Chapter 82: The beginning of fear

The new semester had begun with a strange and depressing atmosphere at Hogwarts, fueled by a series of events.

Ivan had the feeling that several of the people around him were on the verge of collapse.

First, there was Neville, who was completely freaked out by Snape.

In third year potions class, Snape had detained him for two months, claiming that he didn't peel figs and threw them in the cauldron. But in reality everyone knew what was going on and that Snape is seeking revenge. From then on, as soon as Neville saw Snape, he would involuntarily turn pale and break out in a cold sweat.

He was followed by Hagrid, who seemed to have lost his confidence.

Now, in the Care of Magical Creatures class, lesson after lesson, the students were learning how to care for Earthworms. The existence of such a creature is almost completely meaningless. Other than eating, they always sit still and do nothing.

Once again, Harry, who was now increasingly afraid of Divination classes.

Professor Trelawney always looked at him with teary eyes. Unpredictable prophecies spread throughout the school. No matter who it was, every time they talked about Harry, their voices became softer, as if he was about to die.

Besides, he had to worry about going to Hogsmeade. Professor McGonagall refused to sign his application. This meant that he was likely to be the only third year not to visit Hogsmeade.

Even more worried than he was Colin and Ginny.

They completely believed Professor Trelawney's predictions. In their eyes, Ivan and Harry could die at any moment. That's why the two of them collected many things that could supposedly protect them from evil spirits and curses. Most of them were the popular items used during basilisk attacks.

As for Hermione, she was getting more and more nervous.

This was mainly because she had chosen too many classes causing her body and mind to overload for too long and reaching its limit. Ivan noticed that her bag was filled with more than 10 books every day. He wondered if Hermione would pass out if this continued.

Lastly, there was Ron, who had been paranoid lately.

After several attempts by Crookshanks to attack Scabbers, he was always on the cat's back. He showed everyone that Scabbers was getting thinner and thinner.

In Ivan's eyes, the reason Scabbers looked like that had nothing to do with Crookshanks.

Peter Pettigrew surely knew that the real reason for Black's escape was to find revenge. After all, he had betrayed the Potters. He was scared, and as Black approached Hogwarts, panic gripped his mind.

He wanted to run away, but he didn't know where to go.

Hogwarts was currently the safest place. After all, there were so many terrifying Dementors watching. It stood to reason that Black would have no reason to try to get in, but since he had escaped from Azkaban, getting into Hogwarts was only a matter of time.

The mental suffering had left Peter very haggard.

In fact, it wasn't just them. Ivan was also busy at the moment.

In addition to preparing articles for the newspaper, he focused his energy on brewing potions, which he prepared for Peter Pettigrew. He had found a tracking potion in the 'Book of Potions', in which it said that when a living creature drank such a potion and by using a spell at a certain range, it would sense the location of the living creature that drank the potion.

This way, he wouldn't have to worry about it turning into a mouse and running away.

Ivan's plan was to mix this tracker with the rat tonic, and Ron will have Scabbers drink it. The only problem now is that it takes too long to make the potion. Although he has made the proper preparations, the soonest he could finish the potion was Halloween.

Harry had sent Ron and Hermione to Hogsmeade on Halloween eve.

Ivan rejected Colin's suggestion to play magical chess. He ran alone to the eighth floor of the castle. After making sure no one was paying attention to him, he walked quickly back and forth three times before entering the Room of Requirement.

The room he asked for was similar to Snape's office. The center table was filled with glassware of various shapes, two metal cauldrons, and a heating device. The cabinets on either side were filled with potion materials.

These things were bought by Ivan in Diagon Alley. Since last year, he had been here to make preparations he needed, check the contents in advance, and so on.

He had been practicing for a long time and had gotten very good at it.

He laid out the prepared materials in potion order.

After about five hours, he finally finished the preparations for the potion. He mixed it with his own tonic. The potion showed a dark red color, exactly the same as the rat tonic he had seen in the magical pet store. Ivan was satisfied with the potion, bottled it and went down to the Great Hall for the Halloween Party that had already begun.

The Great Hall was filled with a group of fluttering bats and many orange streamers filled with flames. They floated under the ceiling like glowing water snakes.

The food at the banquet was very delicious. Everyone looked happy.

Since the beginning of the school year, the tense atmosphere was gone, and Harry seemed to have forgotten the cursed prophecy. Hermione was finally not thinking about studying, and after Ivan gave Ron the "rat tonic," the other's mood gradually improved and he no longer worried about Scabbers.

Everything was going well. Even Hagrid, who had not been there recently, sat happily at the teachers' table.

Dinner ended with entertainment provided by the ghosts. The ghosts suddenly appeared through the walls and tables and made a parade. The Gryffindor ghost, Nick Almost Beheaded Nick, successfully reenacted his murder.

Everyone felt they had enjoyed a pleasant evening, but less than ten minutes later, everything changed.

Some of the joy accumulated during the party disappeared and panic once again entered the castle.

When all this happened, Ivan, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Colin and Ginny were slowly walking back to Gryffindor Tower by the usual route, their stomachs swollen from having ordered two servings of almost all the food served at dinner.

When they reached the Fat Lady's portrait, they noticed that the corridor was crowded with people.

"What's the matter, why isn't anyone coming in?" asked Colin curiously.

"Maybe they forgot their passwords?" said Ron with a smile.

"How is this possible? It's impossible for so many people to forget their passwords." Ivan saw Peeves jumping over the heads of the crowd, he was very happy. Suddenly he felt like a bad feeling. Peeves is only happy with destruction. And only at scenes of sadness would students reveal such an expression. It won't be...

Wading through the crowd, Professor Dumbledore, who had received the news, arrived hurriedly.

He ran to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Students crowded to give him space. Ivan, came a little closer, to see what it was.

"Oh my God!" Hermione suddenly cried out, grabbing Ivan's arm.

Before them, the portrait of the Fat Lady was maliciously vandalized. From the portrait, small pieces of canvas were everywhere and the large canvas was ripped from the frame.

"Professor McGonagall, go to Filch immediately and tell him to look for the Fat Lady in every single painting in the castle." Dumbledore said quickly.

"Good luck!" Peeves smiled.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" asked Dumbledore calmly.

"Sorry, Headmaster!" Peeves' smile faded a little. He didn't dare laugh at Dumbledore. Instead, his voice changed to a flattering tone. "I didn't want her to be seen. She was a mess. I saw her running across the landscape on the fifth floor, sir. Hiding in the middle of the trees, she cried and said something terrible."

"Poor thing." Peeves added a sentence, but it meant nothing to the others.

"Did she say who did it?" asked Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh, yes, Professor!" Peeves made as if holding a bomb in his arms. "She wouldn't let him in. He was very upset. You know him. He has a temper. Sirius Black!"