sat down again, took a reasonably clean napkin from the table, and wiped his fingers. "Although the Daily Prophet likes to exaggerate and often has a biased perspective, it doesn't distort the most basic facts."
Draco picked up the newspaper again and read it carefully. The article itself wasn't complicated, but the title was sensational enough, especially for Pure-blood families like Draco's.
" Pure-blood families have been repeatedly invaded, four members have gone missing, the Ministry of Magic has intervened in the investigation, Black is suspected of being the mastermind."
On the same night, four Pure-blood families were invaded. Someone forcibly broke into their mansions and took away at least five family members, including two underage wizards.
The Ministry of Magic has launched an investigation, and the Auror Office has stated that it is doing its utmost to investigate, but so far no organization or individual has claimed responsibility for the matter.
The article concludes by mentioning that sources indicate the methods used in these intrusions were highly consistent, suggesting they were committed by the same person, with Sirius Black, currently on the run, being the prime suspect.
Draco covered her mouth and said, "Then it's true. Sirius kidnapped four Pure-blood families! How did he do that? The addresses of these major families are kept secret and protected by magic. You can't find them without being invited."
Her voice wasn't loud, but several Slytherin students nearby clearly heard her; some started whispering to each other, while others reached for the newspapers in front of them.
Herman leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifting from Draco's shocked face to Harry's calm face across from him.
Harry was forking the last piece of ham and putting it in her mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately, her expression as if she were watching a performance that had nothing to do with her.
Herman listened to Draco's surprised words, another matter was on his mind.
In the original story, Sirius's ancestral home, the Black family's old house, seems to possess such magic.
Only those Secret Keeper can find it; otherwise, even if someone knows which block the house is on, and the Ministry of Magic has people watching the door, they still can't get in.
It seems this isn't exclusive to the Black family; most Pure-blood families possess such magical abilities, though the methods of secrecy may differ.
To kidnap a member of Pure-blood families, the operation must be carried out inside the residence, which requires an inside job or a leak of information.
It's obvious that Sirius Black doesn't have that ability. After all, his name must be commonplace among Pure-blood families. Who would give their home address to a wanted criminal?
So who found out the information for him?
Herman immediately thought of someone: Harry, the wizard assassin's little helper, who was currently eating her breakfast nonchalantly.
When Herman glanced over again, Harry was slowly and deliberately putting the fried egg from her fork into her mouth, her expression as calm as if she were listening to a news broadcast that had nothing to do with her.
At this point, the Slytherin table was in complete chaos.
The news spread like ripples from where Draco was sitting to both sides. First, a few students from the vicinity gathered around to look at the newspaper, then someone took out their own copy and flipped to page three, and then the discussions grew louder and louder.
Several of the young wizards were from the kidnapped Pure-blood families. One of them had already stood up, his face as white as paper, while someone next to him patted him on the shoulder and said something. More people gathered together, whispering to each other, their voices low, but the tense atmosphere was undeniable; the air in the entire Slytherin area was taut.
The atmosphere was already tense. The Vampire Werewolf at Hogsmeade were still around, and now this had happened. The Slytherin students were all Pure-blood, and their families had some connection with Voldemort in the past. They were all targets of Sirius, the wizard killer. Nobody knew if their family would be next.
Draco was also a little scared.
She sat down next to Harry, the breakfast on her plate long since cold, but she didn't touch it. She twisted her hands together, rubbing her knuckles repeatedly, and began to chatter incessantly about her worries to Harry.
"My dad hasn't offended anyone recently, so he shouldn't be able to find our house, right? My family also has protective magic, stronger than most families. But what if? What if there's a traitor among us? We have so many servants, and several House-elf,"
Harry nodded occasionally, and occasionally hummed in agreement, her expression unchanged. She seemed to be listening intently to Draco, yet also seemed to be ignoring everything.
Herman looked at Draco's expression and sighed inwardly. Clearly, she had chosen the wrong person to discuss things with, but there was no way to call her out on it directly.
He stood up, walked around the table to the other side, and sat down in the empty seat on Harry's other side.
He lowered his voice, using a volume only the two of them could hear, and asked vaguely and cryptically, "Um, did Black do this?"
Harry looked at him innocently, her emerald eyes clear and bright, her tone carrying a sincere sense of being wronged. "How would I know? I've been studying at Hogwarts the whole time, I've never left the Hogwarts gates, and Sirius hasn't written me a single letter, how would I know?"
She didn't stop using her knife and fork while she spoke, cutting off a small piece of ham and putting it in her mouth, chewing in the exact same rhythm as before.
Herman silently applauded her in his heart. Her acting skills, expressions, and tone of voice were so good that she could probably win Best Actress in her previous life.
Draco's intelligence suddenly kicked in at this moment.
She tilted her head and thought for a couple of seconds, but clearly didn't recall much and missed the point. She retorted to Harry, "Didn't you go to Hogsmeade? You went last time, didn't you? By the way, when are you going again? Take me with you!"
Harry remained calm despite being exposed by Draco.
She even smiled slightly, a faint smile, the corners of her mouth just slightly raised, then her gaze passed over Draco to Herman, her eyes carrying a kind of "I just won't admit it, what can you do about it?" nonchalant expression.
Seeing Harry's expression, Herman was certain of his guess.
It was this little girl who did it.
I was right before; Harry came to Slytherin to gather intelligence for Sirius.
Given her usual routine of wandering around the castle, chatting with different classmates from time to time, and spending her free time in the library flipping through old newspapers, coupled with her pretty face and the occasional dangerous aura she exudes, it would be incredibly easy to get information out of a group of students.
Harry certainly has plenty of ways to deal with a group of students. Although she's not very popular, she's sure to have a way of using intimidation, extortion, eavesdropping, or secret photography.
Harry didn't write a letter to Sirius, but they still met in person, didn't they?
Last time in Hogsmeade, Sirius not only came to deliver Nimbus 2000 to Harry, but the two also exchanged information.