The Great Hall buzzed with talk for a long time. Hermione kept going on to Sean about Sirius Black's evil intentions.
"If he knows, then of course he'll come, Sean… no question, he has to be here to kill Harry. Poor Harry—someone is always trying to kill him."
Hermione bit her lip, glancing back and forth between the slashed portrait and Harry with obvious worry.
"It'll be alright, Hermione."
Sean tried to reassure her, and her anxious expression immediately turned firm.
"We have to find him, Sean—"
Hermione said.
"Get Justin too, just like before. We can clear every last one of the Dark Lord's followers out of Hogwarts—"
"No need to get me—"
Justin suddenly stepped out from behind a portrait.
"You promised you wouldn't use those secret passages."
Hermione glared at him, annoyed.
"In an emergency, that's a different matter, dear Miss Granger."
Justin said with a smiling little bow.
"Come here—"
Hermione didn't argue with him. She stole a glance at the group of professors and, seeing they hadn't noticed Justin popping out, let out a small breath of relief.
"This…"
She turned back to the slightly curious-looking Sean.
"You know, the club organized way too many castle exploration events. We never found our dear lucky messenger, but instead…"
"We almost found every secret passage in the castle."
Justin finished for her.
As he spoke, he handed Sean a map.
Sean gave it a quick look and noticed that the Hogwarts' largest club, with all its constant activity, seemed to have gained more than just experience.
Right now, he could clearly see a nearby passage leading to the fifth floor—to the place where Sir Cadogan had fallen and hadn't gotten back up.
"…He definitely wouldn't dare do anything openly. We just need to find him… Sean, what do you think?"
While Sean was studying the map, Hermione's voice came from beside him.
"Mhm…"
Sean naturally thought of Sir Cadogan.
To keep the Fat Lady from getting frightened by a Sirius Black who had only come "visiting," he'd made a bet with the knight.
The bet was that Sir Cadogan wouldn't dare drink thirty bottles of beer in front of the Fat Lady tonight.
Looks like the knight had won, and Sean was going to lose a compliment.
"Do you have a plan?"
Justin looked over at the slightly distracted Sean, then asked Hermione instead.
"Of course. After tonight, we can go find that portrait. He chased him for so long, he has to know something. I'd bet he fell because someone used some awful spell on him…"
Hermione lowered her voice.
"I think so too."
Justin nodded.
"So then, Sean, what do you think… Sean?"
Hermione looked around.
"Oh, I have no idea."
Justin said it in surprise too, but his eyes stayed fixed on the portrait that had just been shut on the left.
Inside the secret passage, it was pitch-black.
Sean lifted a finger, and a small light appeared at his fingertip.
Had Sir Cadogan fallen because some terrible spell had been used on him…
Sean didn't think so. He'd just gotten drunk.
Still, Sean did need to find the knight—and confirm Sirius's condition while he was at it.
If Sirius's Animagus form had really been exposed, then with Headmaster Dumbledore's abilities, catching him would be quick.
And if Sirius got sent back to Azkaban, escaping again would be much, much harder.
"Sir?"
As soon as he opened the passage door, Sean saw Sir Cadogan lying face-down on the ground, covered in mud and snoring.
Lady Violet was trying to help him up, but she couldn't budge him.
"Little Green?!"
Lady Violet cried in delight.
Sean nodded to the lady in the long dress, then lightly tapped the frame with his finger. The filthy knight was lifted upright at once.
In truth, a wizard's magic could be used on portraits too—it just required a special touch.
Fortunately, Sean's teacher happened to be a very learned historical figure.
"Sir?"
Sean called again.
"Cowardly villain—I'll duel you for three days and three nights—"
The knight's armor clanked noisily, and his voice was just as loud.
"Sir?"
Sean called once more.
"Little Green, was that your voice? Oh, did you see him? That man, that underhanded scoundrel—he actually managed to get past…"
Sir Cadogan was talking to Lady Violet.
