Just as Morris was about to continue, he suddenly sensed that the atmosphere around him had changed.
All eyes turned in the same direction – the Great Hall entrance.
Ron Weasley had just walked in.
He looked somewhat absent-minded, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well for several days, exuding an air of decadence.
When he noticed the stares of those around him, he froze on the spot.
"W-what's wrong?" he stammered.
"We all know," a Gryffindor student stepped forward and patted Ron on the shoulder. "Don't be too sad. Who would have thought a mouse was a human in disguise?"
"Oh, thank you," Ron replied weakly.
"Let him have some peace and quiet," Morris said to the person beside him. " Ron probably doesn't want to talk about this."
The next day, Morris was again summoned by the professor to go to Dumbledore's office.
However, when he arrived, he found that Dumbledore was not there, but instead a somewhat familiar figure.
Sirius Black.
Sirius is completely different now compared to before.
He was wearing a clean and tidy dark robe, and although his hair was still long, it was obviously styled and no longer messy and tangled.
At least now he looks like a human being.
Morris greeted him naturally, "Hello, where is Professor Dumbledore?"
Sirius turned around and paused noticeably when he saw Morris's face.
Just as he was about to answer, suddenly, a golden flame appeared out of thin air in the office.
Fawkes and Dumbledore emerged from the flames.
Dumbledore's eyes showed a hint of weariness, but his expression was very serious.
" Morris, you've come," he said, his voice much lower than usual.
Morris had a vague feeling that something was wrong. "Professor, why did you call me over?"
" Sirius wants to thank you personally," Dumbledore said, "Because you helped him capture Peter."
Sirius approached, a smile on his face. "Perhaps I should introduce myself again. I'm Sirius Black, just call me Sirius. I owe you a favor."
He extended his hand, which seemed sincere enough.
Morris grasped his hand and replied briefly, "I am Morris Black."
He had just arrested the other party a while ago.
I felt a little embarrassed...
" Black?" A hint of surprise flashed in Sirius's eyes.
"That last name isn't very rare in Muggle," Morris explained.
"I see." Sirius's tense face relaxed slightly.
He thought there would be some plot involving distant relatives.
Just then, Dumbledore interrupted their conversation, saying seriously, "I have some bad news."
Morris looked up and casually said, "What? Surely Peter didn't run away?"
The office fell silent for a moment.
Dumbledore looked at him, his expression subtle. "It seems you're better informed than I am."
T
ah?
Morris swore he was just saying it offhand.
"What do you mean!?" Sirius's voice tightened instantly upon hearing this. " Peter really ran away?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said gravely, "If Fudge wasn't joking."
"What happened?" Sirius asked incredulously. " The Ministry of Magic couldn't even keep an eye on one person? Someone saved him? Who saved him?"
He's in a real hurry.
Although he had been exonerated, his ultimate goal was to have Peter die.
"Calm down, Sirius," Dumbledore's voice was soothing. " Peter escaped while being escorted to Azkaban. Nobody helped him; he was all alone."
"Is it Animagus?" Morris asked.
But that shouldn't be the case. The Ministry of Magic clearly knew that Peter was an Animagus; they should have taken appropriate measures.
Dumbledore shook his head. "It wasn't Animagus either. According to the Auror present, Peter suddenly disappeared from the cage. When he reappeared, he was already a hundred feet away, and he even stole an officer's wand. The Auror didn't catch up; this is all that was left at the scene."
He stretched out his hand, opened his palm, and inside was a dusty, gray pebble.
"What is this?" Sirius asked anxiously.
Dumbledore didn't answer, but looked at Morris. " Morris, do you know something?"
Morris was immediately somewhat embarrassed.
He already knew how Peter had escaped.
Because in Dumbledore's possession was one of his inventions, the Shadow Concealment Stone.
He sold a lot of these stones; Peter probably stole them from some careless student.
The Ministry of Magic was incredibly careless not to even search them before they were being escorted.
"Um..." Morris scratched his head, "This is Shadow Concealment Stone."
Although he never openly sold them, it was easy to find him by asking a few students.
After all, word-of-mouth marketing is also a way to spread fame.
" Shadow Concealment Stone?" Sirius frowned. "What's that?"
Let me demonstrate.
Morris took the dusty pebble from Dumbledore and weighed it in his hand.
"It can temporarily plunge one into darkness; I imagine it must have been a cloudy day when Peter was being escorted."
He walked to the corner where there was no sunlight and disappeared instantly.
He reappeared ten seconds later.
"You get it now?" Morris shrugged helplessly. "This is Peter's escape tool."
Dumbledore rubbed his temples, looking even more tired than before.
"Why does Peter have this?" he asked.
Morris shrugged.
"I stole Shadow Concealment Stone. I sold them to quite a few students."
Sirius stared at him.
How can something so dangerous be sold so casually?
Dumbledore took the stone back from Morris's hand, examining it thoughtfully. "I've never seen such a magical artifact before. Did you make it yourself?"
Morris replied, "I read it in a book."
This statement is perfectly correct.
After all, Book of the Mage is still a book.
"That must be a very old book," Dumbledore sighed. "Don't sell any more, Morris, at least not to students."
What will the students do with this stone?
That's so hard to guess.
The crime rate at Hogwarts at night has probably reached an alarming level lately.
"Okay." Morris nodded obediently.
Anyway, the market in schools is basically saturated, so it's gone if it's gone.
The conversation veered further and further off course until Sirius finally couldn't help but interject, "So what should we do now? We have to bring Peter back!"
His voice was filled with barely suppressed anxiety.
"Of course," Dumbledore replied, " the Ministry of Magic will pursue him relentlessly."
Ministry of Magic?
"Is there anything more reassuring than this?" Sirius said, holding his head.
We still have to let him do it himself.