Animagus Class Begins

After Harry left, it soon grew dark. Madam Pomfrey came in with a special dinner for the wounded.

Considering Sirius Black's current limited mobility, Madam Pomfrey prepared liquid food, which was easily fed through a long tube.

Then came the long, tedious nights in the hospital ward. Through the mesh glass windows, one could see the endless deep blue of the night outside. The light flowed in like water, soaking the white ward, white sheets, and white curtains into a silent blue.

It was quiet; Madam Pomfrey was busy with something outside, and not a sound could be heard coming in.

After talking to Harry, Sirius Black lost all interest in playing the drinking game. It felt like he was all alone in the world. He leaned against the headboard, staring at the empty space in the center of the room.

His eyes were vacant and unfocused.

Memories of the past thirty years are like those of Muggle movie I've watched. The frozen black and white photographs suddenly come alive, and the figures in those images draw their own colors from his broken soul, slowly coming to life.

He was born in 1959 in Islington, London, into the "oldest and noblest" Black family.

His parents, Orion Black and Walburga Black, were cousins, dark wizards, and extreme Pure-blood purists who upheld the family motto of "eternal purity" and took pride in their Pure-blood.

They discriminate against all people and things related to Muggle, refuse to associate with Muggle or Muggle-born people, Muggle-born, and blood traitors, sever ties with members of Muggle-born families, and insist that their family members can only marry into respectable Pure-blood families.

Living in the Black family every day required him to be careful with his words and actions. The rules and regulations derived from the concept of Pure-blood were like a cage, like a noose, suffocating him.

To rebel against this oppression, to show his difference from the Black family, and to anger his parents, he hung a charm on the walls of his room that permanently displayed the Gryffindor flag, along with photos of Muggle girls in bikinis and motorcycles, as well as photos of himself and his Gryffindor friends.

Looking back now, those actions seem ridiculously childish. Equally ridiculous was his behavior at school...

He skips classes, curses his classmates, and challenges the Slytherin House to duels. Each time, he forgets his wizarding identity at the end and reverts to his most primal fighting style.

Sirius Black can make nasty jokes without restraint with people he dislikes, as long as he finds them funny.

Until his closest cousin, Andromeda Black, was expelled from the family and married a Muggle Ted Tonks, she was branded a traitor to her blood relatives.

Sixteen-year-old Sirius Black could no longer tolerate the suffocating atmosphere of the Black family. He ran away from Grimmauld Place and moved into James's house, thus being expelled from the Black family.

The following year, he inherited a considerable sum of money from his uncle Alphard. He was also expelled from the Black family.

Then came the First Wizarding War...

During the first Christmas holiday after his release from prison, Harry didn't want to go back to the Dursley house, so Sirius Black took him to 12 Grimmauld Place.

After a few days, Sirius Black couldn't stand it anymore.

His excuse to Harry was that he couldn't stand Kreacher... but really he couldn't stand the empty old house.

Regulus died, presumably wanting to leave the Death Eater, and was thus expelled by Death Eater.

Sirius Black had an absurd thought: the Black family members were probably more docile than the Death Eater; at least being expelled from the Black family wouldn't cost him his life.

Then came the father, the mother...

Sirius Black doesn't think he has any attachment to that place, nor much affection for his parents. Even now, he still doesn't feel that way.

But when he pushed open the door of 12 Grimmauld Place, he was still dazed when he was greeted by that damp, grayish, strangely rotten smell with a fishy sweetness.

While he was being tormented by Dementor in Azkaban until he was driven to madness, the Black family manor became empty, devoid of any living person.

In the Hospital Wing, Sirius Black's thoughts wandered aimlessly. Scenes from distant past echoed in his mind, distorted by the processing of memory, shrouded in a hazy shadow. Even the figures were blurred.

Her father always stroked his large gold ring, engraved with the Black family crest. The woman in the portrait, seemingly insane, was her mother; she wasn't always so insane, always so hysterical.

