A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

"How long was between the last time you saw Harry and the others and when you used the Time-Turner?"

"About seven or eight minutes! A lot of students rushed over, and I had to avoid them and hide in a washroom to use the time converter."

“That’s enough. I’ll create an opportunity for you… You can wear the Invisibility Cloak and the Disillusionment Charm, and you should be able to fool them.” Felix looked at her earnestly. “Make sure you seize the opportunity.”

Hermione nodded emphatically. She didn't know what the professor was going to do, but she trusted him completely.

"You stay here for now, and it would be best if you put on the invisibility cloak and be ready at any moment..."

Hermione quickly put on the Invisibility Cloak, and Felix cast various spells on her to block out smells and sounds, making her appear as if she didn't exist.

Then, Felix, under the influence of the Disillusionment Charm, stepped onto the bridge.

Footsteps sounded from the other side of the bridge. Umbridge's pink clothes were very eye-catching. She appeared with a big smile, leading a dozen or so Aurors, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Minister, it's just ahead!" The short, stout figure at the head was none other than Minister for Magic—Cornelly Fudge.

Professor McGonagall, who was standing beside him, glanced at the scene on the bridge and immediately widened her eyes. "Minister Fudge, you must stop these Dementors! They're attacking two Hogwarts professors!"

Umbridge chuckled: "That's because they're hanging out with Azkaban's most vicious fugitives. Look, they even attacked members of the Ministry of Magic... Minerva, I thought you wouldn't protect them."

“Severus and Remus would never harbor a fugitive!” McGonagall said angrily.

Fudge patted his belly. "Don't worry, Minerva, we can control the Dementors. They won't hurt these two professors. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to explain it to Dumbledore..."

He gestured to Umbridge with his eyes, and Umbridge pulled a black whistle from her pocket, puffed out her cheeks, and blew it. She looked like a toad poised to pounce on its prey.

The whistle blew, and the Dementors received the command. Their attack became even more ferocious, constantly weaving and flying through the gaps in the corridor, causing ice crystals to condense in the air.

Wisps of black mist were blown by the wind toward the Ministry of Magic personnel. Fudge shivered and muttered under his breath, "Disgusting stuff." He tightened his collar and stared intently at the bridge, where Professor Snape was casting an invisible spell from his wand. Surprisingly, it managed to slightly slow down the Dementors' advance.

However… Fudge held up his thick fingers, “Who is that person who’s tied up?”

Professor McGonagall examined it carefully for a moment and exclaimed, "It's Peter Pettigrew!"

"How is that possible? Wasn't he dead?" Fudge asked in surprise and doubt. He sensed something was wrong, as if something had gone wrong—it didn't seem normal for someone who had been dead for more than ten years to suddenly reappear.

Umbridge rolled his eyes. "Minister, perhaps this hero didn't die back then, but simply lost his memory. He recently saw news of Sirius Black's prison break, which triggered him to regain his memories, and he's decided to fight that formidable enemy from over a decade ago once again..."

Fudge's eyes lit up. "What you said makes a lot of sense—"

“No!” Professor McGonagall suddenly exclaimed. “Peter Pettigrew is an illegal Animagus who disguised himself as a rat and lived in the home of one of my students for over a decade! Dumbledore suspects that someone else has betrayed the Potters. Minister Fudge, you should stop your attack and find out the truth.”

Fudge frowned and said uneasily, "What are you talking about? Peter Pettigrew is a Ministry of Magic-recognized hero, a recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, how could this be..."

But he knew Professor McGonagall's character; she never lied. Fudge was a little undecided, watching the battle on the covered bridge with hesitation.

This was the most critical moment. Snape had been using covert dark magic, but it wasn't very effective against the Dementors; he could only barely hold them off.

The Dementors grew increasingly agitated, and Sirius's flames grew weaker and weaker until finally one of the Dementors flew past him, sweeping away his last remaining happy memories.

“No—” His wand fell to the ground.

The defense was breached, and more Dementors pounced. The silver mist Harry had created grew thinner and thinner, and he felt as if he were carrying a mountain, bending over under the weight.

Various hallucinations began to appear in his mind. He heard his mother's voice again, this time exceptionally clear. He tried his best to resist, but his reaction became weaker and weaker.

Then, Harry found himself enveloped by a warm power, and he heard a gentle voice say, "Harry, cheer up, think of happy memories..."

Harry found himself free from the Dementors' influence. He regained his senses and quickly scanned his surroundings, noticing a silvery glint in the tip of Snape's staff. But before he could think further, seven or eight steps away, he saw his godfather lying on the ground. A Dementor crouched down, pulled back its tattered hood, revealing a rotten hole that looked like a mouth. He could even smell the putrid breath.

