He had an idea. A persistent idea that had been haunting him for a while.
He wanted to find a house for himself, a place where he could settle down and end his years of wandering. Ever since the new dormitory of the orphanage was built, he felt that he had somewhat fulfilled his duty to the children who had no one else to rely on. With the orphanage having some social support and the children having some survival skills, he felt that it was time for him to pursue his own happiness.
After all the drama he had gone through, he valued stability and peace very much.
To be honest, Hogsmeade was not Bryan's ideal place to live. The buildings here were too crowded, too close to each other, and too close to Hogwarts. He didn't like the noise or the constant presence of the professors of Hogwarts. He preferred a more secluded and quiet environment, where he could conduct his magical experiments and research without any interference.
Of course, settling in the Muggle world was not a good choice either, because there were too many Muggles, which would make it inconvenient and risky to use magic.
The best option was to settle in a village where most of the residents were wizards. That way, he wouldn't have to be restrained by anything.
Currently, in Britain, Hogsmeade is the only pure wizarding village, but there are also many villages and hamlets that have sizeable wizarding populations, such as Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, Ottery St Catchpole and Godric's Hollow in the West Country, and so on.
During the summer vacation, Bryan also took some time to think about this problem. He decided that after catching Sirius Black, he would take that large sum of galleons and visit these villages to find a quiet and comfortable mansion as his future home.
Bryan stood in a narrow and dim living room, his eyes swept over the slightly moldy silver-green wallpaper on the four walls, wrinkled his nose, and looked a bit dissatisfied.
He remembered that the last time he rented a house outside was after he graduated from college in his previous life. During those years when he was a corporate slave, Bryan had lived with a young couple who always argued loudly and a middle-aged uncle who only came out of his room once every three or four months.
This house was rented with the help of Mrs. Rosmerta, the landlady of the Three Broomsticks pub. There was no such role as a real estate agent in the wizarding world. Bryan, who was not very familiar with the situation, had to seek help from the locals.
The original owner of the house was a forty-something bachelor who made a living by delivering vegetables and ingredients to Hogwart's kitchen. This was not a rare thing. Most of the villagers relied on Hogwarts to support their families. When Bryan asked why he wanted to rent out his house, the bearded bachelor answered casually,
"I'm going on vacation, sir. I've been living in this village for many years. It's time to change my living environment. Maybe I'll meet love unexpectedly on my journey!"
The old bachelor said so to Bryan, but turned around and muttered under his breath,
"Oh, I've had enough of those dementors who patrol the village every day and break into my house every now and then. Unless they get out of here, I'll never come back!"
Because the original owner lived alone and worked as a deliveryman, the house was not very clean and sanitary. Even the bedroom was filled with a strong mixture of cabbage, potato and carrot smell that made Bryan want to gag.
Of course, Bryan had nothing to complain about. After all, the rent for this house was only a little over one hundred galleons a year, which was quite cheap compared to other places.
"By the way, I forgot to tell you one thing,"
The owner picked up his suitcase and couldn't wait to leave the house. He turned back and said solemnly to Bryan,
"This house is not allowed to sublet, sir. I don't want to come back one day and find that my warm and cozy home has become someone's warehouse or workshop. Also, this house is my ancestral home. It has been passed down for generations in my family. I hope you can take good care of it when you live here!"
How could he not take care of it? Bryan walked into the bedroom and looked at the crack on the earthen wall opposite the bed that barely let any light in.
He didn't dare to rely entirely on magic when he cleaned up the house before. He was afraid that after a 'clean sweep', the house would become irreparable. He was not a perfectionist, but he liked to have some order and cleanliness in his living space. He used a broom to sweep away the dust and cobwebs, a rag to wipe the windows and furniture, and a bucket of water to wash the floor and walls. He also used some minor spells to get rid of the mold and the unpleasant smell, but he didn't overdo it.
Because the house was not facing north or south, it became very dark after the sun set. Bryan walked to the bedroom window and opened it. The wind that came in was mixed with heavy moisture. He looked at the sky and saw a large patch of gloomy black clouds rolling in from the southeast under the wind. He could foresee that a heavy rain was about to fall. He could hear the distant rumble of thunder and see the occasional flash of lightning. He knew that this was not a good sign for his first night in Hogsmeade.
