"Sirius Black..."
The moment he heard the name, the large black dog walking down the narrow alley went rigid. His ears, which had been hanging loosely, shot upright.
But after the briefest pause, the dog continued deeper into the alley. He made his steps deliberately casual, trying his best to look like an ordinary stray.
Lucien stood at the mouth of the alley, watching the black dog's retreating back. His tone was gentle.
"Relax. I'm not here to catch you. Besides, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't hire someone as young as me."
The words did not stop the dog. He did not even look back. His ears merely shifted as though judging the voice's direction and distance, and then he kept walking.
Seeing the dog continue toward the other end of the alley, Lucien shook his head helplessly.
What was the point of playing dumb now?
"Ahem." He cleared his throat. His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly through the narrow alley. "In such a hurry to leave? Don't you want to talk about Peter Pettigrew?"
Almost the instant the name "Peter Pettigrew" left Lucien's mouth—
The black dog turned around.
He moved too fast for a dog.
His paws scraped harshly against the paving stones as he launched himself forward. His whole body shot out of the alley's shadows like a bolt of black lightning, straight at Lucien.
A near-mad fury, suppressed for twelve years, burned in his bright eyes.
By the time Lucien finished his last word, the huge black dog was already upon him.
But Lucien merely curled a finger.
A current of air gathered ahead of him, so quickly it was almost impossible to see. It became an invisible rope that caught one of the dog's hind legs with perfect precision.
The dog stumbled