A certain broken Hogwarts

bang——

There was a heavy thud as something fell to the ground, mixed with Sirius's indistinct cries.

"Hahaha...that's how it should be! Get this bastard out of my house! Hahahaha..." The shrill laughter from Mrs. Black's portrait sounded like the mournful hooting of a night owl.

"Oh no! Sirius!" Harry sprang up, drew his wand, and dashed out like a whirlwind.

Irving pursed his lips, straightened his body, and narrowed his dark eyes dangerously. He paused, then followed after him.

As he strode forward, he forcefully swung his right arm, and a jet-black, straight wand slid out from his sleeve and was firmly grasped by his pale, slender fingers.

By the time he left the living room, Harry had already disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

Irving walked briskly down the soft carpet of the corridor, casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself. Given the uncertainty of the situation downstairs, necessary caution was essential.

By this time, Harry had already rushed to the second-floor landing and was anxiously peering down through the railing. Below was the dimly lit foyer, where the portrait's screams were especially loud.

He saw Sirius lying on his back on the floor, his face contorted in pain, his wand lying in the corner, his mouth wide open, his body contorted in agony. At this point, he could distinguish Sirius's screams from the cacophony of sounds.

The view near the front door was blocked, and Harry could only see half of Sirius's twitching body. He craned his neck, trying to see more clearly, but could only make out half of the wand pointing at Sirius.

Then he heard, amidst the hysterical laughter and curses of Mrs. Blake's portrait, another woman's hoarse, maniacal laughter.

"Sirius..." Harry gritted his teeth and rushed towards the stairs, but before he went downstairs, his brain, which had been clouded by worry and anger, finally managed to calm down a little.

"I can't just go downstairs like this, someone will see me..." Harry desperately tried to think straight. "I have to hit the bullseye."

He took a deep breath, recited a half-baked Illusion Charm, and then ran downstairs, gripping his wand tightly in his right hand, ready to unleash his power.

His ears were carefully sifting through the noise for any useful information. He heard the woman's laughter stop, and amidst Sirius's drawn-out scream, faint voices could be heard.

"...I was overjoyed to hear you were released from Azkaban. I couldn't wait to come see you as soon as I got out, and your old friend was happy to visit you too." The woman spoke of reminiscing, but her voice carried an air of arrogance and madness.

"Looks like you're doing well. Want something extra, my dear cousin..."

"Extremely painful!"

Sirius's screams grew increasingly agonizing, and the woman burst into laughter once more.

Harry finally got a good look at the woman standing next to Sirius. Her cheeks were sunken, her face emaciated, like a skeleton, and a chilling grin hung on her face. She wore a tattered black robe, had messy black hair, and was soaking wet, smelling of the salty sea.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry uttered his most familiar spell without hesitation, and a dazzling red light shot out.

The woman reacted swiftly, raising her wand abruptly: "Protect yourself!"

The red light bounced back so fast that Harry barely had time to dodge. He quickly pressed himself against the wall, the spell grazing his ear, singeing a tuft of hair, and knocking a portrait off the wall.

Due to the interference of the spell, the illusion spell on his body failed, and his figure emerged from the air like ripples on water.

A beam of white light shot towards him almost immediately after the previous beam; the woman had cast the spell too quickly. Harry quickly chanted "Protect Yourself," narrowly blocking the attack, and the invisible barrier of the Armor Charm in front of him shattered at the same time.

Another spell followed, giving him no chance to catch his breath. Harry had no choice but to scramble behind the corner of the stairs, curling up against the stairs for cover, gasping for air.

"Whose little one is this?" The woman toyed with her wet hair with her left hand, tilting her head in confusion as she spoke in a high-pitched voice. At the same time, she raised her right foot high and kicked Sirius Black hard in the jaw as he struggled to reach for his wand by the wall.

Sirius let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He lay motionless on the ground, only his chest rising and falling.

Harry, who witnessed this scene through the gap in the stairwell, clenched his teeth, feeling his temples throbbing. He suddenly leaned halfway out and muttered "Fainted" at the woman with hatred.

The spell bounced back, and Harry quickly shrunk back, glancing anxiously upstairs. He was no match for this woman. When would Owen arrive? Or even Dobby would do.

"Harry Potter? Little Harry, I see your scar." The woman's eyes widened in surprise, making her skeletal face even more terrifying. She stared intently at the spot where Harry was hiding, licking her thin lips with the tip of her tongue, her sunken eyes flashing with a violent and crazed look.

She abruptly lifted Sirius from the ground and held him in front of her, the tip of her wand slamming into his cheek. In a high-pitched, yet piercing, baby-like voice, she said, "Do you value Sirius, little Potter?"

Harry stopped breathing.

The woman tilted her head, revealing an evil and arrogant smile. She impatiently waved her wand, and a beam of light struck the portrait beside her that was shouting loudly. The two velvet curtains slammed shut with a "whoosh."

