That was a room, a messy and gray room, with peeling wallpaper, stains all over the floor, all the furniture broken as if smashed, windows completely covered by templates.
Amosta hovered in mid-air, scanning the surroundings with his gaze, and then his face darkened.
This is the scream room -- within just a few seconds, Amosta realized it, as he had been here for a while and there was no reason he wouldn't recognize it.
Gazing at the dark hole below his feet, Amosta rolled his eyes in disbelief. He had discovered this entrance during his first visit to the haunted house, assuming it was made by Voldemort. Little did he know that it was a secret passageway leading to Hogwarts.
Who exactly is the idle busybody who dug this secret passage here?!
The fluorescent glow from the white snow reflecting through the gaps in the wooden boards lit up Amosta's slightly angry face, making him unable to stop thinking.
No one was in the house--even though he had not left the room, Amosta confirmed this. Unless Sirius Black's magical proficiency was higher than his, which was almost impossible.
The room was filled with garbage, and on the layer of dust that settled on the floor, there were only prints of cats and dogs. However, they were much clearer than those in the mud under the willow tree. Amosta understood: the cat prints indeed belonged to Cruikshank, but the dog prints were not left by Hagrid's Hagrid, but by that stray great black dog he had glimpsed briefly before.
Amosta unconsciously scratched his itchy hair and let out a silent laugh.
So that means Crookshanks also brought that dog around Hogwarts for a few laps?
Through the magical vision and the defensive magic and marking spells he had left around the house, he saw that Crookshanks and the great black dog were snuggled together, sleeping on the dilapidated sofa in the living room.
It is likely that Amosta will not use this house again in the future, as he has already come once. He can clean up the remaining experimental traces in the house since he has been here.
Thinking this way, Amosta moved over the crystal chandelier that fell on the floor of the first-floor bedroom, like a ghost, floating lightly out of the room.
What a big dog, as big as a bear!
As Amora's curious gaze fell on the seemingly restless large black dog, his heart exclaimed in amazement. Could this thing have magical blood? Otherwise, how could he explain the abnormal magic reserves in its body and its massive size?
Amosta stood just ten feet away from the sofa, looking at it with a curious expression, scratching his increasingly itchy hair...
The darkness silently enveloped the scream shed, and as the graceful, pleasant snowflakes approached this house, they seemed to receive some interference, subtly drifting away.
Amora's scratching motion for his hair had stopped, and his casual gaze had transformed into a heavy pressure like a deep abyss, seemingly without any reason.
Interesting...
Gazing at the large black dog whose eyelids were quivering, Amosta's lips gradually curved into a self-mockery smile.
Animagi?
Magic world is really full of talents.
.............
Godric's Hollow
In late summer and early autumn, the vast night sky above showered the earth with brilliant starlight from billions of stars.
The warm breeze meandered through the intricate dirt paths of the village, gently brushing away the shadows that hung over each resident of the magical world.
In the white bungalow.
"I must say, James, this child looks almost exactly like you!"
Sirius was dressed in a brand-new azure robe, his short hair cut neatly and falling smoothly over his shoulders. The soft glow of the candlelight softened the sharp features of his handsome but too pointed face.
Looking at the baby crib where little Harry, just over a year old, was sucking his fingers, Sirius couldn't help but smile with happiness.
"You need to grow up faster, little one. Your father and I are still waiting for you to take over our great adventure!"
"Oh!"
Hearing Sirius say this from the other side of the crib, Lily's loving expression vanished instantly. She glared at Sirius with an annoyed look.
"That's exactly what I've been worried about, Sirius. I hope Harry will be a brave wizard, but definitely not as careless as you and James were when you were at Hogwarts!"
"If you're expecting Harry to be a rule-following little wizard, dear"
A thin, disheveled man with a quirky smile walked over from the living room, gently rubbing Lily's chestnut hair and then embracing her shoulder.
"I dare to bet you'll be disappointed."
"Yes!"
Lily glared at her husband and said,
"With you and Sirius as two good role models, I can imagine what Harry might be like... If possible, I would prefer that Remus give him some positive guidance."
"Don't let Remus fool you, Lily—"
Sirius laughed happily, "He's not as honest as you might think."
Little Harry started crying in his sleep, and Lily kicked both unreliable men out of the kitchen. She hummed a lullaby gently until she also walked into the kitchen, only to find that her husband and Sirius's expressions were quite serious.
"The recent situation has been difficult—"
Sirius addressed Lily as she was sitting down,
"I'm sure you've heard about the terrible things that happened to the Lupins. Voldemort is now targeting you, and I'm certain he's also learned from his spies about our plans to protect you. So, we must make sure everything is perfect."
Lily immediately knew what Sirius was talking about, which was something they had already discussed before.
James fully supported Sirius's suggestion without reservation, as Peter was a friend he could guarantee his life and property.
"This is always risky, Sirius."
Lily said worriedly,
"If my opinion, it would be more suitable for Dumbledore to act as our keeper, as everyone knows that Voldemort is most afraid of him."
"Dumbledore is indeed reliable, but he has so many things to consider already. We can't rely on him for everything, can we?"
James expressed his own opinion.
"That's exactly what I think,"
Sirius was happy about the agreement between James and himself. He looked at Lily's emerald eyes and said,
"If Dumbledore's guess is true and there is a traitor in the Order of the Phoenix, then Voldemort should have already figured out that we do not intend to make Dumbledore our keeper. Among the remaining candidates, I am the most likely to be discovered by him. Voldemort would likely do everything in his power to find me, but they could never dream that we would change our plan and make Peter our keeper, which adds an extra layer of security."
If he was really caught and killed by Voldemort, Dumbledore would surely get wind of it, giving him enough time to move James's family away.
This was Sirius's calculation in his mind, but he didn't choose to say it out loud.
Lily finally nodded hesitantly in the flickering candlelight.
The scene suddenly changed
The full moon hanging in the sky cannot pierce the darkness shrouded by the bloodstained night.
Hagrid rode his motorcycle into the night, and Black stood among the ruins of the second floor, screaming in anguish over Lily's fallen place.
.......
A chill rushed over him, and the big black dog shivered before suddenly snapping out of his dream.
For years, the scene of James and Lily's death has appeared in his dreams countless times. Even after twelve years, he still vividly remembers every detail.
His mind still wandered, remorse and pain like venomous snakes gnawing at his soul, everything before him was blurred. The big black dog's head hung down on its front paws, facing the dense darkness and quietly weeping.
"What's wrong, Mr. Black?"
Having been sitting there for a while, Amosta waved his wand to remove the invisibility, looking at the large black dog lying sideways on the sofa with tears rolling down its face, and whispered sarcastically.
"Is it dreaming about its defeated old master?"
Reading Hall
