"Ha--"
Lorne took a sip of tea and let out a long, comfortable sigh. Dobby imitated him and sighed as well, but his sigh sounded sorrowful.
"You didn't learn it well," young Lorne commented. "A sigh of enjoyment should end slowly and gracefully, not grow heavier and heavier."
Lorne started brewing tea again, looking serene and content.
The end of the semester is over and the holidays are approaching. Although he still has a few exams to take, he figures that even if he fails, Dumbledore won't fire him.
Lorne walked to the window. Tonight was a full moon, Lupin, having drunk his Wolfsbane Potion, would no longer turn into Werewolf. Now, arresting Scabbers should be a sure thing.
Why were his eyelids twitching? Lorne didn't need to worry about which eyelid was twitching, because both of his eyelids were twitching at the same time, like drumming.
Surely they can't be suffering a disaster while simultaneously making a fortune, right?
Lupin leaned weakly against the door. Snape's luck had been a little too good today; he'd gotten sawdust in his eyes from his own spell, and a sheet had floated up on his wand in the shockwave... He could film a hundred episodes of Backstab today.
Fortunately, Snape had no interest in him. He simply used his Relashio and Incarcerous to trap him by the door. Now he couldn't even lift his own wand, let alone cast a counterspell.
We can only trust the surnames Black and Potter, two names shrouded in miracles.
Forbidden Forest.
Peter managed to escape after all. By the time Harry cast his spell, Peter had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, had already turned into a mouse. His body was so small that Harry missed several spells in a row. After climbing over a withered vine, Peter's figure disappeared completely.
Snape had been observing the situation with a cold eye and his wrist held horizontally, glanced at Sirius and Harry, said nothing, and turned to chase after Pettigrew Peter. He was the commander in this battle, not belonging to any side, and he wanted to control the whole situation and subdue everyone one by one.
Sirius was very agitated when he saw Peter run away, but he couldn't get up. He could only cough violently twice and let out a shrill cry.
"I'm going to kill you, Peter!"
Upon hearing the noise, the trio immediately gathered near Sirius. Hermione had learned some simple medical spells, but they could only treat external injuries.
Sirius leaned against a large tree and casually waved his hand. "Don't worry about me, Harry. Go after Peter. Kill him, no holding back. I'll prove he deserves to die."
Harry shook his head. "Your safety is more important."
"Besides, we don't know how to track Peter," Ron shrugged. "We don't have a nose like yours."
" Professor Snape has gone after Peter; with his abilities, he'll surely be able to bring him to justice," Hermione reassured her.
"If he can really catch Peter, I might as well apologize," Sirius, a warmth spreading through his heart as he looked at the three people surrounding him. " Harry, I don't deserve your protection. I made a huge mistake. I shouldn't have been so clever as to change the Secret Keeper. James... died because of me."
"No," Harry denied, "Nobody would guess Peter was a traitor. If anyone told me Ron betrayed me, I would never believe it."
Ron exclaimed in displeasure, "Hey!"
"He wouldn't," Sirius argued for Ron. "He wouldn't dare stand in your way, Harry. Don't worry, Ron, when I get out of here I'll get you an owl that flies as fast as the broomstick I gave Harry."
Hermione astutely picked up on the key information. "You mean the broom? You sent the Firebolt?"
"Yes, my bright young lady, Lupin mentioned you to me, Hermione Granger, a genius who can master the Patronus Charm in a single term. In any era, you would certainly be a strong contender for the top student."
Hearing Sirius's praise, Hermione couldn't help but blush a little. "You flatter me."
Sirius's gaze returned to Harry: "I still have to apologize. Even without your father's affair, as your godfather, I haven't been able to give you the life you wanted. You must have had a hard time living under someone else's roof all these years. My family owns quite a few properties, and I can renovate them to your liking, if you're willing. I wonder if you'd still like to move out of Privet Drive and live with me..."
"What?" Harry was momentarily shocked. "Of course I would, Sirius."
Sirius had a relaxed smile on his face. He closed his eyes and said, " James told me back then that he wanted you to be my godson so that when you grew up you could come to my house for weekends, and he and Lily could have some alone time. Of course I agreed, Harry. I've never seen a child who looks so much like his father right after birth. James and Lily love you to death, and so do I. We both want to give you a home."
Harry had never received such direct love before. He was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond, but he also hoped that Sirius would continue.
"When Lupin told me he was teaching you the Patronus Charm, I told him, without a doubt, Harry's Patronus will be a Prongs, just like James and Lily's... Sorry, I found that out from Lupin. I'm not trying to spy on you, I just want to be a little more involved in your life."
Harry immediately remembered, recalling the times he'd seen the black dog over the past year. "Were you in the stands during the Quidditch Match?"
"Yes, it's a pity we had to leave after only a short while. You fly really fast, even James can't compare to you."
Harry never knew that there was an elder silently caring for him in a place he didn't know about. It felt like a Chocolate Frog had crawled into the softest part of his heart, making him feel itchy, flustered, yet somewhat sweet.
Harry even wanted to throw himself into Sirius's arms, but then, afraid of touching his wound, he grabbed his arm instead. "It seems Professor Trelawney's Prophecy wasn't very accurate. The black dog doesn't seem like an ominous sign; it's more like a watchdog, constantly urging me to go home."
Sirius leaned against the tree, smiling but saying nothing.
Ron suddenly patted Harry on the shoulder. "I don't mean to spoil the fun, but Harry, you should probably take a look at this."
Harry slowly turned around, and one Dementor after another appeared as his gaze shifted. Their black robes covered the Forbidden Forest, and Harry could even hear the voices slowly emanating from their souls.
Slaughter... Slaughter...
A bone-chilling cold swept over him, and Harry couldn't tell if he was frozen or nervous. His body trembled uncontrollably, as if he had lost his temperature in a torrential downpour. His palms even started to itch due to a physiological reaction, as if urging him to retaliate immediately.
Harry did indeed do that.
He raised his wand, walked in front of Hermione and Ron, and unleashed his most unwilling and fiercest strike at the Dementor crawling, hovering, wandering, hovering, grinning, and howling in the sky and forest.
" Expecto Patronum!"
The intense silver light illuminated the entire Forbidden Forest, enough to deter even the menacing Dementor, even without the Patronus.
The Dementor, like hyenas hunting in cooperation, greedily eyed Harry and his group, especially Sirius, who was lying on the ground. They surrounded Harry and his companions, not in a hurry to attack, but instead harassing and guerrilla tactics, occasionally getting close to one person, just to wear them down.