Chapter 793: Sirius' Frustration
Chapter 793: Sirius' Frustration
Peter felt he was about to be driven crazy by a cat; it had been a long time since he had engaged in such intense physical activity.
A mouse's burst speed was limited, even if that mouse used to be a wizard. But in his current form, his physical abilities and attributes were not much different from those of an ordinary mouse.
Peter knew he had to shake off the crazy cat hot on his tail, as well as Ron and Sirius Black, who were also in pursuit. He needed to escape the grounds of Hogwarts and find a place to Disapparate.
However, before Peter could come up with a plan, he found his path blocked by a large black dog.
The appearance of Sirius Black filled Peter with despair.
Caught between a dog and a cat, life as a mouse was difficult.
Just as Peter was about to give up hope, he heard Ron's voice calling out from a distance, "Scabbers, don't run off, come here..."
His young master, Ron, had appeared, and Peter had no better option but to stop running and turn towards Ron, hoping to find shelter under his protection.
Unlike Scabbers, Crookshanks did not abruptly stop chasing Peter. It ran a long distance ahead before turning back to continue the pursuit.
However, it was too late.
Scabbers was in Ron's arms, and Crookshanks was nearly kicked by Ron as it pounced forward. Crookshanks warily eyed Peter, who was now trembling in Ron's pocket.
"Scram!"
Ron rudely waved his hand to shoo away Crookshanks, but his attention was soon drawn to the large black dog in front of them. Instinctively, his hand reached for his wand in his pocket, intending to use magic to drive away the dangerous-looking dog.
However, Black's reaction was much faster than Ron's. With a leap, the dog's front paws landed on Ron, knocking him to the ground and nearly breaking his ribs.
The ferocious appearance of the black dog scared Ron pale; he felt as if his neck could be bitten at any moment.
Ron's neck wasn't bitten, but his arm was, and he was effortlessly dragged towards the Whomping Willow by the dog.
Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid rushed over and saw Ron being pulled away by the large dog. They quickly drew their wands, and Hagrid even threw his lamp to the ground as he rushed towards the black dog, seemingly ready to engage in a physical fight.
Before Hagrid could start a brawl with the black dog, it transformed back into a human. Sirius reached into Crookshanks' mouth, took Ron's wand, and pointed it at Hagrid, who was charging towards them.
Hagrid was stunned to see Sirius in human form, and he quickly shielded Harry and Hermione, who had run up behind him, as he roared at Sirius Black, "You filthy, stinking traitor! Come at me if you dare!"
"My target isn't Harry. I just want that rat, that..."
"Rat? What rat? I'm going to avenge James and Lily!" Hagrid fearlessly charged at Sirius, but as he got close, Sirius didn't try to attack him. Instead, he pointed Ron's wand at the fallen Ron and croaked, "Stay back, Hagrid. I don't want anything to happen to this boy either!"
"You beast! If you want to fight, fight me!" Hagrid stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on Sirius, wishing he could tear the man limb from limb with his bare hands.
As Sirius threatened Hagrid with Ron, a red spell light suddenly hit him without warning. Sirius's eyes widened in shock as he realized he had been ambushed. His body swayed a couple of times before he eventually succumbed to the sleepiness and fell to the ground heavily.
"What..."
Hagrid froze, as did Harry, Hermione, and Ron. This turn of events was entirely unexpected.
"Hagrid, your recklessness hasn't changed at all; it's really not good." A familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"Who's there? Where are you?" Hagrid asked after a moment of silence. "Albert, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me."
Albert's sudden appearance out of thin air left Harry, Hermione, and Ron stunned once again.
"You..."
"Never mind that. We've actually been waiting for this guy to show himself." Albert cast another stunning spell on Black to ensure he wouldn't wake up easily.
He wasn't foolish enough to think that tying someone up with ropes was enough to keep them secure.
At that moment, Scabbers struggled out of Ron's pocket, seemingly intending to escape to a faraway place. Instinct told Peter that the person in front of him was dangerous.
It was this person who had asked Hagrid to borrow a cat, leading to Peter's current predicament. As Peter was about to take advantage of the night to escape, a white light suddenly illuminated the area, and an invisible magical barrier enveloped the area around Albert.
Then, a light sphere floated from the tip of Albert's wand, instantly dispelling the darkness.
Poor Scabbers didn't have time to escape and found himself trapped like a caged rat. Realizing he couldn't get away, Peter wanted to return to Ron's side for protection, but it seemed a little too late. A red spell hit Scabbers, causing the poor mouse to pass out.
"You..."
Ron's body was frozen in a lunging posture as he fell to the ground with a thud, stunned by what he saw. He watched as Albert cast a stunning spell on Scabbers before picking up the unconscious mouse and tossing him into a small metal cage.
Ron was shocked by what he had just witnessed. He clambered to his feet and angrily demanded, "What are you doing? Why are you attacking Scabbers?"
He didn't understand why everyone was hurting Scabbers.
At that moment, Ron wanted to rush forward and take Scabbers back from Albert. Just as he was about to act, he was hit by a Full Body-Bind Curse.
Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid were stunned once more. They couldn't understand why George was attacking Ron, nor could they fathom where he had come from.
Indeed, it was George who had cast the spell on Ron, and like Albert, he had appeared out of thin air within the magical barrier.
"Oh dear, you're really not calm at all," George said, looking at the bound Ron with a mix of helplessness and pity in his eyes. "Why can't you be more level-headed? No wonder Albert often complains that Gryffindor's courage has turned into recklessness. I understand how you feel, but sometimes anger is really useless."
"Next, you'll have to face another cruel reality." George turned and asked, "Is he our target?"
"Yes, it's him. He's missing a toe." After a careful inspection, Albert replied, "Things are even smoother than we imagined.
