From Azkaban to Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall. I had a great summer, a wonderful one, and very rewarding."

William looked at the wizard on the table. "Is this Professor Lupin?"

Professor McGonagall, oblivious to William's inner turmoil, introduced him in a slightly more relaxed tone than usual, "Yes, this is our new colleague, Remus Lupin, an outstanding graduate of Gryffindor."

"Lupin, this is Professor William. I hope you two will have a pleasant collaboration in the future."

She then gestured to introduce Luping.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you." William smiled and extended his hand to shake hands with Lupin.

Her nails were neatly trimmed, but her hands were rough…not like a normal wizard’s hands…What am I thinking? This is a colleague…

Fortunately, Professor McGonagall broke the silence in time, "Well, we're here today to discuss some important matters."

She waved her wand, casting a spell around the table. "Professor William, I think you know about Sirius Black, right?"

“Yes, very well. Minister Fudge even spoke with me specifically.” William nodded. “But to be honest, I’m not too optimistic about the Ministry of Magic.”

"Not very optimistic?"

Lupin, sitting at the table, looked at William. "Could you tell me, Professor William?"

"Up to now, the Ministry of Magic's defenses, well," William paused, "have been quite conservative. And, from some rather unusual sources, while there has been some movement of strikers and Aurors, the available manpower is not very abundant..."

“To be precise, I think the Ministry of Magic was even a bit perfunctory in this manhunt,” William spread his hands. “I even suspect they’re waiting for Harry to return to school so Dumbledore can deal with Sirius Black.”

That's a bit much, but it's fine to say it to your own people—Professor McGonagall said when she introduced him that he was an outstanding graduate of Gryffindor, which is an absolute guarantee.

“The movement of Aurors and strikers…” Lupin looked at William, his face full of surprise, “This kind of top secret… this is too…”

It's no wonder Lupin was surprised; not many people within the Ministry of Magic would know about this—but William's information came from the latest prices of goods on the black market.

When a large number of smugglers are mobilized, smuggling will rampant, and the prices of goods will drop accordingly. If Aurors are mobilized, dark wizards will have some breathing room, the prices of materials for dark magic experiments will rise, and the prices of books will fall.

People who have never been to the black market may not be able to figure it out easily, but a wizard like William, who has been to Azkaban, can figure out most of the black market locations and prices after a little conversation.

"That's about it, but not entirely..." Professor McGonagall nodded. "According to the Ministry of Magic's latest proposal, they're going to increase the number of guards... At the start of the new school year, Dementors will be stationed at all the school entrances to prevent Sirius from sneaking in."

"Dementor?"

"Dementor?"

William and Lupin both gasped, but their gasps meant completely different things.

"The Ministry of Magic has even sent out Dementors? Are they serious now?"

“That’s probably it, Lupin,” Professor McGonagall nodded. “Public opinion is quite unfavorable right now—Sirius has been on the run for so long, and the Ministry of Magic still can’t bring him back. And as far as I know, the Dementors themselves are getting restless…”

"No wonder they're itching to do something..." William suppressed his urge to curse, maintaining his respect for the vice-principal. "Has Fudge's brain been hit by some strange spell...? They still haven't figured out how Sirius got out, and then they send out a bunch of Dementors to scare people?"

“Putting Dementors at the school gate… what genius came up with such a brilliant idea…” William downed his glass in one gulp. “Why don’t they suggest moving the school to Azkaban? I bet Sirius wouldn’t be happy going back there.”

“Alright, Professor William,” Professor McGonagall shook her head, but her tone was not harsh. “The method of Sirius’s escape is still under investigation, and the safety of the students is more important than my investigation into the method of Sirius’s escape.”

“But I don’t think the Dementors can keep him safe,” William shook his head. “I’ve been to Azkaban, and that island is not a place a normal wizard could escape from.”

“If Sirius Black escaped using his wand, then the Aurors would probably have already figured out how he got it.” He paused, then sighed. “Even within Azkaban, Sirius Black’s name terrifies a bunch of prisoners. He’s the Dark Lord’s First Death Eater, the man who recently took over the Dark Lord’s manhood…”

“He’s the only one deep in Azkaban who can remain normal, Professor McGonagall. That’s the mark of a born dark wizard, Professor, you understand that better than I do…”

“God knows what kind of teaching that Dark Lord gave Sirius—” William shook his head, “He was lucid for ten years in Azkaban, and he also studied on his own for ten years…”

As he spoke, he stretched out his left hand and touched the empty wine glass, which immediately transformed into a chocolate frog.

"Even a wizard like me can cast spells without a wand, let alone Sirius..."

"Ten years have passed, and it wouldn't be surprising if Sirius Black became a dark wizard like Dark Lord. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he even possessed the ability to control Dementors..."

"You remember the legend of Illyus and Ratcheddon, Professor McGonagall. Do you think Sirius could possibly possess Ratcheddon's magic?"

"What if, I mean what if, Sirius left Azkaban not by running away as we think, but by openly and honestly facing the worshipful gazes of the Dementors, leaving Azkaban step by step under their watchful and worshipful eyes?"

William made a bold guess.

"What if he thinks he's powerful enough and decides to kill Harry as a stepping stone to become the next Dark Lord?"

Chapter 260 Lupin and William

Ratchedion, the legend and laughingstock of the dark wizard.

Most wizards have heard of this name, and those who attempt to learn black magic will learn about the inviolable laws that this predecessor instilled in them when they learn their first black spell.

This is the legendary rule that black wizards are strictly forbidden from studying the rules of the Patronus Charm.

