Chapter 158: Strong, Wise, and Benevolent

Murphy didn't know when he arrived on the roof of a building, looked at Sirius lying on the ground below, and suddenly snapped his fingers.

Dark clouds gathered instantly. The terrifying voltage made the tattered cloaks around the Dementors lift upward. Then hundreds of thunderbolts fell instantly, striking those ugly creatures. The electric fire burned their rotten cloaks, and the electric light pierced their flesh that seemed to have rotted, making them emit a difficult howl.

Then, in the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred Dementors were like a school of fish frightened, scattering in all directions.

Murphy raised his eyebrows. It seems that the defense of this thing is really good. After being hit by lightning, it could still fly, and it didn't seem to have suffered much injury.

If there is a chance in the future, I must catch one back and take it apart to see what the structure is.

But for now, let's deal with Sirius first.

More than an hour later, Sirius woke up on a warm big bed.

He sat up suddenly, looking at the surrounding environment in panic, until he was sure that there were no Dementors nearby, then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Black, are you awake?"

On the other side of the luxurious room, on a sofa, sat a black-haired young man. He put down the book in his hand and asked: "How is it, is there anywhere in your body that feels uncomfortable?"

"Where, is, this. Who, are, you..."

Having not communicated normally with people for too long, Sirius had almost lost his ability to communicate. He seemed to have finally regained control of his tongue, and spat out these words with difficulty.

The young man opposite seemed to know his situation and was very patient, "My name is Murphy Darkholm. You can call me Murphy. This is my home."

"You, saved, me?"

"Indeed."

"Why?"

"Let's put it this way, Branco Lloyd is my employee, and not long ago, I discovered that his pet

"From that moment on, I knew you were innocent."

Sirius's eyes widened suddenly. "You, caught, him?"

"Yes, Peter Pettigrew is in my hands."

"Give, give him to me!"

"No," Murphy said. "Please be patient, Mr. Black. If I give him to you now, I suspect you would kill him without a moment's hesitation."

"What, do, you, want?"

It seemed that years of prison life had only made Sirius slow of speech, not destroyed his mind.

"What I want..." Murphy thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "I want justice to be served."

Sirius looked at him in bewilderment. Murphy shook his head. "Sorry, just a joke."

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Murphy Darkholm. The son of the Death Eater couple, the Darkholms. A dark wizard in the eyes of many Aurors. And also a thorn in the side of that Mr. Barty Crouch who sent you to Azkaban."

Barty Crouch—it took Sirius a good while to recall the name.

A fool who had mistaken him for a Death Eater, the culprit behind his nearly ten years of imprisonment, but... it was irrelevant.

He didn't care.

"From a personal standpoint, I sympathize deeply with your plight. No one should have to suffer such treatment for no reason. Betrayed by a friend, losing your best brothers because of it, and then spending ten years in that hellhole, Azkaban..."

"To be honest, if I were you, after getting out of prison, I wouldn't rest until I had painted the wizarding world red with blood."

"But I also know that there are some people in this world who possess higher moral standards than I do, who are more merciful and kinder. Although I cannot do it myself, I will not mock such people; I will always hold them in high regard."

"And you, Mr. Sirius Black, are exactly such a person."

"The rules of this world always favor the inferior over the superior, and the wicked over the good. The strong use these rules to plunder and exploit to satisfy their own desires; the wise see through these rules and stay out of it, but can only save themselves. Only the benevolent can ignite themselves, becoming a torch to light the way forward for the weak."

"As individuals, they increase the difficulty of their own survival and are often failures. But as a member of humanity, I will always revere their greatness."

"Therefore, when I have the capacity, I am always more willing to deal with such people and happy to lend a helping hand, making it easier for them to walk through a world that is incompatible with them."

"I sincerely hope you can clear your name."

"Of course, besides satisfying some moral enjoyment, I also have other practical considerations," Murphy said, without hiding anything. "I am a businessman and a researcher, but my existence has caused pressure for some people, including Mr. Barty Crouch, who wants to lock me in Azkaban."

"And I don't want him to succeed, so you will be a very good card for me to play."

Sirius understood.

As a member of the oldest wizarding family, even if he scoffed at and had no interest in so-called power struggles, he naturally possessed a keen sense for them.

In the end, it was nothing more than a conflict of interests.

He didn't ask again; he didn't care.

By comparison, the dark-haired young man's high-minded rhetoric at the beginning seemed even more sincere.

He seemed to understand this guy he was meeting for the first time a little better.

"What, do, you, want, me, to, do?"

"It's simple. I will hand Peter Pettigrew over to you. But you must promise me to spare his life for now. My people will pretend to capture you and send you to the Wizengamot for a retrial..."

"No, trial, I, will, be, killed, by, Dementors..."

"Rest assured, a long time ago, I did some things. I will ensure you get a fair trial."

Sirius looked at the other man for a long moment, then nodded. "Fine."

"When you get to the courtroom, you just need to tell the truth," Murphy said, snapping his fingers. A house-elf suddenly appeared, carrying a large tray of food.

"There is still some time left, you can eat something, rest, or think about your life ahead."

"You have already left Azkaban, Mr. Black. You can start being optimistic."

"Crushed and Defeated, Aurors No Match for Werewolves!"

"Fleeing in Panic, Aurors Withdraw from Diagon Alley!"

"Aurors Discharged, Can Jishi Wizard Hospital Cure Werewolf Syndrome?!"

"Battle Against Werewolves! Watchers Clean Up Diagon Alley!"

"Sirius Black Captured! Watchers Achieve Another Great Success!"

"Trial of the Century! Is Sirius Black a Dark Wizard or an Innocent Man?"

Ever since Murphy bought shares in it, the Daily Prophet had basically become his mouthpiece—either causing trouble or on the way to causing trouble.

Relying on the Daily Prophet's day-after-day narrative control, the reputation of the Aurors had now hit rock bottom, almost becoming synonymous with weakness and incompetence.

At the same time, the reputation of the Watchers grew day by day, reaching its peak after Sirius Black was captured.

Soon, Sirius Black's trial began anew, and this time, under Murphy's careful arrangement, there was no suspense. When Dumbledore used magic to force Peter Pettigrew out of his animagus form, Sirius Black had already won.

The moment he was declared innocent, Sirius Black had his shackles removed and was released from the thorn iron cage; he was finally able to stand up straight.

After ten years, he finally obtained his long-lost freedom and belated justice.

This man, who had not shed a tear even in his most desperate moments, raised his head for the first time in a long while, letting hot tears stream down from the corners of his eyes.

(End of chapter)