From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 208 Hogwarts Jury

"Peter...where is he..." Sirius' throat was as dry as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other. He waved his skinny arms and finally grabbed the railing beside the bed.

"I thought you would at least call my name first, Sirius." Lupin smiled as he sat at the head of his bed. "Peter is being watched closely by the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. He can't run away. Let's eat first."

"Ah... Remus..." Sirius struggled to get up halfway when he saw Lupin holding a bowl of milky white soup.

He stared at Lupin's weather-beaten face for a long time before he remembered what had happened.

In the foggy and gloomy Azkaban, Sirius spent twelve dark years. If he had not been sure that he was innocent and if Animagus could be used without a wand, he would have died there long ago.

That day was no different from the other twelve years he spent in Azkaban. Sirius turned into a skinny black dog, hiding in his tattered and smelly robes, enduring the miserable days.

Sirius's keen animal senses allowed him to spot several unusual visitors. Unlike the guards who made no sound of footsteps, they seemed to be heading directly towards the deepest cells of Azkaban.

Sirius Black didn't want anyone to discover his secret, so he returned to human form.

"Parole warrant!" a wizard snorted in dissatisfaction. "I have never heard of such a thing in my life!"

"It was a direct order from the Minister..." Another person who knew something about the situation tried to comfort his companion, "It is said that Professor Dumbledore was involved... In any case, we just have to do it."

Dumbledore...

This name made Sirius feel dazed for a moment, but only for a moment. He had always considered himself a sinner, and being imprisoned in Azkaban was the best fate he had found for himself. Although he knew very well that he was not a traitor, trusting a traitor was no different from betrayal. This was what he deserved, and Sirius had told himself more than once.

The hinges, corroded by the moisture and salt in the sea mist, made an unpleasant noise, and Sirius found that the cell door in front of him was opened.

"Hurry up," the grumbling wizard said to the third man. "This damn place is really uncomfortable. Even if he is innocent, the Dementors must have driven him mad long ago."

"Sirius." Lupin's voice was gentle and calm, "We already know that you are innocent. Come with me."

Sirius didn't look up, and shrank into the corner of the prison. He didn't want to face what was happening outside the prison.

Even if he was innocent, what good was that? He had let them down, and James and Lily would never be resurrected. People like him deserved to rot in Azkaban.

"You smell like a drowned dog digging for food in a garbage dump." Having said that, Lupin didn't mind the strong smell on Sirius at all. He reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be angry. Come with me."

"Don't bother me..." Sirius had long forgotten when he last spoke, maybe it was when he had an argument with his cousin?
"Hurry! Those Dementors are coming!" The wizard standing outside the cell door raised his wand and shouted, "Expediate Patronus!"

A silver fox flew out from his wand, dispelling the chill that enveloped their hearts.

"Well, I think this will definitely work." Lupin cleared his throat. "Peter is still alive. The rat is still alive."

Sirius' head was immediately filled with hot blood. He roared, pushed Lupin aside and rushed towards the cell door.

The wizard outside the cell door screamed and could no longer maintain the Patronus Charm, and the temperature around him dropped again.

"Collapse!"

Those were the last words Sirius heard before he passed out.

"Your dueling skills haven't declined at all, right?" Sirius finished his recollection and finally sat up from the hospital bed. He couldn't help but touch the hair on the back of his head. "The back of my head still hurts."

"You also made my bottom kiss the ground of Azkaban," Lupin said gently, "so we're even."

"Don't compare my head to your damn ass!" Sirius hit Lupin's chest, "You'd better tell me that the rat has been caught!"

"Of course." Lupin said, meeting Sirius' expectant gaze.

The latter looked relieved and fell peacefully onto the bed.

The air in the school hospital was so quiet that for a moment Lupin even thought that Sirius had died contentedly.

"You look nothing like the former Head Boy of Hogwarts, Remus."

Suddenly, Sirius, who was lying on the hospital bed, uttered a word.

"You don't look like the only heir to the Black family either, Sirius," Lupin shot back.

Somehow, without warning, two men who looked much older than they actually were bursting into laughter.

This caused Madam Pomfrey to walk into the ward with her eyes wide open: "No noise allowed! The patient needs to rest! Sirius! You have to be aware of your status as a patient!"

"I'm just hungry!" Sirius argued.

"A hungry person doesn't have the energy to laugh!" Madam Pomfrey said ruthlessly, "If you do this again, even if you are a professor, don't even think about visiting me!"

"You're still a professor at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked as he took the bowl of cream of mushroom soup from Lupin. "It seems like the treatment for professors isn't very good?"

Lupin knew he was talking about the robes he was wearing: "Just took over, this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was found to be a fraud."

Sirius smacked his lips and asked, "Is Voldemort's curse still in effect? Even after all these years of his death?"

"Yes," Lupin nodded, "Dumbledore believes he will come back again."

"The Order of the Phoenix still needs me..." Sirius's expression was a little complicated. "We," Lupin corrected, "we need you. And of course Harry, you won't forget that you are his godfather? I just ran into Harry when I came in, and one of his friends was lying on the bed next to you."

"Really? How's Harry?" Sirius turned his head to look at Ron who was sleeping soundly. Even though the two of them had laughed so loudly just now, he had no intention of waking up. "Oh, he must be a Weasley. Is he Arthur and Molly's son?"

"That's right." Lupin gave an affirmative answer, "Peter hid in their house disguised as a mouse, and even hid beside Harry's bed."

