The Return to Hogwarts

"Oh!"

Standing on the other side of the cradle, Lily's loving expression vanished instantly upon hearing Sirius's words; she glared at him with annoyance.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been worried about, Sirius. If I could, I would hope that Harry would be a brave little wizard, but definitely not like you and James were when you were at Hogwarts!”

"If you're expecting Harry to be a well-behaved little wizard, dear..."

A thin, disheveled man with a mischievous smile walked into the living room. He gently ruffled Lily's deep red hair, then put his arm around her shoulder.

"I bet you'll be disappointed."

"Yes!"

Lily glared at her husband and said,

"With you and Sirius as two great role models, I can roughly imagine what Harry will become. If possible, I would prefer that Remus provide him with some positive guidance."

"Don't let Remus fool you, Lily—"

Sirius laughed merrily, "He's more mischievous than you think."

Harry, who was fast asleep, started crying with a pout. Lily chased both unreliable men into the kitchen and gently hummed a lullaby. After a while, when she also entered the kitchen, she found that her husband and Sirius Black had very serious expressions.

"The current situation is difficult—"

Sirius said to Lily, who was sitting down.

"I'm sure you've heard about the terrible things that happened to the Longbottoms. Voldemort has his eye on you now, and he probably already knows through his spies how we plan to protect you. So we have to make sure everything is foolproof."

Lily immediately understood what Sirius was talking about; it was something they had discussed before.

James wholeheartedly supported Sirius's suggestion because Peter was also a close friend he could stake his life on.

"There's always a risk involved, Sirius."

Lily said with a worried expression,

"In my opinion, it would be more appropriate for Dumbledore to be our secret keeper. As everyone knows, he is the wizard Voldemort fears most."

“Dumbledore is indeed reliable, but he already has so many things to consider. We can’t rely on him for everything, can we?”

James gave his opinion.

"That's exactly right,"

Sirius was pleased with the chemistry between him and James, and he looked into Lily's bright green eyes as he spoke.

"If Dumbledore's guess is true, and there really is a traitor in the Order of the Phoenix, then Voldemort should have already figured out that we don't intend to make Dumbledore the Secret Keeper. Among the remaining candidates, I am the most likely one. Voldemort will most likely try every means to find me, but they never dream that we will adjust the plan and make Peter the Secret Keeper, which is equivalent to having an extra layer of insurance."

If he were to be captured and killed by Voldemort, Dumbledore would certainly receive the news, giving him ample time to move James and his family away.

This was Sirius's plan, but he chose not to say it aloud.

In the flickering candlelight, Lily finally nodded hesitantly.

The scene suddenly shifts

Even the bright moon hanging in the sky could not penetrate the bloodshed that shrouded the deep night.

Hagrid rode his motorcycle and disappeared into the night. Black stood on the second floor amidst the rubble, staring at the spot where Lily had fallen, and let out a heart-wrenching, agonizing wail.

A chill ran through the dog, and it shivered, jolting awake from its slumber.

Over the years, the image of James and Lily dying has appeared countless times in his dreams, and even after twelve years, he still remembers every detail clearly.

His mind was still hazy, regret and pain gnawing at his heart like venomous snakes. Everything before his eyes was blurry. Big Black Head drooped on his front paws, silently shedding tears as he faced the dense darkness.

"What's wrong, Mr. Blake?"

Amostella, who had been sitting for a while, waved her wand to dispel the illusion, glanced at the large black dog lying on its side on the sofa with tears streaming down its face, and chuckled softly.

"Did you dream of your utterly defeated former master?"

Chapter 233 Resistance

Inside the shack where screams were so loud you could hear a pin drop, a chilling murderous intent permeated the air.

With his elbows resting on the armrests of the soft chair and his loosely clenched fist supporting his tilted cheek, Amosta sized up the large black dog, which seemed to be under a petrification spell, a cold smile curving his lips.

"It's really not easy to see you, Mr. Blake."

Wow!

The moment Amosta finished speaking, the quiet room suddenly filled with a rush of energy, like a frozen river meeting spring. The big black dog sprang up from the sofa and ran wildly toward the door on all fours, without even considering a chance to fight Amosta.

"Ha, do you think you can escape?"

Seeing Sirius's reaction, Amosta raised an eyebrow, slowly stood up, and sneered with contempt.

Just then, Crookshan, who had also awakened, let out a series of howls. Its bulky body suddenly burst out with astonishing speed. Instead of running away with the big black dog, it resolutely pounced on Amosta's cheek, seemingly intending to buy time for the big black dog.

clang-

A fleeting, pale light illuminated the dim interior as Crookshan was sent flying backward at an even greater speed, crashing heavily into the wine rack separating the living room and kitchen. His amber pupils rolled upward, and his body fell limply to the ground.

What a traitor! I'll settle the score with you later.

