The Three Broomsticks Pub, by the window.
Sherlock Cavendish and Hilke were seated there, each with a warm cup of black tea in front of them, and a plate of cookies in the middle of the table.
On the other side of the window, the rain continued to pour, showing no sign of stopping.
Hilke sipped her black tea in small mouthfuls, remaining silent, while Sherlock Cavendish stared blankly at the raindrops falling from the eaves outside the window.
Not returning to the Castle was Hilke's decision, and as Dumbledore's designated supervisor, Sherlock Cavendish naturally couldn't go back alone.
Anyway, he only had four classes a week and was quite free now; having afternoon tea in the pub and watching the rain was quite pleasant.
It was just that the scene had been silent, and the atmosphere was a bit too dull.
Sherlock Cavendish had to proactively start a conversation.
"Where are your two companions? I remember one was named Henry, and the other Harry."
Hilke had specifically requested her black tea to have a full layer of tea leaves at the bottom of the cup, so when she drank the last few sips, the tea was very bitter.
Even without seeing her expression, her frequent small sips indicated that she wasn't quite accustomed to the taste, but she still finished all the black tea.
"They are staying at an inn."
Sherlock Cavendish rested his chin on his hand, watching Hilke opposite him begin to focus on the tea dregs at the bottom of her cup, knowing she was about to start a divination.
He didn't disturb her, instead shifting his gaze from the window to Hilke; this was his first time witnessing a Diviner perform a complete divination.
Overall, it seemed unremarkable, with nothing special about it.
She just kept staring at the tea dregs, as if she could discern something extraordinary from the finely steeped tea leaves.
However, Hilke's divination this time didn't seem to go smoothly; she maintained this posture for a full half-hour without any reaction.
Sherlock Cavendish had slowly finished the cookies on the plate and had refilled his black tea cup for the third time; after finishing this afternoon tea, he wouldn't need dinner.
Finally, as the rain gradually stopped and the sky grew darker, approaching evening, Hilke let out an almost imperceptible sigh and stood up from her chair.
Sherlock Cavendish also stood up, shrugging his shoulders and saying,
"Today wasn't bad, actually. Although we gained nothing, we can just consider it a relaxing outing."
As he stood up, he accidentally bumped the corner of the table, causing it to wobble and the tea dregs in the cup to shift.
Hilke, who had just stood up, suddenly froze. She stared at the displaced tea dregs in the cup, from which she seemed to see a... large black dog!
She suddenly looked up and said to Sherlock Cavendish with utmost seriousness,
"You can say things like that more often in the future!"(TN: If the jinx thing is going to continue, I hope they harness it properly like this at least.)
Then she turned and quickly walked towards the outside of the pub.
Sherlock Cavendish realised she must have discovered something at the end, and without minding her somewhat impolite remark, he followed her out of The Three Broomsticks Pub.
The rain had just stopped, and the damp air was still a bit chilly. Hilke's steps were hurried, her black leather boots splashing in puddles, and mud splattered on the hem of her robe, but she paid no attention.
Sherlock Cavendish also hurried behind her.
"What are you looking for?"
"A dog, a large black dog."
Sherlock Cavendish was stunned; he remembered the large black dog he had seen next to a rubbish bin in an alley on his first day in Hogsmeade.
He grabbed Hilke's arm.
"I know where that dog is."
They arrived at a secluded alley.
This seemed to be where the town's residents disposed of their rubbish; there were five tin rubbish bins, and in the shadowy corner behind them, a large black dog was lying down.
The dog was lying on the ground, seemingly asleep. Sherlock Cavendish and Hilke didn't get too close, instead standing at a distance and watching it.
"So, is there anything special about this dog?" Sherlock Cavendish asked, puzzled.
Hilke stared at the large black dog with her invisible gaze, her voice once again becoming cool and calm.
"It will lead us to some clues."
Sherlock Cavendish slowly drew his wand.
"Alright, perhaps your divination is correct, but before that, we must first ensure it doesn't run away."
Sirius Black, who had been running around all night checking if the old secret passages were still usable, was now very tired.
During these days of being pursued by Dementors and Ministry of Magic Aurors, he hadn't slept soundly or eaten a hot meal.
This afternoon, a heavy rain suddenly started, and Sirius Black could only lie under the damp eaves, trying his best to fall asleep and recover the energy he had expended during the night.
He had confirmed that most of the secret passages were intact, so he planned to wait for an opportunity to sneak into Hogwarts and finally catch that damned traitor, biting him to pieces!
In a hazy dream, he seemed to have caught Peter Pettigrew and was torturing him with the cruelest methods in the world, interrogating him about why he had betrayed James Potter.