Before her youngest son and husband died one after another, and before he was imprisoned in Azkaban, she was an extreme and short-tempered woman who was barely considered normal among the various eccentric groups of dark wizards.

Then there were Uncle Flemont and Aunt Euphemia, Prongs's parents who treated him very well, almost like a second son. They were quite old and eventually died of Dragon Pox.

As for James, James died because of him. Sirius Black always felt he couldn't face his Uncle Flemont and Aunt Euphemia, who had been so good to him, yet he had caused the death of their only son.

It's all that damn Wormtail, that Wormtail Peter!

In his hazy state, Sirius Black found himself back on that that street in Hampshire...

"... This will kill many people; it shouldn't be here..."

A boy with black hair and black eyes sat on the side of a bustling street, tilting his head, his voice ethereal. "Isn't that right?"

In the Hospital Wing, Sirius Black, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly woke up from his dream. He lay stiffly on the bed, gasping for breath, his heart pounding, feeling a fear he had never felt before.

Friday, sunny.

The first class in the morning was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Madam Pomfrey's healing spells were as good as ever. Apart from having more bloodshot eyes, Sirius Black showed no signs of discomfort when he appeared in the classroom, and the bandages that covered his body were gone.

Professor Black caught a few Grindylow from the Black Lake, intending to demonstrate how to deal with them to his students.

Now, facing Sirius Black, Loren has largely calmed down.

He couldn't very well blow up Sirius Black under Dumbledore's nose. Rather than dwelling on these things, he should enjoy his wonderful life with Hermione.

If Sirius Black never repents, the nightmare will haunt him forever. He will suffer sleepless nights for the rest of his life until he falls into the Veil of Death.

Through the transparent glass tank, Loren saw the aquatic monster that had once caused his air force failure— Grindylow.

Several disgusting green monsters with sharp horns pressed their faces against the glass, baring their teeth and making all sorts of bizarre faces. Even their teeth were a greenish-brown with water stains, and their thin, long fingers had disgusting dark green nails. Various filth from the water clung to the surface of their nails, which were covered with rough, calloused material, like stones.

When the young wizards all turned their gazes toward them, they shrank back into a corner in fear, pretending to be harmless.

Sirius Black tapped the glass of the water tank with his finger, prompting Grindylow to bare his teeth at him. "Today we're going to learn how to deal with Grindylow. Before that, I want to ask, does anyone know anything about Grindylow?"

Hermione was the first to raise her hand, which was expected.

Surprisingly, Ron also raised his hand high, his face clearly saying "Pick me! Pick me!", and even took the time to give Loren a wink.

"Unbelievable!" Seamus exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"I must be dreaming, I actually saw Ron raise his hand." Dean looked at him incredulously.

Having played together for several months, Sirius Black knew exactly what kind of people his godson and his friends were. Sirius Black was quite surprised, then casually called on him, "Ron, you answer."

Ron straightened the collar of his magic robe, struck a pose, coughed, and replied, "Grindylow are mindless, ferocious dark Magical Creatures that Mermaid tame as pets. These creatures are green with green teeth, horns on their heads, and most importantly, Grindylow have extremely long fingers."

The conversation was normal up to this point, but then it gradually veered off course. "Grindylow are very strong and have nimble fingers, able to skillfully remove bait from hooks, making it impossible to catch fish. If you're fishing in waters where Grindylow are present, you need to prepare special bait..."

"..." Loren fell into a deep silence.

Ron spoke eloquently, appearing knowledgeable, but his focus was completely off-topic. The young wizards listened, their faces blank.

"Stop!"

Hearing him talk about bait preparation and casting techniques, Sirius Black quickly brought the focus back to "how to deal with this kind of creature."

"Oh, this... I don't know." Ron blinked, looking innocent.

"..."

Sirius Black pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment. "That's good too, ten points for Gryffindor. Now I'll explain the characteristics of Grindylow..."

Ron couldn't hear what was said after that; he was now immersed in the joy of gaining points.