Amosta glanced at the unconscious Crookshan, feeling no sympathy whatsoever, and simply muttered something under his breath.

In that brief moment of delay, the frantically fleeing black dog had already reached the door. It had no intention of opening the door at all; instead, it simply used its massive body to crash straight into it, intending to smash the door open.

Boom——

The sudden roar made the entire dilapidated building tremble.

Just like at Crook Mountain, the big black dog was bounced back by the magic attached to the door in the exact same way.

Sirius let out a painful howl in mid-air. His disguise was broken by Amosta's magic, and he underwent a painful transformation in mid-air before landing—his huge body shrank rapidly like clay as it twisted and turned, his dog paws turned into human hands and feet, and his black fur quickly disappeared. After landing, he had completely returned to his human form.

His filthy, disheveled hair hung down to his elbows, his pale skin on his cheeks was taut on his cheekbones, and his deep-set eyes revealed both madness and determination. Beneath his stinking, tattered prison uniform, the outline of every rib was clearly visible. Just like the photo on the wanted poster, Blake looked like a walking, moving skeleton.

“It chills me to the bone, Mr. Blake,”

Blake's chilling gaze did not move Amosta in the slightest. He slowly rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his pale wrist, and smiled unhurriedly.

"It's so hard for me to want to see you, but this is how you react when you see me."

call out!

A beam of eerie red light shot out like an arrow from the tip of the wand that Black had suddenly pulled out, heading straight for Amosta's chest.

However, the spell light was easily deflected by Amosta, piercing through the ceiling of the first floor and the roof of the second floor before disappearing into the drifting snowflakes.

"Oh? You even got yourself a magic wand?"

Amosta shifted his gaze, staring at the familiar-looking wand in Black's hand. His indifferent smile deepened with a chill.

"Could this wand be the one Mr. Longbottom lost?"

"Let me go, young man, I don't want to get into a fight with you—"

Because he hadn't spoken in so long, Blake's voice sounded like a rusty saw cutting wood. He remained in a half-squatting position, slowly backing away, not wanting to provoke the dangerous young man in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Blake, I'm afraid I can't grant your request—"

Amosta spread his hands and said 'regretfully'.

"Many people are eager to see you, and they're counting on me to bring you back!"

From the moment he saw the young wizard Albus Dumbledore had summoned, Black knew that things would likely turn out badly tonight. His earlier words were merely a delaying tactic and a way to mislead him; he had no intention of letting this wizard named Amostall Blaine go.

Black had witnessed Amosta Blaine's formidable power. His twelve years in Azkaban hadn't damaged his mind, and he knew perfectly well that he couldn't defeat this formidable opponent.

However, knowing this did not mean giving up the fight or surrendering. Amosta Blaine held himself in contempt, and that was his hope for escape!

The light from the Stunning Curse struck the shimmering white barrier in front of Amosta, scattering countless points of light like a dazzling galaxy.

Taking advantage of the momentary opening, Blake rushed into the kitchen, intending to escape through the window. However, before he even reached the counter, a chilling magical force suddenly surged behind him. Without hesitation, Blake turned around and screamed.

"Armor protection!"

Click!

The crisp sound of shattering glass echoed through the room. The moment the armored barrier failed, Blake suddenly felt an immense force rushing towards him. His weak body was no match for the impact of this force, and he was knocked back several steps, his back slamming hard against the edge of the kitchen counter. The excruciating pain almost made him faint!

“You’ve got some skill, Mr. Blake, but I advise you not to resist stubbornly, lest you suffer physical pain—”

Amosta, standing in the foyer, slightly suppressed his composed smile and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had intended to render Blake powerless to resist with that attack, but he hadn't expected Blake to defend against it. However, it was no big deal. He didn't mind playing with this infamous guy for a while.

Suddenly, a blinding zigzag white light flashed in the dark, cold air. Blake, who was bent over and panting heavily, even thought he saw a bolt of lightning for a moment. Without thinking about what kind of magic it was, Blake roared and lunged to the other side.

The blast wave from the explosion swept away the kitchen walls with tremendous force, leaving a large crater on the floor resembling the lava crater formed after a meteorite impact.

Under the impact of this powerful force, the entire house was creaking and groaning, seemingly on the verge of collapse!

The blizzard suddenly rushed in, and Amosta squinted, glancing at Sirius Black, who looked like he had broken a few ribs and was coughing up blood as he struggled to get up from the snow.

"I must say, Mr. Blake—"

Amostella drifted across the muddy ground, standing in the icy snow beneath a magical shield resembling an eggshell.

"Your vitality is as tenacious as a cockroach's."

Gazing down at the young wizard who was mocking him, a flicker of gloom crossed the deep-set eyes of the utterly wretched Black. But then, he brandished his wand and grinned, his deeply furrowed, pale lips parting in a wide smile.