Sirius's Prelude to Freedom

The time was 1:30 a. m.

However, none of the people in the Headmaster's Office felt sleepy at that moment, nor would they.

McGonagall and the others never imagined that Snape cared so much about Sirius's innocence, and was so obsessed with it.

"What about Peter Pettigrew who killed Lily!"

"Don't tell me he's dead."

"If it's true—it's ridiculous that a traitor's finger would be treasured and awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class?"

"You know what I live on! After Voldemort dies, I'm going to storm Azkaban and kill Sirius Black!"

"If Peter is the traitor, then who should I kill?" Snape said in a calm tone.

Professor McGonagall couldn't help but take a few steps back, Professor Flitwick wanted to comfort her but couldn't say a word, and Professor Sprout tried to approach but was nimbly dodged by Snape.

"Severus, don't live for hatred, think of Harry."

"Peter must be dead, so Sirius is lifeless and constantly blames himself for killing Harry's parents."

"No matter who asked him, he kept repeating the same things," Dumbledore said.

"So, Peter Pettigrew is the Secret Keeper? That mad dog was involved too. He thought he could get away with it in Azkaban!" Snape suddenly revealed a chilling smile.

He had figured out a way to truly torment Sirius Black, a method he knew all too well.

"Atony? Forget about it. I want him exonerated, released from prison, and seen by others as a wronged hero, tormented by pain forever!" Snape said, his face contorted.

The other professors remained silent, unable to get a word in edgewise with Snape in his presence.

They all wanted to know how to handle Sirius's case and how to overturn the verdict if he refused to be released from prison.

Fortunately, one of the principals in the picture frame spoke up.

"Can I take this to mean," Phineas Nigellus opened his eyes, "That my great-grandson—the last of the Black House —is innocent?"

"Yes, Phineas," Dumbledore nodded, "but the problem now is, how to get him—"

"No need! Prepare both the Veritaserum and the Legilimency!"

"Want to atone? Forget about it!" Snape said calmly.

"Good, as expected of someone from Slytherin!" Phineas Nigellus nodded with a smile.

Snape smiled and nodded, but the calmer his expression became, the more uneasy the others felt. They even began to doubt whether releasing Sirius was a good decision.

Perhaps it would be better to leave him alone in Azkaban? This was the thought shared by all the professors except Dumbledore.

"By the way, we can say we've discovered traces of Peter Pettigrew!"

"Sirius's case was handled by Barty Crouch. He was arrested before the start of the school year, but Fudge didn't benefit much from it. Barty Crouch's men weren't implicated because of him, and Fudge would probably be very happy to reopen the case of the mad dog."

"This is a knife he can use to cut flesh from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement ...we just need to push it..." Snape suddenly became excited.

The framed portrait of Phineas Nigellus on the wall also showed the same excited expression Snape.

He had long since given up hope of the Black House. His only great-great-grandson was in Azkaban, which was no different from having no descendants. But now, hope had arrived!

"Alright, Severus."

"A good plan. Why don't we take another look at the images in the stone, and the rest—" Dumbledore suggested, but before he could finish, Snape had already left in a flash.

Before leaving, he said, "I understand, I'll take control of everything!"

"I'll write a letter, I'll write it now!"

"I'll show you before I send it out." After Snape finished speaking his last words, he disappeared from the room.

"As expected of Slye—"

"Shut up, Phineas!" Dumbledore couldn't help but rub his temples.

"You can only be jealous. The excellence of our academy is something you can only dream of." Phineas Nigellus quickly disappeared from the picture frame, leaving it blank.

"Who is he?" Professor Flitwick couldn't help but ask.

"He has another portrait, just like Dilys has a portrait in St. Mungo's's, so you can visit each other," Dumbledore said.

"I'm not—" Filius Flitwick retorted hastily, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"He probably wants to find some influential people to talk to regarding Sirius's release from prison," Dumbledore explained finally.

Professor Flitwick nodded, indicating that this was the question he wanted to ask, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, are we like Professor Snape, or...?" Professor McGonagall began to get to the point.

"Let's keep watching," Dumbledore nodded helplessly.

The rest consists of his private conversations with Harry, and even includes his "confession" to Harry.

Although he didn't say it outright, these old buddies could certainly tell from his face.

To be honest, he didn't want to continue.

But McGonagall keenly sensed Dumbledore's reluctance.

Sometimes, the more you seem to care about your secrets, the more others want to know.

The video continued playing in mid-air, and soon it showed Dumbledore appearing, Quirrell being self-destructed, and Voldemort turning into black smoke and escaping.

Even though they all knew Quirrell was dead, they still couldn't help but tear up.

"He was still begging his master at the very end!" Professor Flitwick said sadly, slamming his chair down.

"Quirrell was clearly with the You-Know-Who! How could the You-Know-Who— " Professor Sprout, the gentlest of all the professors, said with a mixture of doubt and pain.

"Voldemort could have escaped without sacrificing Quirrell!" Professor McGonagall's feelings for Quirrell were the shallowest among the three, which allowed her to notice the details.

Dumbledore, who was standing nearby, nodded in agreement.

He didn't realize this at the time, but when he reviewed the situation later, he discovered that Tom's Horcrux might be more numerous than he had imagined, and his magic was not enough to control Tom.

Harry's magic within Quirrell is merely a baseless source; unless Harry holds Quirrell constantly, and Lily's blood relatives Dudley and Petunia are both present, he cannot be restrained.

"Disgusting!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed finally, though it was unclear whether she was referring to Voldemort or Quirrell.

McGonagall gradually calmed down, and she even felt a little guilty. Could it be that Dumbledore didn't want them to watch because of this scene?

Dumbledore had no secrets to hide; she was just being paranoid.

What happened next didn't surprise McGonagall and the others; they already knew what Harry and Dumbledore had been discussing.

McGonagall quickly regained her composure, as did Professor Sprout. Only Filius Flitwick remained grieving the death of a child from his own school.

However, a long period of calm soon followed between Harry and Dumbledore.

"I'm not seeing things, Albus, you're blushing!" McGonagall said in disbelief.

"Are you going to confess your feelings?" This was Professor Sprout, who had also been in love, and she could tell from this expression.