Double Happiness!

"Yes! Of course!" Ron agreed without hesitation, and when he realised what Yvonne was saying, he looked at her in surprise.

"Wait… did you say Harry was going? He found a professor to sign him?"

"No, it didn't! So we decided to sneak out through the secret passage!" Ivan said, shaking his head.

"And I have the Cloak of Invisibility, so I won't be seen!" Harry nodded and took the silver cloak out of his suitcase.

"Cool! This is great!" Ron went up to Harry and gave him a big hug, thumping him on the shoulder, knowing full well how much Harry wanted to go to Hogsmeade.

They soon began talking about Hogsmeade, mainly about Ron, who had been there once before, and described the strange shops to Harry…

Ivan shook his head to himself as he watched the two of them absorbed in their conversation.

Harry and Ron were such death-seekers, not caring about the danger they might be in if they went outside, and if Sirius had wanted to kill Harry, neither of them would have been able to get away with it.

But it was a good thing for Ivan, at least he didn't have to worry about convincing them…

However, this relief only lasted for one night.

Early the next morning, Harry and Ron were so excited that they discussed going to Honeydukes Sweetshop in a low voice, and Hermione overheard them.

The little witch's eyes widened and she shouted in disbelief, "Oh my God, how could you… how could you do this?!"

Hermione's high-pitched voice attracted the attention of the young wizards in the Great Hall, and when she realised this, she lowered her voice and scolded Harry.

"Harry! Did you know that Sirius Black is out looking for you and that you should be in the castle instead of sneaking off to Hogsmeade!

And… you can't get out either! Those Dementors guard every passageway at Hogwarts, remember what Professor Dumbledore said? You can't hide from them even if you wear the Cloak of Invisibility!"

Hermione rattled on, attempting to dispel Harry's unrealistic hope, but he didn't seem to appreciate it, and Ron chimed in triumphantly.

"Come on, Hermione! Harry and I have been talking all night, and now none of this is a problem. We've thought of a solution!"

"Yes! Ivan found a secret passage that leads us straight to Hogsmeade. My Cloak of Invisibility won't fool the Dementors, but it will fool Black!"

Harry explained that although he wanted to go to Hogsmeade, he was not so stupid as to go out and commit suicide.

From Harry's point of view, at least, it was foolproof, and Sirius would never have guessed that the person he was looking for would be able to sneak around unseen…

With this in mind, Harry felt much more confident, as the only two things that kept him going were the Dementors and Sirius.

It just so happened that he had learned how to deal with Dementors. The next time he encountered them, he would definitely not be in such a sorry state!

Hermione looked at the confident Harry and Ron and rolled her eyes, thinking that they had no idea how serious this was.

The young witch then turned to glare at Ivan in annoyance. She had expected him to be more cautious than the two of them, but he had told Harry the location of the secret passage and helped him escape.

Even though Hermione said nothing, Ivan felt uncomfortable being stared at, and the steak in his mouth lost its flavour.

More crucially, he had not intended to tell Hermione about his trip to Hogsmeade.

As Hermione was neither Harry's key player nor Scabbers's master, she was the one who should have stayed at the castle and waited for news about Peter!

However, since Harry and the others had let the cat out of the bag, Ivan's previous attempt to keep Hermione at the castle had gone down the drain.

"I think Harry's been in a bit of a bad mood lately, and he's been looking rather glum, so I thought I'd give him a trip to Hogsmeade to relax. It'll help him to sort himself out. Anyway, I'm here, don't worry too much…"

Hermione was mollified by Ivan's explanation, but she was still worried.

She was well aware of Ivan's prowess. During their fight at Knockturn Alley, Ivan was able to use his Invisibility Cloak to easily kill ten Dark Wizards!

However, Sirius Black was no weakling. He was a vicious thug who had a record of blowing up entire streets with a powerful charm. Presumably, he would be difficult to deal with…

Ivan took in Hermione's worried expression, unsure whether to compliment her or give in.

Hermione was clearly aware of the dangers of Harry going out at will, compared to Harry and Ron's "brave and fearlessness", but sometimes being too clever was not a good thing, as it was too troublesome to fool.

After breakfast, they headed into the classroom.

Today was not a day of rest, but a day of Defence Against the Dark Arts classes.

For Harry, this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts class was such a treat that he would rather be in Lupin's class all day long!

The prospect of going to Hogsmeade in the afternoon was a double pleasure, and Harry suddenly felt that this was the best day of the term!

As such, Harry's smile never left his face as he made his way to the front of the class and sat down, anticipating the lesson.

Learn how to deal with a merman? Or deal with goblins?

As Harry fantasised, the last person he expected to see entered the room, and the smile on his face slowly faded…

Because it was not Lupin, but Snape in his black robes.

Harry rose to his feet with the courage he had gathered all morning and confronted Snape.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is a Defence Against the Dark Arts class, Professor!"

"Yes… Potter, you didn't make a mistake!" Snape came in, dragging his robes behind him, his hollow eyes locked with Harry's, and he replied in a slow, mocking voice.

"But I'm the one teaching today!"