Sebastian returned to his office with a light step, clutching the newly captured high-definition black history footage of Sirius.
He leaned back in the soft chair, gently swaying, an irrepressible smile spreading across his face as he watched Sirius's performance on the magical television.
That guy, Sirius, really thought he could fool him by pretending to be a dog. What a pipe dream.
Look at the lighting – how professional! Every expression, every movement was crystal clear.
Not bad, that tail was wagging quite happily.
It was truly difficult for him; such a fierce-looking Big black dog somehow managed to portray the feeling of a smiling Shiba Inu.
Thinking of Sirius's usual arrogant and stubborn personality during their school days, Sebastian's lips curled up even more.
He wondered what color that guy's face would turn when he saw this 1080p black history.
So delightful, so delightful!
With this black history in hand, that guy would always have to humble himself in front of him, no matter what.
Thanks to the magical camera, such a cross-era alchemy product, otherwise Sirius would definitely deny it outright if he brought it up in the future.
If he copied this black history and sent it to Snape, he wondered if that guy would be so excited he'd immediately recognize him as his godfather.
Anyway, no matter what he did, the initiative was in his hands.
Awesome!
When the recording finished, Sebastian smiled as he took out the magical image and carefully put it into his Undetectable Extension Charm bag.
Then, he leaned back in his chair, eyes slightly closed, fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest, producing a faint rhythmic sound.
As his thoughts gradually sank deep within, his smile vanished, and his expression became serious.
Since Sirius had appeared around Hogwarts, it was time for him to take control of the rat.
After all, Ron, that little guy, was extremely fond of his rat and often carried it with him.
If Sirius found it when they went to Hogsmeade, Ron might get hurt because of it.
One must know, this guy, when he went crazy, he didn't consider any consequences.
In the original story, to catch the rat that Peter had turned into, Sirius transformed into a mad dog and directly pounced on Ron, forcefully tearing off the boy's leg.
Thinking of this, Sebastian sneered, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
It was only because the Weasley family were kind-hearted that they didn't pursue Sirius's fault afterward.
If it were him, he would definitely make him pay the price and let him know why flowers are so red.
He slowly sat up straight, his eyes reopening, and took out his two-way mirror to contact Harry.
"Harry, could you please find Ron and ask him to come to my office now?"
A short while later, Ron, who was doing his homework in the Gryffindor common room, appeared in Sebastian's office.
"Professor Swan, do you need something?" Ron asked curiously.
Sebastian sat behind his desk, smiling, and said gently, "It's nothing major. I just want to do a small business deal with you."
Do business?
What business could a Professor have with him?!
Ron was stunned, looking at Sebastian with a puzzled expression.
"It's like this," Sebastian smiled slightly, "I heard Harry say that your pet rat is a very special long-lived rat, right?"
"Scabbers? I don't know if he's special, but he's pretty old. I can't quite remember exactly how old he is."
Ron frowned and thought, "He was originally Percy's pet. I remember Mum saying that Percy found Scabbers when he was five or six and took him as a pet."
"Later, Percy didn't like him anymore, so he gave him to me."
"Even though Scabbers is just an ordinary rat, he doesn't look pretty, and he's missing a toe, I still really like him."
When Scabbers was mentioned, Ron grinned. This was his own unique pet, after all.
"Logically speaking, an ordinary rat can only live for about three years at most," Sebastian praised, "According to you, Scabbers has lived at least eleven or twelve years."
"This is equivalent to the Nicolas Flamel of the rat world. Perhaps he's one of a kind in the whole world."
"It's precisely because of his uniqueness that I want to buy him to do some alchemy research."
"I want to study what causes him to be so long-lived."
Buy Scabbers?
Hearing this, Ron's eyes widened, and he froze in place.
Although Scabbers was an old pet and often appeared listless, he had accompanied him for many years, and he was truly reluctant to sell him.
"Uh… Professor, Scabbers… I don't know what to say, he's quite important to me." Ron's voice was hesitant.
Sebastian seemed to have anticipated his reaction. He nodded gently and said softly.
"I understand your feelings for Scabbers, Ron. That's why I'm willing to give you a considerable compensation."
"How about one hundred Galleons?"
One hundred Galleons!
Scabbers was worth that much?
Honestly, Ron was tempted. For him, who had been poor since childhood, one hundred Galleons was a huge sum of money.
With this money, he wouldn't have to worry about spending too much when visiting Hogsmeade for a long time.
However, thinking of the days he and Scabbers ate and slept together, Ron still felt a bit reluctant.
"Professor, Scabbers has been with me for many years. I really don't want to sell him."
"I understand, he is indeed a rat that has accompanied you for many years," Sebastian said with a smile.
"I'm just very curious about the secret of Scabbers's longevity. I want to study it and see if I can decipher this secret."
"As long as this secret can be deciphered, the lifespan of all of us Wizards can be improved."
"How about this," he coaxed, "I'll offer two hundred Galleons. With this money, you can go to the pet shop in Hogsmeade and choose a new pet."
"Furthermore, once I make any progress, I will share my research findings with your family for free."
"Ron, don't you also want your family members to live longer?"
"Of course, with only Scabbers as a sample, I can't guarantee one hundred percent that I'll discover anything."
"However, no matter what, I can guarantee that my research on Scabbers will not cause him to die. How does that sound?"
Sebastian watched Ron, who was in an internal struggle, with a smile.
A monetary offensive plus moral blackmail, he wasn't afraid that this young man wouldn't be tempted.
Ron's heart was beating fast.
He really wanted two hundred Galleons, and he wanted his family to live longer even more.
Given that, he could only apologize to Scabbers.
Finally, Ron looked up, suppressing his inner excitement, and said with a suppressed smile.
"Professor, I'll go back and bring Scabbers to you right away."
"Excellent!" Sebastian took out two hundred Galleons and a specially made alchemy rat cage and handed them to Ron.
"Just put Scabbers in this cage and bring him."
"Also, please call Neville."
...