However, at this moment, a sense of danger welled up in his heart!
Sirius Black suddenly awoke, and upon opening his eyes, he realised that an iron cage was slowly forming around him!
His heart tightened, and he instinctively thought his disguise had been discovered!
He propelled himself with all four limbs, leaping up suddenly, intending to jump out of the still-forming cage.
But Sherlock Cavendish reacted even faster!
The Transfiguration instantly accelerated to its final steps, completely sealing the cage the moment Sirius Black jumped up!
Inside the iron cage, a look of despair appeared in Sirius Black's eyes.
If he were captured and taken back this time, the Ministry of Magic would very likely not imprison him in Azkaban again, but instead directly reward him with a Dementor's Kiss.
Sirius Black wasn't afraid of death; he was afraid that if he died, no one would ever know Peter Pettigrew's true identity, and he would disguise himself as a rat and lurk beside Harry Potter. Who knew what he would do in the future?
After successfully capturing the large black dog, Sherlock Cavendish and Hilke approached the cage, staring at the desperate Sirius Black inside, whose eyes were dull with despair.
Sherlock Cavendish stroked his chin.
"This dog is indeed a bit different; it actually shows such human-like expressions. It reminds me of Hagrid's Fang; his dog, though a bit timid, is also very intelligent."
Sirius Black, who was in utter despair, heard Sherlock Cavendish's words and instantly snapped back to attention!
He then noticed the clothes Sherlock Cavendish and Hilke were wearing, which were clearly not the attire of Aurors from the Ministry of Magic.
Moreover, he remembered Sherlock Cavendish's appearance; in the first few days he arrived in Hogsmeade, he had personally witnessed Aurors questioning him, and he remembered that he was a Professor at Hogwarts!
So, he wasn't discovered?
Was there still a chance to escape?
Understanding this, Sirius Black once again saw hope!
He wagged his tail in the cage, sticking out his tongue at Sherlock Cavendish, trying his best to appear like an ordinary dog.
Sherlock Cavendish looked at the black dog, which had just moments ago been full of bitterness and hatred, then acted as if it wanted to die after being caught, and now displayed such a fawning demeanour. He nodded and concluded,
"It's very smart. We need to be careful later and make sure it doesn't escape."
Sirius Black's expression instantly froze, his tongue halfway out, unsure whether to pull it back or continue wagging his tail.
Hilke ignored Sherlock Cavendish, who was teasing the very clever black dog, and instead stared at Sirius Black with her invisible eyes.
"The night before last, did you notice anything unusual in this town?"
The Witch, whose face was half-covered by her hood, made Sirius Black feel a different kind of aura.
Although she wasn't looking at him with her eyes, he felt as if she had seen through him from the inside out, leaving no secrets.
At the same time, her question reminded him of the night he first arrived in Hogsmeade, the late night when the stationery shop owner was killed, and the scene he had inadvertently witnessed.
Sirius Black knew that a murder had recently occurred in Hogsmeade, but he had enough trouble with his own affairs, so how could he have the energy to care about the lives and deaths of others?
But it seemed he was caught today because of this matter.
Sirius Black, understanding what they wanted from him, breathed a sigh of relief; as long as his identity wasn't discovered, he could accept it.
He wagged his tail even more enthusiastically, indicating that he could lead them to a place.
Unable to communicate with words, Sherlock Cavendish and the others naturally didn't understand what he was expressing by just wagging his tail, but Sherlock Cavendish also knew that he needed to allow this black dog to move freely first.
He extended his wand and tapped the iron cage, causing it to quickly shrink, finally transforming into countless ropes that tightly bound Sirius Black, with Sherlock Cavendish holding the very end of the leash.
This cautious approach completely extinguished any hope Sirius Black had of finding an opportunity to escape, and he obediently led the way.
Sherlock Cavendish held the leash, Hilke walked beside him, and Sirius Black led the way. Thus, the two people and one dog arrived at another pub in Hogsmeade.
Hogs Head Inn.
An old, dirty pub where the bartender's service was poor, and she was far less attractive than Madam Rosmerta of The Three Broomsticks Pub.
However, the patrons of this pub were often shady characters; you could meet Wizards who constantly operated in grey areas, and it was often a place for them to conduct illegal transactions.
Sirius Black did not lead Sherlock Cavendish and Hilke into the pub but turned a corner and went to the backyard of the pub.
It looked messy here, with countless old wine barrels piled everywhere, and some discarded dining tables and benches haphazardly thrown about.
Sirius Black stopped moving once he arrived here; that night, he had seen something strange disappear here.
Sherlock Cavendish and Hilke searched around, and soon they found a few withered straws in a corner!
Madam Rosmerta