Heavy snow was falling.
The world was blanketed in silver.
On the thick layer of snow, four sets of footprints extended outward, heading in the opposite direction from the surrounding crowds.
Ethan and the trio, moving against the flow of people,
followed the Aurors and the Dementors gliding through the sky above.
They headed straight to the outskirts of Hogsmeade Village.
Until they climbed over the wooden fence.
In their line of sight appeared a pitch-black house standing amid the white snow.
The Shrieking Shack.
Ron said with a hint of excitement:
"I've heard that the Shrieking Shack is the most terrifying haunted house in all of Britain! You can often hear evil spirits howling inside!"
Under the allure of adventure, he temporarily forgot about Scabbers, his rat.
Hermione pointed and said:
"Look! Those Aurors have surrounded the Shrieking Shack! Sirius must be nearby!"
"We can't let those Aurors spot us, or it'll be impossible to explain!"
As she spoke,
she blinked her eyes,
looking expectantly at Ethan, the only one among them who knew the Disillusionment Charm.
A moment later,
several rows of footprints appeared out of thin air on the snowy ground. Ethan said seriously: "Actually, I could just release the Hellhound, and then the Aurors wouldn't care about Sirius anymore."
Hermione said in a sweet tone:
"Oh, dear Ethan, I don't want to go to Azkaban so soon."
That kind of art was still too avant-garde for humans at the time.
Approaching the Shrieking Shack.
The trio held their breath,
afraid of being discovered by the Aurors, and also nervous about whether Sirius would suddenly leap out.
This formed a stark contrast with Ethan, who remained calm and composed.
Ravenclaws were just that confident.
Ethan strolled around leisurely with his hands in his pockets.
Listening to the Aurors' conversation:
"This Shrieking Shack is really a bit strange. The doors and windows are all boarded up and enchanted. We can't get in from the outside."
"Do you think Sirius might have entered the house through a secret passage?"
Suddenly, the Aurors turned their heads and shouted sharply:
"Who's there!!"
Flutter! Flutter!
Only a golden bird flew out.
Its golden wings reflected the sunlight, shimmering and beautiful.
The Aurors breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled:
"It was just a bird; it scared me... Seeing a golden bird—maybe we'll have good luck today."
They didn't notice at all.
The few people huddled behind the bushes not far away.
Ethan held his breath slightly.
He watched the shrike, which could find treasures, fly into the Shrieking Shack.
At the same time,
Ethan also noticed the moving humanoid magic signature inside the house... It was the Shrieking Shack again.
In the original story, it was the center of chaos for several factions.
Now, it had gathered everyone here once more.
Was it trying to forcefully "end" things?
But unfortunately, I won't let something as mere as fate dictate my path.
In Ethan's mind,
appeared the ancestor of House Black, the disowned person who researched the cure for werewolves.
Since the exterior of the Shrieking Shack was completely sealed off,
Ethan's vision couldn't penetrate it.
So, he simply opened a door directly on the wall, away from the Aurors.
"Don't push me!"
"Harry! Wait for us!"
"Shh! Bang!"
Like dumplings being dropped into a pot, the four of them tumbled into the Shrieking Shack.
Ethan, squeezed in the middle, sighed:
"Four people are still too crowded. I'm intruding on you all."
The trio: ?
The three of them silently got up.
For some reason, the distance between them was slightly farther than before.
Just as they were nervously and excitedly looking around,
Ethan suddenly paused.
He turned his head, his cobalt-blue eyes looking beyond the still-open, pitch-black doorway.
After a while,
a slow smile spread across his lips.
It seems a little tail has followed... Delice had been in a very bad mental state recently.
As an Auror dispatched to Hogwarts, he had initially arrived with grand ambitions.
He vowed to capture Sirius and bring him to justice as soon as possible!
However,
after such a long time, it was almost Christmas.
Yet he hadn't even found a trace of Sirius. Under Minister Fudge's orders,
Delice had tracked Ethan—this strange student.
He tried to dig up some clues from him.
However,
the first time, he was led to a glittering golden painting... and then lost consciousness.
When he woke up again,
he was in the toilet bowl of the washroom.
The second time,
he watched with his own eyes as Ethan walked into a pitch-black doorway that shouldn't have existed!
"I finally caught you! You must be doing something illicit!!"
Just as he was filled with excitement,
and followed, diving in headfirst, what appeared before him was the enormous Whomping Willow.
Delice: Bro
Inside Hogwarts, Apparition was forbidden, damn it.
He was hit by a tree stump and sent to the school infirmary.
He became the laughingstock of all his colleagues!!
Ethan, Ethan, Ethan!!!
This name, like a curse, haunted Delice's dreams all night, causing him immense suffering!
"That damned brat, daring to make a fool of an Auror from the Ministry of Magic... Just you wait, I will definitely catch you doing something bad!!"
Delice gritted his teeth.
His eyes were dark, and his face was gaunt.
He looked to be in a very unpleasant mental state.
At this moment,
he was with his colleagues, gathered in front of the Shrieking Shack.
Discussing Sirius's whereabouts.
Suddenly,
Delice's gaze paused.
His eyes fixed on a neglected section of the wall not far away.
There, at some point,
a pitch-black doorway had opened.
It was exactly the same as the one Ethan had used earlier.
Delice felt as if his heart had stopped for a moment.
That kid was here?
What a coincidence, to be with Sirius?
Delice's breathing quickened.
Like a flame luring moths,
he involuntarily took a step, walking towards the pitch-black doorway, step by step.
Inside the Shrieking Shack.
Ethan and the others removed their Disillusionment Charm.
Moving through the room, wands raised, they cautiously explored forward.
The house was in disarray.
Wallpaper peeled, etched with gruesome scratches.
Tables and chairs were almost all broken, overturned on the floor.
As if some large beast had rampaged through it.
Hermione frowned, muttering: "This doesn't look like the work of a ghost."
Ethan: "It's the work of a werewolf."
Hermione: "Haha, how could there be a werewolf at Hogwarts—Harry, why are you looking at me like that?"
Harry turned his head, pushed up his glasses, and remained silent.
Not only are there werewolves at Hogwarts, but they even teach you classes.
Ethan looked left and right, searching for the golden bird.
Suddenly,
he noticed a familiar magic signature.
He turned his head, looking at the dimly lit area ahead.
The next second.
"Expelliarmus!"
A hoarse, low growl rang out!
Harry and the trio's wands flew in response!!
They spun into the air, landing in a hand that reached out from the darkness.
Sirius Black.
Ethan calmly twirled his own wand, looking at Sirius, who had revealed himself.
Sirius and Ethan exchanged a look, then Sirius resolutely turned away.
His gaze fell on Ron.
He remembered that Ron had brought Pettigrew with him on this outing.
This was also why he risked sneaking in.
His sworn enemy, who murdered his best friend, was constantly in his sight; he could no longer tolerate it!
Sirius bared his teeth, revealing a mouthful of fangs.
In his eyes, an extreme madness and hatred were evident.
He slowly said:
"I didn't expect to run into you all—but it's perfect, saves me the trouble of looking for you."
"People once imprisoned me for murder... Now, I'm here to commit that murder!"