Chapter 279: Grimmauld Place
Chapter 279: Grimmauld Place
"I will appear before him, but I will go myself, not today. I don’t trust you", Black said, spreading his hands. "I don’t know if you would hand me over to the Ministry of Magic because of Snape. I can’t take that risk."
"You mean—correct me if I’m wrong—you don’t trust me, yet you want me to tell Dumbledore about Peter Pettigrew to clear your name? Don’t you find your logic a bit strange?" Felix asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Ha~ Clear my name? That’s far from my mind. I have my own methods, a backup plan, understand? I don’t trust you, but I’m not worried about you revealing my secrets because Snape is also an enemy of Peter Pettigrew, provided he knows the truth. You can discuss this with him."
Felix was silent. Peter Pettigrew had already fled. According to Lupin, he was likely hiding somewhere near Hogwarts, closely monitoring the situation, but no one could catch a rat.
Moreover, the secret-keeper... The Potter couple had secretly changed the secret-keeper of the Safe Room, even Dumbledore didn’t know about it, which is why everyone was convinced Black was the traitor?
The biggest question was resolved.
Next, it was time to wrap things up. Hand Sirius Black over to Dumbledore and let him deal with the headache.
As for Black’s reluctance... Stunning him was a good option. Felix could also take some of Black’s blood to remove the magical wards on Number 12, Grimmauld Place.
Felix lifted his head. "I insist on taking you with me." He raised his wand, and a thin Stunning Spell shot out. Since Black wasn’t the traitor, this level of power was sufficient.
But to his surprise, Black actually deflected the spell.
Black stumbled back several steps, pulling out a wand from behind his back and looking smug at Felix. "See, I told you..." In the next second, his body twisted and turned into smoke—
Apparition!
A second wand!
Felix instantly understood everything. He vanished from the spot even faster, reappearing in front of Black in the blink of an eye. He reached out into the smoke, able to see Black’s face contorted with shock.
In the next moment, both of them disappeared.
The space around them shifted and distorted. Felix staggered out, following Black’s Apparition but unable to control the destination. He found himself on a strange, unfamiliar hillside, with trees growing in odd patterns and black stones scattered everywhere.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a dark, ominous cave entrance. Was this one of Black’s hiding spots, some beast’s lair? He tried to orient himself; this was likely still the Forbidden Forest, but deep within, possibly close to the other side.
Black rolled on the ground a couple of times but didn’t look around. As soon as he regained consciousness, he used Apparition again. If he could do it twice, that terrifying man wouldn’t be able to catch up, right?
He couldn’t believe it. There was actually someone who could intrude during another’s Apparition and complete a follow-up Apparition...
His body began to twist into a cloud of smoke. He knew he had succeeded, which was quite rare. Using this magic consecutively put a significant strain on him, and he was far from his best state.
But what made his scalp tingle was the sensation of a hand grabbing his neck. He opened his eyes, surrounded by a hazy mist, with the landscape flashing by rapidly, but he knew that the speed of Apparition had been forcibly slowed down.
He saw Felix's calm gaze, and their eyes met. Black understood the meaning in Felix's eyes: You can't escape!
In the next second, Black was thrown back, his stomach churning, making him retch uncontrollably. But he immediately forced himself to Apparate for the third time.
This time, he was almost exhausted. A corner of his tattered robe was silently cut, and a sharp pain shot through his forehead. Warm liquid covered his eyes, and he realized he had been Splinched, but not severely. No limbs were missing, and he wasn't immobilized.
The Apparition ended, and his vision was pitch black. He couldn't help but pray that it would succeed.
Then he heard a familiar voice, "Why did you think to come here? After all these years, you still can't forget?"
Black sat up, wiping his eyes. Through his blood-red vision, he found himself in a Muggle neighborhood. Everything was both familiar and strange; he hadn't returned here since he left at sixteen.
This was Grimmauld Place, where the Black family's old house was hidden.
Black got up from the ground, touching his forehead. His fingers were stained with blood. He had indeed been Splinched, but it wasn't severe. No limbs were missing, and he wasn't stuck in one place.
The young man across from him watched him with a scrutinizing gaze, making no move to attack. Are you waiting for me to admit defeat?
Dream on! He had just had a good idea.
Black waved his wand, sending a series of spells and large bursts of red fire flying. He shouted, "Kreacher!"
Felix hesitated, slowing his attack. An ugly, old House-elf appeared beside Sirius Black, "Take me in!" Black said, launching a full-scale offensive. But the occasional counter-spell from Felix was already pushing him to his limits.
Kreacher stood beside Black, muttering, "You are a hateful, ungrateful scoundrel who has broken your mother's heart. You've been gone for years and now you return with a powerful enemy, failing to fulfill any of your duties—"
"Shut up! Take me in, now!" Black roared. His wand emitted a blinding white light, and a powerful spell condensed into a dozen rusted iron arrows in mid-air. They whistled through the air, heading straight for Felix.
At the same time, Kreacher reluctantly extended his withered fingers, touching Black's knee. They disappeared from the empty field.
Felix casually twirled his wand, turning the iron arrows into thin ropes that fell to the ground in a limp heap. His gaze pierced through the layers of magical wards, seeing Black slumped on the steps of an ancient mansion, his inadequate wand discarded, gasping for breath.
He laughed heartily, "I won! How does it feel to be toyed with, Mr. Black? Oh, how delightful!" He let out a series of strange, cathartic cries.
Kreacher stood beside him, dressed in nothing but a dirty, tattered cloth. In a hoarse, low voice, he muttered, "The wasteful heir of the noble Black family rejoices at escaping, challenging an unbeatable enemy. What a foolish act—"
"Shut up, Kreacher! Can't I enjoy this moment in peace?"
...
Grimmauld Place, Felix walked to where Sirius Black had disappeared, crouched down, and picked up a drop of blood from the ground.
(End of Chapter)
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