Sirius gritted his teeth and chewed the steak with a crunching sound. "Did he catch Peter?"

"No, it was another friend of Harry's. It is said that he was in the headmaster's office when the incident happened, and Peter had nowhere to escape." Lupin recalled Dumbledore's letter.

"I wish I could kill him right now!" Sirius swallowed the steak.

"Perhaps we can do so on Saturday," said Lupin. "The Ministry of Magic plans to try Peter's case then. The Hogwarts professors will form the jury, and you will be a witness."

----

"Why is this Death Eater here too?" Sirius bared his teeth and glared at Snape in front of him with contempt.

The jury of Hogwarts professors were about to leave, but Dumbledore had not yet arrived, so they all stopped on the road to Hogsmeade.

"I've always heard that dogs' eyesight isn't very good, and now I finally have proof of that." Snape raised his chin, "If Mr. Black's eyes were still working properly, he would definitely be able to find out that I'm the Potions professor at Hogwarts."

In Dumbledore's office, Snape also learned the secret that Sirius was an illegal Animagus, and he also knew very well that Sirius did not like his surname that represented pure blood.

Professor McGonagall stood between them: "I should have thought of this a long time ago...Okay, Sirius, and of course Severus, you two are comrades in the same trench now."

"Honestly, Professor McGonagall." Although she had been imprisoned in Azkaban for many years, Professor McGonagall still had some influence on Sirius. "I haven't learned how to deal with a Death Eater yet. You know I'm only good at using my wand to shut them up."

"Good at it?" Snape sneered. "Stop flattering yourself, Mr. Black. Before you lost your wand, wasn't the last Death Eater you dealt with still alive and well?"

Sirius's face darkened. His biggest regret was that he was unable to kill Peter Pettigrew with his own hands.

This was also Snape's biggest regret. If Sirius had really killed Peter, he would not have been released from Azkaban. For Snape, it was like losing two enemies at once.

"Please, Severus," said Professor McGonagall wearily.

"Okay, Sirius." Lupin also grabbed Sirius' arm, "Why don't you think about how to prove Peter's crime? If possible, I hope he can get a Dementor's kiss."

Sirius' eyes flickered and he stopped talking.

Snape also turned his head away. He had a slight advantage in the previous confrontation, so of course he would not easily start another duel.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Dumbledore was still dressed in his best today, but compared to the past, his robes looked more solemn, with restrained lines and stripes. "What a nice weather! Right?"

Ivy looked up at the gloomy sky (he was standing next to Dumbledore), and then looked at the muddy cobblestone road under the professors' feet - the temperature began to warm up, and the winter ice and snow had melted, bringing inconvenience to everyone's travel.

Even though no one started talking about the weather, Dumbledore didn't feel awkward at all and continued his topic: "Come on, Remus, Sirius, let me introduce you. This is Ivy Doom, an ancient wizard who has been sleeping in Hogwarts for more than a hundred years. He is also the first person to discover Peter's Animagus identity. Today he will also attend the trial as a witness. Ivy, this is Remus Lupin, and this is Sirius Black."

"Nice to meet you." Sirius held out his knuckle-jointed hand, looking Ivy up and down. "You really look like a Slytherin. But I guess you're not, right? Because I heard you were a friend of Harry's."

Ivy stretched out her hand and shook his, then said with a smile, "I am indeed a Slytherin, but I am also Harry's friend."

Snape scoffed again.

Sirius froze in place. He opened his mouth helplessly, not knowing what to say. He could only look at Lupin beside him for help.

"We are all very grateful to you." Lupin took Ivy's hand from Sirius and shook it up and down. "If you hadn't keenly discovered Peter's whereabouts, I'm afraid Sirius would never be able to clear his name. Seriously, how did you find out that the mouse was transformed by a wizard?"

"It's just a little curiosity, plus a little awareness." In front of professors, Ivy is usually happy to show his humility. After all, he never attends their classes, so there is no need to leave a bad impression on them in such occasions. "A mouse usually doesn't live for ten years, not even a magic mouse."

"Let's stop the pleasantries. We have to get going." Professor McGonagall, the vice-president, interrupted the pleasantries and began to urge the professors with a strong sense of justice to take action. "We want to borrow the fireplace of the Hog's Head Inn. Dumbledore has already notified them in advance."

So the jury of Hogwarts professors officially set out, walking through mud and dirty bluestone slabs to the fireplace of the Hog's Head Inn.

From time to time, one or two indignant conversations were heard from the crowd, and more were curious looks at Sirius. It was the first time they saw a prisoner released from Azkaban.

Sirius was obviously used to these looks, which was not surprising considering that he was a popular person and a troublemaker during his school days.

"Is Dumbledore kidding?" Sirius whispered to Lupin beside him.

"What?" Lupin leaned forward and bumped his shoulder with his friend's, just like when they were both in Gryffindor House many years ago.

"Ancient magic wizard or something..." Sirius glanced at Ivy, "Compared to me, the prisoner of Azkaban, he is obviously the more special one."

"I can't say for sure." Lupin had only returned to Hogwarts not long ago, and he only heard some legends about Ivy from the gossip of professors and discussions of students.

Based on his experience as the student union president, the authenticity of these contents remains to be verified, but it can be confirmed that Ivy's magic level is very high.

Lupin didn't like to talk about others behind their backs. He played more of a listener role in the four-member group of robbers. Those "good ideas" that suddenly popped up were usually contributed by James and Sirius. As for Peter Pettigrew, he was their "Wormtail".

(End of this chapter)