The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

Dumbledore's expression also became serious.

But Sirius just clicked his tongue dismissively.

"I told you, that guy is a complete coward. He's too scared to do anything underhanded, and he's too afraid to show his face!"

"But at the same time, he is also greedy for the reputation of the wizarding world, so now he must be hiding in some dark corner, like a real rat, just waiting for the day when the Prophet's Daily will announce that I have died of illness or gone mad."

Thinking of this, he suddenly looked at Dumbledore: "Albus, you can announce to the world that Azkaban's Dementors have finally drained my soul. As long as this news spreads throughout England, that despicable traitor will definitely be unable to resist jumping out to celebrate!"

Kingsley, standing to the side, was slightly moved.

Dumbledore gazed silently at Sirius with a hint of pity in his eyes.

“That is indeed a very attractive proposal, Sirius,” Dumbledore shook his head and said softly, “but that’s a last resort. The situation in the Ministry of Magic is much more complicated than you think. Cornelius is now very sensitive to the lust for power, and he won’t want these…public opinions that I ‘control’ to emerge in the Ministry of Magic under his control.”

“Before that, I need more information about Peter,” Dumbledore asked Sirius about the mouse-like features of the little dwarf.

Although ten years have passed, Sirius Black described it without the slightest hesitation.

They knew each other very well.

He remembered every single feature of that rat perfectly.

"...Most importantly, he lost a finger bone, which will also be reflected in the Animagus metamorphosis. In other words, if you find a rat that is missing a toe and has lived for more than ten years, it is very likely to be the traitor!"

“A gray rat, missing a toe…” Dumbledore nodded slightly, memorizing these words, and prepared to leave Azkaban.

Before leaving, he reminded Sirius, "Until that day comes, Sirius, hang in there. I need you to be able to stand sober in the Wizengamot courtroom on the day the truth comes out."

Dumbledore waved his wand again, reinforcing the soothing spell that had been placed on Sirius.

Sirius then straightened his body back into a hunched posture.

Then, Dumbledore turned to look at Kingsley.

"Let's go. Now that we know the truth about what happened back then, we should find Little Pettigrew's trail as soon as possible."

After the Dementors tried several times to approach them and absorb their happiness, but were blocked each time by the silver lynx guardian surrounding Kingsley's wand, they finally left Azkaban.

Chapter 112: Love is the Greatest Magic in the World

“It’s unbelievable that the truth back then is…so outrageous,” Kingsley asked Dumbledore after they had traveled some distance from Azkaban. “So what do we do next?”

“I will keep an eye on every little corner of Hogwarts,” Dumbledore said, looking at Kingsley. “Also, Kingsley, I need you to use the resources of the Auror Office to secretly investigate those ‘long-lived’ pet mice that suddenly appeared after 1981 and are missing toes. Remember, do it quietly, and don’t disturb Cornelius before the dust settles.”

Kingsley nodded.

He knew that Cornelius Fudge wouldn't care about Sirius's injustice.

But if he knew these things before it was all over, this minister, who wasn't very capable, might do something foolish to alarm Little Pettigrew.

After arranging everything and returning to the mainland, the two went their separate ways to carry out the next step of their investigation.

......

The next morning, London.

After arranging the tasks for McGonagall, Dumbledore changed into a rather inconspicuous robe and knocked on the Tonks' door.

He was there to return the Tonks family's owl messenger, and also to see Ryze to see if the boy had seen anything else last night.

However, after learning Dumbledore's purpose, Andromeda first repeated what Rizz had said the night before, and then said that Rizz had gone to his former orphanage early this morning.

"Albus, about Sirius..." Andromeda pleaded with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded: "After receiving your letter yesterday, I went to Azkaban and learned the truth from Sirius."

He recounted his experience from the previous night, then bowed slightly in apology: "I'm so sorry that he had to stay in that kind of place for ten years."

Andromeda's eyes were a little red, but she still shook her head: "I know his personality... The Black family is always so stubborn. He wants to atone for the deaths of James and Lily, which is why he has endured the pain of being misunderstood by everyone all these years."

“I will clear his name, I promise,” Dumbledore said earnestly, looking at Andromeda.

Andromeda wiped her eyes and then continued, asking if she should call the orphanage and bring Ryze back.

