Chapter 311: Who's Available?
Chapter 311: Who's Available?
Harry clenched his fists, glaring angrily at the short, stout, gray-haired man.
Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, his face etched with anxiety, spoke in a crisp tone, with a hint of hidden satisfaction, "I know, it's terrible, but we had to come... Peter Pettigrew, Gilderoy Lockhart, and Garrus Troka are still at large. It's really awful... very awful... The public is in a panic, and the Ministry has to conduct a more thorough investigation..."
"So, you're here for Sirius? Do you think he's involved in these matters?"
Lupin said coldly, pushing Harry back by his shoulder, keeping him out of the conversation.
Harry bit his teeth, took a few steps back, and quickly glanced around.
In the corner, a large black dog sat, its cold eyes fixed on Fudge and the others.
At this moment, Harry felt relieved—the Ministry didn't know that Sirius was an Animagus.
Even more fortunate was that before these Ministry officials entered, Sirius had just transformed into a large dog, demonstrating the Animagus transformation for Harry.
Knowing that Vaid had successfully mastered the Animagus transformation, Harry also yearned to learn this magic.
After Sirius found out, he was not only not disappointed in Harry's ambition but was also delighted to teach him Transfiguration.
"James also started learning Animagus around this time! It took us three years to master it! You might be even faster!" Sirius said.
He was usually very busy, almost always out, but as soon as he returned home, he would transform into a large dog to play with Harry.
Harry forced himself to not pay too much attention to the black dog, opened the Friend Ledger, and quickly sent out a message.
Dumbledore was busy with something and didn't reply for a long time.
The adult wizards didn't seem to care about his actions, and Fudge just stared at Lupin's unyielding gaze, nervously tugging at his hair.
"I know... I've heard that you're good friends, Remus Lupin. I heard you have a lot of influence in Aslan Magical Workshop..."
"Yes."
Lupin, suppressing his anger, said, "Just a week ago, we donated the world's largest FlowMirror to the Ministry. Three days ago, Aslan conducted an exclusive interview with the Minister to promote the Ministry's recent policies."
"Yes, yes, I know. We've always worked well together. You're a decent person, dear Remus, so we've never doubted you."
Fudge said uncomfortably.
If it weren't for Lupin's deep involvement with Aslan Magical Workshop, and the fact that Aslan was a major taxpayer for the Ministry, even donating limited-edition products to the Ministry, including Fudge himself...
Fudge would have ordered the Aurors to take Remus Lupin into custody for investigation.
After all, he was once one of Peter Pettigrew's close friends.
But now, Lupin couldn't be moved.
Even Sirius, the unemployed wanderer, was difficult to capture when Lupin stood firmly in front of him.
"But Remus, have you never considered it? Before this, no prisoner had ever escaped from Azkaban... But after Sirius' release, the prison break also occurred..."
"But Sirius has been out of Azkaban for almost a year! Those three you mentioned went in after him!"
Harry couldn't help but raise his voice in rebuttal, "How could he help them escape? Could he open their cell locks from thousands of kilometers away?
"Haha..."
Minister Fudge gave a few polite laughs, then looked at Harry with pity, as if he were a foolish child who didn't know any better.
The Minister of Magic tried to speak in a gentle tone, "Harry, perhaps Sirius spoke to Peter or Lockhart about some details of Azkaban after his release? He spent eleven years in Azkaban, no one knows that place better than him..."
"He taught them how to escape, and even provided them with shelter after Peter and the others escaped. That's why we couldn't find any trace of those three for so long..."
"Minister Fudge, you're insulting Sirius!"
"That's impossible. Sirius hates Peter Pettigrew more than anyone, he would never do such a thing!"
Remus and Harry's angry voices rang out almost simultaneously, and the black dog in front of the fireplace had already opened its mouth, baring its sharp teeth, and growled threateningly from its throat.
Fudge was unmoved, and seemed to find their determination somewhat amusing.
"Remus, Harry, people can change... A normal person would go mad after eleven years in Azkaban, let alone... well... What really happened between Sirius and Peter Pettigrew back then, no one knows, right?"
Fudge didn't look at Harry's green eyes burning with anger, but bowed his head and stroked his wand, speaking as if in a devilish whisper.
"You see, twelve years ago, Pettigrew accused Sirius of being the betrayer; a year ago, Sirius accused Pettigrew of being the betrayer... They were saying it themselves, weren't they?"
"Ah, I know you want to talk about the Truth Serum... But we all know that some people can resist the effects of the Truth Serum..."
Harry felt his throat tighten, his whole body trembled, and he was so angry that he could barely speak.
- How dare he... How dare he slander Sirius right in front of them!
He clenched his teeth and said, "If I were with Sirius every day, if he had ill intentions, I would have been dead long ago!"
"Hmm..." Fudge said, "But you were with Pettigrew all the time! You were even in the same dormitory, and he didn't harm you either... Who can say for sure what these people are thinking?"
Fudge himself felt more and more convinced as he spoke. He stroked his chin and pondered, "Perhaps the Death Eaters have some sort of consensus—not to harm you without authorization..."
Harry couldn't bear to listen anymore, he turned and ran back to his room with heavy footsteps.
Fudge didn't mind, thinking that the child had finally realized he had trusted the wrong person. He continued to persuade Remus to hand over Sirius.
Back in his bedroom, Harry opened the Friend Ledger, disappointed to see that Dumbledore still hadn't replied. He flipped through the thick vellum notebook, thinking about who else he could ask for help.
Professor McGonagall? No, she might ask Sirius to cooperate with the investigation. Professor McGonagall has always been the most rule-abiding... Hermione, Ron... Vold...
- Vold? Harry's heart stirred, and he quickly wrote a line of messy words -
[Harry: The Ministry wants to take Sirius away, and I can't reach Dumbledore. What should I do?]
Vold briefly explained the situation.
[Vold: I understand. I'll find someone to help you, be patient.]
After a moment of thought, Vold contacted the house-elf at school -
[Vold: Hey, who's available right now?]
(End of Chapter)
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