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Chapter 241: Remus, Did You See Him?
Chapter 241: Remus, Did You See Him?
Sirius blinked, and in that instant, Voldemort's figure disappeared from his sight. He quickly looked around, shouting, "Voldemort!"
His voice was drowned out by the thunder, and the lightning illuminated the man's face, making it look deathly pale.
Sirius spun around, looking at Lupin, who was not far behind him.
"Remus, did you see him?"
Lupin shook his head and yelled, "We've blocked off the surroundings! He can't have gone far!"
Sirius turned back and saw that the entrance they had come through was now completely blocked by Lupin, which made him feel a little relieved.
However, this didn't guarantee absolute security. There were always gaps between the branches and vines, and a bird with its wings tucked in might still be able to squeeze through.
"He's turned into a bird!" Sirius shouted. "It's fast, maybe a swallow or an owl or something!"
Lupin nodded, grateful that they had brought their flying brooms.
The two of them mounted their brooms and, with a whoosh, flew into the rain.
The rain pouring through the gaps in the leaves was like a faucet turned on, falling diagonally and hitting their heads, then flowing down their necks and into their clothes. They were both drenched, but they didn't have time to use magic to shield themselves from the rain.
Voldemort's animal form was a bird, which wasn't entirely unexpected. A flying bird of prey was more useful than most other creatures.
This was actually a cause for celebration.
But the problem was that during the first transformation, human consciousness was often overwhelmed by animal instincts. Sometimes, the transformer might forget they were human.
The simple animal brain could cause them to run away, crash into walls, or even do something worse. If they couldn't transform back in time, they would eventually be completely assimilated by the animal's way of thinking.
If Voldemort escaped in this state, the two of them feared they might never be able to find him again.
In just a few minutes, Lupin already felt like he was about to freeze. His palms gripping the broom were turning blue, and his lips had lost their color. Rainwater flowed into his eyes, and in the dense curtain of rain, he could only see a small area in front of him.
He saw Sirius shouting and gesturing, seemingly trying to say something, but he couldn't hear anything. Finally, Sirius used his hands and feet to signal that they should split up and search in a spiral pattern.
Lupin nodded and flew off.
He tried to appear calm, but inside, he was already in a state of panic.
In just a few minutes, Lupin had already regretted countless times—
He regretted teaching Voldemort the Animagus training method, regretted encouraging him to learn a course that was too advanced for him, and regretted calling Voldemort out that night.
—If something happens to that child, it's all your fault! Lupin berated himself, feeling remorse over and over again.
He had known that Voldemort was much younger than James and his friends had been back then.
Even though Voldemort had a strong knowledge base and potential, his magic power was not strong enough, and his willpower was likely inferior to that of an adult.
He hadn't spent a long time gradually mastering the techniques and methods of Transfiguration, nor had he undergone extensive meditation and magical control training. This had caused both Lupin and Sirius to feel a sense of unease, which was why they had spent a lot of time preparing.
At this moment, all their anxiety and worry seemed to converge and explode, leaving Lupin feeling numb all over.
The two of them searched carefully from the bottom up, but found nothing. When they landed back on the ground, their faces were paler than a corpse.
At this point, the heavy rain had lessened slightly.
"Perhaps we should inform Dumbledore... Sirius." Lupin's lips trembled slightly. "At least call Professor McGonagall, she has more experience."
Sirius frowned. "Maybe it was the heavy rain earlier, and we couldn't see clearly... Let's search again!"
He shot off like an arrow, while Lupin, feeling a bit dazed, instinctively lifted his broomstick and followed.
With wands in hand, they released a bright light from the tip, illuminating a large area.
However, after circling a few more times, they still found nothing.
By now, even the optimistic Sirius had to admit that they seemed to have accidentally lost Vold.
The two looked at each other, their hearts sinking to the bottom of an icy well.
Just then, Lupin suddenly heard a faint, "Waa" sound.
He paused, thinking he had misheard.
Then, he saw Sirius looking at him in shock, with an expression that was both angry and amused. After a while, he finally spoke:
"You little rascal... you're hiding here..."
Lupin turned his head abruptly and saw a deep blue bird behind him.
It was much larger than a pigeon but considered small among birds of prey. It had black stripes on its head and cheeks, a neck with a bluish-black sheen, and a white-striped abdomen.
At that moment, it was clinging to the crossbar of the broomstick with its yellow claws, hiding behind Lupin to avoid the wind and rain. Seeing him turn around, it tilted its head, looking at him curiously and innocently.
Lupin: "..."
He felt his heart skip a beat, startled by the boy.
He opened his mouth, then opened it again, but couldn't say a word.
"Let's get him back to normal first." Sirius drew his wand and approached, saying, "The longer it takes, the more time it'll need to regain consciousness."
As he got closer, the deep blue bird shifted uneasily, as if wanting to escape. But as soon as it spread its wings, it was frozen in place by magic.
The bird's grayish eyes shifted anxiously, watching as Lupin also drew his wand.
"Get ready, Vold." Lupin said, "I'll count to three. One... two... three!"
Two streaks of blue-white light hit his body, and he struggled before his limbs underwent a strange transformation. In a few seconds, the bird, which was shorter than a human arm from head to tail, transformed into a twelve-year-old boy.
He fell to the ground with a thud, splashing water all over himself. He looked around in a daze, his wet hair pathetically sticking to his forehead.
"Pfft—"
Sirius couldn't help but burst into laughter, which grew louder. Lupin also showed a bitter yet relieved smile.
"You almost scared me to death, Vold..."
"Huh?"
Vold was confused.
During his first transformation, his mind was hazy, and he barely remembered anything from before.
"Alright, let's go back and change clothes."
Lupin pulled him up from the ground and said, "Now that the first transformation was successful, future transformations will be easier. Remember to maintain a clear mind and self-awareness; it's crucial."
Lupin had said these words more than once. Vold nodded and then curiously asked, "So, what's my animal form?"
Before transforming, he had envisioned his transformed appearance in his mind, but he could only remember it was a bird and momentarily forgot its name.
"Peregrine Falcon," Sirius smiled, "The fastest bird—you won't need the Hogwarts Express for school anymore."
The next chapter will be late.
(End of Chapter)
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