"Am I interrupting your meeting, Professor?" Wade asked.
Dumbledore replied, "No, I should thank you for rescuing me from a boring and utterly pointless argument, allowing me to do something useful instead."
His gaze fell upon the squirrel, and there was a hint of amusement in his blue eyes.
The squirrel got so excited it almost jumped off Wade's shoulder. It squeaked rapidly several times and flailed its tiny paws while its tail swished back and forth.
"Ah..." Dumbledore stared at the squirrel for a moment, then smiled and said, "It really is Sirius."
He reached out with his long fingers and took the squirrel, then said to Wade, "Come with me."
Wade followed Dumbledore to an ordinary-looking tent nearby. As Dumbledore lifted the hanging rope at the entrance, Wade thought this dull gray canvas tent could blend right into a Muggle park without raising any suspicion.
Only upon entering did he realize it was indeed a wizard's tent—the interior was spacious, and everything was neatly organized. Even the cushions on the high-backed chairs were all facing the same direction. Near the entrance hung a sneakoscope and a secrecy sensor.
[TN:A Secrecy Sensor is a type of Dark Detector. It vibrates when it detects concealment and lies. A Sneakoscope is also a type of Dark Detector that looks like a glass spinning top. It lights up, spins, and whistles if someone is doing something untrustworthy nearby.]
Wade thought: This definitely isn't Dumbledore's personal tent.
Dumbledore set the squirrel on the floor and pointed his wand at it. Pale blue light flowed from the tip of the wand, washing over the squirrel like water.
The squirrel's bones gave a slight crack, its fur shrank rapidly, limbs elongated and swelled, and the furry little face began to distort. In the blink of an eye, a tall, black-haired man was kneeling on one knee.
Sirius was panting as he stood up and his body was trembling slightly. He lowered his head to look at his restored hands with a somewhat dazed gaze.
Although Sirius was a skilled Animagus and had long grown used to maintaining animal form while in Azkaban, being forcibly turned into a squirrel by someone else's magic and unable to revert had been a harrowing experience.
The issue wasn't just being turned into an animal—it was the loss of control over his own body. For a few seconds, he had nearly forgotten who he was, as if he'd returned to that cold, hopeless prison.
Wade handed him two pieces of chocolate from his pocket and, seeing a kettle boiling on the stove, picked it up to pour Sirius a cup of hot tea.
"Not that," Sirius muttered with the chocolate in his mouth. "Wade, get me a bottle of alcohol."
"I'll take the same," said Dumbledore. "Ah, I recall there's a fine bottle of brandy in the kitchen fridge."
Even though either of them could summon the brandy with a flick of their wand, Wade still went to fetch it, bringing back two glass tumblers as well. As for himself, he took a porcelain cup from the table and slowly made a cup of steaming hot water.
Sirius downed his drink in one go and exhaled deeply, looking as if he'd finally come back to life.
Dumbledore leaned in slightly with concern in his eyes, and asked, "Sirius, what did you find?"
Sirius opened his mouth and spoke hoarsely, "I was following Lucius Malfoy into the forest, but I didn't expect someone to be lying in ambush there… While I was fighting Malfoy, that guy attacked me from behind and turned me into a squirrel…"
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly.
With Sirius's ability, there were very few people who could sneak up on Sirius. And to transform him and keep him from reverting for an entire night—there were even fewer.
"Did you see who it was?" Dumbledore asked.
Sirius was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. His gaze grew unfocused as he recalled the memory.
"I ran away immediately, but I went back later... I saw someone walk out of the woods... I recognized his face. I even saw him turn two Veela into monsters with my own eyes, but..."
Sirius paused, poured himself a full glass of alcohol, took a long, deep drink, and only after wiping the liquid from the corner of his mouth did he continue:
"Barty Crouch Jr. I still remember what he looked like when he was sent to Azkaban… The Dementors were dragging him past my cell. He looked no older than nineteen..."
Dumbledore slowly furrowed his brow, and Wade turned his head to look at Sirius as well.
"That kid was completely terrified—crying constantly, screaming non-stop, shaking all over... He never admitted he was a Death Eater, kept begging for help, even screamed for his mother in the middle of the night... But a few days later, he just went completely quiet..."
Sirius paused again before adding, "A year later, he died... Or so they said. I watched the Dementors drag out his corpse and bury it outside the fortress..."
"I used to think... maybe that kid was really innocent. Maybe he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time..."
Sirius looked up at Dumbledore and said, "But I was wrong, Dumbledore. You should've seen the look on his face—he genuinely took pleasure in people's pain and death…"
"Barty Crouch Jr.—without a doubt, he is a true Death Eater through and through!"
"I've spoken with Barty Crouch Sr.," Dumbledore said.
"It wasn't a pleasant conversation, but in the end, he was honest enough to admit that he had indeed made mistakes back then… At his wife's pleading, Barty secretly helped his ailing wife and son swap places."
Learning the truth of the past didn't help much with the present.
After Barty Jr. drove the Veela mad, Sirius—even as a squirrel—had rushed into the tent to try and save lives. As a result, not only had he nearly been torn apart by the Veela, but he also lost track of Barty Jr.'s whereabouts.
Dumbledore didn't scold Sirius for his recklessness. When Sirius apologized in frustration, Dumbledore simply asked, "Sirius, tell me—what were you thinking when you saw those people fall into the trap?"
"I…" Sirius was dazed for a moment and said, "I didn't think at all, Dumbledore. I just rushed in on instinct…"
Dumbledore nodded: "Sometimes, the right choice comes exactly from our instincts. I'm glad you didn't ignore lives just to keep tracking the enemy."
He smiled. "What's wrong with wanting to protect the innocent?"
…
Sirius left, filled with determined resolve but physically exhausted. Dumbledore then turned to Wade and said, "Wade, I noticed your expression changed just now. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Wade's gaze shifted across the headmaster's face. Seeing that Dumbledore's eyes remained as calm as ever—unchanged even after everything Grindelwald had said—Wade rubbed his nose and replied:
"Tonight… I also ran into Barty Crouch Jr.…"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- 200+ Chapters
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