Hogwarts: Proficiency Panel

Chapter 496 497: The Whispers of Sirius Black

"Oi!"

Percy's face turned a brilliant shade of green with indignation.

Fred and George, however, ignored him entirely. They were too busy dancing

around Sean, gesturing wildly as they talked. They rattled off stories about the

strange alchemical artifacts they'd seen in Egypt, debating the possibilities of

smuggling them into the UK market, and finally began pleading with Sean to help

them research some of the more "explosive" prototypes.

Sean found the prospect genuinely interesting.

The others tried to lean in to catch a bit of the conversation, but after

hearing only a few sentences of high-level magical theory, they backed away,

their heads throbbing.

"Give it a rest, you two," Mrs. Weasley said, physically prying her sons away

from Sean, as they were practically hanging off his shoulders. "Mr. Green, it's

lovely to see you here."

"Mum! You're just trying to hog the Great Green for yourself!" Fred shot a wink

at George. George, acting as if he'd only just noticed his mother, grabbed her

hand dramatically.

"Mum, seeing you brings such joy to my withered heart—"

"That's enough out of you two," Mrs. Weasley warned. she pointedly looked at a

pile of shopping bags on an empty chair, then back at the twins.

The twins pouted in unison and sat down like obedient schoolboys.

"Come here, dear. My, look how thin you've gotten," Mrs. Weasley said, pulling

Sean into a bone-crushing hug. Crookshanks, still perched on Sean's shoulder,

hopped over to Mrs. Weasley's shoulder and began batting at her hair with his

tail.

By the time Sean managed to disentangle himself, Mrs. Weasley had moved on to

the other children, examining them one by one and fussing over their health. It

wasn't until Mr. Weasley gave a polite cough that Molly finally released her

grip on the group.

"Hello, dear children. I expect you've heard our big news?" She pointed proudly

to the shiny silver badge pinned to Percy's chest.

"The second Head Boy in the family!" she beamed, her pride practically radiating

off her.

"And the last," Fred muttered under his breath to Sean.

The twins had positioned themselves like sentinels on either side of Sean,

effectively squeezing out Justin and Hermione. Hermione was still busy glaring

at George for taking her seat.

"I don't doubt that for a second," Mrs. Weasley said, her brow furrowing as she

looked at the twins. "I noticed they didn't see fit to make you lot Prefects."

"What would we want with a Prefect badge?" George asked, looking as though the

very idea made him ill. "It would take all the fun out of life."

Ginny let out a little giggle.

"You should be setting a better example for your sister!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"Ginny's got plenty of other brothers to set examples, Mum," Percy said

pompously. "I'm going upstairs to change for lunch..."

As he marched off, George let out a sigh of relief. "We tried to lock him in a

pyramid," he whispered to Sean, "but Mum caught us."

"A tragic loss for wizarding-kind," Fred added, his face falling into an

exaggerated mask of disappointment.

Lunch was a grand affair. Tom, the landlord, pushed three tables together in the

center of the parlor. The seven Weasleys and Sean's group of five tucked into

ten platters of steaming, delicious food.

As the meal wound down, Sean took a final sip of his pumpkin juice. He set the

glass down, his mind already drifting to his checklist for the end of the

holidays.

First on the list was Slytherin's Locket. He intended to destroy it using the

Sword of Gryffindor, which meant he needed to get back to Hogwarts. The timing

was perfect; his week of freedom was coming to a close.

Second was his progress in Magical Reconstruction. It was an incredibly

difficult discipline, requiring him to rebuild his internal Order and find the

corresponding external Wisdom. But the rewards were immense—it was the only way

Sean could truly master Ancient Magic, the kind of raw, boundless power that had

been lost to time.

Finally, his mastery over Fiendfyre had reached the Proficient level. Once he

hit "Master," he knew a new Title would unlock in his system.

As for Sirius Black and Scabbers...

The common room was filled with the low hum of conversation. As the group made

their way toward their rooms, Ron suddenly slapped his forehead.

"My medicine! The Rat Tonic! I left it on the table!"

"Ron! Where's my Head Boy badge?!" Percy came charging down the stairs.

Apparently, being roommates with Ron was already taking its toll.

"How should I know? I haven't touched it! I was about to ask you what you did

with my Tonic!" Ron yelled back.

The two brothers began bickering loudly. Justin and Hermione hurried over to

play peacemakers, while Sean took the opportunity to slip away.

"I'll help look for them," Sean said quietly.

"I'll go with you," Harry added, eager to escape the shouting match.

They were halfway down the corridor when they heard voices raised in anger

coming from a private parlor. They recognized them immediately: Mr. and Mrs.

Weasley.

"...it's wrong not to tell him, Molly," Mr. Weasley was saying, his voice thick

with emotion. "Harry has a right to know. I tried to talk sense into Fudge, but

he insists on treating Harry like a child. Harry is thirteen, he—"

Harry froze in his tracks. Sean stayed silent beside him.

"Arthur, the truth will terrify him!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "The danger is

constant. Do you really want him going back to school with that kind of shadow

hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's happier in the dark!"

"I don't want him to be miserable, I want him to be alert!" Mr. Weasley

countered sharply. "You know what Harry's like! He wanders off on his own

constantly—he's even been into the Forbidden Forest! He can't do that this term.

I shudder to think what could have happened the night he ran away. If the Knight

Bus hadn't picked him up, I'm certain he'd be dead before the Ministry even

found him."

"But he isn't dead, he's fine! Why is it necessary—"

"Molly, they say Sirius Black is mad. Perhaps he is. But he had the cunning to

break out of Azkaban, something everyone said was impossible. It's been a month,

and not a soul has seen hide or hair of him. I don't care what Fudge tells the

Daily Prophet—we're as close to catching Black as we are to inventing a

self-spelling wand. But there is one thing we know for certain: Black is looking

for—"

"But Harry is perfectly safe at Hogwarts!"

"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe, too! If Black can break out of a

fortress like that, he can certainly break into a school."

"But no one knows for sure that Black is after Harry—"

THUD. The sound of a fist hitting a wooden table echoed through the door.

"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? It wasn't in the papers because

Fudge wanted to keep it quiet, but Fudge went to Azkaban the night Black

escaped. The guards told him that for a long time, Black has been talking in his

sleep. Always the same phrase, over and over:

'He's at Hogwarts... He's at Hogwarts.'

Black is deranged, Molly. He wants Harry dead. He thinks killing Harry will

bring You-Know-Who back to power. On the night Harry stopped him, Black lost

everything. He's spent twelve years in Azkaban brooding over it..."

Silence fell inside the room.

Beside Sean, Harry stood as still as a statue, his mouth hanging open in shock.

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