Both Sean and Lady Violet agreed that he was completely disoriented.
Still, from what the knight said, Sean could safely conclude that Sirius hadn't been exposed yet.
But…
Sean knew Sirius would come back. He longed every day to watch Harry's Quidditch matches.
After all, he was Harry's… godfather.
So they had to move faster now.
That made the Hogsmeade trip even more important.
With a bit of luck, Sean would be able to get hold of those ancient contracts at Gringotts.
…
When he got back, Sean saw Headmaster Dumbledore ordering all the Gryffindors back into the Great Hall.
Ten minutes later, the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins came in too, all looking confused.
"The teachers and I need to conduct a full search of the castle,"
Professor Dumbledore told them, while Professors McGonagall and Flitwick shut all the doors to the Hall.
"For your own safety, I'm afraid you will all have to spend the night here. I would like the prefects to guard the entrances to the Hall, and I am entrusting the Head Boy and Head Girl with supervision. If anything happens, report to me immediately,"
he added, turning to Percy, who was looking ridiculously proud and self-important.
"Send a ghost with the message."
Dumbledore paused, as if he were about to leave, then added:
"Oh, right. You'll need…"
He gave a light flick of his wand, and the long tables all flew to the sides of the Hall and lined themselves up against the walls.
With another flick, hundreds of soft purple sleeping bags appeared across the floor.
He gave all the young wizards a kindly glance, and finally paused when his eyes reached the pair of bright green ones.
Sean didn't blink as he studied Dumbledore's wandwork. With Master-level Transfiguration, he could tell these were all advanced applications of the art.
Making the tables move had used a transfiguration from "object" to "magic"—the tables were moving themselves.
And as for the sleeping bags… Sean could clearly see that quite a lot of the things from the table surfaces had vanished.
Which meant that Dumbledore had transfigured hundreds of sleeping bags in a single instant.
Sean was certain that wasn't something a mere Master could do.
"Sleep well, all of you. And our dear assistant, please come with me."
Dumbledore said that, then led the slightly dazed Sean out of the Hall and shut the doors behind them.
The Great Hall immediately exploded with chatter. The Gryffindors told the other Houses what had happened.
"Everybody into sleeping bags!"
Percy shouted.
"Hurry up, and no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"
"Come here,"
Ron said to Hermione, Justin, and Neville.
He dragged over five sleeping bags into a corner.
"What are they taking Sean away for?"
Hermione asked in a worried whisper.
"Dumbledore still seems to think Sirius is here. That's dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
Ron let out a low laugh, but before he could finish, he gave a sharp yelp.
Hermione was already putting her wand away.
"Ow—honestly, you lot—good grief, do you really think Sean would be the one in danger—"
Ron had to force himself to sound serious.
Seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces, he widened his eyes.
"If anything, Sean is a lot more dangerous than Black. Have you forgotten someone took down a basilisk with a sword? And that was ages ago!"
Harry suddenly realized something too. He stared at Ron blankly, and Hagrid's old words echoed in his head:
"You're asking about Green, Harry? Gotta say, I'm right relieved lettin' Green look after the Forest. The little ones are like babies in his hands…
Though if Green could stop usin' those earth-shakin' spells in the Forest, that'd be better… Tell me, have yeh ever seen a wizard more gifted than him? He's bound ter surpass Professor Dumbledore one day. Never seen anyone his age cast spells like a professor…"
Hagrid, in his usual careless way, had let slip all kinds of useful information—and now Harry suddenly understood something they had all overlooked yet again.
He looked toward the door just before it shut. Sean's silhouette was still there.
It wasn't a tall silhouette at all, and yet it gave off a kind of force that left Harry staring.
"Hagrid said…"
Harry's throat had gone dry.
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Sean's magic is already on a professor's level."
Once Harry said it, they all stared at him in shock, unable to say a word.
The vague impression they had always had of the young wizard now had to be placed beside figures like the professors themselves.