"What in blazes is going on here?" Hagrid frowned, his confusion evident as he glared at Albert, certain that the young man was somehow behind all of this.
Just like the last time when Buckbeak had mysteriously disappeared, Sirius Black, a wanted criminal being sought by the Ministry of Magic, had now been captured and laid out before them without any forewarning.
"Ron got a little too excited, so I just calmed him down," George shrugged, "to prevent him from doing anything irrational and messing up our plans."
"Albert, what is the meaning of this!" Hermione demanded, her voice trembling.
"As you can see, we've captured Black," Albert replied nonchalantly, waving his wand to effortlessly trap the furious Crookshanks in a sturdy spherical cage before turning it into chains to bind Black securely.
"Alright, get this thing off me, I'm gonna break every bone in Black's body!" Hagrid pounded on the magical shield in front of him, eager to get to Black.
"Sorry, Hagrid, I can't let you do that. There's a ten thousand Galleon bounty on Sirius Black," Albert reminded him amicably, "I need to hand Black over to the Ministry of Magic intact, and let them decide what to do with him."
Albert added, "I estimate that Black will most likely be executed by the Ministry. So, you don't have to worry about this matter anymore."
Harry and Hermione froze, suddenly understanding why Albert was there.
Indeed, it was to capture Black.
And why capture Black? Well, because Sirius Black was worth ten thousand Galleons, of course.
Hermione's thoughts raced even faster than Harry's, and she looked at Albert with a complicated expression, suspecting that he had orchestrated this entire scenario.
"Mr. Anderson, you should be well aware that Black is innocent!"
A figure emerged from the darkness, his face pale as he spoke with a sense of helplessness, "I was planning to discuss this with you tomorrow, but I never expected..."
"Innocent? How could Black be innocent?" Harry exclaimed, his anger directed at the speaker, but his expression froze when he recognized the person as Professor Lupin. Hagrid, on the other hand, was utterly bewildered.
"Professor Lupin, you should be in your office, not here," Albert said as he dispelled the magical shield, eyeing the professor who had just emerged from the darkness. "It seems that seeing your old friend has agitated you to the point of forgetting that it's a full moon tonight. You know how dangerous that is."
Albert interrupted whatever Lupin was about to say and continued, "You're putting everyone, including the students of the entire school, in danger. That's not good. If something happens, it's not just a matter of being sent to Azkaban."
As Albert spoke, the grass around Lupin transformed into vines that automatically wrapped around his wrists and ankles, binding him securely. These vines eventually turned into sturdy chains, forming an unbreakable cage that pinned him firmly to the ground.
"What the devil are you doing!" Harry roared in anger.
"If I were you, I'd stay away from Professor Lupin," Albert advised, "He could transform at any moment."
Hermione understood Albert's implication and pulled Harry's arm, trying to keep him away from Lupin. Although Albert had restrained Lupin, who knew if he could break free once he turned into a werewolf.
"Hermione, do you know something I don't?" Harry felt like a fool, sensing that everyone else was in the know except him, and he'd been kept in the dark about it all.
"Professor Lupin is a werewolf," Hermione whispered, biting her lip, "It's a full moon tonight, and he could transform at any moment."
"Yes, Professor Lupin is indeed a werewolf," Albert nodded, "But his actions today are quite unwise."
"I had to come, I couldn't let Black..."
"If I were you, Potter, I'd stay away from him."
Snape emerged from the darkness, his eyes burning with hatred as they fixed on the unconscious Black, then shifted to the chained Lupin, a cold smile playing on his lips, "Tonight, someone else is going to Azkaban. I'd be interested to see what Dumbledore has to say about this, Lupin. You know, he believes you're harmless, but you dared to come out on your own during a full moon."
"Severus, don't let your hatred cloud your judgment," Lupin said urgently, "Albert, you should know that Peter Pettigrew is still alive, his Animagus form is a rat, and Black has been innocent from the start. Don't let an innocent life be lost because of you."
"Whether Black is innocent or not, let him explain that to the headmaster himself," Albert shrugged, "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be able to make a judgment."
"Professor Snape, if you want this glory, if you want revenge on Black, I can sell him to you," Albert grinned, "Capturing Black should be worth a Merlin First Class honor from the Ministry of Magic."
"Pfft!" George couldn't help but snicker.
Snape glared at Albert, his eyes burning with hatred, about to say something when he was interrupted again.
"Don't look at me like that, a deal is a deal. Even if Dumbledore himself comes, it won't change anything. If you're truly not interested, then write to the Ministry of Magic and inform them that Black has been captured. Let them send someone to take Black away. Oh, and remind them to bring the ten thousand Galleon bounty they owe me. I don't offer credit, it's cash on delivery."
Albert paid no heed to the astonished looks from the others, turning to Hagrid and saying, "You should go find Professor Dumbledore. I think he'll want to understand the current situation and take control of the scene. If Professor Lupin transforms into a werewolf, it won't be easy to deal with him. Oh, and ask the headmaster to come over and verify this for me. You know, the Ministry of Magic doesn't have a good reputation for honesty. They might try to haggle over the price and bring a fake certificate to deceive me."
"You're quite bold, aren't you?" Snape narrowed his eyes, having understood Albert's veiled warning. The young man before him clearly didn't fear him and even dared to openly defy the Ministry of Magic. The fact that he was willing to sell the Merlin First Class honor already spoke volumes.
"Well, what are you all still doing here?" Albert asked calmly, unfazed by Snape's murderous gaze, "Aren't you going to leave? Or do you want to buy this credit and the bounty for twenty thousand Galleons? If you're interested, we can sign a magical contract first..."
"Enough... Shut up!" Snape barked.
(End of Chapter)
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