The Patronus Charm, now imbued with the power of Patronus, is far more potent than before. Hermione's divine intervention easily resolved Harry and Ron's predicament, but they didn't relax for a moment; Sirius, the main force on the battlefield, was still waiting for them.
"He's the Dementor ' target; there are definitely more Dementor there than here," Harry with some concern.
"But he must have some extraordinary ability to escape from Azkaban," Hermione analyzed calmly. She told Harry not to be too hasty and to think carefully about what Sirius had told them before they parted ways.
Ron racked his brains. "He said... he said we should walk along the river!"
The trio exchanged a glance and immediately found their direction. Each of them used their Lumos to search for the path to the lake in the darkness.
As they walked, Ron hesitated, then, watching Hermione continue on her way, he finally mustered the courage to speak, " Hermione, I'm sorry, Crookshanks is a good cat. I've always misunderstood it, including you."
"You know that's good," Hermione waved her hand, "There's no need to apologize a second time."
"The second time?" Ron thought he must have slept through the night, otherwise why would everyone be saying things he couldn't understand?
This time Hermione ignored him, and Harry was also focused on finding his way. Fortunately, the Black Lake reflected some of the light from Hogwarts, and Harry and his companions followed the light source and actually found their way to the Black Lake.
There were no trees to block the view near Black Lake, so the view was quite open. On the opposite shore was a lush thicket of bushes, and as Harry stared at it, he felt as if a pair of eyes were watching him from there.
Stepping on the soft, damp ground by the lake, Harry and his friends ventured deeper into the lake. Before long, they saw broken branches and charred Wood on the ground, clearly the result of Sirius's battle with Peter.
"We're on the right track, we need to hurry." Harry gave the order and immediately took the lead in running, with Hermione and Ron close behind.
The sound of splashing wet earth underfoot was incessant, and soon they heard several loud barks, the sounds echoing mournfully through the silent forest.
As they drew closer, the beams of light from the wands flickered incessantly in the Forbidden Forest, like a sequined scene suddenly flashing in an old movie. Harry could even hear the vicious incantations Peter was uttering, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Sirius.
" Incarcerous!" Peter extremely angry. Sirius had torn a large chunk of flesh from his arm, and the pain reminded him of the scene thirteen years ago when he almost died at Sirius's hands.
The current situation is extremely unfavorable to him. Night has fallen, and visibility in the Forbidden Forest is obstructed. He wants to escape, but he has to be wary of Sirius, who could emerge from the bushes at any time and bite him.
If he turned into a rat, he couldn't carry his wand; if he remained in human form, he would be too conspicuous and wouldn't be able to run fast. Besides, the Forbidden Forest was full of Dementor. Sirius could evade the search to some extent by turning into a black dog, but he would be completely exposed to their sight.
Peter quickly analyzed the pros and cons. In fact, Sirius's margin for error was even lower than his. If Sirius were hit by his spell, he would either lose his ability to move or die directly. If it weren't for the darkness and the many obstacles, he would definitely have a way to escape.
Peter was deep in thought, suddenly heard faint shouts in the distance.
" Sirius!" Harry knew his shout might alert the enemy, but he still chose to do it. He couldn't bear the thought of Sirius dying because of him, rather than being ambushed and Peter escaping.
A wizard without a wand is a fragile creature; any spell could be fatal.
Hearing the shouts, Peter finally had a way to break the deadlock. According to the law of the dark forest, he was exposed to Sirius, but Harry was also exposed to him. He just needed to lie in wait somewhere and ambush Harry, Sirius would naturally be unable to resist popping out.
But he ultimately underestimated Sirius's fighting instincts. As Harry drew closer, Peter wand. If Sirius didn't come out, he would kill Harry directly, thus serving as a pledge of allegiance to Voldemort.
" Avada-- "
Harry and the others were cautiously making their way forward when Peter suddenly jumped out of the bushes, startling them. Hermione, who had been on guard, raised her wand almost the instant she heard the noise, but before she could speak, another person stepped forward to stop her.
Sirius, in his dog form, seized the perfect opportunity—the moment Peter was exposed, and Harry and the others could quickly provide support. He bit down hard on Peter's arm, transforming back into human form before Peter could raise his wand.
He shouted, " Harry!"
Ron reacted even before Harry, throwing his wand the moment Sirius appeared. The wand, which he had bought with Dumbledore and Lorne, sliced through the damp air and landed precisely at Sirius's feet.
Sirius hadn't expected Ron to have this trick up his sleeve. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, but his hand didn't stop moving at all. He picked up his wand and held it against Peter's neck.
Without the slightest hesitation, he declared, " Expelliarmus!"
Sirius's wand immediately flew from Peter's hand. Sirius straddled Peter and, in the most primal way, pounded on Peter's head. "You want to mess with me, Peter? You think you're so great?"
Harry, Ron, and the others immediately gathered around. Ron picked up Sirius's wand from a distance and exchanged it for his own, receiving a string of praise from Sirius: "Kid, with such a good throwing ability, you must be Quidditch Match Beater. Don't worry, I'll get you a mouse in return."
Ron, still shaken by the memory of kissing Scabbers, thought, "Maybe Hermione was right. I should have been more disciplined. Could I have an owl instead?"
Harry joked, "How about we choose the toad? That way we can complete the Hogwarts Pokédex of all the animals allowed."
Hermione joked, "And I can even join the choir."
Peter, pinned to the ground, kept begging for mercy, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Sirius threw a handful of rotten leaves into it. He then picked up his wand and cast a Silencing Charm on Peter.
" The Sectumsempra!"
Sirius felt several sharp blades of light graz his ears, and a burning pain shot through his shoulder. His body reacted before his mind could process what was happening. He gripped his wand, disregarding his own life, wanting only to execute Peter on the spot.
The next second, he felt a tightness in his chest, and a tremendous force sent him flying more than ten meters away. Sirius knew who it was from the Sectumsempra," and he shouted to Harry, "Kill him, Harry! Don't let him get away!"
Harry looked at Peter, who was lying motionless on the ground, and hesitated.
If we could control Peter and get him to clear Sirius's name, that would be the best outcome... Besides, he'd never killed anyone before, and he didn't even know which of his spells could kill.
Thinking of this, he changed the spell and cast it on Peter's body. " Stupefy!"