Chapter 673
Secrets and Protection
Chapter 673 Secrets and Protection
"You're still young, there's no need to learn from those old men and put on the mask of adulthood too early."
Once outside, Sirius's anger had subsided considerably, and he spoke in a low voice.
He grabbed Wade's arm, slowed his pace forward, and kept his eyes on the front. His fingers unconsciously tightened and then immediately loosened, leaving a few wrinkles on the boy's sleeve.
Vader turned his head and glanced at him. Time had not diminished his handsomeness, but it had hidden the shadow of Azkaban in the fine lines at the corners of his eyes.
For some unknown reason, Sirius's voice suddenly became low and hoarse:
“When we were your age, James and I… and Remus, of course… spent our days outwitting Filch, discussing nighttime strolls, or figuring out how to take down a few cunning Slytherins…”
A faint smile flickered across his lips, but before it could bloom, it twisted into deep pain.
“There was still a war outside at that time, but we…we rarely thought about those things…but you were only fourteen years old, and you had to watch others being tried, and hear those…those things…”
He abruptly turned his face away, and Wade vaguely heard the sound of teeth grinding.
"Damn maturity! Damn weighing the pros and cons!"
Sirius suddenly spoke angrily, seemingly directed at someone, and cursed viciously for several minutes before looking at Wade and saying:
"Listen, kid, leave those things to the old man. You have the right to be a fool and not care about anything, and you also have the right to run wild!"
Whispers could be heard from the portrait in the corridor.
Wade looked up at this man in his thirties who still retained some naivety and recklessness, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and a pure, almost gentle smile appeared on his lips.
"Sirius..."
The boy's eyes were bright, and his voice was soft: "I'm not Harry, nor am I an ordinary child who needs protection... I chose to get involved myself."
"I know."
Sirius said in a hoarse voice, then suddenly reached out and ruffled Wade's hair, the gesture rough yet affectionate.
He whispered, "But as long as I'm alive, you can still be those reckless brats for a few more years, without having to force yourselves to confront the darkness... Just do me a favor, give me a chance to show off, okay?"
Wade looked into his eyes, opened his mouth, but found himself unable to speak. He only felt the heavy hand on his head, with a burning weight.
"Sirius!"
The familiar voice made them both turn around at the same time; Harry was running from the other end of the corridor.
"I thought I was seeing things... What are you doing at Hogwarts?"
Harry stopped, panting, and adjusted his crooked glasses, looking at his godfather with delight in his eyes.
Sirius laughed heartily, put his arm around Harry's shoulder, and said, "Of course I'm here to see our hero and, while I'm at it, to help Dumbledore out a little... By the way, how's your third project coming along?"
“Oh, I recently learned two very useful spells. Hermione said that this way I won’t have to worry about getting lost in the Forbidden Forest…”
Harry spoke excitedly, Sirius nodded with a smile, and Wade occasionally offered a perfunctory reply.
After chatting for a while, Sirius patted Harry on the shoulder and said, "Alright, lads, I bet curfew is coming soon? Let's head back before the professor catches us."
Harry was reluctant to leave, but looking at the time, he could only say goodbye to his godfather with reluctance, and then leave with Wade.
As the two boys disappeared around the corner, Sirius's smile faded. He leaned against the cold stone wall, pulled a crumpled chocolate frog from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
In the distance came Pippi's eerie laughter as he teased the students returning late. Sirius stood quietly, his gray eyes swirling with complex emotions.
Many fragmented clues pieced together in his mind, but couldn't form a complete puzzle. But for this Gryffindor, he didn't need any evidence; he simply trusted his intuition. —Is it you? The person Barty was talking about.
The man rubbed the chocolate frog wrapper in his hand, making a soft crunching sound.
A fleeting image flashed through his mind of the boy's face not long ago when Barty Jr. recounted how he had killed those Muggles.
It's hard to say how much of his rage was for the innocent victims, and how much was because he didn't want to witness the boy's repression, so his emotions erupted like a volcano.
—After today, Dumbledore will surely shake his head and sigh again, feeling that he will never be able to change his reckless and impulsive nature.
but……
Who cares?
"Ah!"
Sirius let out a snicker through his teeth, his canines grinding unconsciously, the torches on the stone wall casting flickering light on his profile.
The chocolate had already melted, and the sweet syrup mixed with the bitter cocoa beans spread across the tip of the tongue.
In a daze, Sirius seemed to see James leaning against the railing, playing with the Golden Snitch, his messy black hair gleaming in the sunlight, a wanton and arrogant smile on his lips.
In the blink of an eye, the blurry figure seemed to transform back into Harry.
The boy's bright green eyes were very clear, always filled with smiles and trust. His childhood experiences also made him seem very sensible and kind, to the point of having a spirit of self-sacrifice.
With another blink, the illusory figure vanished, leaving only a quiet and secluded corridor. The students had all returned to their dormitories, making the castle seem exceptionally empty.
"This is insane..."
Sirius muttered to himself and shook his head.
He had originally planned to verify some things with Wade, but at this point, Sirius abandoned his plan and decided there was no need to ask anymore.
Some truths don't need to be verified. Just like back then, before deciding to study the Animagus, James never questioned the secret of the Remus full moon; when his family took in Sirius Black, who had run away from home, they didn't investigate the reason for his break with his family.
Sirius felt a burning sensation in his heart whenever he thought of Wade's suppressed rage in his eyes—that kind of burning gaze, filled with compassion and anger for a complete stranger, could not exist in a cold-blooded person.
and so……
Sirius Black didn't care whether Wade was the one who supposedly killed Voldemort once or not.
All he needed to know was that this boy was trustworthy.
However, despite appearing cold and taciturn, they have an unexpectedly soft heart.
And some people... when they smile gently, I wonder if their hearts are as cold and hard as stone.
Sirius took a deep breath, letting the cold air of the corridor fill his lungs. He licked his teeth, turned, and walked back to Filch's office.
When he pushed open the door, the interrogation was nearing its end. Little Barty slumped in his chair, a chilling smile on his face, and mumbled incoherently:
“My master’s plan is about to succeed… He will be more powerful than ever before, and the entire magical world will kneel at his feet… And I… I will receive a reward that no wizard could ever dream of.”
His voice was filled with a morbid fervor and longing, and the last few words were almost breathy.
Then, Little Barty's head tilted weakly to one side, and he fell into a deep sleep, but the smile remained frozen on his face.
(End of this chapter)