Sirius lay beside the fireplace, warming himself, a hint of bewilderment in his canine eyes. He neither agreed nor objected.
Before coming to the United States, he had wanted to prove to Shawn that, even if he was crippled, he was no good-for-nothing.
He needed no one's pity!
But while sneaking across borders, they had passed through several wizarding worlds. In the slums of the United States, he had even witnessed the misery of young wizards being kidnapped and persecuted.
After comparing that with England's prosperity and stability, even Sirius, whose stubbornness bordered on the pathological, had to admit it.
Under Shawn's rule, wizards in England practically lived in paradise, and they coexisted peacefully with Muggles.
The Black family really had produced someone extraordinary.
Hogwarts.
After turning down countless invitations to dance, Shawn could no longer bear the pestering and had no choice but to head outside the entrance hall alone.
Fairy lights twinkled in the rock garden.
Shawn strolled along the winding paths between low shrubs, admiring the ornate fountains and enormous stone statues.
The splashing water and the whispered conversations of a few young couples gave him a moment of peace.
Just as he was about to sit on a stone bench, a clatter of footsteps sounded behind him.
He instinctively rubbed his faintly aching forehead, then quickly regained his confident bearing.
Karkaroff, Maxime, Niekosov, Helena, and Fudge appeared together.
Seeing that Dumbledore was not among them, Shawn was speechless. The man really had taken a completely hands-off approach.
The moment Karkaroff saw Shawn and met his penetrating gaze, he immediately declared with oily eagerness,
"Mr. Black, I haven't come to question you. Northern Europe and Durmstrang firmly support every decision you make."
Maxime's and Helena's already unpleasant expressions darkened further.
Neither woman bothered with the opportunist.