The Return to Hogwarts

Sirius's expression was complicated. He stroked the buttons on the dashboard whose purpose he didn't know, and said forlornly.

"Oh, so you're just going to leave like this?"

Greyback watched this scene with a cruel smile. Of course, he wouldn't let Sirius Black and the few young wizards from Hogwarts go to Hogwarts to ask for help. Moreover, among these young wizards was the famous Harry Potter, who was the most important trump card in negotiating with Dumbledore.

Greyback grabbed Lupin by the neck, shook his wrist like displaying trash, and said to Sirius with a sneer,

"You're friends with this traitor, aren't you? If you dare to run away, I'll snap his throat!"

"Release Remus, you despicable beast!"

Sirius's eyes widened in fury. He turned to get out of the car, but just then, a clanging sound suddenly rang out in the air, and a cold light left a chilling silver shadow on everyone's retinas. Before anyone could react, Greyback suddenly clutched his arm and cursed as he stumbled back a few steps, while Lupin, now in wolf form, fell to the ground.

"Take them away quickly!"

Hagrid threw down his crossbow and roared before lunging at the eager wolf pack. Greyback, however, was not about to give up on taking Lupin hostage. He wanted to retrieve Lupin, who had regained some consciousness after being thrown to the ground. But the centaurs wouldn't just stand by and watch.

shhhhhh!

Guns rained down like arrows, and spears instantly crossed the distance and landed at Graybury's feet, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

Lupin scrambled to his feet, still groggy. He glanced at Graybury, who had just cleaved a spear in two with a single paw and was now displaying a ferocious expression. He whimpered in fear a few times, then darted into the unfathomable darkness and disappeared from everyone's sight.

Boom!

The werewolves and centaurs, two torrents, collided with a thunderous roar. The sounds were filled with furious howls, flesh being torn apart, and dying screams. Snape, pale-faced, once again used his signature magic. A leaping werewolf was dismembered in mid-air, hot, gushing blood falling like raindrops.

Snape stared intently at Sirius, who knew exactly what Snape was trying to say. Sirius glared resentfully in the direction Remus had disappeared and roared,

"Hold on, Remus, I'll be there with reinforcements to rescue you soon."

The roar of motorcycles drowned out the noise on the battlefield. Amidst the rumbling, Graybury roared, "Stop them!"

With each roar louder than the last, the exhaust pipe suddenly spewed out blue-white flames, and Hermione, sitting behind Sirius, let out a short, piercing scream.

The motorcycle suddenly lifted off the ground, and by the time Harry realized what was happening, they were already thirty feet in the air, accelerating wildly toward Hogwarts.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh--

A dozen werewolves ran through the dense vine forest, clinging tightly to the back of the motorcycle. However, after half a mile, only one werewolf remained in pursuit. Using a horizontal branch in the forest as cover, the werewolf leaped into the air, hooked its claws onto the sidecar support, and with a powerful push, climbed onto the sidecar!

"Canridy Leviosa!"

Amid Ron's terrified scream, Harry raised his wand, and a shard of glass from the motorcycle's shattered rearview mirror whizzed past as the werewolf reached for Ron's arm.

Roar!

The werewolf let out a painful howl before falling off the motorcycle, his arm severed from his body forever.

Ron, who was struggling to support Malfoy, was doused with blood. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted without making a sound, collapsing into the sidecar like Malfoy.

"Well done, Harry!"

Sirius glanced at Harry and said approvingly.

Harry merely pursed his lips at the praise for Sirius. He looked at the werewolf with the severed arm in Ron's arms, his wand arm trembling uncontrollably, his face pale as a ghost. He heard Hermione, sandwiched between him and Sirius, sobbing softly, but he had no words to comfort her. He could only silently pat Hermione's thin shoulder.

The explosions and flashes from the battlefield behind him were still clear. Harry turned his head and stared at the battlefield where he had escaped death, his blood-stained cheeks twitching slightly.

If last summer, Professor Blaine took him to that sinister underground cave, which taught Harry that the wizarding world wasn't a fairytale, then tonight, Harry truly witnessed the cruelty of war—the werewolves who had died tragically, and Professor Lupin who had vanished without a trace. In a daze, Harry recalled the words Professor Blaine had taught the three of them.

Power is a very real thing, and it cannot be changed by individual will.

However, in his first year, in the secret underground classroom of the castle, he had a duel with Quirrell, who was possessed by Voldemort. At that time, he had nothing but determination, but he thwarted Voldemort's plot to take the Philosopher's Stone. Quirrell was even unable to touch him at that time.

At that time, Professor Dumbledore explained to himself that his mother's love left a mark on him. Being deeply loved by someone, even though that person has died, will leave us with an eternal talisman.

Harry initially thought the mark was his scar, but it wasn't. Professor Dumbledore explained that it was invisible, hidden beneath the skin.

"Maybe it only works on Voldemort—"

Harry's mutterings were carried away by the howling wind, and no one heard them.

Harry was daydreaming and didn't notice that the motorcycle's trajectory was no longer as stable as it had been at the beginning; instead, it was going up and down like a stone skipping across water.

“Mr. Blake—”

Hermione's face was brushed by a clump of leaves, and tears streamed down her face from the pain. Through a lens embedded in the rearview mirror, she saw Sirius's face, a color paler than snow. Suddenly realizing what was happening, and under the ominous red moonlight, Hermione noticed that Sirius's robes were stained red with blood.

"Oh, what's wrong?"

Sirius looked a little dazed, as if he had been suddenly woken up from a nap, and his tone was somewhat surprised.

"Well, I mean, you look a little tired—"

Hermione said with concern.

