"All right, children—it's time to wake up."
An aged voice, not loud yet impossibly clear, appeared directly in the minds of every student in the Great Hall, whether asleep or awake. Like gentle sunlight, it softly wiped away their drowsiness, and one by one they emerged from their sleeping bags, suddenly alert and refreshed…
"Mm."
Avada rubbed his eyes hard. Ever since he'd snuck back in the night before, he'd barely slept at all, so Dumbledore's little trick had done almost nothing for him. He'd probably need to down a full vial of Pepperup Potion later.
Forcing himself awake, he crawled out of his sleeping bag, pulled on his robes, and looked up toward the staff table—
Aside from Dumbledore, only the four Heads of House were seated in their places, all looking remarkably calm. Even Snape was no exception. Clearly, they hadn't been told what had actually happened the night before.
Lupin's seat was empty—no doubt he hadn't slept very well.
"It seems everyone slept quite soundly last night,"
Dumbledore said cheerfully to the packed Great Hall, looking exactly as he always did—absolutely nothing like someone who'd been busy all night. "However, before you wash up and enjoy breakfast, I have some good news to announce."
"You've caught Black!"
Someone from the Gryffindor section immediately shouted in excitement.
"To be honest, it's even better than that,"
Dumbledore's smile stiffened for just a moment—mercifully hidden by his silver beard. "The good news is this: from the very beginning, there was never any criminal named Black infiltrating Hogwarts."
"What?"
The students instantly erupted in confusion. "Then who destroyed the Fat Lady's portrait last night? How did you confirm that?"
"You can't seriously say that just because you searched the castle and found no signs of intrusion, Black wasn't here! He escaped from Azkaban!"
"All right, quiet, quiet."
Dumbledore made a calming downward gesture, restoring order. "If we're to explain it properly, we'll have to mention an unexpected discovery from last night…"
"An unexpected discovery?"
Every ear perked up. Even Avada leaned in, curious—he was genuinely impressed Dumbledore had come up with an excuse that could both calm students whose common room had been attacked and keep Black's situation hidden without summoning Dementors.
"Let me give you the conclusion first,"
Dumbledore chuckled at their expressions and stopped drawing it out. "The 'Black' who frightened everyone last night was, in fact, a Boggart."
"..."
The Great Hall fell into silence.
They'd imagined countless possibilities—perhaps the Fat Lady had been Confunded, or maybe some Slytherin troublemakers had disguised themselves as Black to prank Gryffindor…
But no one had expected that.
The reason was simple: Boggarts were weak. Even third-years could deal with them easily. And for a Boggart to transform, it needed someone nearby to read fear from—was it possible that no one had even realized that?
The entire school being frightened into sleeping in the Great Hall all night by a single Boggart—
It was downright humiliating.
"And the reason I call it an 'unexpected discovery,'" Dumbledore continued smoothly before the uproar could begin, "is because this particular Boggart was… unusual."
"Upon analysis, I found that it didn't read the fear of a single target like most Boggarts. Instead, it could read fear across a wide area—identifying the object of fear shared by everyone within that range, then transforming into that very image to terrify them."
"I must say, it was remarkably efficient. By the time I found it, it was nearly bursting from the amount of fear it had collected—a proper feast, from a Boggart's perspective."
"Furthermore, once transformed, it even displayed a degree of offensive capability, something most Boggarts lack entirely. That is why the Fat Lady's portrait was attacked."
"Such a rare mutated specimen has significant research value. Its ability to read fear on a large scale is also worth studying. Perhaps, in time, Hogwarts can develop a brand-new type of Boggart-based gel with unique applications—contributing to magical progress… and maybe earning a bit of gold to make your meals even more lavish."
As he spoke, Dumbledore stood up and pulled a wardrobe nearly as tall as a man from his pocket, placing it beside him.
"The Boggart is currently inside. I'll give you a demonstration—but given the atmosphere, it will probably still turn into Sirius Black. Do brace yourselves."
With that, he pointed at the wardrobe. The doors flew open with a bang.
"Woooah—"
Inside stood Sirius Black—gaunt, red-eyed, exactly like the photographs in the newspapers. The "Black" bared his teeth and swung his arms wildly, advancing toward Dumbledore with a crazed grin, every inch the deranged murderer of legend…
"Riddikulus."
Dumbledore flicked his wand casually.
Instantly, "Black" was dressed in a frilly nightgown, topped with a wild, fluffy perm. His eyes crossed into a squint as he spun around and began dancing dizzily. The students burst into laughter, and even the professors struggled to keep straight faces—
All except Snape. From the moment he'd seen Black's face, his brow had never once relaxed.
"All right."
Dumbledore chuckled as he tossed the "Black" back into the wardrobe and shut it away. "There's no danger now. I'll repair the Fat Lady's portrait shortly, and Gryffindor may return to their common room as usual."
"You may now leave the Great Hall—this space will soon be needed for breakfast."
"Yay!"
The students scattered joyfully.
Avada, however, stood there in a daze, only snapping back to reality when someone tugged his sleeve. He shuffled toward the Hufflepuff common room, still rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
"Just now… the Black in that wardrobe—if I didn't see it wrong…"
"Maybe… possibly… that was actually him???"
The corner of his mouth twitched. "That's some nerve. And Dumbledore actually went along with it."
"But it looks like their side of things is settled. Which means it's time for me to continue my own plan."
"Before Christmas, fully assemble those two devices—and then…"
"Head into the wizarding world."
(End of Chapter)