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George had indeed located Sirius Black, but the man wasn't trying to flee—he appeared to be resting in the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow.
However, George had deliberately claimed otherwise. He knew that if he told the truth, the ever-rational Hermione would insist they inform the professors first and let the school staff handle Sirius. That would be the safer and more responsible route.
But if things unfolded that way, they would merely be the ones who provided a lead. The credit for capturing Sirius Black would go to the professors.
What George wanted was to take down Sirius Black single-handedly. That kind of accomplishment would look far more impressive on his application to the Ministry of Magic.
"Isn't it dangerous for George to go alone? That's Sirius Black we're talking about!"
Ron looked worried as he watched George fly off.
After all, Sirius was the only person known to have escaped Azkaban under the watch of Dementors. The Ministry had hunted him for a year without success, and yet he had managed to break into Hogwarts twice.
"Ah! Damn it, Scabbers—what are you doing?!"
Suddenly, the pet rat in Ron's arms bit his hand, leapt to the ground, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Forget about that stupid rat!"
Hermione snapped at him when she saw Ron start to chase after it.
"We're splitting up—I'll find Professor McGonagall, you go to Professor Snape, and Harry, you go to Dumbledore. The sooner we inform the professors, the safer George will be."
Even though they had witnessed George's strength in Paris, Sirius Black was on a different level—his infamy far exceeded that of the old one-eyed mercenary they had encountered before. Hermione couldn't help but worry.
Besides, she knew that rushing to help George themselves would only get in the way. The smartest course of action was to follow his instructions and alert the teachers immediately.
"Go!"
Harry clenched his jaw and took off running toward the Headmaster's office.
He desperately wanted to confront Sirius alongside George. In fact, he wished he could hit Sirius with a Killing Curse right then and there—even though he didn't know how to cast one. But Hermione was right—he needed to find Dumbledore.
Just as the three of them turned to head off in separate directions, they bumped into someone coming down the corridor.
"Harry? Hermione? Ron? Where are you three rushing off to in such a hurry?"
"Professor Lupin!"
The trio looked up to see Professor Lupin, who stumbled slightly from the impact. Their eyes lit up with a mix of relief and excitement.
"Professor, George used a tracking spell he invented himself and found Sirius Black near the Whomping Willow! He's already gone ahead to intercept him before he escapes!"
"What?! Sirius is by the Whomping Willow?"
Lupin's expression changed instantly. He seemed to realize something and immediately sprinted off in that direction.
"Should I still go tell Professor Snape?"
Ron hesitated as he watched Lupin disappear into the distance. He didn't particularly want to face the intimidating potions master alone.
"I'm going with Professor Lupin!"
Harry, after a brief inner struggle, drew his wand and chased after Lupin.
He didn't want to see Sirius Black dragged back to Azkaban. What he wanted was revenge—to personally kill the man who had betrayed his parents.
Earlier, with only George going after Sirius, Harry had hesitated—he hadn't been confident enough to go alone. That's why he had chosen to get help.
But now, with both George and Professor Lupin there, the odds of defeating Sirius were much better. If Harry could find a moment to strike from the shadows, maybe—just maybe—he could land a fatal blow.
"Then I'm going too!"
Ron, unwilling to let his best friend go alone, drew his wand and ran after him.
"You two—!"
Hermione shouted after them in frustration, but then sighed in resignation. Pulling out her own wand, she too joined the chase.
Hermione still kept her wits about her. As she chased after Harry and Ron, she hurriedly asked every passing younger student to find Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster and tell them to come to the Whomping Willow at once—just say they'd located Sirius Black.
On the other side, George had already flown to the Whomping Willow. He folded his wings and dropped silently to the ground. A quick sweep of his mind revealed a faint smile on his lips.
"Sure enough, he's in there."
Sirius wasn't trying to flee; he'd taken refuge in the secret tunnel beneath the roots of the magical tree. Still, George had claimed otherwise—if he'd admitted Sirius was only hiding, Hermione would have insisted on alerting the professors first. That would have meant providing information but earning none of the glory. George wanted to capture Sirius single-handedly, to seal his reputation before applying to the Ministry.
"Isn't he dangerous alone? That's Sirius Black!" Ron had fretted, watching George's silhouette disappear into the sky. After all, Sirius was the only man ever to escape Azkaban under Dementor guard—and he'd twice broken into Hogwarts itself.
But Ron's concern was interrupted when his pet rat, Scabbers, suddenly bit his hand and scurried off into the shadows. Hermione snapped him back to focus:
"Forget the rat! We split up—Hermione to McGonagall, Ron to Snape, Harry to Dumbledore. The faster we alert the staff, the safer George will be!"
Harry bit his lip. He wanted nothing more than to join George and face Sirius himself—to cast the Killing Curse he didn't yet know, to avenge his parents. But he let Hermione's logic prevail and bolted for the Headmaster's office.
Just then, they collided with Professor Lupin in the corridor. The werewolf professor steadied himself, surprised.
"Harry, Hermione, Ron—what's the rush?"
"Professor, George's tracking spell found Sirius under the Whomping Willow! He's gone to intercept him!" Harry blurted.
Lupin's face darkened. "Under the Whomping Willow?" He dashed away.
Ron hesitated. "Should I still go to Snape?"
Harry's resolve hardened. "I'm going with Lupin!" He drew his wand and sprinted after the professor—hoping for a chance to avenge his parents.
"Then I'm coming too!" Ron cried, and Hermione, exasperated but determined, followed, wand in hand.
Back at the Willow, George had used a voice-activated charm he'd learned from Lucian to communicate with and command the ancient tree. Though the Whomping Willow was notoriously temperamental, George's mental strength easily subdued it, parting its massive branches to clear a path to the tunnel entrance.
He slipped inside. The narrow passage—dug years ago by James Potter and Sirius Black—was littered with debris and cobwebs. It led to a small, dusty room at the far end: peeling wallpaper, broken furniture, boarded-up windows, the air thick with neglect.
George stooped at the doorway and called out, wand drawn—even though he no longer needed it to channel magic.
"Sirius Black, no use hiding. I know you're under that bed."
In an instant, a great black dog lunged from beneath the bed, snapping at George's wrist in a savage attempt to rip away his wand.
(End of Chapter)