"Glenn and I have been tracking Sirius Black through surveillance footage from multiple monitoring points," Hermione explained to Dumbledore, her fingers dancing across the terminal as she continued scanning the video feeds. "We've traced him to the third floor. Based on his trajectory and movement patterns, I suspect he's making a direct run for the Hogwarts perimeter."
Even while speaking, Hermione never paused her work, rapidly cycling through surveillance feeds while providing her analysis to the headmaster.
"I've just reviewed the afternoon footage from the Shrieking Shack after we left," Glenn said, displaying a video clip. "After Sirius ate the food you left him, Hermione, he did attempt to locate the secret passage entrance. Since I'd sealed the tunnel, however, he abandoned the Shrieking Shack entirely."
Glenn continued his analysis: "Given that Sirius knows about the passage connecting the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, I suspected he might also be aware of the other route from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. So I checked that as well."
"You mean the passage behind the humpbacked, one-eyed witch on the third floor? The one leading to Honeydukes' cellar?" Dumbledore inquired.
"Precisely. And sure enough, Sirius Black appeared at the sealed end of that tunnel—right after discovering he couldn't access the Shrieking Shack route."
"If I were Sirius, I'd be absolutely livid," Hermione said with unmistakable satisfaction. "Two secret passages into Hogwarts, both blocked by a certain someone."
The afternoon's frustrations still clearly rankled.
"But if that's the case..." Hermione trailed off, refocusing on her terminal. She rapidly switched between camera feeds before settling on the surveillance points covering Hogwarts' various exits, running multiple videos simultaneously at accelerated speed.
Hermione studied the footage intently, watching scenes that remained static for long stretches. Then, at a crucial moment, she froze the playback.
"There. Sirius Black chose to flee directly beyond Hogwarts grounds."
The paused frame showed Sirius in his large black dog form, half his body visible as he squeezed through a doorway. When Hermione resumed playback, the dog disappeared entirely from Hogwarts.
"This makes absolutely no sense, though." Hermione's brow furrowed deeply. "What's his endgame here? There were far more effective approaches available, yet he chose this reckless method with virtually no chance of success."
The puzzle gnawed at her. Hermione felt trapped in a maddening riddle that seemed to have answers, yet every solution felt fundamentally wrong. Like trying to force mismatched puzzle pieces together—technically possible, but utterly unsatisfying.
Her mind raced in circles. For someone who thrived on knowledge and logical problem-solving, this contradiction was pure torture.
Glenn understood her frustration, though his approach remained characteristically direct: "Simple solution—we catch Sirius Black and interrogate him. Problem solved."
Can't solve the problem? Solve the person causing it.
Hermione rubbed her temples, giving Glenn an exasperated look.
That's so typically Glenn. Why didn't I think of that?
She was overthinking again.
"It feels like cheating... but you're right. Capturing Sirius is the priority."
"Except he's already left Hogwarts," Hermione pointed out, gesturing at her screen. "I've traced his route through the surveillance network. He's definitely gone, and we've lost visual on his escape direction."
"True, but he departed forty-three minutes and fifty-six seconds ago," Glenn calculated. "Given the distance involved, he should still have roughly ten minutes of travel time—assuming his destination remains the same."
"You mean the Shrieking Shack? But would Sirius really return there after we spotted him this afternoon?"
"He doesn't realize we've uncovered his illegal Animagus identity," Glenn reasoned. "He wouldn't expect two young students to connect a stray black dog with the Fat Lady's attack. More importantly, he's established that location as his base of operations. When I examined the Shrieking Shack's upper floor this afternoon, I found clear signs of long-term habitation. At the time, I dismissed them as typical stray dog behavior and didn't mention it."
Glenn pulled up surveillance footage from both floors of the Shrieking Shack, running it in high-speed reverse.
"But now we possess the crucial missing piece. What appeared superficial before will reveal its true nature."
The afternoon's footage flashed by—Glenn and Hermione's brief appearance, then earlier scenes of the large black dog moving throughout the building. The footage continued rewinding until it reached the very first moment the dog had entered the Shrieking Shack.
"Twenty-seven days ago?!" Hermione gasped. "Sirius Black has been living in the Shrieking Shack for nearly a month?"
The implications staggered her. What had the Ministry been doing? Even with countless Dementors deployed in the search, they'd allowed this fugitive to establish a base practically on Hogwarts' doorstep.
Well, some of those Dementors met an unfortunate end thanks to my boyfriend, but that's hardly relevant now.
"This makes his behavior even more baffling!" Hermione exclaimed, frustration mounting. "Ugh, it's driving me mad!"
"Which is why we wait," Glenn concluded calmly. "We monitor the Shrieking Shack through surveillance. Given his information deficit, Sirius shouldn't abandon such a well-established hideout. He'll return."
Hermione organized her thoughts and switched her terminal's view to match Glenn's, both now focused on the Shrieking Shack's feeds.
Dumbledore, who had listened silently to their entire analysis, leaned forward to study the monitoring screens alongside them.
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