Chapter 497: Sirius

“Hey!”

Percy’s face turned green with anger.

Fred and George paid him no mind, gesturing wildly in front of Wizard Sean.

They spoke of strange alchemical inventions from Egypt, speculated on their potential sales in Britain, and begged Wizard Sean to join them in studying them.

Wizard Sean found this intriguing.

Others wanted to gather and listen, but after hearing just a few words, they backed away, heads pounding.

“Let’s discuss it again later, dear,”

Mrs. Weasley pried the two Weasleys off Wizard Sean,

“Mr. Green, how wonderful to see you here.”

“Mum! You’re going to compete with us for the great Green—”

Fred gave George a look; George, as if just noticing her, grabbed her hand and said,

“Mum, seeing you fills my heart with joy—”

“That’s enough, both of you—”

Mrs. Weasley said, placing her purchases on an empty chair and eyeing the twins and the vacant seat.

The twins pouted and sat down obediently.

“Come here—dear, how have you gotten so thin—you must stay at the Burrow for a few days, I’ll fatten you up properly—”

Mrs. Weasley pulled Wizard Sean into a hug; the ginger Crookshanks leapt onto her shoulder and brushed her face with his tail.

When Wizard Sean finally broke free, he saw Mrs. Weasley drawing the young wizards close, examining each one, murmuring nonstop.

Only when Mr. Weasley cleared his throat softly did Molly reluctantly stop tormenting the young wizards.

“Hello, dear children. I suppose you’ve heard our big news?”

She pointed to Percy’s new silver badge.

“The second boy in the family to be Head Boy!”

She said, pride radiating from her.

“And the last.”

Fred muttered under his breath to Wizard Sean.

They sat on either side of Wizard Sean, like bodyguards, shoving Jia Jia Siting and Hermione away.

Hermione was still glaring at George.

“I have no doubt about that.”

Mrs. Weasley suddenly frowned,

“I notice they didn’t make either of you prefects.”

“What would we want to be prefects for?”

George said, as if the very idea made him nauseous,

“It would make life terribly dull.”

Ginny giggled.

“You must set a good example for your sister!”

Mrs. Weasley snapped.

“Ginny has other brothers to set examples for her, Mum.”

Percy said haughtily,

“I’m going upstairs to change for dinner…”

He left; George exhaled in relief.

“We were going to lock him inside a pyramid,”

he told Wizard Sean,

“but Mum found out.”

“What a shame.”

Fred’s eyebrows drooped like eggs hanging from them.

The midday meal was delightful. The pub’s owner, Tang Mu, pushed three tables together in the hall; the seven Weasleys and Wizard Sean’s five companions savored ten delicious dishes.

Before leaving, Wizard Sean took one last sip of sweet pumpkin juice, set down his cup contentedly, and pondered what to do in the final days of summer.

Most urgent, of course, was Slytherin’s locket—he planned to destroy it with the Sword of Gryffindor, meaning he’d have to return to Hogwarts.

The timing was perfect; his week-long holiday was ending.

Second was the reshaping of magic—its difficulty was extremely high, requiring the restructuring of wizards’ internal 【Order】 and the discovery of corresponding 【Wisdom】 in the external natural world;

but the rewards were immense: this was Wizard Sean’s only way to rapidly master ancient magic.

Yes, the reshaped magic would grant wizards powerful, effortless strength—the very power that had once existed in wizarding history: ancient magic.

Lastly, Wizard Sean’s Fiendfyre had reached 【Proficient】; when he attained Master level, a new title would unlock.

As for Sirius and Scabbers…

Faint, muffled voices occasionally rose from the Leaky Cauldron’s patrons; Wizard Sean and the others walked along the corridor outside private rooms.

Suddenly, Ron slapped his forehead:

“My potion! Rat Strengthening Draught! I forgot it!”

“Ron, where’s my Head Boy badge?!”

Percy also dashed down the stairs—he shared a room with Ron.

“How should I know? I haven’t even seen it! I was going to ask you where my Rat Strengthening Draught went!”

Ron shouted.

The two began to brawl.

Jia Jia Siting and Hermione hurried over to break them up.

To end their quarrel, Wizard Sean quietly slipped away:

“I’ll help look for them.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Harry said quickly.

As they reached halfway, they suddenly heard two angry voices coming from a private room; soon, they recognized Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

“...Not telling Harry is wrong.”

Mr. Weasley said, his voice heated,

“Harry has a right to know. I tried to convince Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child.

Harry is thirteen—he—”

Wizard Sean saw Harry involuntarily stop in his tracks.

“Arthur, the truth will terrify him!”

Mrs. Weasley shrieked,

“That danger is always lurking—do you really want Harry returning to school carrying such a shadow?

For heaven’s sake, he’d be happier in ignorance.”

“I don’t want him upset—I want him to be alert!”

Mr. Weasley retorted sharply,

“You know Harry—he wanders everywhere on his own—even into the Forbidden Forest!

Harry absolutely cannot do that this term! I can’t imagine what danger he might have faced if he’d escaped from home that night!

If the Knight Bus hadn’t picked him up, I’m certain he’d be dead before the Ministry even found him.”

“But he didn’t die—he’s fine—what’s the point—”

“Molly, they say Sirius Black is mad—maybe he is—but he managed to escape from Azkaban, something everyone thought impossible.

It’s been a month now, and no one has seen a trace of him.

I don’t care what Fudge tells the Daily Prophet—our progress in capturing Black is nonexistent, like inventing a wand that spells itself.

There’s only one thing we can be sure of: Black is looking for—”

“But Harry is perfectly safe at Hogwarts.”

“We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe too. If Black escaped from Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts.”

“But no one can be certain Black is looking for Harry—”

Thud—a sound of something striking wood; Wizard Sean guessed Mr. Weasley had punched the table.

“Molly, how many times must I tell you? The papers don’t report it because Fudge is covering it up—but the night Black escaped, Fudge went to Azkaban.

The guards told Fudge that for a long time, Black had been muttering in his sleep, over and over:

‘He’s at Hogwarts… He’s at Hogwarts…’

Black is insane, Molly—he wants Harry dead.

I think he believes killing Harry will bring the Dark Lord back.

On the night Harry stopped the Dark Lord, Black lost everything. He spent twelve years alone in Azkaban, brooding over it…”

Then silence fell inside the room.

Beside Wizard Sean, Harry stood frozen, mouth wide open.