Dumbledore waved his hand: "No need, I'll go find him myself. I also want to see where he used to live."

He appeared around Thomas's orphanage following the address.

Instead of revealing himself directly, he cast a Disillusionment Spell on himself and entered an orphanage once again.

His memory involuntarily drifted back to that gloomy afternoon more than half a century ago.

That was the Woods orphanage where he first went to pick up Tom Riddell.

That place is much more oppressive than this one.

Some of the children living there formed a small group around Tom, but most of the ordinary orphans were afraid of Tom from the bottom of their hearts.

According to the orphanage administrators, some heinous incidents have occurred in the orphanage, but no one knows who did them or can find any evidence.

But those who didn't stand with Tom were the ones who suffered the most.

Compared to the Woods Orphanage, the buildings at Thomas Orphanage are also old, and most of the orphans there do not appear to be in good health.

Some had pale faces, while others were using crutches.

Most normal children are adopted when they are young, and those who remain either have physical problems or intellectual or personality problems.

But the atmosphere inside this orphanage was completely different from what he had experienced half a century ago.

Dumbledore stopped outside the steamy canteen window.

Ryze is helping out in the cafeteria right now.

While processing the chickens bought from the market, she was also directing several older orphans to make cake bases.

Dumbledore didn't disturb the fishy chatter in the dining hall.

After walking around the orphanage, I found a bench at the back.

He released the illusion spell and sat down, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

After waiting for about half an hour, Ryze finally appeared.

"Professor, although there aren't many desserts here, the freshly made chicken soup tastes quite good. Would you like to stay and have lunch with us?"

Dumbledore smiled and waved his hand: "I have to go back to Hogwarts at noon."

He then gestured for Ryze to sit down next to him.

Ritz sat down at the other end of the bench: "If you had come, you could have just told me. I only realized you were here when I had a strange premonition while I was stewing chicken in the kitchen. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."

“You were handling the ingredients so carefully, I didn’t want to show up and disturb your collaboration,” Dumbledore said, turning to look at Reiz. “I was planning to come find you after you put the chickens on the stove, but an old man sitting in a place like this is indeed prone to reminiscing about the past, so I just sat here for a while and spaced out.”

"What are you recalling?"

“Something from a long time ago, about another boy, and another orphanage.”

Dumbledore spoke casually of the past: "He was just as good as you in many ways, and perhaps even the best student at Hogwarts in recent centuries."

“But when I walked into that orphanage, I sensed oppression and fear from the other children. From that moment on, I knew that the child’s heart was not as perfect as outsiders thought.”

"At the time, I was somewhat troubled because another friend had gone astray, so during that crucial first meeting, I gave him incorrect guidance. Perhaps for this reason, he developed the idea that power was more important than anything else, and ultimately went down the wrong path."

Dumbledore's voice lowered slightly.

Then he looked at Reese: "In fact, when I first learned about you, I was indeed a little worried about you, but when I saw you busy here and saw how close the children were to you, I felt genuine joy."

"Remember this feeling; that is the greatest magic in the world."

Rizz nodded, knowing that this was Dumbledore's approval of him.

As a cold wind blew by, Dumbledore suppressed his emotions, then his expression became more serious: "Well then, let's get back to the letter from last night."

“After receiving Andromeda’s letter, I went to Azkaban and learned the truth of what happened back then. Your divination was correct; Sirius was not a traitor,” he said, taking a rusty pocket watch from his robe and handing it to Rez. “This is the pocket watch Peter used during his student days; it must have been the item he carried with him for the longest time before he fled.”

“I want to know if, through this medium, you can further divine Peter’s current hiding place.”

Chapter 113: The Rats Hidden in Hogwarts

As Dumbledore handed the pocket watch to Rizz, he also mentioned the information he had obtained about Peter Pettigrew the day before.

The moment Ryze's fingertips touched the cold metal, he closed his eyes and entered a divination posture.

"This scent... it feels so familiar..."

"There was an air of timidity and fear, but he was relaxed now because he felt he was living in a very safe place and no one would think he was hiding there."

Rizz's voice rang out, and Dumbledore stared intently at Rizz.

Then, Rizz opened his eyes and looked at Dumbledore: "Hagrid once told us that Hogwarts is the safest place in the world."

