Chapter 486: Sirius Black's Memory
Chapter 486: Sirius Black's Memory
Sirius Black's sudden visit took Dumbledore by surprise.
He had already prepared to go to sleep, wearing a soft dressing gown and a pointed velvet sleeping cap. In his office, he saw Sirius, covered in mud, standing before him.
“What happened?”
Dumbledore asked, his expression serious, his mind racing with countless possibilities.
Sirius sat across the table, his lips downturned, and his eyes filled with worry. “Harry just told me he had a nightmare, and his scar was hurting.”
Dumbledore: “...”
He steepled his fingers and looked at Sirius, remaining silent for a moment before speaking. “Harry’s scar hurting is indeed no small matter... What kind of nightmare did he have?”
“He dreamed... he dreamed that Lockhart and Gellert Torka were being tortured. Harry said the scene in the dream was very realistic... as if it were really happening.”
Sirius frowned. “In fact, about half an hour ago, I saw those two enter a house and never come out. I believe what Harry saw was the truth.”
Dumbledore studied Sirius carefully. “It’s late now, and it’s normal for them to enter a house to rest and not come out. Why do you think there’s something wrong?”
“Because...” Sirius hesitated, then said, “They were led there by Wormtail. The place is a trap... The house looked like it hadn’t been lived in for a long time, so there’s definitely something wrong.”
—But those two are fugitives. Wouldn’t it be normal for them to find an abandoned house to hide in?
“I remember you followed Lockhart and Torka to find Peter Pettigrew’s trail.”
Dumbledore gently probed, “So you encountered Peter Pettigrew? Did you catch him?”
“No.” Sirius said bitterly, “I finally found his trail, but he was meeting with an accomplice. To avoid being discovered, I hid. Then those two disappeared right in front of my eyes!”
Dumbledore sighed.
This state of seeming logical but subtly feeling like nonsense was disturbingly familiar.
“Relax, Sirius.” Dumbledore drew his wand and pointed it at the young wizard. “You’ve been affected by Voldemort’s Obscuring Charm. I’ll remove it now.”
—Voldemort?
Sirius, confused, thought: Isn’t he dead?
Then he remembered what he had heard and was suddenly gripped by a sense of inexplicable fear that spread through his heart.
Just as Sirius was about to reveal Voldemort’s resurrection plan, he was enveloped by the light of the spell.
Voldemort was a master of curses, and the ones he cast with full force were extremely complex and powerful. Even Dumbledore couldn’t undo them easily.
For example, the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts had been a revolving door for decades, with professors changing every year, sometimes even twice a year. This was in stark contrast to other subjects, where professors could teach for decades.
However, the Obscuring Charm had a wide range, which diluted its power, making it less difficult to counter. But even Dumbledore couldn’t cast a counter-curse on everyone.
After removing the spell from Weasley, Dumbledore subsequently lifted the curse from Snape, Kingsley, Mad-Eye Moody, Lupin, and other Order of the Phoenix members. Sirius, who had been running around, was still under the influence of the curse.
After the curse was lifted, the drowsy mind instantly became crystal clear, even more so than usual.
Buried memories surged in the mind, even bringing up some long-forgotten ones. It was as if the wall of "forgetfulness" had been suddenly breached for a few seconds, and the sealed memories reappeared vividly in front of him.
...
"Sirius, what are you doing here?"
Regulus emerged from behind the bookshelf and asked softly.
"Obviously, reading a book."
Sirius said lazily, suddenly tossing the book in his hand to his brother.
Regulus caught it effortlessly, then paused, puzzled by the strange sensation.
The book's cover had a slightly dark, skin-like texture, as if made from some special leather. Upon closer inspection, tiny pores could be seen.
Sirius grinned wickedly and said, "Did you know? The book in your hands is made from human skin!"
He watched his brother's face eagerly, hoping to see the "qualified Black family member" scream in terror and throw the book away, or even burst into tears.
But Regulus didn’t react that way. He just turned pale and walked over to put the book back on the shelf.
"Father said your confinement is over, Sirius", Regulus said slowly. "But he is still angry. You'd better be careful."
Sirius didn’t pick up on the concern in his words, mistaking it for a warning from their parents.
So Sirius sneered, said nothing, and pushed past Regulus with his shoulder, walking out of the basement where he had been confined for days.
Regulus, left behind, bumped into the bookshelf with a "thud." He rubbed his shoulder, lowered his head, and followed his brother out.
...
Sirius was lost in thought for a while before he began to recount everything that had happened.
Father’s bone... servant’s flesh... enemy’s blood... resurrection... the contents of Harry’s nightmare...
He had subconsciously wanted to hide some parts, like the strange perspective in Harry's dream, but under Dumbledore’s all-seeing gaze, Sirius eventually revealed everything he knew.
Dumbledore stood up and paced around the office. After a moment, he asked, "Are you sure Wormtail called that person Barty?"
"Yes", Sirius replied.
"Barty Crouch?" Dumbledore pressed.
"No... not Barty Crouch. I remember the voice; it sounds different", Sirius guessed. "Maybe it’s another Barty."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "Does the voice sound like young Barty Crouch?"
"Young Barty Crouch? Wasn’t he already dead?" Sirius asked, surprised.
He looked at Dumbledore, sensing something. "The boy is a few years younger than me, so I don’t have a clear memory of his voice... Maybe you can look into my memories."
He touched the tip of his wand to his temple and extracted a silvery memory. The Pensieve, which had been in a cabinet, flew over and landed on the table in front of Sirius.
Dumbledore tapped the Pensieve with his wand, and the thoughts inside began to swirl. After a moment, a voice came from within:
"You did well, Wormtail..."
(End of Chapter)
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