Chapter 511: Acting with Sirius Black 1
Chapter 511: Acting with Sirius Black 1
The cold wind swept across the plain, like a mournful whisper. The bonfire had long since gone cold, leaving only charred stones scattered around.
Looking around, all that could be seen were trampled tents, with torn canvas flapping in the wind. Various debris littered the ground, but there was no sign of their owners.
A broken pine log had fallen, crushing a tin water pot beneath it. Someone’s pajamas, stretched on a branch, bore large patches of blood.
The only moving object was a small statue of Viktor Krum. This tiny figure, no bigger than a thumb, walked back and forth on the grass tirelessly, taking steps that were remarkably lifelike.
Vid looked at the little statue and thought to himself: It looks so silly, not nearly as smart as my automaton.
...
When the morning light filtered through the small window of the tent, Vid opened his eyes.
He stared at the crisscrossed patterns of the canvas above him, lost in thought for a moment.
In recent days, this was the third time he had had a similar dream.
The first was in the Dark Forest, the second on a battlefield littered with bodies, and the third in an abandoned camp.
Occasional dreams weren’t unusual; Vid had a vivid imagination. He had dreamed of being chased by soldiers disguised as pandas and of giants as tall as mountains being sealed away.
But having similar dreams three times in a row...
Vid pondered for a while before getting up. As soon as he opened his bedroom door, he saw Harry running over to knock.
“Vid, the Weasleys have arrived. Let’s go find Fred and the others to play?” Harry said excitedly.
“You go ahead, I haven’t had breakfast yet,” Vid replied lazily.
The Weasleys had arrived at the camp very early to catch the Portkey, which activated at a specific time. The sky was still dim, and the morning mist had yet to dissipate.
Harry didn’t press the matter and bounded down the stairs.
After breakfast, Vid opened his storage space and took a bottle of Polyjuice Potion from the potions shelf. He added a hair and stirred it, turning the potion a sea-blue color, like a vibrant cocktail.
He tipped his head back and took a sip. A fierce burning sensation spread from his stomach to his entire body, as if his bones and muscles were melting and then reshaped by an invisible hand.
A few seconds later, Vid saw himself in the mirror transformed into a young man in his early twenties, with a stubble, short stature, slightly plump, and an ordinary appearance—just another face in the crowd.
He changed into suitable clothes and grabbed a spare wand. Just as he was about to go downstairs, he saw someone munching on a chicken leg, holding a plate of sandwiches in one hand and a cup of hot coffee in the other, coming out of the kitchen.
They collided face to face, staring at each other.
Vid smiled and was about to greet him when Sirius suddenly dropped what he was holding, stepped back, and swiftly drew his wand, shouting, “Disarm!”
A red beam of light hit an invisible barrier and deflected, shattering the chandelier with a loud “clang.”
Just as Sirius was about to cast another spell, he saw the items he had dropped floating around him, with only a few drops of coffee spilling.
“It’s me, Sirius,” the stranger said with a resigned tone. “I’m Vid Gray.”
“Vid?” Sirius looked at him in surprise. “How did you... Polyjuice Potion?”
"Sure." Wade waved his wand, and the coffee, chicken legs, and other items landed steadily on the table. "I need to go out for a bit. Just pretend you didn't see me."
He hadn’t seen Sirius or Lupin during breakfast, so he asked Kreacher and learned they had gone out on some business. He assumed both had gone to protect Harry, which was why they weren’t in the tent.
Now, running into them face-to-face, Wade found it a bit troublesome, but not alarming.
He wasn’t planning to do anything truly bad—well, it might be a bit illegal, but according to Sirius’s standards, it wasn’t that serious.
Wade quickened his pace, intending to leave, but Sirius grabbed his arm. "Wait a minute, I’ll go with you!"
Wade asked, "Do you know what I’m going to do?"
"Whatever it is, it’s more interesting than fetching water in a bucket! Besides, you’re not planning to kill or burn anyone down."
Sirius said this without hesitation, shoving a sandwich into his mouth in a few bites, choking and gulping it down with a large sip of coffee.
—Just as I thought.
Wade thought to himself.
—I was hoping to slip away before he noticed!
He stopped and said, "Take your time, eat slowly. I can wait."
In less than three minutes, Sirius finished his breakfast, wiped his mouth, and said, "Let’s go… Where are we heading? What do you have in mind?"
"Something that can’t be known by others… drink this first."
Wade took out a bottle of Polyjuice Potion, dropped a hair into it, and the potion turned a cement-like gray.
Sirius tilted his head back and took a sip, grimacing. Soon, he transformed into a balding, elderly man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies.
Sirius touched his face and examined the wrinkles on his hands. "What’s this guy’s name?"
"Call him whatever you want; we don’t need a specific name." Wade said, "You can choose one yourself."
They stepped out, and Sirius thought for a moment. "From now on, I’ll be Patroclus Ohanesian."
—What a weird name.
Wade thought, but said, "Alright, Pat. You can call me Red."
"So, Red, what are we going to do?" Sirius asked.
"I heard there’s a Muggle campsite manager nearby. Do you know where they are?" Wade asked.
"Of course, follow me."
Sirius’s mind seemed to have a built-in Gps, leading Wade through the maze of tents. Just when Wade thought they were lost in the sea of tents, the landscape suddenly opened up, revealing a desolate swamp in the distance.
Next to the camp’s entrance was a small stone hut. In front of it stood a man with a dazed expression, mechanically handing tickets to two elderly women in long nightgowns and accepting their money.
A wizard wearing a badge, likely from the Ministry of Magic, stood nearby in lantern pants.
Wade pulled Sirius back a few steps, using nearby tents to block the wizard’s view, then quietly raised his wand, aiming at the Muggle.
Sirius suddenly grabbed the other end of the wand, his expression unusually serious.
"Though I’ve done more outrageous things in my youth, I still have to tell you—cursing a Muggle is illegal, Wade. If that guy has wronged you, tell me, and I’ll deal with him."
(End of Chapter)
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