Ratchedion is a powerful dark wizard who has even broken through the barrier of immortality.

This powerful dark wizard lived next to a village of wizards that had been passed down through generations. He controlled a group of Dementors with his superb magic. To be precise, he was so powerful that he kept Dementors as guard dogs to protect his house.

Immortality, power, evil.

However, this powerful dark wizard died in a rather ridiculous way—because his Dementors were stopped by the Patronus, he decided to summon the Patronus himself to overpower the opponent, but ended up dying from the backlash of the Patronus Charm on the dark wizard.

Countless magical maggots spewed from his wand, engulfing the powerful dark wizard.

Despite his tragic end, this dark wizard was highly regarded within Azkaban—which Azkaban prisoner wouldn't want to keep a Dementor as a watchdog?

Who wouldn't like the transformation from a high-ranking prison guard to a lackey at everyone's beck and call?

“I know, logically speaking, that thing is just a legend…” William looked at Professor McGonagall, “but now that Ravenclaw’s tiara has appeared, what’s so strange about Sirius having mastered Lachidean’s method of controlling Dementors?”

"this…"

Professor McGonagall was also somewhat uncertain. She fell into deep thought, considering the possibilities.

Since Hogwarts has had a Voldemort, it's not impossible that a Sirius Black would appear as well.

She never imagined Sirius would become a Death Eater, so would underestimating that student again be......?

“I need to talk to Albus.”

Professor McGonagall's expression turned serious. "You should talk to Professor Lupin first, Professor William. I'll let you know the outcome by owl later."

She rushed out of the bar, even forgetting to pay the bill—something that would have been absolutely impossible in the past.

It was clear that William's speculation had frightened her.

This is normal. When William was startled by the Dementors and made this deduction, he was terrified by his own crazy conjecture.

'I'm alright. I'll have to face the Dark Lord eventually anyway. Hopefully, my new colleague won't be scared.'

William was well aware of how terrifying the Dark Lord's name was in the British magical world, and he tried to ease the tension.

"Don't be so nervous, Professor Lupin. That's just a guess. Besides, we have Dumbledore."

“Yes, we have Dumbledore,” Lupin laughed, but William could see a heavy reluctance in his smile.

'The fact that I was fine last year probably reduced the rumors that this position was cursed... I hope he can be careful this year...' William sighed inwardly, not caring about the other's lack of courage.

He himself was depressed for a long time after being cursed, so how could he have the right to criticize others for being afraid for a moment?

The other party may be afraid, but they didn't resign on the spot, which already shows a lot of courage. He can't just stand there and talk without understanding the situation.

"How about a few more glasses of mead? I really enjoy it, but this place isn't really suitable for professors—" He deliberately shrugged, "On weekdays it's all students, so you can't really relax and have a drink here."

“Then bring some, Professor William.”

New wine was soon served, and William noticed that Lupin had rearranged the magic to block out sound and prevent their conversation from being overheard.

"Feel sorry."

Lupin gave William an apologetic look, then gulped down a large glass of mead.

Whether it was because he drank too fast or for some other reason, a slight blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Sorry, I'll have another drink."

He downed another large glass of mead. "Phew, sorry, sorry, I feel better now."

……

Please don't do this, it scares me.

This is no joke. William even prepared his wand. After his stay in Azkaban, he didn't hesitate to speculate about things with the utmost malice.

“Well, Professor William, how should I put it… I, I am a werewolf.”

Lu Ping whispered what he had been holding back for so long, his face turning a little red.

Once he became a professor, he had to inform all his colleagues that he was a werewolf—something even Dumbledore couldn't hide from him.

Which professor isn't the most outstanding in their field?

If it's discovered that you've concealed it, that would be a bad thing.

“A werewolf?” William paused, then looked him over again. “No wonder… that explains it.”

As a professor of self-defense, William has a considerable amount of knowledge about werewolves.

How good can a race that is clearly written into self-defense textbooks be in the wizarding world?

Even if Professor McGonagall herself admitted that Lupin was an excellent student, it wouldn't matter; the prejudice against werewolves in the magical world was ingrained—there was no way around it, after all, werewolves couldn't control their madness during a full moon.

Therefore, Professor Lu Ping must have been unable to receive a normal salary before, and it was inevitable that he would occasionally do some rough work, all of which matches the details of previous observations.

"Professor William, aren't you surprised?"

Lupin was a little stunned—there were very few wizards who didn't mind his werewolf identity; even his friends only accepted this fact because of their deep friendship.

Why be surprised?

William countered, "Werewolves are just rarer, they do exist. Besides, the potion world has discovered wolfsbane potion. Although it's a bit pricey, if you drink it on the full moon, you won't even go mad, and you'll be no different from a normal wizard the rest of the time."

He wasn't just trying to comfort his colleague; he genuinely felt it was nothing.

He didn't know many serious criminals—thieves, smugglers, those who intentionally cause harm, those who attack Muggles, those who concoct potions haphazardly, and those who attempt to use evil curses on a large scale—but he had heard stories about the lesser criminals, even if he hadn't seen them in person.

This is just the crime itself; once inside, the people become even stranger: flatterers, bullies, swindlers, clingy bastards... what kind of oddballs haven't they encountered?

Compared to the prisoners in Azkaban, werewolves are much more normal, right?

"Some of my friends are less willing to abide by the laws of the wizarding world..."

“There’s no law in Azkaban…” William rubbed his forehead. “Don’t worry, Professor Lupin. I’ve seen werewolves in Azkaban too. When you encounter Dementors, even a full moon doesn’t help. You still have to lie down.”

"Don't worry about that, let's have a drink."