"Unexpected Visitors"
Einar returned to the castle grounds under the watchful gaze of the students. He walked with steady steps, carrying something hidden beneath a black blanket. The long, rigid shape resembled a corpse, but no one was brave enough to approach and ask.
In silence, they watched him head toward Hagrid's hut.
The groundskeeper seemed to have visitors, but that didn't stop Einar. Calmly, he knocked on the door.
Hagrid opened quickly, his usual friendly smile in place, and invited him in. Inside the hut were Harry and Hermione. One redhead from the usual trio was notably absent. However, upon seeing what Einar was carrying, both stood up immediately, full of curiosity.
"Hello, Professor Einar. What are you carrying there?" Hermione asked with a polite smile, stepping forward.
"A convict," Einar replied bluntly, dropping the bundle to the floor with a dull thud.
"Haha... That's a joke, right?" Harry asked with a forced smile as he approached.
"A joke? No. I found him while walking through the village. I didn't know what to do with him, so I came to ask Hagrid," Einar explained casually, as if talking about the weather.
Harry's expression changed instantly. Only one person came to mind upon hearing that word. Without wasting a second, he rushed toward the bundle and pulled off the blanket with trembling hands.
Einar watched him with interest, arms crossed.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed upon seeing the man's face. He quickly placed two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse.
"I didn't kill him. Just knocked him out. I needed to confirm something... but I no longer need to," Einar said, calmly sitting down on one of the chairs in the hut.
Hagrid, now visibly alarmed, rushed to shut the windows and lock the door. He already knew the story from Harry's mouth. He knew Sirius was innocent.
"Professor Einar... Sirius is innocent. You can't turn him in," Hermione said urgently.
"Then I want an explanation. A detailed one," Einar responded without losing his composure, as if asking for a class report.
Hermione looked at Harry. He nodded firmly, and together they began to recount the entire story: how Sirius was falsely accused, the truth about Peter Pettigrew"the rat who had stayed with Ron for years"and how everything had been kept hidden beneath a web of lies.
"Wait a second," Einar suddenly interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Can we just ignore, for a moment, the fact that Ron slept through his entire childhood next to an adult transformed into a rodent? Beyond that... are you telling me the Minister of Magic is so incompetent that he tried to kill an innocent man just to protect his image? And that Dumbledore, with all his political power, couldn't do anything?"
"Well... the English Minister of Magic is against him," Hermione quickly explained, though there was some doubt in her voice.
"So what? Isn't he the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards? According to the books, they're above all ministries. Or am I wrong?" Einar asked with the tone of someone who already knew the answer but wanted to see if the others were sharp enough to catch on. To him, the Confederation was like an emperor, and the ministers were nothing more than jarls of each territory.
Hermione fell silent. Her eyes stared into the void as she processed the unrelenting logic. Harry, on the other hand, didn't need to think too much anymore. He had begun to understand, little by little, that maybe Dumbledore hadn't done everything he could.
"Einar, you shouldn't doubt Dumbledore," Hagrid said quickly. "The Minister of Magic has absolute power in his territory. I'm sure Dumbledore did all he could."
"I honestly don't care," Einar replied with a shrug. "By the way... how much longer are you going to pretend to be dead? I only gave you a light tap to the back of the neck," he added, glancing sideways at the body on the floor.
Sirius opened his eyes instantly and sat up with a pained grimace.
"Light? If that was light, I don't want to imagine what it's like when you fight seriously," he grumbled while rubbing his neck.
"Well... I can rip an orc's head off with one hand," Einar said casually, making Sirius freeze for a moment.
"I don't know what an orc is, but I'm glad I'm not one," Sirius joked, then turned to Harry and hugged him tightly.
"It's good to see you, Harry," he said with genuine emotion.
"I told you there was no need to come, Padfoot," Harry replied, though he couldn't hide the joy of seeing him in person again after so long exchanging only letters.
Sirius turned to Einar with a raised eyebrow.
"So... you're that famous 'professor'," he said with an inquisitive tone.
"And you came because Dumbledore told you I was suspicious and too close to Harry, didn't you?" Einar replied with a mocking smile. "I already have that one-eyed man following me all day. Are you going to join him too?"
"One-eyed?" Sirius asked, frowning.
"I think he means Moody," Hagrid explained with a sigh.
The name made Sirius tense up. He didn't know yet if Dumbledore had told Moody the truth about his innocence. And the old Auror was known for striking first and asking questions later.
