Chapter 238: It's Great to Turn into a Black Dog
Chapter 238: It's Great to Turn into a Black Dog
"What? Of course not!"
Lupin was taken aback, then burst into silent laughter.
"I just admire the vitality she possesses, and it has nothing to do with romantic feelings between men and women."
In reality, Abigail's personality always reminded him of James and Sirius in their youth.
Not the current Sirius, but when they were in their teens, during the time when they were still carefree and reckless.
They had once planned to stay together as a group of four even after graduation. They wanted to travel the world, explore remote and dangerous places, and leave a trail of plunderers in every Ministry of Magic.
But right after graduation, they were thrust into war. James married Lily, and soon they had a child...
Life seemed to fast-forward like an accelerated video, and Lupin felt he hadn't had time to process it all before the group of four was reduced to just him.
He looked back, and no one was by his side; he looked ahead, but he didn't know where the road would lead.
The dreams of their youth were like mist, blown away by the raging winds of death and war, leaving no trace.
Lupin's expression turned slightly somber, and Vold noticed, so he stopped talking.
The two followed the trail left by the carriage and soon arrived at Hogsmeade.
From a distance, Vold spotted a succubus perched on a tall, spire-like roof. Her wings, like bird's wings, were folded behind her, and a pair of gray-green eyes stared at the two of them for a while before turning away in boredom.
Succubi were also a type of magical creature, similar to centaurs, living around wizards but separate from them.
However, unlike centaurs who preferred to live in groups, most succubi lived alone or in small groups of two or three.
They mostly hid in human cities or villages, but only in pure wizarding villages like Hogsmeade could they fully spread their wings without having to disguise themselves as ordinary humans.
This particular succubus was one of the residents of Hogsmeade, and students from Hogwarts occasionally caught glimpses of her.
Neither Lupin nor Vold paid much attention and walked past the tower where the succubus was perched.
Hogsmeade was also adorned with some Easter decorations, with colorful eggs and rabbits everywhere, along with wizard tourists who had come from other places.
Lupin's home was as warm as ever, with a few rabbits hopping around the entrance. A red-eyed rabbit, dressed in blue, sat at the door, curiously observing the two of them.
Vold crouched down, reached out, and poked it, asking, "Where's Sirius?"
"He went to buy some things. To ensure the safety of the Animagus transformation, some preparations are needed," Lupin said.
He picked a few vegetables and lettuce from his own garden, directing them to jump into the pool to clean themselves, and then they flew onto the cutting board.
The kitchen knife immediately jumped up and chopped the vegetables with a rhythmic thudding sound.
Vold looked at the bookshelf and noticed a few new additions, such as "Cooking Magic," "Delicious Things Need Suitable Magic," and "The Complete Guide to Household Magic," among others.
Although these spells were very practical, they were not within the scope of Hogwarts' curriculum. Wizards who wanted to learn them had to study on their own.
Vold went upstairs to put away his luggage, changed into casual home clothes, and then heard the sound of an engine roaring from the neighboring room.
At that moment, the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and Lupin emerged from it.
The two went to the neighboring room and saw that Sirius had already returned. His appearance was incredibly trendy—
He was dressed in a black leather jacket and long boots, wearing sunglasses, and his black hair danced in the wind behind his head.
Sirius was riding a huge red motorcycle adorned with golden lion patterns. It was clear that Sirius had made numerous modifications, as Vold couldn't recognize the brand at all.
Voldemort blinked his eyes, or at least he would have if they weren't so blurry from the impact. Sirius had just fallen from the sky, it seemed.
"Sirius," Lupin said wearily, "you know the Ministry of Magic prohibits the misuse of Muggle artifacts."
Sirius waved him off nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter; I'm invisible, and so is the bike. Hey, Remus, I assume you're ready?"
"Of course," Remus laughed.
"You didn't forget to practice the spell, did you?" Sirius asked sternly. "Don't lie; you know this is a matter of life and death, it's extremely important."
"Of course not," Remus assured him. "Every sunrise and sunset, I've cast the spell twice a day without fail."
"Good boy!" Sirius ruffled his hair and said, "Come with me and see what we've prepared for you."
They walked through the woods for about ten minutes, reaching a small valley in the nearby forest.
There was a makeshift wooden hut, crooked and barely standing, held up only by magic. Vines entwined around it like a spider's web, leaving only a narrow path.
The canopy of leaves and vines extended far, intertwining with each other to form a giant net overhead. Sunlight filtered through the small gaps between the leaves, showering down like a curtain of rain.
In the clearing, there was a pit filled with water, appearing crystal clear.
A small deer was drinking at the edge of the pit, and their footsteps startled it. It leaped out, jumping to the edge of the woods, then turned back to look at them before running off.
"Damn, when did this place get opened up?"
Sirius walked over and pointed his wand at the gap where the deer had entered. The surrounding bushes immediately stretched, sealing the gap tightly.
"What's this for?" Remus asked curiously.
"Didn't you say you once dreamed of flying?" Lupin said. "Dreams during Animagus practice have a certain element of premonition. Your animal form is likely to be a bird."
"At that time, I dreamed of running on all fours and chasing my tail in circles. I thought I'd at least be a leopard or something..."
Sirius returned, looking dejected, and said, "Animagus transformations require open spaces, but if you turn into a bird and fly away, and your mind is occupied by the bird's nature, forgetting to fly back, where would we find you?"
This was the greatest danger of Animagus practice; it could potentially turn a wizard into a real animal, causing them to lose their self and human consciousness.
"So, to prevent you from flying away, we've enclosed this entire area," Lupin explained. "Also, if you turn into a fish, there's plenty of water here so you won't suffocate later."
The first Animagus transformation must be done in an open area to avoid literal crushing due to a large post-transformation size in a confined space, and also to prevent getting lost if the transformed size is too small.
It's best to have no other creatures around to avoid mixing in and running away, or being preyed upon by other creatures after transformation.
Some creatures require extremely harsh living environments, necessitating special arrangements.
Sirius and Lupin, two experienced wizards, addressed these dangers one by one. Sirius tidied up for a while, then suddenly asked with a sigh:
"Remus, why were we so fearless back then, recklessly attempting the transformation?"
"It's not easy to stay alive! Turning into a black dog is just great..."
Before Lupin could reply, he poured two packets of sea salt into the water pit, his voice trailing off with lingering fear.
(End of Chapter)
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