Chapter 701: If I Had Known, I Would Have Watched That Quidditch Match
Chapter 701: If I Had Known, I Would Have Watched That Quidditch Match
Faster... just a bit faster!
Sirius Black panted heavily, magic coursing through his body. His limbs moved in a blur, his form becoming a fleeting shadow as he raced toward Hogwarts Castle.
He could only hope that he would make it in time...
The commotion inside the castle grew louder, and Sirius Black's sense of urgency intensified. He could faintly hear cries and screams, a clear sign that something had gone wrong!
His thoughts were abruptly cut off by a sudden, overwhelming sense of danger.
Sirius Black's scalp tingled, and he looked up to see a massive eagle diving straight at him.
Before his mind could process why an eagle would attack him, his body reacted instinctively!
Sirius Black crouched, his front legs pulling back rapidly. Using the momentum from his run, he rolled like a black, furry ball, the hard ground scraping his back painfully. But he managed to evade the eagle's sharp talons.
Sirius Black gritted his teeth, standing up just as his form began to transform rapidly. In a moment, he returned to his wizard form, grabbing the wand from his mouth and pointing it at the eagle.
"Stupefy!"
A blinding red beam shot from the tip of his wand.
Ivan flapped his wings, quickly rising to avoid the spell. His eagle eyes locked with Sirius Black's, and the magic eye activated, instantly dominating Sirius Black's mind.
Then, Sirius Black felt a powerful impact, his body flying sideways and tumbling into a tree.
After delivering a headbutt to Sirius Black, the giant eagle slowly landed and transformed back into his wizard form.
Seeing Sirius Black, now dazed and disoriented, Ivan wasted no time. He waved his wand, conjuring a large python to bind Sirius Black before approaching quickly.
Sirius Black regained his senses.
He watched as the eagle transformed into Ivan, though he found it strange that Ivan's Animagus form was not an owl. However, there was no time to dwell on it. With a hoarse voice, Sirius Black shouted at Ivan.
"Quick... go and inform Dumbledore!"
"What?" Ivan paused, his eyes filled with suspicion as he looked at Sirius Black. "You've broken free from the Imperius Curse?"
Sirius Black didn't immediately answer Ivan's question. Instead, he asked more urgently, "Where's Harry? Where is Harry now?"
"Wasn't Harry just taken away by you?" Ivan frowned, a suspicion forming in his mind, though he wasn't sure.
"Damn it, I'm too late!" Sirius Black growled, his eyes fixed on Ivan. "It was Peter. He used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate me and is planning to take Harry to the Dark Lord!"
"Peter Pettigrew?!" Ivan asked, still unsure. "Where have you been all this time? How can I trust you?"
"Let me go, there's no time to explain. I know where they are preparing the rituals. If we hurry, we might still make it. I'll tell you everything on the way!" Sirius Black pleaded anxiously.
Ivan hesitated for a moment. He couldn't just trust Sirius Black based on a few words. It was possible that Sirius Black had sent Harry away and then returned to deceive him.
However, with confidence in his own strength and the feedback from using Legilimency, Ivan waved his wand and released the bindings. After all, Sirius Black wasn't his match, and he wasn't worried about any tricks.
Sirius Black hurriedly got up from the ground, moving stiffly as if under a Slowing Charm, nearly falling again.
"Drink this!" Ivan thought for a moment, then pulled a potion from his pocket and tossed it to Sirius Black to counteract the negative effects of the magic eye.
If Sirius Black's story was true, they might soon face Voldemort. In his current state, it would be no different from walking to his death.
Sirius Black caught the potion, unscrewed the cap, and drank it down. He wasn't a first-timer when it came to this, so he knew exactly what the potion would do.
After finishing the potion, Sirius Black wasted no time, grabbing Ivan's wrist and running in the direction they came from. "Let's go! We need to get to Hogsmeade quickly; we can't Apparate here!"
"Now can you tell me what's going on?" Ivan asked as he ran alongside Sirius Black.
"Do you remember the Quidditch World Cup that was held last summer?" Sirius Black asked.
Ivan nodded. "Of course, you had Professor Dumbledore bring me the tickets, but I was too busy to make it..."
"Exactly, it's a shame you couldn't come. But I still invited Harry and the others to watch the match", Sirius Black said hurriedly, pausing briefly before continuing.
"Everything was fine until after the match, when we returned to the tent. Suddenly, there was chaos outside. A group of masked wizards, wearing hoods, were setting fires and torturing the Muggles who had set up camp nearby..."
"I read about that in the Daily Prophet, you don't need to explain it to me again..." Ivan said impatiently, then suddenly remembered something and added, "Harry told me you confronted those Death Eaters?"
"No, to be precise, I saw Peter there!" Sirius Black's expression grew serious.
Ivan's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Sirius Black.
"He was wearing a robe and sneaking through the crowd. Although it was dark and I couldn't see his face clearly, I recognized him immediately. I suspected he was behind the chaos, so I told Harry to find Arthur and then followed him!"
"You were too reckless. He was clearly trying to lure you into a trap!" Ivan said angrily.
"You're right, but I didn't think about that at the time. I just knew I couldn't miss this chance to catch Peter!" Sirius Black responded, looking embarrassed.
He had assumed Peter was a scared fugitive who would run at the sight of him, perhaps hiding in the shadows and inciting others to cause trouble. He never imagined Peter would have the nerve to actively lead him into a trap...
(End of Chapter)
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