The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

The storm that The Daily Prophet stirred up on the breakfast table had not subsided by lunchtime.

"Duff Town!" Simon Finiganti waved his newspaper countless times, as if it were some kind of talisman. "Sirius has been discovered in Duff Town! Aren't you surprised?"

The newspaper rustled in his hands; the front-page photo showed a disheveled, dark-haired prisoner with sunken eyes roaring at the camera, the words "Danger! Extreme Danger!" marked on the edge.

"Dufftown?" Neville Longbottom's fork froze in mid-air. "Isn't that... just around Hogsmeade, only seven miles away!?"

"That's really scary," said Thomas, the black teenager next to him. "Why haven't those incompetent people in the Ministry of Magic caught him yet? Seriously."

"As far as I know, the Ministry of Magic's search party and Dementors were both mobilized this time," Seamus continued, sharing his inside information, "but it's said that he disappeared again like a ghost."

He then lowered his voice and said, "I just overheard Mrs. Pince and Mrs. Pomfleur discussing this as well. They said Black has shown unprecedented cunning; the search party can't see him, and the Dementors seem unable to sense his emotions."

The surrounding young wizards immediately erupted into a commotion.

Hermione Granger peeked out from behind "The Secret of Time," her brow furrowed. "This is impossible. Dementors couldn't possibly not sense it—unless…"

"Unless what?" Harry Potter asked, his face paler than the milk on the table.

"Unless he's not human, there's no way he could escape a Dementor's senses," Hermione said softly, her voice lacking confidence.

"Hey, you're right. How could he not be human?" Ron stuffed a mouthful of roasted meat into his mouth, seemingly unaffected by the news.

Julien Black sat at a nearby table, pouring pumpkin juice into his cereal and gazing thoughtfully at the strange orange-yellow mixture.

Elizabeth Rozier tapped his bowl with the end of her fork. "What are you doing, thinking about inventing a new potion?"

“I’m wondering,” Julien said, “why a madman who escaped from Azkaban would choose to show up in Dave.”

"You said he's a madman, what logic does a madman have?" Daphne Greengrass leaned over from the side, her long light blonde hair tied in a high ponytail today, making her look like a knight ready to go to war.

Her younger sister, Astoria, had her hair dyed pink and permed into many curls by her older sister, making her look like an adorable doll.

“A madman has his own logic,” Julien said with a smile that reminded Daphne of her father’s expression when discussing matters—gentle on the surface, but full of calculation underneath. “And Sirius’s logic… is quite interesting.”

"What do you mean?" Liria asked from the other side.

"Maybe he just wanted the search party and the Dementors to go so he could sneak into Hogwarts. He might be nearby right now."

"Don't scare me," Daphne said, glancing around instinctively as if Sirius Black might appear at any moment.

"Yeah, you scared Astoria." Elizabeth punched Julien in return.

"I'm not afraid at all," Astoria said, pouting.

"Yes, no one would hurt such a lovely Astoria," Julien teased her with a smile.

What he didn't say was that Sirius Black, his relative, was never looking for Harry Potter, but rather the one currently lying in Ron's pocket.

---

The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was transformed into a circle, as Professor Lupin apparently believed that a 360-degree escape route was needed to deal with the Boggarts.

The tables and chairs were removed, creating a spacious open area. Directly in front was a mysterious cabinet.

When the young wizards from the four houses entered the classroom, they saw this heavy, ancient-looking, and sleek Baroque-style wardrobe-like object.

That's right, it's all four houses together. Lockhart started this last year, and Lupin is continuing the practice this year.

"Today our topic is - Bogut."

The young wizards gasped. The Boggart was a truly dark creature compared to last year's elves, but this was accompanied by excitement.

"Can anyone tell me what a Boggart looks like?"

Unsurprisingly, Hermione raised her hand faster than all the male students who were too young to practice their hand speed.

"Nobody knows its true nature," Hermione said confidently, even exceeding Lupin's expectations.

"A Boggart is a shapeshifting creature that can automatically read the thoughts of anyone who gets close to it and instantly transform into that person's deepest fear. So when anyone faces it, what they see is not the Boggart itself, but their own greatest fear."

"Tch, eye-catching bag!" The voice came from somewhere.

"A perfect answer, I'd give Miss Granger an extra 5 points."

“Boggart likes dark, enclosed spaces,” Lupin said, standing in front of the wardrobe, the old robe almost transparent in the afternoon sun. “But today, we’re going to expose it to the light of day, to everyone’s eyes.”

"Remember what Miss Granger just said: the Boggart doesn't have a fixed form. It loves to read your deepest fears. When your fears become ridiculous, it becomes helpless. Of course, it will also have difficulty choosing a place in a crowd."

"Of course, there is a spell to counteract it—Riddikulus. The prerequisite is to make your most fearful thing seem... ridiculous."

"Alright, no amount of theory can compare to practical experience. Who wants to try first?"

Perhaps out of fear of making a fool of themselves, none of the young wizards raised their hands for the first time.

"Isn't this just sharing your fears in public?" Draco Malfoy drawled. "That sounds like Neville Longbottom's forte."

"Hahaha." Several young Slytherin wizards laughed.

Neville looked somewhat hesitant. "I, I, I'm afraid..."

Professor Lupin didn't object; instead, he smiled at Neville and said, "Alright, let Mr. Longbottom give it a try. Don't be afraid; you know, your whole family are Gryffindors."

Neville hesitated for a moment, but still walked ahead.

"Come, Neville, tell me, what are you most afraid of?" Lupin leaned down and whispered in Neville's ear.

"Professor Snape," Neville stammered.

"Hahaha." Several more young wizards laughed.

"Haha," Lupin chuckled, "Professor Snape, yes. He does look a bit scary. Just think of him as your grandmother dressed, isn't that strange and comical? Alright, get your wands ready."

Then Professor Lupin waved his wand, and the lock on the wardrobe clicked.

The wardrobe door slowly opened.

Sure enough, a gloomy-looking Professor Snape emerged from within, exuding an oppressive aura. He slowly strode toward Neville, his long black robes trailing on the ground like rolling dark clouds.

Neville's hands trembled so much that his wand almost fell to the ground, and his mind went blank.

"Don't be afraid, Neville, don't be afraid. Think of your grandma's clothes. And then the spell—funny funny."

"Riddikulus!" Neville shouted, almost huddled in Lupin's arms behind him, but still managed to draw his wand.

Suddenly, when the "Professor Snape" in front of him transformed into Neville's grandmother wearing a floral green dress and a hat covered in feathers, the image of the always gloomy Potions professor instantly crumbled.

"Hahaha." Almost all the young wizards laughed, including many Slytherin students.

"Well done, Neville, well done!"

Neville, seeing the bewildered "Professor Snape" in front of him, let out a long sigh of relief.

"Next! Line up, line up!"

All the young wizards crowded around, eager to try something so interesting. They had never imagined that dealing with dark magic or dark magical creatures could be so easy and fun.