The deafening shouts and shrill laughter vanished instantly, leaving only the woman's deliberately high-pitched, coaxing voice: "Let's make a deal, little Potter. Come out of your trembling little corner, give me your wand, and I'll give your dear Sirius back, okay?"

"Impossible!" Harry's mind raced. He couldn't believe this woman would let Sirius go; once he lost his wand, he would truly be powerless to resist.

In that case, he absolutely must not let the other party know how much he cares about Sirius, otherwise Sirius will really be in danger.

He gritted his teeth, staring intently at Sirius's face through the gap in the stairwell. Sirius struggled to open his eyes, his expression contorted in pain, but his mouth moved silently, mouthing the word "leave."

Harry pressed his trembling hands, telling himself not to panic, and forced a cold voice, saying, "I've only known him for two months. Do you think I value him more than myself? You're dreaming."

"Did you hear that? My poor cousin," the woman said in an affectedly gentle voice, "Nobody cares about you. You're just a filthy parasite."

Seeing Sirius's somewhat relieved expression, she gave a terrifying smile and said softly, "Well then, let's play a game. If Potter doesn't come out, I'll cut out your tongue; if Potter doesn't hand over his wand, I'll gouge out your eyes. Isn't that fun? I'll count to three..."

Harry clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding in his chest. He was truly panicked, his mind a complete mess, and he almost jumped out of his skin.

"one……"

"What to do? What to do..." Harry bit his finger. Anyone could help him, save Sirius, anyone would do!

"two……"

Just as Harry was about to stand up, intending to stall for time, Kreacher's delighted voice came from downstairs: "Miss Bella, you're back?"

The elderly house-elf entered the foyer through another doorway, carrying a locket. Upon seeing the foyer, his expression shifted from surprise and delight to astonishment. Looking at Sirius's face, filled with despair and anguish, he hesitated, then pleaded, "Miss Bella, please…"

Just as the woman was slightly distracted by Kreacher, Sirius, who was being held in front of her, mustered the last of his strength and jerked his head back, slamming the back of his head into the woman's nose with a loud thud.

The woman winced in pain, loosening her grip on his arm as blood gushed from her nose. Sirius's body slid sideways, but the woman caught him halfway down.

Taking advantage of the moment when half of the woman's body was exposed, Harry seized the opportunity to cast a Stunning Charm. But it didn't work; an Ironclad Charm deflected the spell in time.

Harry felt despair, and tears welled up in his eyes. Then, he heard another chanting sound softly beside him.

He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!

A brighter beam of red light shot out from beside him, striking directly downstairs and hitting the woman's chest, which was not blocked by Sirius Black.

The light barrier of the Ironclad Curse seemed to pass right through it as if it didn't exist, and for the first time, a look of astonishment and panic appeared on the woman's face. Caught off guard by the spell so close at hand, she had no time to dodge.

In that critical moment, she could only drop Sirius Black and try her best to turn her body to the right. But the curse was too powerful for her to avoid.

Just as the curse was about to strike her, a dark shadow leaped swiftly out of her right pocket, heading straight for the beam of red light.

"squeak--"

A gray rat, its neck bound by a rope, let out a mournful cry and slumped to the ground, its eyes rolling back as it was suspended by the rope beside the woman's calves. The rat's limbs hung limply, and a toe was faintly visible on its right forepaw.

After the tricky spell was blocked by the rat, the woman swiftly escaped through the front door, giving Harry a vicious final glance before shouting, "You can't get away!"

With a "snap," she instantly teleported away on the steps. The second beam of red light missed its target, leaving a charred hole in the steps.

Harry sat slumped on the stairs, stunned, and it took him a long time to react before he scrambled towards Sirius, who lay sprawled on the floor. Kreacher stood helplessly to the side, clutching the locket tightly in his hand.

Irving's figure slowly emerged from the stairs. He had actually arrived much earlier, but Sirius was being held hostage, and he had been waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

He had just used the soul version of the Stunning Spell without hesitation, hoping to finish off his opponent in one blow. However, he did not expect that there was more than one enemy. His sure-hit attack was blocked by the rat that Peter Pettigrew had transformed into.

However, it's not surprising that this guy made such a choice. After all, he was chained up, and if he didn't want to be sent back to Azkaban again, his actions were very wise.

The woman also decisively fled, her movements swift and clean, causing Irving's second spell to fail.

Irving stared in the direction the woman had fled, muttering to himself, "Bellatrix Lestrange."

He didn't know how Peter Pettigrew escaped Azkaban and brought Bellatrix with him. She was a lawless madwoman, a fanatical Voldemort fan, vicious, cruel, and tyrannical, acting without regard for consequences, and the most dangerous member of the Death Eaters.

That was actually the best chance to catch her, but she escaped. With such a madwoman lurking in the shadows, no one knows what heinous things she might do.

Fortunately, he concealed himself well when he made his move; Irving didn't want to be targeted by such a madman.

He hissed softly, then couldn't help but grin. "Hiss, so these are the prisoners of Azkaban? Worthless...worthless..."

Owen thinks Harry's doomed this year... (End of Chapter)