Chapter 498: He

The door emitted more voices; Wizard Sean listened in silence and saw Harry pressing himself even closer to the door, straining to hear more.

“Alright, Arthur, you must have thought this was the right thing to do.”

“But you’ve forgotten Albus Dumbledore.”

“I believe that as long as Dumbledore is headmaster, nothing at Hogwarts can harm Harry.”

“I assume Dumbledore is aware of all this?”

“He knows, of course. We asked him if he’d allow the Dementors to guard the school entrance. He wasn’t pleased, but he agreed.”

“Not pleased? Aren’t they there to catch Black? Why wouldn’t he be pleased?”

“Dumbledore dislikes the Dementors.”

Mr. Weasley said grimly,

“To be honest, I don’t like them either… but when dealing with a wizard like Black, sometimes you have to ally with people you’d rather avoid.”

“If they save Harry—”

“—then I’ll never say another word against them.”

Mr. Weasley said wearily,

“Come on, Molly, we’d better go upstairs and continue this…”

Wizard Sean heard the sound of chairs shifting; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were clearly heading toward the hallway.

Wizard Sean tapped his wand against himself and vanished like a man wrapped in an invisibility cloak; seeing Harry’s stunned expression, he casually cast a Disillusionment Charm on him too.

The door to the booth opened; seconds later, the Weasleys passed by them, footsteps clattering up the stairs—they knew the Weasleys had gone upstairs.

“He’s looking for me…”

Wizard Sean heard Harry murmuring unconsciously, staring blankly out the window as if Sirius were nearby.

“Wizard Sean…”

Harry spun around quickly, gazing at Wizard Sean as if he were a lifeline, his voice hoarse,

“Did you hear that, Wizard Sean? He’s looking for me…”

Harry remembered how Sirius Black had killed thirteen people with a single curse, remembered he was Voldemort’s most loyal follower, remembered how Fudge had ignored their underage magic but was obsessed with making sure Harry was watched…

Sirius… his intent was obvious.

The clatter of dishes being cleared echoed from the hallway; Harry snapped back to reality, looked into those calm green eyes, and suddenly felt calmer.

The Weasleys clearly assumed he’d be terrified once he learned the truth.

But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley’s view—that Hogwarts was the safest place in the world.

There was Wizard Sean, and there was Dumbledore.

Isn’t it always said that Voldemort feared only one person in his entire life—Dumbledore?

Black, as Voldemort’s most trusted ally, would surely fear Dumbledore too.

And then there were the Dementors everyone was talking about—terrifying to most, stationed around the school, making it nearly impossible for Black to break in.

But…

Harry still couldn’t understand one thing: Wizard Sean said Black had another motive and wouldn’t hurt him—then why?

As he pondered this, Harry saw Wizard Sean silently gazing at a nearby chair, and then a small bottle floated gently toward them.

It was Ron’s Strengthening Solution, left beside the chair where the Weasleys had sat.

Harry grabbed the bottle in delight, then looked at Wizard Sean; Wizard Sean nodded, and they hurried out.

Outside, Fred and George were crouched in the shadows of the stair landing, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

They’d been listening as Percy turned his and Ron’s room upside down searching for his badge.

“We took it,”

Fred whispered to them, holding up the badge,

“We modified it.”

The badge’s inscription now read “Big Head.”

Wizard Sean noticed Harry’s face twitching—he was clearly holding back laughter.

With the Strengthening Solution, Justin and the others could finally separate Ron from his brother Percy.

Of course, everyone could see Percy’s sour expression—no one could be in good spirits wearing such a ridiculous badge.

“Let’s go…”

Ron covered his mouth and dashed out of the Leaky Cauldron; outside, he burst into uncontrollable laughter, which only ended at the entrance of Flourish and Blotts.

The sunlight over Diagon Alley shimmered gold; people bustled past, pets mingling among them. By noon, six cat-creatures had already climbed onto Wizard Sean’s shoulders.

Only after the blushing witch retrieved her cat could Wizard Sean speak to Professor Quirrell, who had just appeared, hurrying along.

Now Wizard Sean stood outside Flourish and Blotts; young witches and wizards had already rushed inside excitedly—even Harry had temporarily set aside his gloom.

“Professor, how did it go?”

Wizard Sean asked softly.

“I… I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Green. I couldn’t find him.”

Professor Quirrell, draped in his black robe, trembled as he spoke.

“It’s not your fault. If he’s determined to hide, none of us can find him.”

Wizard Sean frowned slightly.

“V… he’s cunning, possessing power beyond our imagining, Mr. Green.

All this time, that place has become his domain…”

Professor Quirrell looked panicked, glancing nervously at the crowded street, then spoke slowly, word by word,

“With his power, even in that form, he could… could still survive… not just survive, but scheme endlessly.

You must be careful—be extremely careful. He will return… if we are to destroy him, it won’t be in that forest.

You know as well as I do—he cannot die in that state. Even if we eradicate all evil… he still has a chance to complete his dark plans…”

Professor Quirrell spoke with deep concern.

“For the time being, I beg you to keep searching. If you encounter any problem, contact me immediately through the magical mirror—I’ll send Tila with you.”

Wizard Sean said slowly.

He raised his hand and placed a tree-ghoul on Professor Quirrell’s robe; Tila naturally slithered into his pocket.

“Ah, ah…”

Professor Quirrell stared blankly at the tiny tree-ghoul as it scratched his arm with its knuckles.

“It likes you. If an emergency arises, it will help you activate the magical mirror.”

Wizard Sean said.

“Oh, it likes me. Does that mean I’m doing well?”

Professor Quirrell murmured dazedly.

“You face the greatest danger, the most evil evil, Professor.”

Wizard Sean said seriously.