Having spent twelve years in Azkaban, the first wizard he encountered upon leaving was Amostrath Blaine. Sirius had forgotten what it felt like to be respected, and Hermione's respectful address made him feel somewhat out of place. After a brief silence, Sirius smiled, about to say something, when a sudden roar from a direction a few miles away interrupted him.

"what is that!"

The brutal battle that had just taken place had put Harry on high alert, and he shouted.

The roaring sound sounded familiar to Harry, but for a moment, he couldn't recall where he had heard it before.

"Whatever it is!"

Sirius said weakly, "We'd better avoid it now."

He spun the handlebars sharply, and the motorcycle roared off. The gust of wind blocked Harry's mouth, but the rhythmic roar didn't disappear; instead, it approached at an unsettling speed.

Now, Hogwarts Castle gradually grew taller in their sight. Gazing at the silent castle standing atop the high ground, Harry and Hermione both subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, a sense of security rising within them for no apparent reason.

Before they could even savor their relief at surviving such a close call, Sirius's head suddenly drooped, the motorcycle abruptly went out of control, and plunged headfirst into the ground. At the same time, the blood moon in the sky disappeared, and the chill in the air was clearly visible.

Chapter 303 Whose Guardian Angel

2023-05-26

Click!

Before Harry and Hermione could react, the motorcycle, which was thirty feet off the ground, slammed down and crashed into the ground with a sickening metallic thud and the snapping of trees. Ron and Malfoy were thrown into the air and disappeared into a ravine in a small gully.

Hermione clung tightly to Sirius's robe the whole time, and with Sirius cushioning her fall, she wasn't hurt as badly.

However, the powerful impact caused Hermione to roll several times on the ground. Finally, her head slammed heavily against a bare rock, and after a muffled groan, she fell silent.

Harry was the least injured of all, thanks entirely to his excellent Seeker skills. A dive at a similar angle was nothing to Harry, and he was also adept at protecting himself in such situations.

The moment the car's front end hit the ground, Harry used the force to leap out. He adjusted his posture in mid-air, curled up in a ball to protect his head, and rolled five or six times on the leaf-strewn ground before finally regaining control of his body.

Harry's face was buried in the damp, cold, rotting leaves. His hair was covered in dirt and grass clippings, and his robes were torn and tattered by the twigs scattered on the ground. Waves of weariness, surging from the depths of his soul, crashed against his consciousness through the darkness. If he could, Harry wished he could just pass out, but the safety of Hermione, Ron, and Sirius prevented him from resting.

Well!

Harry gritted his teeth and knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his arms. The soreness in his body made him lose consciousness for a few seconds until the warm, moist air from his nose moistened his dry lips and he tasted a metallic sweetness in his mouth, which brought Harry back to his senses.

Looking around, Ron and Malfoy had disappeared, and Harry found Malfoy's Nimbus 2001 in the ravine.

The motorcycle's front end and body had separated; the front end was embedded in the ground, while the heavy body was pressing down on Sirius's chest. By the increasingly dim moonlight, Harry could see that Sirius's chest cavity was caved in, and his ribs were definitely broken, though he didn't know how many.

Hermione--

Harry mumbled weakly. He tried to stand up a few times, but his body and mind could no longer support him to complete the action. So, he had to use all four limbs and crawl towards Hermione with difficulty.

Hermione's forehead was bruised and swollen, and blood was trickling from the wound where she had hit the stone. Harry tried to wipe the blood off Hermione's face with his sleeve, but his sleeve was already soaked and he could only smear Hermione's face with blood.

In that instant, Harry suddenly felt an urge to give up. He gazed at Hermione lying in his arms, her face ashen, mechanically repeating the wiping motion.

To be honest, Harry had encountered quite a few setbacks before, whether it was the years he lived with the Dursleys or the various pressures he faced after entering Hogwarts. These were things that ordinary young wizards could not imagine. And now, the experiences of the past hour or two and the situation he was facing now made Harry feel deeply powerless.

Suddenly, Harry, whose vision was blurred, felt that everything around him had become quiet, as if he had suddenly lost his hearing and the world was silent.

Every breath exhaled into the air left a clear white mark; the indescribable cold seemed to freeze even blood and soul, and the despair brewing in the heart erupted like a volcano.

Harry saw them—Dementors, at least dozens of them, descending from the tall treetops like dark, ominous clouds, hovering above Sirius's head.

"Don't--"

Harry, his hand trembling, pointed his wand at the excited Dementors and spoke in a barely audible voice.

"Don't hurt him, he's innocent."

Ha spoke in a pleading voice.

None of the Dementors paid any attention to Harry's pleas. They circled above Sirius's head for two minutes before finally confirming that the person trapped under the car was none other than Sirius Black, who had escaped right under their noses!

"Touch God's Protection."

Harry struggled to read it, but the tip of his staff didn't change at all; not even the hazy silver mist that appeared when he first practiced Patronus with Professor Lupin did.

Think about happy things--

Harry told himself, desperately trying to get his numb brain working—Sirius was innocent, his parents hadn't trusted the wrong person, and their best friend was innocent—

Patronus—

This time, the wand finally reacted, and a few wisps of silver mist drifted toward the Dementors. However, in the face of such a large number of Dementors, the weak Patronus was of no use at all; it could not even dispel the cold brought to it by the monsters.

Although the Patronus Harry summoned was weak, it still angered the Dementors, who briefly shifted their attention from Sirius Black to Harry.

"Touch of the Gods--"

Harry was enveloped in immense despair, but he couldn't give up because no one but him could protect Sirius.

He recalled the fire bolt, and now it seemed Hermione's guess was probably right. It was a Christmas present from Sirius Black, who had almost risked his life to protect him during the fierce battle with the werewolves. This warm feeling made Harry's Patronus a little stronger.