Dementors were terrifying.
But no matter how terrifying they were, they could never do anything to Vincent.
Perhaps realizing this, they suddenly stopped circling, their faceless black voids closed as they surrounded the train.
The search for Sirius Black went exactly as before.
"Ah—"
Amid the rain drumming against the carriage roof, Draco's screams could be heard faintly.
Then the Suanni Patronus appeared.
The Dementors were beaten senseless, battered black and blue.
Vincent felt nothing at all. If anything, he wanted to laugh.
It was a strange feeling, viewing the past again from a different angle.
Unlike memories in the Pensieve, this was the real world.
He could still suppress the urge to change the past now, but if something unexpected happened...
Vincent stood and shook his head with a self-mocking chuckle.
Hogsmeade Station lay in the distance. It was time to get out of here.
Before the train had even fully stopped, he had already Apparated to a small cave in the village.
The light at his wand tip drove away the darkness.
It was pouring today, so naturally his old friend Mr. Burke was not here.
The small cave was actually quite large, perfect for killing time.
Compared to the frequently cleaned exterior, the environment inside was very natural.
There was not much dust, but there were far more cobwebs and tiny creatures than expected.
Each was shyer than the last, fleeing deeper into the cave the moment they saw Vincent.
Even dimming the light at his wand tip did nothing. After all, they were little creatures that preferred darkness and dampness.
"Tap tap—" Hasty footsteps sounded from outside.
Running over in such heavy rain, he had probably arranged to meet a client.
His school robe loosened, while his build grew slightly taller.
Dressed in black robes, Vincent pulled up his hood and raised his wand as he headed back.
But when he arrived, the one entering the cave was not Mr. Burke at all, but a large black dog.
Its frame was nearly as large as an adult human's, yet it was so thin that its ribs showed.
The big black dog watched him with extreme wariness.
Vincent noticed that it was leaning to the left.
Looking down, he saw that its left front leg was injured.
He crouched down, trying to make himself seem less threatening.
But his experience dealing with big dogs failed him.
The big black dog bared its fangs, as though it might charge at him at any moment.
It was raining outside, and it was injured. It seemed unwilling to leave this place.
Vincent reached into his robes.
The little biscuits Gu Gu had left behind were soaked through, but magic could restore them.
He carefully approached bit by bit, placed several biscuits a few meters away, then slowly backed off.
"Grrr—" The big black dog growled low, seemingly issuing a warning.
Ordinary people would do best to get away as quickly as possible in this situation.
But Vincent was a wizard, and a wizard troubled by how to kill time.
Its frame was huge, but it was thin enough for its ribs to show. It had definitely been bullied often.
A big dog like this required patience.
One person and one dog faced off like that.
The big black dog grew increasingly vicious, even painfully straightening its front legs to roar loudly.
Vincent stared straight at it from beneath his hood.
He had already shown the greatest possible goodwill. It seemed the dog had been bullied terribly and simply refused to trust strangers.
"Mm..." He suddenly lowered his gaze to his clothes.
This was Hogsmeade. Anyone capable of bullying such a large black dog certainly would not be a Muggle.
It should have been a wizard, and a wizard in black robes.
The tip of his Alder Wand touched his chest, and the hood and black robes reverted to his school uniform.
His height also shrank, returning him to his original appearance.
The big black dog stopped growling. As if startled, it bent both front legs and half-lay on the ground.
Vincent had guessed right.
Snape's gloomy appearance really was unwelcome everywhere.
"You must be hungry, right?"
He pointed at the biscuits on the ground. "Go ahead, they're low in oil and salt."
The big black dog lifted its injured left front paw and cautiously took a step forward.
Its expression remained fierce, but the fact that it was no longer forcing itself to endure the pain was a good start.
It walked faster and faster, sniffed the biscuits, then ate them.
This was the foundation of building trust.
Vincent smiled and shook the last half-bag in his hand.
"Grrr—" The big black dog's growl was no longer as hostile as before.
But even so, it had no intention of coming over.
Everything seemed to have returned to square one.
Vincent could only half-crouch and carefully move closer.
For every step he took, the big black dog gave a low growl.
It did not retreat, which proved that some trust existed.
As the distance closed, the growls became softer.
Animals were sensitive. By instinct, they could distinguish goodwill from malice.
Vincent crouched before the snarling big black dog and reached into the packet for a biscuit.
Its cloudy yellow eyes glanced at it, then widened as it stared back at him.
It did not attack. That was a very good sign.
Vincent held the biscuit up to its mouth.
The big black dog lowered the left front paw it had kept raised and hesitantly opened its mouth.
Its slimy tongue licked the biscuit away.
A second one, then a third...
While feeding it, Vincent took the chance to pat its head.
It shuffled back half a step while half-lying down, but did not growl.
Having finally built a good relationship of trust, he fed and petted it at the same time with the remaining biscuits.
Tired of standing, the big black dog lay fully on the ground, allowing Vincent to gradually apply more force with his hand.
After eating the last biscuit, it nudged away the hand pressing on its forehead with its nose.
"You're really practical." Vincent reached into his school robe, pretending there were still biscuits inside.
The big black dog turned its head away, looking unbearably proud.
It could not even be fooled. It had probably been deceived often.
Vincent awkwardly lifted its left front paw.
It did not resist. Everything he had done before had been worth it.
"Healing Charm—"
Warm pale-blue light lit up at the tip of the Alder Wand and pressed against the wound, which looked as though it had been cut by something sharp.
The big black dog glanced at it, then turned its head away again.
Trust could collapse in an instant, but rebuilding it required many times the effort.
Vincent succeeded. He made it trust humans once more.
The wound was deep. While keeping the pain to a minimum, the healing progressed very slowly.
More than ten minutes later, the Alder Wand moved away from its front leg.
The big black dog tried to stand, only to be firmly pressed back down.
"It's not done yet."
Warm pale-blue light began at its nose and swept slowly across its body.
Its body was covered in wounds of all sizes, with lice, ticks, and other little creatures everywhere.
Its short black fur was severely dried out, clumped together with flakes of skin shed from a fungal infection.
The big black dog resisted symbolically a few times, then allowed Vincent to clean its body with magic.
"So you're male..."
"Rrrowl!"
"Oh, you've got quite the temper, huh?"
Its long black tail swung over and immediately splashed rainwater all over his face.
Vincent put away his wand, grabbed its head, and rubbed it vigorously.
Even with his slight germophobia, the big black dog, skinny enough to be little more than skin and bones, soon collapsed from exhaustion.
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