Although I had Gryffindor points before, those were all obtained by defeating monsters. This time, I earned the points honestly by answering questions.

In the Gryffindor House, how many students can score points by answering questions? Just in this respect, he has already surpassed the vast majority of Gryffindor.

I, Ronald Weasley, have a bright future ahead of me.

Ron winked at his friends, his mouth practically agape, every pore of his body radiating smugness. If he had a tail, it would be wagging high in the sky.

Loren and the others discreetly moved away from him; it was too embarrassing.

The second lesson was Herbology.

Considering everyone's eagerness for the holiday and the fact that they couldn't do any strenuous work, Professor Sprout led everyone back to the Greenhouse One to cultivate several types of non-motile fungi.

And so, the Easter Holiday has officially begun. For the next week or so, the young wizards can enjoy Hogwarts in March and April, freely seeking the breath of spring on the grassy shores of the Black Lake and the Edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Apart from the members of the Animagus class, their first lesson was scheduled for this afternoon.

Lunch at the Gryffindor long table.

Ron was showing off his extra points to the Twins, claiming he was going to write a letter back home to tell his parents about it.

"Oh, little Ronnie got a bonus!"

Fred cheered, "That's right! I suggest you write a Howler to Dad and have him open it at the Ministry of Magic so that all the staff Ministry of Magic know about it!"

Ron fell silent, as if he had been choked, and clenched his fists tightly.

George nodded repeatedly. "Have Mom write another Howler back to school and open it in front of the whole school."

"Ah! I'm going to take you both down with me!"

Ron yelled and lunged forward, swinging his fists.

However, one fist can't fight four hands, and he was quickly suppressed by George and Fred working together, and the two sides started a verbal battle.

Loren, sitting not far away, watched with great interest. He never expected that there would be such a farce to watch while having lunch. How wonderful!

Seeing the wickedness practically written all over his face, Hermione was speechless. What kind of person was he?

"Stop looking, eat quickly, and we'll go to the classroom after we finish." She nudged Loren's arm.

"Um?"

Loren turned to look at her in confusion, "Why are you going to the classroom so early?"

"Let's sit in the middle, in the front seats."

"There are only a few dozen members in the Animagus class, so there's no need to fight for a spot."

"There are also many students auditing the class."

"Don't worry, Professor McGonagall will definitely take that into account and reserve seats for the students in the Teaching Class in advance," Loren said happily. "When we arrive on time, the people in the audience will watch us get to our seats in the front row, and they'll definitely be very envious."

"..."

Loren's hopes were dashed when Hermione dragged him to the Transfiguration Classroom after lunch.

The two arrived earliest and were able to sit in the middle of the front row as they wished.

The ability to transform into animals Animagus will held a powerful attraction for all young wizards. Many students who failed their exams came to audit the classes, and even many who weren't members of the Transfiguration Club came. All the young wizards not in the Teaching Class consciously sat at the back, making room for the students in the Teaching Class.

People from all colleges and all grades—basically everyone Loren knew—came. Only a few students genuinely weren't interested in the Animagus.

Just as Hermione had predicted, the classroom was already full half an hour before class started.

"I should have studied harder!"

"That's right!"

Harry and Ron were consumed by endless regret.

Five minutes before class started, Professor McGonagall walked in. Sirius Black Sirius Black behind her, carrying a clear glass bottle.

Professor McGonagall wore a black, high-shouldered robe, a faint smile on her face, quite different from her usual solemn demeanor in Transfiguration classes. She appeared mature and composed, yet not overly serious.

Sirius Black didn't go up to the podium. He placed the glass bottle on the lectern and sat down at random on the right side of the lectern.

Professor McGonagall glanced around the room, then took out her wand and waved it at the four walls of the classroom.

An invisible ripple extended along the edge of the classroom, instantly creating a spacious area. The stone-paved floor stretched and shifted, and rows of desks and chairs seemed to grow out of the ground.

The classroom was no longer crowded, and the first Animagus class began.