He paused for a moment: "And... I have a feeling that I've been in contact with the owner of this aura in the past month."

Dumbledore's eyes sharpened slightly: "The safest place... he certainly chose a place that wouldn't be easily expected."

Dumbledore made his decision and also saw through Rizz's caution.

The child probably noticed something was wrong with the mouse a long time ago, but if it hadn't involved his own family, he probably wouldn't have chosen to tell them.

“Thank you, Rhett, your reading has saved us a lot of time in our investigation,” Dumbledore stood up. “Well then, I think I should go back and take care of some ‘household chores’ now.”

He nodded to Raz: "Alright, leave the rest to us adults. You young people should enjoy your vacation."

Dumbledore gestured for Rizz to look in the direction of the orphanage; the children would be coming soon.

Ryze also stood up, bowed slightly in farewell: "You too, Professor, I hope you receive the Christmas gift you want."

Dumbledore laughed heartily, his voice light and cheerful: "That might be a bit difficult. In all these years, no one has ever guessed what Christmas present I really want!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore's figure twisted and shrank in the air.

With a very faint crackling sound, it completely disappeared from Ryze's sight.

"Apparition is such a convenient magic, it's just a pity that I can't learn it yet."

Rizz looked at the spot where Dumbledore had disappeared and uttered this sigh.

He didn't bother to review whether his expression and posture were perfect. In front of a wizard of Dumbledore's caliber, excessive concealment would only expose his flaws.

He believed that as a prophet, he had done what he was supposed to do.

Anyway, Dumbledore trusts him now, and even if he realizes that he is hiding something, he won't care. In fact, he will probably help him erase the traces of this matter.

That's enough.

He turned and walked toward the orphanage. He also made a special trip to the Requirement House to brew some medicine and brought it back, intending to pour some of the tasteless medicine into the chicken soup later.

Although it's just a basic potion in the magical world, it will at least allow these frail and sickly orphans to get a few more good nights of sleep this year.

Since he couldn't use magic at the orphanage and couldn't give them the more effective chicken soup potion, this was the only way he could help the orphanage.

......

Today is December 24th, the second day after the holiday.

Hogwarts Castle was covered in thick snow, and since most students and professors had chosen to go home for the holidays, the entire castle appeared quite quiet and deserted.

Harry Potter was wandering around the castle, and the cold weather couldn't dampen his enthusiasm.

“Harry, I’m begging you, we’ve already circled the castle three times,” Ron said, looking rather dejected.

“Although Rez does tell you that you will have some amazing experiences during this holiday, he doesn’t say which day it will be, and I don’t think that such amazing experiences are something we can discover just by wandering around like this.”

Harry, on the other hand, seemed quite interested: "But we did discover quite a few things we didn't know before, such as the many enthusiastic elves in the Hogwarts kitchen, and the ghost called 'Weeping Myrtle' in that bathroom on the second floor that no one dared to use... We even verified a secret passage leading directly to the Owl's Hut based on what Fred and the others had said before. Isn't that interesting enough!"

Normally, there are many students walking around Hogwarts Castle, and they certainly can't explore this huge house as freely as they do now.

Only during the Christmas holiday, when the total number of teachers and students staying on campus is estimated to be less than twenty, can they be so carefree.

“It’s fun, but all I want to do right now is sit in the fireplace in the lounge, eat a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and play a few rounds of Wizards Chess,” Ron muttered.

However, nowadays not many people are willing to play wizard chess with him, because his chess skills are indeed very high, and his chess pieces have been growing up with him since he was four or five years old, so they work together very well. Even Percy might not be a match for Ron in wizard chess.

So Harry would only play a few rounds of wizard chess with Ron when he had absolutely nothing else to do and Ron was willing to let him win, just to make him happy.

He muttered to himself, then reached into his pocket, wanting to touch the rat, Banban, who had grown up with him.

This thing actually accompanied him for a longer time than the Wizard Chess.

Although it was Percy's pet at first, it had actually been in the family for only a year or two less than Ron.

As one of the few things that completely belong to Ron now, Ron may complain about the little guy, but he still carries it with him often and shares some of his good food with it.

For example, the magic potion chicken soup from before, and the dumpling feast we had at Hagrid's place last night.

This includes tonight's Christmas Eve dinner.