"Don't worry. Let's just say... he lost his sight for a few seconds when I caught you," Einar said, pointing at Sirius with a confident grin.
...….
Meanwhile, Moody marched with his firm, echoing steps toward the Headmaster's office. His wooden leg struck the stone floor with a dry rhythm until, without bothering to knock, he flung the door open with a wide grin on his face.
"Alastor, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" asked Dumbledore in a calm voice, though his eyes scrutinized him carefully.
"Hahaha! This time they really did it… Looks like the Sacred Twenty-Eight are about to lose a few names," said Moody, still smiling as if he'd just received a birthday present.
"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked, his tone instantly serious.
"Those idiots sent assassins after your monstrous professor," he said with a laugh. "Haha… they're finished now if he decides to seek revenge. Although I couldn't see what he did to the last one. A black mist covered everything… but before that, I saw how he tore his enemies apart in seconds. Brutal. Violent, yes, but… absolutely brilliant.
"If we'd had him during the war, it might have ended in a week instead of a year," he added with a hint of admiration.
Dumbledore, however, didn't share his enthusiasm. His face showed concern, and his fingers drummed against the desk.
"What's the matter, Dumbledore? This should be good news! Those cowards, hiding behind the Imperius Curse, are finally paying for their crimes," said Moody, still in high spirits.
"Paying for their actions means prison and trial, not being torn to pieces," Dumbledore replied coldly. "If some of those pure-blood families were to die suddenly… chaos could erupt. And that wouldn't be convenient… at this moment."
"At this moment?" Moody repeated with a frown. "What do you mean?"
"Don't worry about it. Phineas… I need you to do something for me," said Dumbledore, turning to the portrait of a former headmaster, ignoring Moody's inquisitive gaze.
Moody's magical eye spun uneasily, watching every movement with growing distrust.
…
"So, what's the plan, Padfoot? Where are you going to hide? How will you get food?" Harry asked, worried, looking at his godfather.
"Haha! Don't worry, Harry. I'll go back to wandering in my dog form. I'll eat whatever I find. Not too different from my life lately," Sirius replied with a carefree smile.
Einar, however, had already lost interest. His focus had completely shifted, and now he held something much more exciting in his hands: information. He grabbed Hermione's arm decisively.
"I want you to tell me everything. In detail. From the beginning," he requested with his usual serious tone, though his eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Hermione, a bit nervous from his grip, began recounting her adventures with Harry. Einar listened closely, comparing what he heard with his own deductions. He quickly realized he had been right about most of his theories.
"A basilisk?" he asked with interest. "I'm not exactly sure what that is… but if its skin could resist magic, why did they just leave it lying there?"
"Well… I didn't go down there. I was petrified," said Hermione with a small, awkward smile. "But according to Harry, it was a giant snake… impossible to bring out."
"Don't you have magically expandable bags or something?" Einar asked, frowning as he thought about what he could craft with such a hide. Since arriving, he had worked almost exclusively with potions. He hadn't yet had the chance to try local materials for weapons or armor.
"Alright. Let's go," he said suddenly, standing up with determination.
"What? Now?" Hermione asked, surprised, looking out the window. "It's getting dark! Besides, we need to make sure Sirius can escape the school grounds."
"Don't you know how to use stealth or invisibility?" Einar asked, looking directly at Sirius.
"Stealth? Well… invisibility is easy, but it's not perfect. It makes you translucent, but skilled wizards can still track you by your footsteps or the sounds you make," Sirius replied.
"Tsk," Einar clicked his tongue and closed his eyes. He raised his hands, and a sphere of red energy began to form in front of him. In the blink of an eye, he launched the orb at Sirius.
Sirius tried to dodge, but it was too fast. He only managed to see a reddish mist entering his mouth and nose before vanishing completely.
"Done. Now you have Nocturnal's Cloak of Shadows. Two hours a day, no one can see or sense you. Not even the one-eyed one," Einar said with a calm smile.
"What the hell was that?" Sirius asked, eyes wide with surprise.
"An old gift. I don't need it anymore. I can hide my presence just by willing it," he added calmly.
Then he turned to Hermione.
"Let's go. I want to see that snake corpse before someone else makes it disappear. I want new materials," he said, his voice serious, though there was a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
Well, no one ever said a Viking couldn't be a bit childish about his interests.