Charlie and the others strolled leisurely through Hogsmeade, their eyes constantly scanning the people coming and going.
They had all seen Sirius's appearance in the newspapers—tangled black hair, sunken eyes, and gaunt cheeks. His mad look was unforgettable.
They wandered from morning until afternoon, entering all sorts of shops. Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks Pub, prank items at Zonko's Joke Shop, and a dazzling array of sweets at Honeydukes.
Charlie even bought a large pile of Cockroach Clusters at Honeydukes. Who invented these things? They looked disgusting, but tasted surprisingly good.
But they didn't even catch a glimpse of Sirius.
Ron yawned.
"He didn't come at all, did he?"
"It's possible." Hermione frowned.
"After all, this is Hogsmeade, full of Wizards. If he dared to show his face publicly, he'd be caught in minutes."
Draco leaned against the wall, explaining to Charlie beforehand.
"I've spread the word, so if he didn't come, it's not my fault."
Charlie was silent for a moment, then turned and walked towards a less crowded area.
"Let's check the more secluded places."
The others followed, walking along the street and out of town.
The hustle and bustle of Hogsmeade gradually faded, the surrounding buildings became sparser, and the cobblestone path underfoot grew uneven.
In the distance, a pointed-roof house appeared in their line of sight.
Draco stopped, pointing at the house.
"That's the Shrieking Shack."
"The Shrieking Shack?" Harry looked at the dilapidated building in confusion.
"They used to say there were always wailing sounds coming from inside." Draco's tone was dismissive.
"So hardly anyone goes there, but I think it's all just a trick."
Charlie raised an eyebrow and walked towards the Shrieking Shack.
The closer they got, the more obvious the house's decay became. The windows were broken, the door panels askew, and the walls were covered in vines. The air was filled with the smell of mold and decay.
Charlie pushed the door open, and the wooden door let out a grating creak.
The room was dimly lit, with only faint light filtering through the broken windows. A thick layer of dust covered the floor, and broken furniture was piled in the corners.
A big black dog lay in the center of the room, splayed out on its hind legs, licking its backside.
Hearing the movement, the big black dog raised its head, freezing in place.
Charlie was stunned for a moment.
"What a big dog."
This big black dog was unusually large, almost as big as a calf. Its black fur was disheveled, but its eyes were surprisingly bright, staring intently at the people who had entered.
Harry's face instantly changed.
He took half a step back, his hand unconsciously tightening around his wand. In Divination Class, Professor Trelawney said his death omen was a big black dog. And now, this dog appeared before him, staring at him with a strange look.
Harry's heart pounded, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Hermione noticed Harry's pale face.
She quickly walked a few steps to Harry's side and whispered, "Don't be nervous, this is just a coincidence. Don't believe those rubbish predictions from Divination Class."
Ron also tried to start a conversation to cheer Harry up: "This must be a stray dog, there's no one around here."
The big black dog heard Ron's voice and suddenly turned its head to look at him.
Its bright eyes instantly turned fierce, it bared its teeth, and a low growl rumbled in its throat.
Ron was startled and took half a step back, instinctively reaching for his wand.
Draco sneered, "Even dogs hate you, Weasley. It only gets angry at you, so it seems you really have a problem."
"You shut up!" Ron's ears instantly turned red, glaring at Draco.
"It was clearly facing all of us just now!"
"Was it?" Draco raised an eyebrow, his tone full of mockery.
"Why do I only see it barking at you?"
The big black dog bared its teeth, a flash of human-like ferocity in its eyes, looking as if it was about to lunge forward.
But the next second, its gaze fell on Charlie, and its entire body suddenly froze.
A strong sense of threat emanated from Charlie.
That feeling made the big black dog instinctively tense its muscles, and its fur stood on end.
It felt that if it dared to pounce and bite, there would be terrible consequences.
A hint of unwillingness flashed in the big black dog's eyes, and the growl in its throat gradually stopped.
It stared at Charlie for a few seconds, then suddenly turned, pushing off with all four legs, and bolted out the door.
The wooden door slammed shut with a bang, and a few splinters of wood fell from the doorframe.
The big black dog's figure quickly disappeared into the wilderness outside the Shrieking Shack.
Ron sighed in relief: "Good that it ran away."
Draco pouted: "Coward."
"Who are you calling a coward?" Ron immediately retorted.
"The dog," Draco sneered.
"What, do you think I'm talking about you?"
Just as Ron was about to speak, a violent trembling suddenly came from his pocket.
Scabbers was struggling frantically in his pocket, claws tearing at the fabric, his whole body shaking like a sieve.
Ron reached in to pull him out: "Scabbers, what's wrong with you?"
But Scabbers refused to come out, even burrowing deeper into the pocket. His small body trembled even more violently, emitting tiny squeaks.
Ron felt his pocket and said with a frown, "He might have been scared by the big black dog."
Hermione glanced towards the door: "That dog was indeed quite scary."
Harry took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He told himself this was just an ordinary stray dog, not some death omen.
But the unease in his heart wouldn't go away.
Charlie walked around the room; the dust on the floor was thick, and apart from where the big black dog had been lying, there were no other traces.
Broken furniture was piled in the corner, and moss grew in the cracks of the walls. The entire house exuded an air of long-abandoned decay.
"It seems Sirius hasn't been here," Charlie said.
Harry silently looked out the window; the sky had already begun to darken. The lights of Hogsmeade lit up in the distance, scattered like tiny jewels in the darkness.
From morning until now, they had been wandering around Hogsmeade all day, without even catching a glimpse of Sirius.
"It's getting late," Hermione reminded them. "If we don't go back soon, we'll miss dinner."
Ron's stomach rumbled in agreement. He awkwardly rubbed his belly: "I'm hungry too."
Charlie turned and walked towards the door: "Let's go back to Hogwarts."
He hadn't expected to find Sirius in just one day; he planned to come to Hogsmeade every weekend after this.
Even if he didn't catch Sirius, the tyrant points for leaving school without permission were substantial; the system's alerts hadn't stopped all day.
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