Hedwig didn't complete her mission of delivering the message, as Victor had already led his people to Dufftown before she could return to Hogwarts.
On the night after the Dementor-hunting adventure, Harry went looking for Hedwig after dinner, only to find the little owl lying on his dormitory bed. Harry stared at Hedwig, who was curled up like a big white cat in the corner of his bed, sleeping soundly. It seemed the alcohol had caught up to her again.
After confirming that Hedwig was safe, Harry finally turned his attention to the events of the day. He didn't tell anyone about meeting Sirius Black in Dufftown. He had a vague understanding from reading his mother's diary that Sirius Black had been a classmate of his parents.
He reread his mother's diary, trying to find a reason for Sirius Black's strange behavior that day.
The next day, a special late-night edition of the Daily Prophet was published. The news that Victor led the Fairy Tail Guild to defeat hundreds of Dementors that had invaded Dufftown spread like wildfire. The wizarding community, shocked by the power of these young wizards, also launched an unprecedented public outcry against the Ministry of Magic.
The Ministry had already accumulated a lot of public resentment by allowing Dementors to leave Azkaban and roam throughout the wizarding world. To make matters worse, the Ministry had inexplicably decided to station Dementors at Hogwarts, which caused a great deal of concern for the students' parents.
The recent invasion of Dufftown confirmed to everyone that the Ministry of Magic had no control over the Dementors. Now, not only the public, but many within the Ministry had their own doubts.
Under pressure, Fudge was forced to issue an order to remove all Ministry Aurors from Hogwarts, who had been there under the pretense of catching a fugitive. He also commanded the Dementors to stay at least 500 meters away from the castle, which barely appeased the public's anger.
At the same time, Victor looked at the Daily Prophet in his hand and nodded in satisfaction.
There was a reason for his actions. The Dementor attack on Dufftown was a perfect excuse to accomplish multiple goals. Not only did it drive away the nosy Aurors who were lurking around the Room of Requirement, but it also elevated his and the Fairy Tail Guild's reputation to a new level.
Why not kill two birds with one stone?
Since last Christmas, Victor's name had become a household name, and his reputation had reached its peak after the Grand Wizarding Tournament. Now, with the defeat of the Dementors, he was seen as a hero.
Victor smiled and looked at the comic book he was holding. The content was based on his conversation with Gellert Grindelwald during the summer. It was drawn in the same whimsical and entertaining style as before, but it focused on the experiments conducted by pure-blood families on Muggles and Squibs.
This comic book wouldn't have an immediate effect, but over time, those who had lived through that period would notice something. The reputation of the pure-blood families would only get worse.
This was a test and a well-calculated move by Victor. The families that used the pure-blood status for their own gain would be able to adapt, but those who had been brainwashed would face a different fate...
"Luna!" Victor called out to the girl who was studying a Dementor not far from him, sitting in front of the Fairy's Abode.
Luna heard her name and immediately put down the Thestral feather she was using to tickle the Dementor. She happily skipped over to him.
"Luna, can you please send this comic book to Mr. Xenophilius? And tell him to publish it within the week, if he can," Victor said, gently stroking her head.
"Oh, is there a new one?!" Luna happily looked at the manuscript in her hand. "The Diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle was finished half a year ago. I thought you wouldn't draw anymore."
"Haha, I can't just draw anything. The story has to be right," Victor said with a laugh.
"This new story is very different from the last one," Luna said, flipping through the pages. She immediately noticed the hidden information within. The smile on her face slowly disappeared. "Why? I feel a cold darkness within it."
"Don't think too much about it, Luna," Victor said with a wry smile. Sometimes, Luna's clarity was a little unsettling. "The story in this comic is for people who have been deceived. The darkness their family and friends experienced is something most people can't imagine."
"I understand," Luna said, closing the manuscript. She nodded solemnly. "I'll have my owl send this to my father right away." With that, she unfolded her fiery red wings and flew away.
Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, Harry had just finished reading his mother's diary and was deep in thought.
He had read all the entries over the past two days. Most of it was about his mother, Lily Evans', life at Hogwarts. At the back of the diary, there were some fragmented entries about her fight against Voldemort.
Clearly, there was a gap of several years in the diary. Harry guessed that after his mother graduated from Hogwarts, she joined the fight against Voldemort and no longer had the time or energy to write.
But after reading the diary, Harry's feelings were complicated.
He learned from the diary that his father and three others had formed a group called the Marauders. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were members of this group. This small group of four was the most mischievous and notorious group at Hogwarts.
Based on the diary's description, Harry didn't like Sirius Black. He was arrogant, unruly, and looked down on everyone—just like Draco used to be. In his mind, people like that belonged in Slytherin. How did the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor?!
And his father... he didn't even want to go there...
Harry sighed and closed the diary with a very complex mix of emotions. He hadn't found any clues that could explain Sirius Black's behavior that day. But combined with Victor's analysis on the train, he had a hunch that something unknown had happened between Sirius Black and his parents.
He also found some strange, intentionally blacked-out parts of the diary, which he found very suspicious.
Harry looked at the clock. It wasn't time for curfew yet. He thought for a moment and decided to visit one of the people who was possibly a witness to the events.
He changed his clothes and walked out of the Gryffindor common room. He went down the empty stairs and through the corridors, heading straight for the third floor of Hogwarts.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
He knocked on the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office.
"Come in," a voice replied from inside.
Harry pushed the door open. He saw Lupin sitting behind an old desk, grading the students' homework with a quill. His desk was clean, except for a few books and an empty potion bottle with a little green residue.
"Good evening, Professor Lupin!" Harry greeted him politely.
Lupin looked up at the familiar yet strange voice. He looked at Harry's face, his expression first one of surprise, then great joy.
"Oh, good evening, Harry Potter," Lupin said, standing up from his chair and speaking each word with purpose. "I didn't expect you to come looking for me."
"Professor, I'm sorry to disturb you," Harry said. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course." Lupin quickly walked out from behind his desk and gestured toward an old, peeling sofa. "Have a seat."
"Thank you, Professor." Harry slowly sat down and began to study Lupin, who was rummaging through a box of tea in the corner of the room.
Lupin's hair was graying and greasy. His robes were tattered and full of patches. Harry realized that he hadn't seen the professor wear a different outfit since the term started a week ago. Combined with his pale face, he looked visibly haggard and tired. Harry could tell that the professor must have had a very difficult life before this.
Lupin came out of the room where his bed was, holding a pot of freshly brewed red tea. He closed the curtain separating his office and the room. Suddenly, the lighting in the room became much brighter. He placed a steaming cup of red tea in front of Harry and then sat down on a single armchair next to him.
"Have a taste," Lupin said with a smile. "My wife brought it for me. I haven't had the heart to drink it until now."
"Thank you." Harry picked up the cup and took a sip.
"The time for curfew has passed. Do you have something important to ask?"
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are 50+ advance chapters available for you to read!