Chapter 239 That's It

"That's it?" Anthony asked, gesturing toward the small door through which Peter and the Auror disappeared. "Will the relatives of the Muggle victims know the truth? How did Peter Pettigrew pass information to Voldemort? Did he know other followers of Voldemort?"

Professor Burbage sorted the documents in his bag and said without looking up: "That's about it. All the Minister needs is to hear Pettigrew admit that he is the culprit and confirm that Mr. Crouch threw the wrong person in prison."

"But there are many other things..." Anthony said.

"You-Know-Who is dead." A passing Wizengamot member whispered hoarsely. Professor Burbage raised his eyes and smiled and nodded at the other party.

The member in the purple robe also nodded, not caring about Anthony and Professor Bubbage's disrespectful discussion about Fudge, and just continued: "The mysterious man is dead, and the former Death Eaters have either been arrested and sent to Azkaban or are close friends of the minister. Decide on the punishment as soon as possible and arrange for reporters to write reports... In the eyes of some people, these are more important things."

Anthony looked around with some concern, and saw Fudge lowering his head and talking to Umbridge seriously, with no time to pay attention to their small conversation. Dumbledore was talking to Ms. Bones, but still caught his gaze and looked over sharply.

"Ms. Bones will arrange another interrogation before the execution of Dementor's Kiss." Another person Anthony didn't know came over and said, "By the way, Caridi, Ms. Bones has read the files of the Muggle victims you submitted last week. But the archive records at that time were not very complete, and many of the memory cancellation officers working in the Ministry at that time have retired or passed away. We may not be able to find all the surviving witnesses and relatives of the victims."

"I know, but we need to try our best to make up for it..." Professor Bubbage said, his eyes drifting down, "Minerva is waving at us, Henry. I think we should go." She shook hands with the other two, "We will meet again soon."

...

Anthony walked down the steps and found that Sirius seemed to have exhausted all his energy and couldn't even stand up, leaning on the back of the chair. Professor McGonagall turned the printed chair into a temporary wheelchair, and Lupin was standing behind the wheelchair, holding the handle.

"The effect of the truth serum seems to have worn off." Sirius said hoarsely, "Ask me something, Remus."

At this moment, several people came over and hesitated to hold Sirius up.

Anthony asked in surprise: "In this case, do you still want to take Mr. Black back to Azkaban?"

He recognized that the leader was the head of the investigation team investigating the Hogwarts troll incident who was committed to bringing him back to Azkaban.

The other party obviously recognized Anthony and seemed a little embarrassed: "No, Ms. Umbridge wants us to send Mr. Black to the best ward in St. Mungo's, and arrange a detailed physical examination and careful care for him."

"I don't have anything to check." Sirius said coldly, "I feel great - the first time I've been so good in eleven years."

"You really need a physical examination and rest, Sirius." Professor McGonagall said.

"Why don't you come with me to Madam Pomfrey, Sirius?" Lupin said, "I think I just need to go to her to get some potions today." He looked at Professor McGonagall, "Minerva, can you approve Sirius's application for admission?"

"No problem." Professor McGonagall said decisively, "Please tell Ms. Umbridge that Sirius will get a thorough examination in the Hogwarts Hospital Hospital."

She looked at the other party without giving in, and Professor Bubbage also stood beside her. The few people retreated. The leader nodded to Professor McGonagall and hurried away, looking reluctant to complete Umbridge's instructions.

Lupin asked: "What do you think, Sirius? Madam Pomfrey?"

Sirius was stunned for a moment, and a sincere smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Of course," he said in a nostalgic tone, "as long as she doesn't say I disturbed your rest and kicked me out."

Lupin gripped the handle of the wheelchair and said, "Believe me, you look like you need rest more than I do. Besides, the effect of the truth serum must have worn off, Sirius. 'I don't have anything to check' is a complete lie."

...

They walked out of the door slowly.

Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick and Snape were waiting outside the door. Several members of the Wizengamot hurriedly passed by them with their bags.

Professor Sprout just met Professor McGonagall's eyes and smiled: "Well done, Minerva, Charity."

