The lively atmosphere of the Hog's Head Pub aroused the curiosity of the two sisters who ran the Sundara Perumpan Magical Item Shop next door.
The children were all laughing and chatting, the first time since the Ministry of Magic sent personnel to the school.
Nagini and Surya closed the shop and decided to go and join the fun.
When the two sisters entered the bar, the twins were urging the half-drunk Sirius Black to have a match with Vincent.
"Isn't it inappropriate to compare drinking abilities?"
"Then let's arm wrestle." Sirius Black rolled up his sleeves and got into position.
When he was still Little Black, he was fed all the time by the children, and he has long since become a big black dog. Now he has even gained some weight.
Vincent, slightly drunk, did not refuse the competition.
Nagini and Surya found a place to sit down, Aberforth came over carrying a bottle and a glass of wine.
"Aberforth, could he be Black?"
Shh—you absolutely mustn't tell anyone!
The two sisters had been quite curious about the recent flood of news, and now that they saw the real person, they couldn't say they were disappointed, but they felt a bit deceived.
What happened to the promise of a miserable life? Weren't you supposed to be living in a cave and eating rats?
With Sirius Black's physique, which allowed him to arm-wrestle with Vincent, he hardly looked like someone suffering from severe malnutrition as described in the notification letter.
Nagini clinked glasses with the two men, saying, "Now I finally understand why you Britain wizards all dislike the Ministry of Magic."
Surya took a sip of her drink, deeply agreeing. "That's an exaggeration. Aren't they afraid of being discovered?"
Aberforth shook his head with a wry smile. "As far back as I can remember, the British Ministry of Magic has always operated this way."
More than a hundred years ago, his sister was bullied by Muggle, and the severe psychological trauma caused eventually turned her into Obscurial.
His father, Percival, retaliated with magic immediately, and was therefore sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.
Although telling the truth would save Azkaban, doing so would force Ariana to be taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
To put it nicely, it's treatment; to put it bluntly, it's isolation.
In order to deal with the emergence of Obscurial in the future, and in order to maintain peace and stability in the Wizarding World, they might even use Ariana for experiments.
Law is the minimum standard of morality, and morality is the minimum bottom line.
However, over the years, Aberforth has witnessed the Ministry of Magic's bottom line being lowered time and time again.
Sirius Black was able to be exonerated, which is already a miracle within a miracle.
If the Dementors hadn't repeatedly invaded the school and caused serious damage, and if the Ministry of Magic hadn't sent a large number of personnel to the school leading to the emergence of the Batman Family, they wouldn't have needed to so urgently cultivate a positive image for themselves.
Was the real culprit a hero posthumously honored by the authorities? And the one who escaped from prison was the innocent one?
The truth from back then will only be buried completely; it will never be possible to directly admit mistakes like it is now.
The topic was a bit heavy, so after pouring his drinks, Aberforth turned his attention to the competition at the bar.
Vincent and Sirius Black remained locked in a stalemate for almost two minutes, their wrists clasped together barely moving, barely trembling.
"Dude, you can't lose to an older man."
"Exactly, if you lose, all the girls at school will cry."
Fred and George had expressions of anticipation, as if they were watching a good show.
Unfortunately, their verbal interference had no effect.
"Big Black, you have to keep it up!"
"If you lose to an underage wizard, the rich girls in your fan club will definitely not let you off the hook."
Sirius Black was clearly wavering.
"Oh my gosh~ Our heartthrob is going to win~"
"Wait a minute, I need to record this scene."
The twins actually pulled a small handheld alchemy camera out of their pocket.
Each person had their own camera, and the lens was shoved right in the faces of the two competitors.
Vincent is alright, Sirius Black is already at his breaking point.
"Can you two little devils be quiet for a second?"
No!
Vincent and Sirius Black exchanged a glance, then simultaneously let go.
The twins immediately panicked.
"No, please continue."
"You two must settle this today, or else..."
Without saying a word, Vincent reached out and tucked George's forehead under his armpit.
Sirius Black pressed his large hands firmly against Fred's shoulders.
"Help!"
After a quick clean-up, things finally calmed down.
The arm-wrestling match ended in a draw.
However, if we really had to determine a winner, Sirius Black, who was almost twice as old—or exactly twice as old—lost.
After a brief interlude, the effects of the alcohol had mostly dissipated.
Vincent then noticed the arrival of Nagini and Surya.
Sirius Black also became curious about the two of them.
I was surprised to see the usually taciturn Aberforth sitting with two witches, one old and one young, who had East Asian features.
Could it be an old flame and his daughter?
"This is Nagini, and the one next to her is her sister Surya."
"Huh?" Sirius Black looked completely bewildered.
Not mother and daughter, but sisters?
And the younger and prettier one is the older sister?
Vincent nodded towards Daphne, who came over to greet the two sisters.
"Nagini was also a victim of the Blood Curse before. During the time she completely lost her mind and turned into a snake, her body did not change."
Sirius Black was certainly aware of the Greengrass Family's inherited curse, but he was somewhat surprised that such an evil curse also existed in Southeast Asia.
"I was able to come to my senses Vincent."
"He also helped break the curse on my sister."
Nagini and Daphne looked at Vincent with grateful eyes.
Sirius Black was surprised once again.
Vincent's mastery of Dark Magic is undoubtedly considerable, as he was able to break free from such an evil curse as the Blood Curse.
Yet there wasn't a single mark left on him, not even a trace of damage.
Peter Pettigrew was transformed after using the Dark Magic Amplify Blasting Curse just a few times. The once timid man dared to recklessly bomb the British Museum in order to escape.
Seeing Sirius Black frowning, Harry whispered a few words in his ear.
It turns out he was a born master of Occlumency; no wonder he had such high attainments in Dark Magic and hadn't been corrupted by them.
Harry added a few more words later, and Sirius Black's gaze towards Vincent changed.
It was an eager, hopeful look in their eyes.
As Nagini and Surya went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for everyone, Vincent winked at Sirius Black.
The two quietly arrived outside the Hog's Head Pub.
Finding a secluded spot, Sirius Black got straight to the point. "Could you lend me the Resurrection Stone? I'll grant you any request you have."
He lived with endless regret for 12 years; if it weren't for Harry, he would have been driven insane by the Dementors long ago.
"Okay." Vincent agreed readily.
Sirius Black seemed a little excited. "What are your conditions?"
"No conditions."
He paused for a moment, then asked, "You have no conditions?"
Vincent nodded very seriously, "Strictly speaking, I am not the owner of the Resurrection Stone; I am merely temporarily holding onto it."
The Resurrection Stone is a family heirloom of the Gaunt Family. Since someone needs it to resolve their inner conflict, it would be too mercenary to make any demands.
Sirius Black could sense Vincent's goodwill. "Thank you. If you ever need my help or get into any trouble in the future, feel free to contact me."
By reciprocating kindness with kindness, the two people's perceptions of each other changed significantly.