Kill Peter...
Sirius wandered the shadows of Diagon Alley under the cover of night.
He saw Peter in the newspaper—that filthy, smelly rat missing a finger—and he couldn't believe he hadn't ground him to dust back then.
Sirius Black, in his transformed form, had rough fur and downcast eyes that revealed endless hatred.
Stop, you can't think about it anymore.
Sirius forcibly interrupted his thoughts. He had been in Azkaban for too long, and his mind had become chaotic and insane. If he hadn't accidentally learned that Peter was still alive, he probably would have died silently under the guard of the Dementor.
Now, whenever Peter Pettigrew, Sirius at large, his mind is filled with hatred— Azkaban's emotional withdrawal is like a spring; the longer his emotions are suppressed, the more bloated and pure the hatred that rebounds out becomes, almost threatening to engulf him.
He saw Harry during the day, but he was guarded by a House-elf.
That's good. At Dobby that House-elf named Dobby is more useful than me. If it weren't for me, Harry would definitely have more than one House-elf by his side.
Sirius's emotions began to fluctuate again. He was now completely at a loss as to how to restrain his fangs and hatred. He clearly only wanted to get close to Harry during the day, but he was so frightened that his hands were shaking.
That's still braver than the new guy in Azkaban.
As Sirius recalled that fraudulent, cowardly author, the image of the note the author had thrown at him during the Dementor' patrol flashed through his mind.
--After escaping from prison, go to the Magic Mobile Phone Shop in Diagon Alley.
This is why Sirius was here, but to his surprise, Harry was also in the store.
Who is this person? Are they friend or foe? How could they accurately predict Harry's escape attempt and keep him under their control?
"Hello."
Suddenly, a human voice came from behind. Sirius's limbs instantly went down, he growled menacingly, his black fur stood on end, and he cautiously backed away.
After recognizing the person, Sirius didn't hesitate to turn around and run away, but a shout of " Sirius!" from behind stopped him in his tracks.
How did they know he was Sirius?
Taking advantage of Sirius's pause, Lorne finally had a chance to introduce himself.
"My name is Lorne Myles, Head of General Affairs Office at Hogwarts and owner of the Magic Mobile Phone Shop. Harry currently works in my shop. If you would like to see him, I can take you there."
Sirius made a hoarse sound.
"Don't do that," Lorne took a step back. "I've helped your godson, more than once."
Seeing that Sirius was still wary, Lorne didn't press the issue. He simply turned and left, saying, "I'm busy. I don't have time to keep trying to persuade you. If you want to catch that mouse, you can find me on the second floor of the Magic Mobile Phone Shop."
Lorne felt he had been friendly enough; it seemed Azkaban's torment was still too much. He wondered if Lockhart's mind could withstand it.
He walked straight toward his shop, but suddenly heard rustling footsteps behind him.
Lorne turned around and saw Sirius keeping a distance of ten meters from him, following closely behind.
He grinned.
Lorne went back to his room, and as he sat down to make tea, Sirius suspiciously pushed open the door.
"Can't you turn into a human?" Lorne asked. "I specially made tea for you."
Sirius slowly raised his two legs, and his body appeared enormous under the light. In the short time it took Lorne to bend down and skim off the tea foam, Sirius had already returned to human form.
He seemed a little unaccustomed to speaking, his voice hoarse and stammering. "Tell me... where is Peter?"
"Don't rush, drink this cup of tea first."
Sirius looked at the oddly shaped teacup on the table. He didn't seem to suspect that Lorne had drugged him—because there was no need to doubt it; who would use a conical flask meant for Potions to brew tea for a guest?
Sensing Sirius's speechless and suspicious gaze, Lorne coughed twice. "You'd suspect I used Potions even if I used a teacup, wouldn't you? Let's just be straightforward and save me the trouble of washing the cup. Just drink this Potions... this cup of tea, and I'll tell you where Peter Pettigrew is."
Actually, the glass conical flask was the bottle of Soul-Healing Potion that Neville's father had left over. Lorne felt a pang of heartache as he looked at the Potions dripping down the glass. Sirius's soul was also damaged, so in the spirit of not wasting anything, he decided to brew it again to make the most of the Potions's remaining potion and not waste the money he had spent on buying it multiple times.
Sirius brought the conical flask to his nose and sniffed it. His eyes were fixed, as if searching for some kind of Potions inside.
"Why don't you try turning into a dog?" Lorne suggested.
Lorne's sincere sarcasm rang out, Sirius ignored it. After sniffing for about ten seconds, he picked up the Potions and drank it all in one gulp.
The delicate fragrance of herbs mingled with the rich aroma of tea, evoking a flood of memories for Sirius, who hadn't experienced the simple pleasures of life in a long time. He could feel the shattered emotions and frantically churning soul in his mind slowly unraveling, calming his restless heart considerably.
He handed the Potions back to Lorne: "Another one, please."
"No, no," Lorne said irritably. "This is a soul-restoring Potions; you can't buy it on the market at all, and you still doubt me."
Sirius lowered his eyes, seemingly pondering the truth of Lorne's words.
Lorne feigned magnanimity and interrupted, "Alright, I won't hold it against you."
He took a newspaper from the table about the Weasley family' trip to Egypt after winning the lottery and placed it on the table. Sirius's eyes immediately turned red when he saw the newspaper.
"The man holding Peter Pettigrew in the photo is Ron Weasley, the youngest son of the Weasley family," Lorne tapped his fingers on the table, pulling Sirius back from the brink of losing control. "After running away, Pettigrew ended up at the Weasley family, where he lived well for over a decade."
Where is he now?
" Egypt, or perhaps already back in the United Kingdom," Lorne shrugged, "But what we need isn't Peter Pettigrew's body..."
"I want him dead!" Sirius interrupted, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Stop," Lorne really wanted to give Sirius a lesson in hatred, "Hate isn't the end; love will continue. What we should be thinking about now isn't how to torture and kill Peter Pettigrew, but where and when to publicly execute him, so that you can be exonerated and create greater benefits for us."
"I don't care!" Sirius interrupted again.
"But some people care," Lorne gestured toward Harry's room, "Next year is third year, you don't want Harry to be unable to go to Hogsmeade because he can't get a parental permission form, do you?"
Once Sirius Quiet down, Lorne's tone softened, and he spoke slowly and confidently, as if stating a fact. "I think Harry needs a family that truly loves him."
Sirius finally sat down, snatched the glass from Lorne, and drank it all in one gulp. "I was afraid he'd run away."
"Don't worry, I assure you, he won't."