Charlie was stunned by the sudden scene, even forgetting to look for Sirius.
Ron Weasley.
Peter Pettigrew.
The two names were stuck together, clearly on the same bed.
Charlie blinked, suspecting he had misread it, wondering if they were just close but actually in their own beds.
He brought the map closer, carefully confirming the two names. Indeed, they were in one sleeping bag, even huddled very close together.
The name Peter sounded distinctly male.
Charlie had been at Hogwarts for three years and had never heard of this person.
He basically knew all the third-year Gryffindor boys, and none were named Peter. Could it be from another year?
But Ron had never mentioned this person.
A strange man Ron had never spoken of was now sleeping in the same bed as him.
Charlie's expression became subtle.
Ron, oh Ron, you've been hiding it well.
Charlie thought back to Ron's usual behavior and suddenly felt some details clicked into place.
Ron was always inseparable from Harry, their relationship was unusually close, and then there was that time after the Quidditch match when Ron was jumping up and down, hugging Harry... What about Fred and George? They were Ron's biological brothers and had held the Marauder's Map for so long. Had they never noticed a strange man in their brother's bed?
Or did they already know and just not tell anyone?
Charlie felt the more he thought about it, the more absurd it became.
However, now was not the time to dwell on this. Charlie took a deep breath, forcing himself to refocus on the main task.
His gaze swept over the map again, searching for the name Sirius Black.
Charlie checked the names in the Great Hall one by one, but still couldn't find him.
Charlie frowned.
Had Sirius already escaped the school?
Finding nothing, Charlie could only put away the map and tap it with his wand.
"Mischief managed."
The lines on the map slowly disappeared, turning back into a plain piece of parchment.
Charlie stuffed the map into his pocket and turned to leave the dormitory.
Since he couldn't find Sirius, he would go back to the Great Hall. He had never tried sleeping on the floor in the Great Hall before, and it sounded quite novel.
As he reached the entrance of the Great Hall, he saw Percy standing in front of Dumbledore, his expression as serious as if he were about to pronounce a major crime.
"Principal, Charlie just left the Great Hall without permission!" Percy's voice was loud, as if afraid others wouldn't hear him.
"As Head Boy, I must report such serious misconduct to you!"
"Percy, you can speak a little softer at night, as other students still need to sleep."
Percy's face was a bit awkward.
Dumbledore turned around, his blue eyes looking at Charlie through his half-moon spectacles.
Charlie walked in without changing his expression.
"I went to pee, I couldn't very well do it in the Great Hall, could I?"
Percy couldn't help but retort.
"You clearly Apparated away!"
"That's right, I had to pee urgently." Charlie shrugged.
"You know how far the Castle toilets are, I was afraid I couldn't hold it."
Dumbledore shook his head helplessly.
"Charlie, next time if you need to leave, please inform a Prefect first. Now, go back to your sleeping bag."
Percy opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.
Charlie walked back to his sleeping bag.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately gathered around.
"Well?" Harry asked in a low voice. "Did you find Sirius?"
Charlie shook his head.
"He should have already escaped the school."
Harry's face instantly darkened, and the light in his eyes also extinguished.
He bit his lip, clenching and unclenching his fists.
Ron patted Harry's shoulder.
"Don't be discouraged, he can run but he can't hide forever, they'll catch him eventually."
Charlie's gaze fell on Ron, and the scene from the Marauder's Map reappeared in his mind.
What about that Peter? Did he just finish and leave?
Charlie couldn't help but move away from the two of them, leaning closer to Hermione.
The candlelight in the Great Hall gradually dimmed, and the students' whispers slowly faded.
Every hour, a Professor would push open the door and patrol the Great Hall.
Around two or three in the morning, the Great Hall was already filled with the sound of snoring.
Charlie, however, was wide awake.
Years of nocturnal adventures made it impossible for him to sleep at this hour.
After the initial excitement of sleeping on the floor, he now felt a bit bored.
Percy was still playing the big shot, patrolling between the sleeping bags. Whenever he saw a student who wasn't asleep, he would walk over and reprimand them in a low voice.
But when he saw Charlie staring with wide eyes, he simply pretended not to see him.
He had also realized that this person was not to be trifled with.
At this moment, the door of the Great Hall was pushed open again.
Dumbledore walked in, his robes covered with a bit of dust, his silver beard swaying slightly in the candlelight.
Percy immediately went up to him, asking in a low voice, "Principal, any leads?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"Unfortunately, no. But I have found a new guardian for the Gryffindor common room, you can move back tomorrow."
Percy's expression relaxed, but then he remembered something.
"What about the fat lady? Where did she go?"
"Hiding in the map of Argyllshire on the third floor." Dumbledore sighed.
"Her emotions are unstable, and she needs some time to recover."
Charlie listened to their conversation and saw the door of the Great Hall open again.
Snape walked in, his black robes trailing behind him like bat wings.
His gaze swept across the Great Hall, landing precisely on Charlie.
The two exchanged glances for a moment.
Snape saw that Charlie was still awake but said nothing, turning to walk towards Dumbledore.
Charlie was a bit surprised that Snape wasn't bothering him, which was rare.
"Principal." Snape's voice was low.
"The entire school has been searched, and no abnormalities have been found."
Dumbledore nodded.
"I also guessed he wouldn't stay in the school."
"I didn't expect him to be an Animagus." Snape's tone carried a hint of coldness.
Charlie raised an eyebrow.
It seemed the Professors also guessed that the big black dog was Sirius Black.
Snape paused, then continued:
"Have you considered how he got in, Professor?"
As he said this, he subtly glanced at Charlie again.
Charlie's heart skipped a beat.
What was this old bat implying now?
Dumbledore was silent for a moment.
"I have some thoughts, but no evidence."
"Is that so?" Snape's voice grew even colder.
"Do you remember what I said last time, Principal? He couldn't have gotten into the school without inside help."
Having said that, Snape gave Charlie another meaningful look.
Charlie rolled his eyes, you might as well write 'Lupin is the mole' on your face.
This old Snape was just fixated on him, wasn't he? Determined to drag him into his conflict with Professor Lupin?
Charlie had no interest in getting involved in their personal grievances.
Sorry, not very familiar, going to sleep now.
He simply closed his eyes, adjusted to a comfortable position, and promptly fell asleep.
Snape looked at Charlie's defiant attitude, his face as black as coal.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"