Harry's fists clenched tighter, his knuckles turning white.
He thought of what Draco had said in the Great Hall, and remembered his parents' deaths.
If not for that traitor, perhaps he could have grown up under his parents' care, without having to live under someone else's roof and suffer bullying.
"Fine." Harry nodded in agreement, almost without hesitation.
"I agree."
Charlie smiled; he was also doing this to catch Sirius as quickly as possible, lest he run to the Orphanage to interrogate Harry, which would be disastrous.
Even with Norbert guarding the Orphanage, it wasn't one hundred percent safe.
Harry's cooperation satisfied Charlie greatly.
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately closed it again.
He knew Harry's temper; once he made up his mind, no one could dissuade him.
Hermione, however, frowned, a look of worry appearing on her face.
It wasn't the weekend for students to visit Hogsmeade, so sneaking out of school was a violation of school rules, but that wasn't what she was worried about—she was worried about Harry's safety.
She quickened her pace and came to Harry's side.
"Harry." Hermione's voice was hesitant.
"Isn't this too dangerous?"
Harry turned to look at her, his eyes very firm.
"I'm not afraid."
Hermione bit her lip.
"But Sirius is a murderer. What if something goes wrong..."
"Nothing will go wrong." Harry interrupted her.
"I will definitely catch him."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something more, but seeing Harry's expression, she finally fell silent.
Ron curled his lip at the side and whispered:
"With Charlie here, instead of worrying about Harry's safety, you should be worrying about whether Sirius will even show up."
Hermione paused, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face; it seemed that was indeed the case.
Charlie led them to the statue of the humpbacked Witch.
Harry was confused: "Why are we here?"
Charlie didn't answer, instead pulling out his wand and tapping the statue.
"Finite Incantatem."
The statue made a slight grinding sound, and a gap cracked open behind it.
Draco raised his eyebrows, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Although he had been at Hogwarts for three years, this was the first time he had seen this secret passage.
Ron's eyes widened.
"There's actually a secret passage here?"
Hermione leaned forward to observe, her eyes full of curiosity.
Charlie climbed in first, and the others followed close behind.
The secret passage was pitch black; they could only see the outlines of the person in front. The stone floor underfoot was slippery, and water droplets fell from above from time to time. The air was filled with the smell of mold and soil.
Harry walked behind Ron, his hand on the wall, inching forward step by step. The wall was cold, and felt damp to the touch.
"Where does this path lead?" Hermione asked in a low voice.
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