Bryan didn't want to become a wet owl on his first night of staying here. Before the rain clouds arrived, he wandered around the house and plugged up all the cracks on the roof and walls with some sealing paste that he bought from Diagon Alley. He also cast some waterproof charms on the windows and doors, just in case. When he returned to his bedroom and prepared to take out his travel sleeping bag from his suitcase, there was a sudden tremor in the sky. With a loud thunder, the downpour finally came.
The dazzling lightning that occasionally cut through the sky made the Hogwarts castle not far away even darker. Bryan stood by the window, staring at the direction of the school entrance, and suddenly felt a strange desire in his heart. He had this desire before, but Bryan didn't expect it to become so strong.
"This rain is a good cover. Why not take the opportunity to get a dementor back for research? My Patronus Charm hasn't worked yet."
Bryan muttered, but after hesitating for a while, he gave up this idea. There were too many dementors around Hogwarts right now, and tonight was the start-of-term feast. Bryan was not Gilderoy Lockhart. He didn't want to be on the front page of tomorrow's Daily Prophet as a madman who tried to kidnap a dementor.
Suddenly, a gray owl stretched its wings and circled over Hogsmeade, which looked like a medieval village under the rain. It seemed to be looking for something. After a while, it found its direction. A sharp dive, and it stopped on the window of Bryan's house in the blink of an eye.
"Good job, little guy–"
Bryan touched the owl's head gently. When his palm left, the owl's wet feathers were already dry and warm.
"I cast a waterproof charm on you. This will keep your feathers from getting wet by the rain on your way back."
The owl tilted its head and looked at Bryan blankly, not understanding what the wizard was saying.
"Go ahead–" Bryan said with a smile.
After the owl disappeared into the oppressive stratus clouds again, Bryan closed the window and lit the candlestick on the wall. Under the flickering candlelight, he unfolded the parchment in his hand.
Remus Lupin.
This was the name of the sender at the end of the letter. Bryan was used to knowing who the letter was from before reading it.
'Did he find out?'
Bryan's eyes shook for a moment, and eagerly looked at the words written in fine handwriting.
The content of the letter was very short, and had nothing to do with Sirius Black, but it still made him frown slightly.
"In the same compartment with Harry Potter, met dementors checking halfway, no one was hurt, but many people were scared. Harry fainted."
After destroying the letter with a simple incineration spell, Bryan shook his head and chuckled softly,
"The Chosen One always has some stories wherever he goes. Well accidents–"
Dinner was simple, just a bunch of fried potato slices and a few roasted sausages that he bought from Mrs Rosmerta's pub earlier. Bryan sat in the dining room, facing his shadow on the wall cast by the candlelight, quietly enjoying the tranquility of being alone. By the way, he also thought about how to catch Sirius Black.
There was no good way to do this. There were not only one smart person in the wizarding world. If there really was a way to catch Black immediately, the Aurors would have done it already.
At present, it was generally believed that Black would sneak up to Hogwarts and try to kill Harry Potter in school. But no one could say for sure how Black would do it or when he would do it.
Bryan had some ideas, but they were not very reliable. He thought that maybe he could use some tracking spells or devices to locate Black, or maybe he could use some bait or traps to lure him out. But he knew that these methods were risky and uncertain. He needed more information and clues before he could act.
Before today, Bryan could only wait passively for Sirius to expose himself in an assassination attempt. He had no idea where Black was hiding or what he was planning. He felt frustrated and helpless. But after meeting Tonks this morning and learning about Black's relationship with the Potters from her mouth, as well as that the Aurors were not only guarding against Sirius sneaking into Hogsmeade but also squatting outside his old house, Bryan suddenly had an idea.
"Why not go to where the Potters were killed and see if there are any clues."
Bryan chewed on his sausage and said vaguely, with a bit of sauce dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Maybe criminal psychology will work. It's better than waiting."
He thought that maybe Black had some emotional attachment to the place where his 'Master' died. Maybe he would visit there occasionally to mourn or to seek revenge. Maybe he would leave some traces or clues behind.
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