“No, no!” Harry desperately imagined what it would be like to have a new home, to live with his godfather. “Palmtops of Exile!” he cried, feeling an unprecedented surge of power. Magic gathered and silver mist rolled like endless waves. A dazzling silver creature emerged from the sea, standing still, yet silver ripples spread out, sending the Dementors flying far away.

Then it began running around Harry in circles, its silver horns knocking away one Dementor after another, causing the Dementor army to retreat in disarray.

Umbridge and Fudge were speechless with surprise. "Is this Harry Potter?" Fudge said strangely.

Umbridge paused for a moment, then picked up her whistle and blew it loudly, urging the Dementors to attack.

"Old woman, what do you want to do!"

Unbeknownst to them, a group of students surrounded them. They were indignant when a spell flew out from the corner and struck Umbridge's black whistle directly. The whistle exploded with a "bang," and Umbridge screamed and fell to the ground.

"Who! Who attacked a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic!" Fudge roared.

Professor McGonagall raised her wand, followed by the students surrounding her. Suppressing her anger, she said sternly, "Minister Fudge, immediately order the Dementors to stop their attack. You will regret it if anything goes wrong."

Fudge looked around blankly. He had never been pointed at by so many wands before. All he could see were young, angry faces. Even the elite Aurors he had brought with him had no fighting spirit. They were unable to attack the students.

Fudge's attitude softened, and he tried his best to explain, "I actually... didn't..." He paused for a few seconds, then turned around and shouted, "Bring the Dementors back! Send the Aurors out! Don't hurt anyone!"

A subordinate whispered a warning: "Minister, the whistle controlling the Dementors has gone off."

Fudge flew into a rage: "Can't the Dementors be controlled without that damn whistle?"

The man said in alarm, "Normally it's fine, but right now they're badly injured and desperately need to eat..."

Fudge's pupils dilated instantly, as if in response to these words. The scattered Dementors regrouped. They were not dead, but their robes were even more tattered, with several having large, gleaming holes in their chests.

This was caused by Harry's Patronus, but it wasn't a fatal wound, not even a minor one. The physical form was irrelevant to the Dementors, but they felt hungry, and there was a feast right in front of them.

They targeted the students behind Auror, circling around them like harbingers of doom. However, they seemed hesitant in the face of their former controller, sucking in the air from the periphery, causing the temperature to drop visibly. Many students turned pale and exhaled puffs of white mist.

On the other side, Harry leaned against the fence, panting heavily. He was exhausted and barely managed to keep himself from collapsing. His Patronus trotted back towards him; it wasn't a horse or a unicorn, but a stag. It was glowing, and when he reached out to touch its antlers, the Patronus vanished.

He succeeded! He had successfully rescued Sirius Black, Professor Lupin, and… Snape. Harry's gaze swept around. His godfather lay on the ground, breathing heavily, his face showing the relief of someone who had survived a close call. Lupin sat wearily on the ground.

He turned to look at Snape, only to see Snape dragging his swaying body, wielding his wand like a blade, shooting out a chilling green spell from its tip. His eyes widened in shock; reality seemed to overlap with a dream. He heard his mother's scream again, followed by a green light filling his vision...

That's the Avada Kedavra curse!

How could Snape use this spell? No, who was he using it on?

Harry belatedly realized that Peter Pettigrew was gone, leaving only his clothes on the ground. His gaze followed the direction of Snape's spell and saw a black rat scurrying away.

Snape wanted to kill Peter Pettigrew!

But just then, a hand appeared out of thin air and grasped Snape's wand. "Severus, he's not worth it."

“Don’t stop me, Felix!” Snape’s face was contorted, his eyes filled with a hatred more intense than Harry had ever seen. “Let me have my revenge… I beg you!”

“There’s a better way,” Felix said, casting a spell that caused the rat to suddenly glow, its head and torso to elongate. It was pulled out of its Animagus state and stumbled to its knees.

Peter Pettigrew was having the worst luck. He had just run to the other side of the covered bridge when, a dozen steps away, he saw a group of Aurors and students who had been anxiously watching the restless Dementors, but were now also drawn to the sudden scene.

Seven or eight Dementors glided down, one of them grabbing Peter Pettigrew by the neck and loosening its hood—

"No! Spare me! I shouldn't have betrayed you, James, Lily! It was the Dark Lord who forced me to do this! He's too powerful... You don't know what he's capable of!" Peter Pettigrew cried out in despair.

The Aurors of the Ministry of Magic stared wide-eyed, their wands hovering in mid-air. Everyone, including McGonagall, froze in place, shocked by Peter Pettigrew's sudden and astonishing statement.

In his final moments, he seemed to regain his senses and desperately shouted, "He's coming back! The person whose name I can't even mention is coming back! I did wrong, forgive me—"

His voice stopped abruptly as the Dementors sucked away his soul.

Snape staggered back a few steps, then collapsed to the ground, looking utterly dejected. He covered his face and muttered to himself.

