Hogwarts: I'm Harry's older cousin

Chapter 225, Section 223. Are you right, Mr. Black?

Seeing everyone nod, Dali continued.

"We have successfully acquired the portrait rights to the professors, and the new cards have been completed. They will be released tomorrow."

"Now it's time to distribute the rewards."

As he spoke, Dali took out several heavy cloth bags and placed them on the table.

This was agreed upon beforehand, and it was meant to be distributed to the other people.

If we make money together, we should share the profits with our brothers.

The group looked at each other, but no one was the first to reach out, not even Ron, whose family was the poorest.

The bag definitely doesn't contain any silver Sickles or bronze Nat; Dudley can only have Galleons.

I want it, but it's too expensive.

"Brother D, we only did something insignificant. I don't think we deserve to receive so much compensation."

"He really is the richest Malfoy," Draco said.

Galleons were indeed a lot, but they were just a drop in the ocean compared to the small amount of money Dudley was about to earn.

Besides, Dali didn't give it away for free; it was the reward they deserved after doing the job.

Through the connections of the Weasley, Malfoy, and Longbottom families, coupled with the efforts of the Carroll family, they essentially secured the portrait rights to all the well-known wizards in the British wizarding world.

He already foresaw the unprecedented popularity of the next Wizards card series.

It's certainly good that my partners aren't swayed by money, but Dali is a little troubled that they won't even take their share.

Seeing that the others remained unmoved, Harry took his share from the table and then stuffed the rest of the rewards into their hands.

"Please accept this."

Harry said, "Remember what D said? Fairness! If you don't want it, aren't you making D go back on his word?"

The timid little tagalong who followed Dudley around at St. George's Elementary School back then has grown up a lot.

Since things had been said to this extent, no one refused anymore and happily accepted the gifts.

Few people dislike Galleons; the difference lies in not wanting to lose anything because of money. But since it's legitimate income, why refuse it?

Seeing the bag full of glittering Galleons, everyone was in high spirits, and their appetites improved as well. Ron, in particular, ate three large servings of lamb chops and five cups of butterbeer in one go.

When they left, Ron and Draco, who had also drunk quite a bit, put their arms around each other and swayed as they insisted on going to Honeydukes. Now that they had some money in their pockets, they had to spend it all. To prevent any accidents from happening to the two of them, Neville followed them.

Dudley, Hermione, and Harry were left to take a slow walk under the cover of night.

A large black dog followed silently behind the three of them.

Unbeknownst to them, the group had left the most bustling area of ​​Hogsmeade and stopped near a large wooden house that looked very old. As soon as they stopped, the big black dog that had been following them also stopped and hid to the side.

This is the Scream Shack, the most haunted and terrifying place in all of England, according to legend.

It's also a must-visit spot for Hogwarts students.

Of course, they only clock in during the day; they wouldn't dare do it at night.

"Harry, what do you know about Sirius Black?"

Dali looked at the crooked wooden door in front of him and suddenly asked a question.

"He betrayed my parents," Harry replied without hesitation.

Yes, he already knew.

Don't think Harry is ignorant; on the contrary, he's quite clever. With the Sirius Black affair causing such a stir, he could easily find out the whole story with a little inquiry.

The Sirius Black incident wasn't exactly a secret back then; you could easily find out by reading the Daily Prophet from that time.

He didn't say anything because he didn't want to cause trouble for Dali.

Upon hearing Harry's words, the big black dog immediately drooped its ears.

"That's how it seems on the surface. But I think it's worth talking to the person involved."

After Dudley finished speaking, he turned to face the spot where the big black dog was hiding: "Aren't you right, Mr. Black?"

The big black dog was startled and was about to run away when it discovered that it couldn't move its body.

Above its head, a much larger Cornish elf was watching it with a grin.

"I think we should go inside and talk."

Dudley pointed to the screaming shack ahead: "I made an appointment with someone inside."

The interior of the screaming shack was covered in dust, clearly indicating it hadn't been cleaned in a long time.

"Professor Lupin?"

Lupin looked surprised when he saw Harry and Hermione walk in.

"Harry? Hermione? And...!!!"

The moment Lupin saw the big black dog, he instinctively pulled out his wand.

"Disarm you!"

The spell's characteristic beam of light flashed, but instead of being aimed at the big black dog, it was directed at the Cornish elf who was controlling it.

The Cornish elf was knocked away, and the unrestrained black dog landed steadily and immediately ran to Lupin's side.

Although these two friends haven't seen each other for over a decade, their tacit understanding allows them to work together perfectly without even speaking.

Harry and Hermione immediately pulled out their wands, one pointing at Lupin and the other at the big black dog.

In contrast, Hermione and Harry also firmly believed in Dudley. The moment he said that the big black dog was Sirius Black, they believed him unconditionally.

Since Lupin is on Sirius's side, he is the enemy, even if he is the professor.

"Cancel the transformation, I don't want to hear dog talk."

Dudley found a stool from somewhere and sat down steadily, looking at the man and the dog at eye level.

The large black dog's body gradually transformed, and soon, a man with tangled hair, sunken eyes, and skin clinging to his skeleton like a wax figure appeared before them, resembling a living skeleton.

He grinned, showing his yellow teeth, and seemed quite happy.

In his view, Remus had already taken control of the situation when he trusted him and stood by his side.

How lucky I am to meet Remus here.

Even if the other party has a wand, even if the other party has two wands, they are still just two little wizards.

But Lupin didn't see it that way. Hermione and Harry were definitely the most talented young wizards he had ever seen in all these years. As for Dudley, he had already deviated from the normal wizarding category and placed him on the same level as Dumbledore when he was young.

He dared not be careless in the slightest; he even refused Sirius's attempt to hug him.

"Professor Lupin, I think the most important thing you should do is protect your students."

Dudley looked at Lupin seriously, his tone revealing a hint of disappointment.

Regardless of your reasons, a professor's duty should be to protect students at the first opportunity.

In this respect alone, he is far inferior to Snape.

Despite Snape's usual hostility and tendency to mock students, he truly stood up for them when it mattered.

I clicked the wrong chapter title, I'll correct it tomorrow.

I'm not trying to discredit Lupin, but in the book, he immediately disarmed Harry, his two friends, and Lupin the wands as soon as he appeared.

Did he never consider that Sirius might have actually betrayed him?

(End of this chapter)