Next to the headline was a large moving photograph of a haggard-looking man with long, straggly hair.
It was followed by an account of Sirius Black's life and misdeeds, with the newspaper's editor reminding Sirius of the danger he was in by blowing up half the street with a spell, killing a dozen Muggles…
Ivan put down his book and turned his attention to the table and the Polyjuice Potion.
"About time, too… just in time!" Ivan muttered, standing up.
"Are you planning to take a break, sir?" Dobby asked, noticing Ivan's movement.
"No, this is not the time for a break." Ivan went to the table and slipped the Polyjuice Potion into the reagent. He took out a few strands of the attacker's hair and put them in his pocket. He thought about putting the strand of Alicia's hair in as well.
Dobby's happy expression froze, then turned to dismay, but he waited eagerly for Ivan's next order.
…
A few days later, over a street off Privet Drive,
A grey-and-white owl with a letter in its beak flapped its wings and stared down at the wide street below, then slowly lowered itself and settled in a thick stand of trees.
This messenger owl, naturally in Ivan's Animagus form, spent the last two days searching for Sirius.
However, to Ivan's surprise, Sirius was even better at hiding than he thought.
The only time he saw a transformed black dog was in a narrow alley.
Sirius, however, was wary and did not stay long, disappearing into the trees.
Ivan had no choice but to wait near Privet Drive,
In the original timeline, Sirius visited Harry when he was disowned.
It was, after all, around Harry's birthday, and Sirius had to see his godson on such a special occasion.
Ivan did not believe his presence would influence this outcome…
It was getting dark, and Ivan couldn't stop staring at the Harry family home.
It didn't take long for Ivan to hear screams and abuse from up ahead.
Ivan took the envelope in his mouth and moved closer.
Through the window, he clearly saw a large, inflatable, middle-aged woman floating on the ceiling of the house like a human-shaped hot air balloon.
The creature screamed in terror as the couple scrambled to pull Aunt Marge out of the air.
An argument broke out in the hall, and a few minutes later, Harry slammed the door and stormed out, dragging his suitcase behind him.
Ivan flapped his wings and pretended to be a messenger owl.
He wasn't sure Sirius would spy on him, an owl that had been hanging around for too long, so he decided to play it safe.
Harry dragged the suitcase like a headless chicken across several streets before collapsing in exhaustion against a low wall on Magnolia Crescent.
Recalling the bullying he had endured at home, Harry's anger boiled over.
In order to go to Hogsmeade like all the other young wizards and witches, he had reached his limit!
He did not even protest when Uncle Vernon deliberately accused him of being flogged and physically punished every day at a school for juvenile delinquents…
However… he could not tolerate Aunt Marge's abuse and insults towards his parents, so he decided to teach her a lesson, even at the risk of being expelled from Hogwarts and having his wand broken!
A deep anger burned in Harry's heart, but it was quickly extinguished by the cold night wind, which turned it into a fear of the future.
He understood that he had committed a serious breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, and could not find a place to go.
The only good thing is that the Ministry hasn't sent anyone to arrest him yet…
Maybe the Ministry of Magic forgot about it, they were so busy, there must be a million things they had to deal with every day,
While Harry was hoping for the best, he saw a grey-white owl flying towards him with a letter in its beak.
A letter from the Ministry of Magic?!
Harry's heart was pounding and his hands and feet were cold. He had expected this moment, but he was still flustered when he actually faced it.
The grayish-white owl landed on his shoulder.
Harry's hands shook as he tore the envelope open.
He thought he might find a scathing letter informing him that he would be expelled from Hogwarts or have his wand broken and imprisoned in Azkaban…
It can't be worse, can it?
Feeling ready to face the music, Harry placed the letter in front of his eyes.
[Happy thirteenth birthday to Harry Potter!]
It was signed by Ivan Hals.
Harry stared at it, suddenly very moved to hold the envelope, and his fear of being thrown out of the house eased.
Although he is at his wits' end and may be expelled from school, Harry thinks he still has friends who care about him!
When he did not receive Ivan's birthday card that morning, Harry wondered if Ivan had forgotten about it, and was surprised when it arrived.
Harry stirred a little and looked at the owl, which was perched on his shoulder and had not left. He thought it strange that Ivan's owl did not look like this.
The grey-and-white owl ignored Harry, its eyes fixed on the dimness in front of it, and the fact that it had brought a letter with it was just Ivan's way of pretending to be a messenger owl.
He was always after Sirius!
Curious, Harry followed the owl's gaze. It was pitch-black, with only two eyes standing out in the reflected street light and blinking.
Harry was so shocked that he fell to the ground, his luggage hitting his feet, which he did not even notice.
"Fluorescent Flicker!" Harry waved his wand and cast the Illuminating Charm, no longer caring that he could not cast spells off-campus.
The light dispelled the darkness and Harry saw a large, dark dog standing in front of him. It was very thin and its eyes were fixed on Harry.
You're finally here… Ivan in his Animagus form was also staring at the black dog, but did not attack immediately, as Harry was still there.