"Oh, I didn't do anything actually." Professor McGonagall said, looking at Professor Flitwick and Snape again, and confirmed, "Dementor's kiss."

Snape nodded almost imperceptibly. He glanced in the direction of the interrogation room, met Lupin's eyes behind Professor McGonagall, and then looked down at Sirius leaning on the back of the wheelchair.

"Oh." Snape's eyes narrowed in disgust, "Did you break your leg because of excessive excitement, Black?"

Sirius turned his head and asked casually: "Dumbledore's Transfiguration is really good. Do you want to try this chair, Remus?" He turned his head again, as if he saw Snape for the first time, showing a surprised expression, and opened his mouth to say something - Snape's mouth was already coldly smiling -

"No, thank you, Sirius." Lupin interrupted them firmly and slightly tiredly, "Don't come again... You need to rest now."

Professor McGonagall also said: "Please, Severus!"

Professor Sprout very deliberately talked to Snape about the fifth-year O.W.Ls. Snape turned his head and began to discuss the connection between Herbology and Potions with her.

Led by Professor McGonagall and Professor Burbage, the group walked towards the stairs. Sirius sat in a wheelchair, and under the levitation spell of Lupin and Professor Flitwick, he swayed above the stairs, looking up at the rough stone bricks above his head, or looking at the dim torches on both sides.

"How do you feel, Sirius?" Lupin asked.

"Like a king!" Sirius replied, stretching his legs relaxedly, swaying gently with the rocking of the chair. The hollows in his cheeks and eye sockets were as obvious as a skeleton in the contrast between the firelight and the shadow.

Anthony walked at the end of the team and looked back. Dumbledore still did not leave the interrogation room, probably still talking to Ms. Bones.

...

As the elevator creaked up, Sirius slowly stood up with the help of Lupin's arm and shoulder (Snape did not bother to hide his regretful expression). When they stopped on the first floor and the iron door opened with a clatter, the transformed wheelchair had disappeared, and Sirius stepped out of the elevator steadily.

If seeing a group of professors coming to the Ministry was enough to arouse the curiosity of the staff, finding them leaving the Ministry with a man with tangled hair and thin cheeks, talking and laughing, made people wonder what happened.

Before Anthony left, he heard that most of the people behind him were talking about who the "tramp" was. But he did hear a few people think that Sirius was a rock star who would perform on the same stage with the Weird Sisters at the Hogwarts Christmas party.

Sirius seemed to not care about the way people looked at him at all, and strode out of the Ministry of Magic.

When he walked out of the door, Anthony realized how gloomy the weather was today. The sky above London was overcast, and the cold wind blew past them, blowing the wizard robes tightly against their backs. Although it was two or three o'clock in the afternoon, the street was still very dark. A few dry fallen leaves were blown from the corner to the middle of the empty street, and the stiff leaf tips scraped on the road with a rough sound, and then a sudden gust of wind swept them away.

Professor Sprout looked up worriedly: "I hope it's not raining at Hogwarts, otherwise the mandrake won't be very happy."

Professor McGonagall also frowned.

"Sirius?" Lupin asked, "What are you doing?"

Sirius was standing in the cold wind, looking up at the gray sky.

"It's a nice day." He said.

...

Since Sirius needs to be officially declared innocent in official documents before he can get his wand back from the Ministry of Magic, Sirius can't Apparate himself for the time being. On the other hand, no one wants to be blamed by Madam Pomfrey, so they all rejected Sirius's suggestion to take the Knight Bus.

"I want my motorcycle." Sirius complained, his hair flying up and down in the wind.

Snape snorted coldly.

The cold wind blowing on his face seemed to put Sirius in such a good mood that he could even ignore Snape: "Is Hagrid still in Hogwarts? My car should be with him."

"He is." Professor McGonagall said, and at the same time pushed Sirius without rejection, "Go forward."

Sirius asked: "Where are we going?"

Professor McGonagall glanced at Anthony.