After a long pause, Fudge shouted, "Nonsense! What is he talking about in his sleep!"

Professor McGonagall said sharply, "Only you think so? He's made himself clear enough. Besides, your Dementors are out of control!"

The Dementors had truly gone out of control. Peter Pettigrew's spirit had roused them, and they were no longer content to merely hover outside the feast and sip some soup; they began to cautiously approach.

Fudge retreated in terror, shrinking himself into the crowd: "Protect me! Use the Patronus Charm!"

Unfortunately, the Patronus Charm is not a regular spell, and even Aurors don't have specific requirements for it. Including McGonagall, only four people present knew the Patronus Charm.

McGonagall frowned. She hadn't expected the Ministry of Magic to be so incompetent, especially Minister Fudge, who looked utterly terrified. She controlled her Patronus, just as Harry had done, and a powerful light gathered around it, but she heard Felix's voice.

"Now's the time!"

What now? She turned around, her mouth agape in surprise. Felix stood at the edge of the covered bridge, holding a colorless, transparent vortex in his hand. Blue magic surged around his body, and Dementors were being torn off, shrinking as they plunged headfirst into the vortex.

One, two, ten, twenty... These Dementors drifted away from them uncontrollably, falling from the sky like a black rain...

Felix maintained his magic as he heard light footsteps pass by. It was Hermione, wearing an invisibility cloak. He smiled and said, "You seized the opportunity perfectly, Miss Granger."

“Thank you, Professor,” Hermione said softly.

She carefully avoided the Aurors and Professor McGonagall, weaving through a group of students. "Who bumped into me?" someone grumbled. "Don't push, you can see everything. Professor Hyp is so cool, and Harry's Patronus too, my god, it's incredible!"

After a dozen seconds, there were no more Dementors in the sky. Felix, holding the spherical vortex, looked at the stunned Minister of Magic and Aurors and said softly, "Since these Dementors have gone out of control and attacked students and the Minister of Magic, there's no need to keep them around..."

"Pong!"

A pale white flame ignited within the spherical vortex, which began to spin violently, billowing out plumes of black smoke that conjured distorted faces, only to be quickly burned away by the flames. One by one, the black dots within the vortex vanished as if they had never existed.

With her mouth full of blood, Umbridge opened her eyes and saw Felix burning the Dementors. Memories flooded back, and she screamed before fainting.

“Mr. Hai… Mr. Haip…” Fudge said, trembling.

Felix flashed a bright white smile. "You're welcome. It's what I should do."

Chapter 303 Sirius and Kreacher

A few days ago.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Black's Old House.

Sirius lay lazily on the sofa, seemingly doing nothing, his black curly hair casually draped over his shoulders.

Compared to a month ago, he is in much better condition. His face has gained some weight, and he no longer looks like a skeleton just dug out of the grave, but rather a somewhat thin, normal person.

His feet were propped on an elegantly designed antique coffee table. Every now and then, Sirius would glance at a small piece of paper, about the size of a palm, which was covered with simple lines and dense black dots. The few names written in gold ink would occasionally move.

This state continued until noon, when Sirius's eyes rolled as the house-elf Kreacher dragged himself out.

Kreacher held a dirty rag in his hand. It was hard to say whether the rag or the rag he was wearing was cleaner. Perhaps the rag was just his worn-out clothes.

Sirius was thinking nonsense when Kreacher slowly moved closer to him. Sirius glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and watched him jump onto the coffee table, holding a rag and muttering, "That spendthrift young master picked up this bad habit from who knows where, just putting his feet up like that. The mistress usually likes to drink tea here, and has entertained many equally distinguished guests..."

"Kreacher, your feet are dirtier than my shoes!" Sirius roared angrily.

"...It holds so many precious memories. I wonder how heartbroken the mistress would be if she knew..."

Sirius's eyebrows twitched wildly, his elegant demeanor vanished, and he suddenly jumped up, grabbing the house-elf by the back of his neck—let's call it the collar—ready to throw him out.

Kreacher didn't resist, continuing to ramble on, "He can't compare to his brother, in terms of truly taking responsibility—"

"You mean Regulus?" Sirius paused, then said, "He's an idiot. I always thought he was smart enough to protect himself... but look what happened, he went and joined the Death Eaters!"

“Young Master Regulus is no idiot!” Kreacher struggled violently, his body swaying like a wind-up toy. “He’s a million times better than you. He joined the Death Eaters in your place…”

"What did you say?" Sirius Black glared, lifting Kreacher up to eye level. "Explain yourself clearly—"

But Kreacher kept struggling, his nose and tears a mess, and Sirius disdainfully tossed him onto the sofa.

“I’m telling you, Kreacher! He’s a Voldemort worshipper, always has been. Do you know why everyone in the family prefers him? Because he’s become the noble Black they all wanted him to be…”