They forced themselves to accept it, but it took a long time for them to really recover.
Outside, in the corridor—
"Headmaster Dumbledore."
Sean said.
"My dear assistant, professors are always a little different from students, aren't they?"
Dumbledore's blue eyes glinted with amusement.
"Perhaps—"
Sean answered.
"Perhaps we ought to find Sir Cadogan first. Though I suspect he's not the only one in this castle who knows something…"
Dumbledore smiled.
Sean said nothing, and Dumbledore looked at him with interest.
"Come along, my dear assistant. It seems our only option is to ask Sir Cadogan…"
In the end, Dumbledore couldn't get much useful information out of Sir Cadogan either. Halfway there, they were interrupted by Professor Snape.
"Headmaster—Dumbledore?"
Snape said coldly.
"We've searched the entire fourth floor. He's not there. Filch checked the dungeon classrooms too. Nothing."
"The Astronomy Tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"
Dumbledore asked.
"All searched…"
"Very good, Severus. I expected Black wouldn't linger here."
"Have you considered how he got in, Headmaster?"
Snape asked.
"Many possibilities, Severus. None of them satisfactory."
"Do you remember our conversation, Headmaster? Just before term began?"
Snape spoke with barely any movement in his lips.
"I do, Severus,"
Dumbledore said, with something almost like warning in his voice.
"That Black entered the school without inside help—that seems… impossible. I raised my concerns when you appointed—"
"I do not believe there is anyone in this castle who would help Black enter."
Dumbledore said it flatly.
"I could—"
Snape's face remained cold.
"What do you think, Assistant Green?"
Dumbledore suddenly turned his narrowed gaze on Sean.
Thin mist had begun to rise over Hogwarts, and the young wizard, who had been just about to go back to sleep, suddenly found his eyes widening.
Sean looked at smiling Dumbledore, then at Snape's dark, stern face.
In the end, he chose silence.
"Oh, our most farsighted wizard has chosen silence too, Severus. That proves the situation isn't quite so terrible."
Dumbledore stroked his long white beard.
His tone made it clear the subject was closed.
Snape stared at the young wizard, but said nothing more.
"I must go and speak to the Dementors,"
Dumbledore said.
"I told them I'd notify them once we'd finished searching."
"Weren't they here to help, Dumbledore?"
Snape gave a cold laugh.
"Oh, yes,"
Dumbledore said coolly,
"but while I remain Headmaster, I'm afraid not a single Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle."
Dumbledore left the corridor, moving quickly and soundlessly.
Snape stood there a moment, watching the Headmaster's back, his face filled with a deep, complicated coldness.
"Get back inside, Green."
Snape turned his head.
And after Sean went back into the Great Hall, Snape also left.
Inside, Sean could still hear the students talking about the same question as before he'd left.
"How did he get in?"
"Maybe he knows how to Apparate."
a Ravenclaw a few steps away suggested.
"He could have just appeared out of nowhere."
"Maybe he disguised himself somehow,"
said a Hufflepuff fifth-year.
"He might have flown in,"
Dean Thomas said.
"I order everyone into their sleeping bags and no more talking!"
Percy barked.
"Oh—not you, Mr. Green. Do as you like."
At once, all the candles went out.
Only the silver ghosts gave off a faint light as they drifted around, talking seriously with the prefects.
The enchanted ceiling looked just like the sky outside, scattered with stars.
Beneath that ceiling, with the soft murmur of whispers still passing around the Hall, Sean felt as though he were sleeping outdoors in a gentle breeze.
He could see faint wisps of mist rising, though none of the other wizards seemed to notice them at all.
Then he thought of many things.
Of Professor Trelawney's words about the "Inner Eye."
Of the information Rita had given him about the whereabouts of a certain witch.
And if the Inner Eye truly was about to open, then Sean guessed it would happen tonight.
After all, tonight, in the Borderland, he was finally going to see the stars.
~~~