Chapter 533
: The Cellmate in the Next Cell
Chapter 533: The Cellmate in the Next Cell
"Did I interrupt your meeting, Professor?" Vader asked.
Dumbledore said, "No, I want to thank you for saving me from a boring and meaningless quarrel and doing something useful."
His gaze fell on the squirrel, and there was a hint of smile in his blue eyes.
The squirrel was so excited that it almost jumped off Wade's shoulder. It squeaked several times in short bursts, moved its claws quickly, and swung its tail from side to side.
"Ah..." Dumbledore stared at the squirrel for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is indeed Sirius."
He stretched out his slender fingers, took the squirrel, and said to Wade, "Come with me."
Wade followed Dumbledore to a nearby tent that looked ordinary and normal. He reached out and pulled the rope hanging from the door. He felt that this gray canvas tent could blend into a Muggle park without any sense of incongruity.
After entering, I found that this was indeed a wizard's tent. The interior space was very spacious and all items were neatly classified. Even the cushions on the high-back chairs were placed in the same direction. There were also peepholes and mystery detectors hanging near the entrance.
This is definitely not Dumbledore's own tent, Wade thought.
Dumbledore placed the squirrel on the ground and pointed his wand at it. A light blue light gushed out from the tip of the wand, covering the entire body of the squirrel like water.
The squirrel's bones made a slight sound, its fur quickly retracted, its limbs stretched and expanded, and the facial features on its furry head scrambled to deform. In a blink of an eye, a tall black-haired man was half-kneeling on the ground.
Sirius stood up panting, his body trembling slightly. He lowered his head and looked at his hands which had returned to their original state, and there seemed to be some confusion in his eyes.
Even though Sirius was a skilled Animagus and had gotten used to staying in animal form for long periods of time in Azkaban, being transformed into a squirrel by magic and unable to recover was still a terrible experience for him.
The important thing is not "turning into an animal", but that he has no control over his own body. For a few seconds, he almost forgot who he is, as if he was back in that cold and desperate prison.
Wade stuffed two pieces of chocolate from his pocket into his pocket and, seeing that the water was boiling on the stove, he picked up the teapot and prepared to pour him a cup of hot tea.
"Don't give me that." Sirius stuffed the chocolate into his mouth and mumbled, "Vader, please get me a bottle of wine."
"Me too," said Dumbledore. "Ah, I remember there was a bottle of fine brandy in the fridge in the kitchen."
Although they could summon Brandy with a wave of their hands, Wade still ran over and got the glass wine glasses for the two of them. He took the porcelain cup on the coffee table and slowly brewed a cup of steaming hot water.
Sirius finished his glass of wine in one gulp, and he exhaled, looking like he had finally come alive.
Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, with concern in his eyes, and asked, "Sirius, what have you tracked?"
Sirius moved his lips and said in a hoarse voice: "I chased Lucius Malfoy all the way to the woods, but I didn't expect there was a man lying in ambush there... When I was fighting Malfoy, that guy suddenly attacked me from behind and turned me into a squirrel..."
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes slightly. With Sirius's ability, there were not many people who could attack him from behind, and even fewer who could transform him and prevent him from changing back for a whole night.
"Did you see who that man was?" asked Dumbledore.
Sirius was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly, his eyes a little dazed by the memories.
"I ran away immediately, but then I went back... and saw a man coming out of the woods... I recognized his face, and I saw him turn two veela into monsters, but..."
Sirius paused, poured himself a full glass of wine, took a big sip, wiped the wine from his mouth, and said:
"Young Barty Crouch, I still remember the way he was sent to Azkaban... He was carried by the Dementors and passed by my cell. He looked to be no more than nineteen years old..."
Dumbledore frowned slowly, and Wade turned around and looked at Sirius.
"The kid was completely terrified. He kept crying, screaming, and shaking all over... He never admitted that he was a Death Eater. He kept calling for help and even screamed for his mother in the middle of the night... But after a few days, he was silent..."
Sirius paused for a moment before saying, "He died a year later... they said he was dead, and I watched the Dementors drag his body out and bury it outside the fortress..."
"I've thought about this before. Maybe the kid was really wronged. Maybe he just appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time..."
Sirius raised his eyes, looked at Dumbledore, and said, "But I was wrong, Dumbledore...you should have seen his expression at that time, he felt genuine joy for people's suffering and death..."
"Barty Crouch Jr., there is no doubt that he is a complete Death Eater!"
"I talked to Barty Crouch," Dumbledore said. "The conversation was not pleasant, but fortunately, he was willing to tell me frankly in the end that he did do something wrong back then... At the request of his wife, Barty helped his seriously ill wife and son to secretly make an exchange."
Knowing the truth of that year is of no help to the current situation. After Barty Jr. made the Veela go crazy, Sirius Black rushed into the tent and tried to help rescue people even though he turned into a squirrel. As a result, not only was he almost torn to pieces by the Veela, but he also lost track of Barty Jr.
Dumbledore did not blame Sirius for his recklessness. When Sirius apologized in annoyance, he just asked: "Sirius, tell me, what was going on in your mind when you saw those people fall into the trap?"
"I..." Sirius was confused for a moment, and said, "I didn't think about anything, Dumbledore, I just rushed in subconsciously..."
Dumbledore nodded. "Sometimes, the most correct choice comes from our instinctive reaction. I am glad that you did not disregard life in order to track down the enemy."
He smiled and said, "What's wrong with wanting to protect innocent people?"
……
Sirius left with high morale and exhausted body. Dumbledore turned to Wade and said, "Wade, I noticed that your expression changed just now. Is there anything you want to tell me?"
Wade's eyes moved between the headmaster's eyebrows. Seeing that Dumbledore's eyes were the same as always, as if they had not changed at all because of Grindelwald's words, he touched his nose and said:
"Tonight, I also met Barty Crouch Jr..."
(End of this chapter)