https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-221-The-Match-and-the-Celebration/13453667/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-223-An-Exchange-with-Sirius-Black/13453670/
Chapter 222: Intrusion and Battle
Chapter 222: Intrusion and Battle (Please Subscribe, Favorite, and Recommend)
Liam was writing something when a bottle of Butterbeer was placed on the table in front of him. Looking up, Liam saw Fred grinning at him, while George was tossing Toad Mint Sweets to the crowd.
"You two are really strange. Why are you still studying when everyone is celebrating?" Fred asked.
"I have to manage my own work and prepare lessons for you three. You need a lot of time to train for the competition, so since we promised to help, we need to spend more time preparing to teach you as much as possible in a short time. Don't forget there's another competition after this one. Do you really think you don't need to prepare for that?"
"This really is a bother for you, thanks!" Fred scratched his head and said. "But you should try the Butterbeer. It tastes great and it has no alcohol."
After getting everything ready, Liam and the others joined the celebration. It wasn't until around one in the morning that Professor Mcgonagall, wearing a Tartan Robe and a Hair Net, arrived and insisted everyone go to bed. Only then did the Gryffindor House party come to an end.
Once everyone was in bed, Liam sneaked out of the dormitory and into the Common Room, choosing a corner behind the sofa to meditate.
He knew that Black was likely to attack tonight, so he planned to wait for him here.
After meditating for over an hour, a faint scraping sound came from the entrance. Then, a figure slipped in.
Moonlight streamed through the Common Room's windows, illuminating the face of the intruder. Liam saw a gaunt, skeleton-like figure with a mess of unkempt, dirty hair. Most importantly, he held a knife in his hand.
It seemed Sirius Black had been having a rough time lately. After confirming that Black didn't have a wand, Liam activated the Purple Mist Divine Art and leaped out from behind the sofa.
"Who—?" Before the word was fully out, Black lunged forward, raising his right hand and reversing the knife to try and hit Liam with the hilt.
At least Black wasn't a complete monster; even in this moment, he remembered not to harm innocents. Liam dodged Sirius Black's charge and struck a pressure point on the back of his neck. Black, weakened by long travel and hunger, couldn't avoid the blow.
He collapsed to the ground, but the thick carpet muffled the sound of his fall. A dull thud echoed, but the Common Room remained silent.
Liam pulled out an enchanted rope and bound Black, then pointed his wand at him and cast the "Wake-Up Charm." The spell clearly roused Black, but he continued to pretend to be unconscious, trying to counterattack.
"Mr. Black, there's no need to pretend to be unconscious. As Harry's friend, I need to ask you something. Can you tell me why you want to kill Harry?"
"No, I don't!" Sirius Black's eyes widened, and the veins in his hands bulged. "I came to kill that bastard, that bastard is still alive! I have to kill him! Kill him!"
Sirius Black's words were incoherent with his agitation, but he didn't want to wake the others, so even his shouts were muffled.
Sirius Black calmed down after a moment and looked at Liam. "You must be Layne Liang, right? Can you tell me why you think I might not be the murderer?"
"Wait, how do you know who I am?" Liam remembered he hadn't introduced himself at all.
"I found a few old newspapers in Hogsmeade, and one of them had a photo of you receiving the Order of Merlin, Second Class. Honestly, your Asian face is so distinctive; you're the only Asian boy in Gryffindor."
"Then why do you think I don't believe you're the murderer?"
"Because you held back and didn't call for help earlier."
Indeed, Liam realized he was still lacking experience. He decided to mix some truth with his story. "Since you've seen my picture in the newspaper, you should know I'm a Muggle-born wizard. I often read a lot about the Wizarding World to understand it better, and your case came up in one of the old newspapers I read. From my Muggle perspective, a case where someone is convicted without a trial is full of suspicious points."
"Besides, I learned from Hagrid that you were the one who gave Harry to him after his parents were killed. If you really wanted to kill Harry, you could have done it then. So when I realized you were here, my first thought was to ask you what you were doing."
"You have courage, fitting for a Gryffindor", Sirius Black said, looking at Liam. "Yes, I am Harry's godfather. I was like a brother to his father, and I would never harm him. The one I want to kill is the real traitor, Peter Pettigrew. It was my fault that he had the opportunity to betray the Potters to Voldemort. I saw him in the newspaper and came out to find him."
"Of course, my luck was also on my side today. When I got to the door, I found a piece of paper with the password for the entire week. That's how I managed to get in."
"Neville must have been cursed. Even without Crookshanks, he would have lost something", Liam thought. "Probably during the celebration when everyone was coming in, it got a bit chaotic, and Neville dropped his note."
As Liam was thinking about this, he noticed Sirius Black staring at him intently. He decided to drop the bomb. "The Scabbers you mentioned, is he a mouse with a missing finger on his front paw?"
"How, how did you know that?" Sirius Black looked at Liam in shock.
"You just said you saw him in the newspaper, but theoretically, he should be dead and couldn't appear in the newspaper. The only explanation is that he wasn't in human form when he appeared. The only place he could hide in the Gryffindor Tower is as someone's pet. Most owls go to the owlery, and the only suspicious pet left is Ron's Scabbers, which I'm taking care of. A normal mouse shouldn't live as long as Scabbers has, and he's been in poor condition this year."
Given the outcome, the reasoning was straightforward, but Sirius Black was clearly stunned by Liam's deduction.
"Smart boy, I almost wonder if you should have been sorted into Ravenclaw. You said Peter Pettigrew is with you. Bring him out so I can kill him", Sirius Black said with a feverish excitement.
(End of Chapter)
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