The Reluctant Alliance Was Restored Once Again

Sirius swiftly stuffed the notebook into his robe, but Regulus had already noticed the tense atmosphere around Peter's bed, where the three of them stood gathered.

The brothers exchanged a look, and Sirius spoke in a low voice.

"Nicely done, Regulus. The Black family's Heartbreak Curse?"

Regulus did not deny it, answering calmly, "He deserved it. If we weren't at school, he'd be much worse off now."

Little Barty coldly examined Peter's injuries before looking at Sirius. "Pettigrew's injuries... did you deal with them?"

James waved the notebook in his hand, his expression complicated. "It's much more serious than I expected. We found his surveillance records."

Regulus did not show his usual gentle expression. Instead, the corners of his lips lifted. "So you've read his notes. All I can say is, some things can't be solved by simply reporting them, Potter."

Lupin sat back down by the bed. "It seems you already know what we just found. These lists of questions... clearly went far beyond an ordinary student's curiosity."

"We found him hiding in a corner on our way back from the Forbidden Forest."

Little Barty swept his gaze over Lupin's somewhat guilty expression and gave a cold snort.

"Your little follower once again acted like some self-important idiot with a slightly perverse interest in pretty girls, always popping up around Lucretia for no reason."

Sirius grabbed the notebook and flipped to a page. "Not just around her. Asking whether Mr. Crouch discussed work, whether the fireplace was connected to the Floo Network—these questions... someone was using him to spy on the Crouch family."

James scratched the back of his head. "So you decided to teach him a lesson, but why use Dark Magic?"

Regulus said calmly, "To make sure he remembered the lesson. Besides, this Heartbreak Curse will leave his thoughts muddled for weeks, making him unable to identify who attacked him."

Sirius nodded. "Practical. I didn't expect you'd already learned a variation of it. You picked it up faster than I did back then."

Regulus shrugged. "We've taken some of the same lessons, haven't we?"

Their gazes met briefly before they both looked away.

Lupin and James exchanged a glance.

James brought the subject back. "All right, the question now is, Pet—er, Pettigrew was clearly spying on Miss Lucretia, most likely under someone's orders. What do we do?"

Little Barty answered without hesitation. "The answer is simple. Strengthen the protective measures."

Sirius replied so quickly that even he seemed surprised. "Agreed. Looks like that's our only point of consensus."

Little Barty narrowed his eyes, his gaze shooting straight at Sirius. "What, Black? Since when have you cared so much about her safety?"

Sirius's expression did not change in the slightest. "Don't misunderstand, Crouch. What I care about is the possible threat behind Pettigrew."

The corner of Little Barty's mouth curved, but it was not a smile. "Is that so? Then why do you know her timetable so well? Why do you keep appearing in the corridors every so often?"

The air in the room suddenly grew tense.

James hunched his shoulders slightly beside the bed, while Lupin's fingers lightly tapped the edge of the blanket.

Regulus glanced at Little Barty, silently reminding him that this was not the time to argue.

Little Barty turned back to James, his tone cool. "We've already arranged shifts to make sure she isn't left alone."

Lupin pointed out, "But your schedules can't completely cover all her activities. Especially Ravenclaw's Common Room. You can't get in there."

James patted the map in his pocket. "That's where we can help. You saw this last time, Crouch. The Marauder's Map can let us know at any time who's approaching her."

Little Barty narrowed his eyes and fell silent for several seconds. "A combination of remote surveillance and close-range protection."

James looked at Sirius's expression and hurriedly corrected himself. "That's what I mean. We don't want to see Pettigrew or anyone else hurt her either. She's our future... er, our... good student, isn't she?"

Sirius added in an even voice, "James and I don't have many electives, so we have plenty of free periods. At the very least, we can make sure she's safe on the way to and from class, as well as in public areas. Lupin is still a prefect, so he can reasonably appear on every floor."

Regulus looked at his brother. "That's a reasonable arrangement. A Joint Defense."

Little Barty opened his mouth, clearly intending to object.

Regulus looked at his friend again. "Considering the nature of the threat to Mr. Crouch, temporary cooperation is wise. And, Barty, if there really is an external threat, the two of us alone won't be enough."

Little Barty's jaw tightened, and only after a long while did he nod. "Temporary."

Lupin raised a crucial question. "What about Miss Crouch? Do we need to tell her what happened tonight?"

Little Barty's tone was calm. "She already knows Peter was spying on her. I told her a long time ago, warned her to stay alert about Pettigrew, especially where her father was concerned."

James raised his eyebrows. "You already told her? How did she react?"

Little Barty answered briefly, "More calmly than you'd imagine. But she doesn't know Pettigrew's current condition, nor does she know how serious this is."

Sirius sat back down beside Lupin's bed. "Then that's it? We use the map to monitor things, and you handle close protection."

Little Barty nodded and headed for the door with Regulus.

Just as the two of them reached the door, Sirius suddenly spoke.

"Don't worry. No one will know who did it. Take care of yourself, Regulus."

Regulus looked back, and the brothers' gazes met for a moment.

His lips curved upward. "Of course. Black family business stays within the Black family."

Little Barty waited at the door, his gaze moving between the two brothers. He said nothing.

The two Slytherins slipped away silently before Madam Pomfrey came in.

Madam Pomfrey returned carrying potions and frowned sternly when she saw the three Gryffindors still by the hospital bed.

"What are you still doing here? The patient needs rest!"

James immediately put on his most innocent expression, his eyes wide and round. "We're just worried about our friend, Madam Pomfrey. He's one of us Gryffindors. It's only natural to be concerned."

Sirius struggled to keep a straight face beside him, stopping himself from laughing.

As Madam Pomfrey spoke, she checked Peter's condition again. "His condition is stable, but he's still unconscious. Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn are investigating what happened. Do you know anything?"

Sirius said calmly, "We were here with Lupin all night, but Peter has been acting strangely lately."

Madam Pomfrey looked up at him. "Strangely?"

James added, the concern in his voice not entirely feigned, "He likes acting alone and being all secretive. He kept saying he had an important mission."

Madam Pomfrey gave them a suspicious look but did not press further. "You should return to your dormitory. Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, if the headmaster has questions, he'll speak with you tomorrow morning."

The three of them had no choice but to say goodbye.

On the way back to Gryffindor Tower, James occasionally tossed a pebble around a corner to make sure there were no patrolling professors or Filch ahead.

After dodging two patrols in a row, James finally could not hold it in anymore. "Crouch practically wanted to burn a hole through you with his eyes just now."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "So? What were you expecting, for the two of us to start fighting in front of Madam Pomfrey?"

James lowered his voice and imitated Sirius's earlier tone. "What I care about is the possible threat behind Pettigrew?"

He stopped walking and laughed nonstop.

"Honestly, I'm embarrassed for you. Your brother even turned his face away after hearing that, and the corner of his mouth twitched twice. The two of you are becoming more and more obvious."

Sirius scoffed and corrected him, "No one's competing."

In the moonlit corridor, the two of them tacitly slowed their pace.

James fell silent for a moment before adopting a serious expression. "I know, but seriously, do you think Crouch will let you get close to her?"

Sirius kept his eyes fixed ahead. "I have hands of my own. I don't need his permission. And this isn't some contest. She isn't the Golden Snitch."

James agreed, his expression turning earnest. "Of course not. But if Wormtail really was ordered to spy on the Crouch family..."

Sirius finished his thought. "Then Hogwarts is no longer as safe as we thought. The war outside has already seeped in."