Who Could Refuse Going Back to School Early?

"It's like this..." Lupin began slowly. "Sirius is an Animagus."

The moment Lupin finished speaking, Kane's expression instantly turned serious.

He frowned and asked, "What's an Animagus?"

Lupin fell silent for a moment. "...It's an advanced form of Transfiguration that allows a wizard to take on a new animal form. Sirius... Black's Animagus form is a large black dog."

Kane nodded. "So you're telling me this as a secret? Does that mean no one else knows about Sirius Black's magic? Does Dumbledore know? Does the Ministry of Magic know? Could this be how he escaped from Azkaban?"

"I'm probably the only one left who knows Black is an Animagus. Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic don't know. As for how he escaped Azkaban... perhaps it was something else? I can't imagine it. Azkaban is an isolated island. If he only dog-paddled... could he really have endured it?"

By the end, Lupin sounded as though he were talking to himself, and his whole demeanor carried a strangely conflicted feeling.

Kane nodded, leaning back against the tree trunk behind him. "So you won't tell Dumbledore or the Wizarding World, but you'll tell me... You want me to keep your secret?"

"More or less. I have my reasons... Although Black was the only one who could have betrayed James and the others back then, I can't quite believe it. I think I need to know what really happened." Lupin's voice carried a hint of pleading.

"Aha~" Kane rested his hands behind his head and slowly crossed one leg over the other. "Looks like you trust Mr. Black quite a bit?"

"Black and James were as close back then as you and Harry are." Lupin had used a very fitting comparison. Kane understood immediately. If outsiders thought he had sold Harry out because he