"Diagon Alley or the train station," Anthony said, understandingly, laying out in his mind the transportation methods he had tried during practice, "In other words, the Floo Network or very, very long Muggle transportation - by the way, you need to buy a ticket." Professor Bubbage agreed, "I will supervise each of you." "Excuse me," Snape said coldly, "I don't have a whole day to spend on this kind of... thing. Of course, please enjoy your journey leisurely." His face was as gloomy as the weather, as if the thought of Sirius's upcoming appearance in Hogwarts made him uncomfortable, "If you don't mind, I'll leave first." He nodded to the professors (and skillfully avoided Lupin and Sirius), and spun on the spot. With a snap, he disappeared. "Huh, the air is much fresher." Sirius said, grinning and leaning on Lupin's shoulder. He seemed to be a little exhausted again. ... It was indeed raining near Hogwarts. They emerged from Honeydukes's fireplace ("Would you like a box of coconut ice, Professor Anthony?") to see rain pattering against the windows painted with honey pots and candies, and the sky was so dark that it was hard to tell day from night. The carpet at Honeydukes's door was soaked with water and made a gurgling sound when stepped on. The rain flowed like streams on the stone pavement, and under every eave in Hogsmeade, several people were standing to take shelter from the rain.

Professor McGonagall conjured several raincoats for them, and Professor Sprout hurriedly grabbed one and strode into the rain to take care of his mandrake. Since Lupin couldn't convince Sirius to stay, the people who accompanied Sirius became Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, leaving Anthony and Lupin walking side by side.

On the way back to Hogwarts, the rain was getting heavier. Sirius tried to convince the others to let him go to Hagrid's hut to ask about the whereabouts of the motorcycle ("It's not much further away!"), and Lupin asked Professor McGonagall to ignore him, gently pointing out that Sirius was just afraid to return to Hogwarts.

Anthony twisted the hem of his clothes, squeezed out a lot of water, and dripped onto the muddy ground. He and Lupin looked at each other and smiled. Somehow, although he and Lupin were not very familiar with each other, Anthony felt as if he had known him for a long time. From Lupin's smile, he could see that Lupin felt the same warmth.

"By the way, Professor Anthony," Lupin said softly, "if possible, please keep it a secret for me."

Anthony was still staring at the hem of his clothes, questioning the necessity of the raincoat, and didn't react for a while: "Secret about what?"

Lupin prompted: "Werewolf."

"What? Oh, of course, no problem." Anthony said.

"Thank you." Lupin said, shrugging, "This will make it easier for me to find a job. You know, I just lost a job."

Anthony said empathetically: "It's so difficult to find a suitable job without a background check... Speaking of this, Mr. Lupin, can you also keep it a secret for me?"

Lupin smiled: "Of course, Professor Anthony. But didn't Professor Dumbledore vouch for you? You don't have to worry so much." He added helplessly, "For many employers, they would rather have Voldemort than werewolves. Although the Inferi are not common-"

"Oh, no, it's not." Anthony said, "That's really not the Inferi... That's the corpse. I'm a necromancer."

Lupin repeated with some confusion: "Necromancer? "Then, he seemed to finally recall the corpses of foxes and mice, his eyes slightly widened, "Oh."

"It's the wizards who use necromancy." Anthony also became puzzled, "The Aurors recognized it almost immediately... Ah, yes, they saw skeletons and ghosts, not corpses."

"I know what necromancers are..." Lupin said.

"But?"

"But, doesn't the history of magic say that necromancers - sorry - have long been extinct? "

Just then, they suddenly heard a cheer. Anthony realized that they had walked to the side of Hagrid's hut, and from here, they could just see the Quidditch field.

In the heavy rain, a boy in a red team uniform rode on a broom, circling in the air, holding his right hand high. There was a little gold in his hand.

He jumped off the broom and was immediately hugged by other team members who also jumped off their brooms. Their figures covered his - Anthony could imagine how they patted his shoulders and back, rubbed his wet, messy hair, revealing the lightning-shaped scar underneath. The red-haired boy was waving his fists excitedly, jumping around, and the brown-haired girl clapped hard.

Professor McGonagall's face softened a little.

"Harry..." Sirius murmured, his eyes fixed on the bright red, "Harry."

I was very sleepy. If I got up and looked unhappy, I might revise the text - but this is probably the plot!