Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 313 News about Sirius

Pig Head Bar is quieter than before.

Harry, his friends, and Sirius Black pushed open the door and came in to find Sirius talking to the grumpy shopkeeper. Seeing them enter, the shopkeeper snapped, "You're here. Get out of my sight."

"Hey, okay, okay, relax." Sirius spread his hands, smiled, and said to the shopkeeper, then turned around and gave Harry a tight hug. "How are you, Harry?"

"I'm fine, Sirius." Harry was excited, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face. "And you? Are you alright? I saw in the newspaper..."

"What the newspapers said isn't entirely true, you know, those reporters..." Sirius Black pursed his lips, then greeted Hermione and Ron, gesturing for them to sit at a table. Once they were seated, he slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Hey, Aberforth, give us all a butterbeer!"

Aberforth was very efficient, but his attitude wasn't great. He slammed the glass down on the table, shaking the liquid inside and spilling quite a bit. Sirius simply smiled at this.

This scene piqued the curiosity of Harry and his two friends, and they were about to ask when Sirius interrupted them.

"Alright, let's ignore him. He's always been like this, all these years..." Sirius Black took a sip of his butterbeer, styled a foamy mustache, and asked Harry with a smile, "I heard your team's selection process is over? How did it go? Confident of winning this year's Quidditch Cup?"

"Of course, my goal has always been to become the ultimate champion," Harry said.

"Keep that confidence; confidence is an essential quality for a champion!" Sirius Black gave a thumbs up. "As the best Seeker in all of Hogwarts, that's the kind of confidence you need."

Sirius's words made Harry a little embarrassed, especially in front of Ron. He scratched his head, coughed twice, and abruptly changed the subject.

"Alright, Sirius, stop praising me like that, let's get down to business..." Harry's expression turned serious. "You said you'd tell us some things."

"Of course, I agreed, didn't I?" Sirius said. "But what do you want to know? A lot has happened in the last few days... But before you ask those questions, there's something I think I need to tell you."

"What?"

"Scrimgeour probably won't be in his position as minister for much longer..." Sirius said. "You've all seen what happened in Azkaban in the newspapers, right? I can tell you definitively that none of the guards in Azkaban survived that day; they were all killed..."

"Oh My God!"

The three were taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances, their mouths agape in astonishment. Sirius Black's smile vanished, and he nodded seriously, saying, "Yes, to be precise, it should be twenty-three people, including Edward Bradso, the captain of the Azkaban Guard. He used to be Scrimgeour's most outstanding Auror, back when he was the chief of the Auror's office..."

"So, all those Death Eaters and prisoners escaped?" Harry asked.

“That’s right.” Sirius nodded. “Moreover, what’s worrying is that they haven’t shown their faces since they escaped, and they’ve even reduced their sabotage activities considerably… There’s no doubt they’re brewing a big plan.”

"What plan?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Sirius shook his head, took a sip of his butterbeer, and said, "We haven't received any information, not even that snotty-nosed guy knows anything."

"This is not a good sign..." Hermione sighed.

"Why?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"You think, Sirius…" Hermione started to say, but Sirius looked at her very seriously, and the words she was about to say changed immediately, "Snotty, he's the one who's the most secretive, isn't he? If even he doesn't know…"

Upon hearing this, Harry realized what was happening and unconsciously frowned, saying, "So, Voldemort..." Before he could finish speaking, Sirius interrupted him.

He said very seriously, "Harry, I think someone must have told you not to pronounce this name."

"It's nothing, Sirius. Didn't Dumbledore say the same thing?" Harry said, glancing at Hermione beside him, whose expression was equally serious.

“It’s different,” Sirius said. “You should know that the mysterious man cast a spell on his name, so he can sense it whenever someone utters it… Dumbledore wasn’t afraid because he had enough power, but Harry, you still need protection…”

"I don't need protection!" Harry suddenly became very agitated, which gave Sirius a headache. He could only wave his hands repeatedly to forcefully stop the conversation.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore..." he said. "What I really wanted to tell you is that it's even more dangerous outside now than before. I hope you won't leave Hogwarts, even during the holidays... It's probably the safest place in all of Britain right now."

"Not even Hogsmeade can come?" Ron asked.

"Yes." Sirius nodded. "This time you were allowed to come out, and the Ministry of Magic, the Order of the Phoenix, and the school provided tight protection. But as I said, the Ministry of Magic is likely to change its stance now, and this level of protection may not be available again in the future."

"And don't forget, Harry, your safety is the most important thing..."

Harry looked at Sirius's expression and eyes, and a sense of irritation rose within him. He hated being treated like a fragile porcelain doll, yet he also knew he was Voldemort's target.

After all, the prophecy stated that only one of him and Voldemort could survive...

Seeing Harry back down, even knowing it was only temporary, Sirius Black breathed a sigh of relief. He put on a smile again and asked, "Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Do you have any questions?"

"I want to ask!" Ron said immediately, "Was there really a fire dragon that day? Was it really Norbert?"

"Nober? It should be called Noberta now," Sirius said with a laugh. "Yes, it was a huge help!"

"Wow! That's cool!" Ron exclaimed, already imagining the scene of dragon flames covering the sky.

Sirius smiled and nodded at Ron, then glanced at Harry beside him, who was still frowning, and felt a pang of guilt. Sometimes, he really wished Harry wouldn't think about so many things, and that he would have fewer of his own ideas.

Unfortunately, that's impossible...

At that moment, Hermione spoke up, posing a question that left everyone speechless.

"Sirius, is Dumbledore dying?"

(End of this chapter)