"Wizard, like I said—from far away…"
Will's voice was low and steady.
Strangely, no one stood near the little goblin.
So who was he talking to?
A passing witch glanced over curiously, but before she could make sense of anything, Will and the gaunt black dog had already slipped away into the crowd.
Sean watched them go, eyes lingering on the skeletal black dog. It stirred more memories.
He needed to visit the forests of Albania. The chance of actually finding Voldemort was slim, but he could test the soul-based Horcruxes further—perhaps even try to drag Voldemort's spirit straight into the Borderland.
There was also Regulus Black's body. Sean had already recovered Slytherin's locket from Grimmauld Place. Returning the remains to Sirius felt like the right way to honour the brave young Slytherin who had defied Voldemort.
Beyond that, once the locket was destroyed, Sean would have to hunt for Nagini. Maybe Sirius could help.
No matter how he looked at it, another meeting with Sirius Black was necessary.
While he thought, Sean kept an eye on Harry, who had finally snapped out of his daze.
"Death omen…"
Harry muttered, staring into the distance—exactly where the black dog had vanished.
He kept picturing the cover of that book: the huge black dog the size of a bear, eyes glowing… It looked so much like the one he had just seen.
"That can't be a death omen," Harry whispered to himself.
At that same moment, the black dog of misfortune had already padded back into Room 10 of the Leaky Cauldron.
In the dim room, the emaciated man pressed himself against the wall. Just one glance at the boy outside had been enough to shatter his control. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Tears slid silently down his hollow, bone-tight cheeks.
"Why bother?" Will muttered. "Are all wizards as stupid as you?"
"If you knew everything… if your master truly possesses that kind of power… then you'd understand just how stupid I've been."
Sirius gave a bitter, broken laugh.
"No, wizard. Only Mr Green is great. But I'd still like to know—how did you escape? My master said that place drives people mad…"
Will suddenly sounded curious.
"You want to know?"
Sirius lifted his bloodshot eyes.
"Somewhat," Will answered honestly.
"Looks like you don't know everything after all. That fits what I expected from your kind."
Sirius's gaze flickered.
"I'll tell you. But I have one small question first—how soon can I see your master again?"
"You'll see him this afternoon," Will said after a brief pause, glancing at the rippling surface of the Magic Hand Mirror in his hand. "Six o'clock sharp. My master never misses an appointment."
Sirius recognised the device—smaller than a two-way mirror, but clearly the same family of magic. He had never seen anything like it before.
"Now, wizard," Will pressed, "tell me how you did it."
"I don't even know how I did it," Sirius said quietly, voice raw.
"The only reason I didn't lose my mind was because I knew I was innocent. That thought wasn't happy, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me… but it kept me sane. Kept me knowing who I was.
It also let me keep my magic. So when things got… too bad… I could transform inside my cell. Become a dog.
You see, Dementors don't sense animal feelings as strongly. When I was a dog, they probably felt something… less human. Less complex.
Of course, they thought I was going mad like all the other prisoners, so they didn't pay much attention.
But I was so weak… so thin… thin enough to slip between the bars.
I swam to the mainland as a dog. Headed north. I wanted to see him… but you found me first."
Sirius fell silent.
The room stayed quiet until the door creaked open.
"Mr Black," Sean said as he stepped inside.
"Mr… Green."
Sirius glanced at the clock. Exactly six. Not a second late.
"You wanted to see me?"
Sean's voice was calm.
"Why… why are you helping me?" Sirius asked the question that had been burning inside him for days.
"Just because I'm innocent? There are so many wrongly accused wizards in the world…"
"Because our goals align, Mr Black," Sean answered simply.
"What? Goals? Fighting You-Know-Who? Don't make me laugh…"
Sirius gave a self-mocking snort, but then something in his memory clicked—stories of a boy named Green who had exposed Voldemort's servant at Hogwarts, who had faced the Dark Lord multiple times…
The conversation had only just begun.