Chapter 500

“Wizard, as I said, from afar...”

The voice of Mr. Puckett was low.

Strangely, there were no wizards anywhere nearby.

Then who was it speaking to?

A passing witch glanced curiously a few extra times.

Before she could make anything out, Mr. Puckett, leading the black dog, had left.

Wizard Sean gazed after Mr. Puckett as he departed, and as he watched the emaciated black dog, more memories came to him.

He needed to travel once to the forests of Albania. Though the chance of finding Voldemort was minuscule, Wizard Sean could test more abilities of the Soul Relic—such as attempting to forcibly pull Voldemort’s soul into a dream.

Second, he had already retrieved Salazar Slytherin’s locket from the Black manor; Wizard Sean easily recalled a hero lost to history—Regulus Black.

Returning his body to his elder brother, Sirius, was Wizard Sean’s tribute to this Slytherin hero.

Moreover, once the locket was destroyed, Wizard Sean would have to begin searching for Nagini’s trail; perhaps Sirius could help.

So, in any case, Wizard Sean decided to meet Sirius again.

As he thought, Wizard Sean silently watched Harry, who had come back to himself.

“A harbinger of death...”

Harry murmured, staring at a spot not far away—the same direction as Wizard Sean’s gaze, where the black dog had vanished.

Harry thought of the black dog on the book cover, as large as a bear, its eyes gleaming... How could it be so similar to that dog?

“That can’t be a harbinger of death.”

Harry muttered.

And the harbinger of death—the black dog—was now in Room 10 of the Leaky Cauldron.

In the dim room, a man as withered as dry wood clung to the wall; even a single glance at him was enough to overwhelm one’s emotions.

His mouth hung open, but no sound came out—only tears slid down his skin-tightened, bone-showing cheeks.

“Why bother? Are all wizards as foolish as you...”

Mr. Puckett muttered something.

“If you knew everything—if your master possessed such powerful magic... you would know how foolish I am.”

Black laughed bitterly.

“No, wizard. Only Mr. Green is great. But I want to know—how did you escape from there? My master said that thing drives people mad...”

Mr. Puckett suddenly took a slight interest in the man before him.

“You want to know?”

Black lifted his bloodshot eyes.

“Just curious.”

Mr. Puckett answered honestly.

“It seems you don’t fully understand everything—this fits my usual view of people like you.”

“I’ll tell you. But I have a small question: when can I see your master again?”

Black’s gaze flickered.

The tears had been quietly wiped away; he had more important things to accomplish. And now, here was a wizard—unknown to him, yet immensely powerful and mysterious—who might help.

“Hmph...”

Mr. Puckett snorted.

“A loyal servant doesn’t fret...”

“At six this afternoon, my master will be there.”

Mr. Puckett suddenly changed his tone, as if responding to a ripple forming on the mirror before him.

Black recognized it as a magical artifact similar to a Two-way Mirror, but much smaller. He was certain it was a new alchemical creation he had never seen before.

“Now, can you tell me—how did you do it, wizard?”

Mr. Puckett asked.

“I don’t know how I did it,”

Black replied slowly,

“I think the only reason I didn’t lose my mind was that I knew I was innocent.”

“It wasn’t a pleasant thought, so the Dementors couldn’t suck it from my mind... but it kept me sane, reminded me who I was...”

“And allowed me to preserve my magic... so when things became... too unbearable... I could transform in my cell... into a dog.”

“You see, Dementors can’t see...”

He swallowed.

“Dementors sense emotions to approach people... when I became a dog, they might have sensed little emotion—nothing human, nothing complex...”

“But of course, they assumed I was going mad like the other prisoners, so they ignored me.”

“But I was weak—very weak—without a wand, I had no hope of driving them away...”

“Then, one day, I saw that rat on the photo Fudge was holding... I realized the bastard was at Hogwarts, beside Harry...”

“If word reached him that dark forces were rising again, there was no better place for him to strike...”

Black’s face twisted with bitter hatred; he ground his teeth.

“...Once he confirmed he had an ally, he’d act—offer the last of the Potters to them.”

“If he could hand over Harry, who would dare say he betrayed Voldemort? He’d be welcomed as a hero...”

“So I had to do something—because only I knew Peter was still alive...”

Mr. Puckett didn’t understand human emotion, but he clearly felt the hatred radiating from Sirius Black.

“It’s like someone lit a fire inside my mind—the Dementors couldn’t extinguish it... It wasn’t a pleasant thought... it was an obsession... but it gave me strength, kept me clear-headed.”

“So one night, when they opened the door to bring food, I turned into a dog and slipped past...”

“They’re not sensitive to animal emotions, so they got confused... I was thin—so thin I could squeeze through the iron bars...”

“I swam across the sea in dog form, headed north... I wanted to see him, but you found me.”

Sirius finished his tale.

The room fell silent until the door creaked open.

“Mr. Black.”

Wizard Sean entered.

“Mr. Green...”

Sirius glanced at the clock—it was exactly six, not a second off.

“You sought me?”

Wizard Sean said softly.

“Why... why are you helping me?”

Sirius asked the question he had long held inside,

“Just because I’m innocent? There are so many wizards wronged in this world...”

“Because our goals align, sir.”

Wizard Sean said.

“What? Goals? Fighting the Dark Lord? Don’t joke—”

Sirius scoffed, but then something seemed to return to him—perhaps the wizard named Green who had exposed the Dark Lord’s servant at Hogwarts, or...