A blinding flash of light, and Bryan emerged from the state of apparition. It was not his own choice, but something had violently forced him out of the void.
"Sure enough–"
He surveyed the bronze chain wall in front of him, and behind the chain wall, the turbulent space currents resembling raging rivers and the five-story floating building looming above it, Bryan smiled with satisfaction.
The Black family's old mansion was located in Grimmauld Square, a quiet suburb in northwest London. It was far from the bustling muggle city center, secluded and protected by numerous ancient magic and defensive spells that one could hardly imagine. Without an invitation from the owner, it would be extremely difficult for outsiders to forcefully enter with their magical abilities.
Bryan had failed to enter here last time, not because he was powerless against the bronze chain wall that divided the worlds, but because he didn't know the precise coordinates of the mansion in space. Even if he broke through these defensive spells, he would get hopelessly lost in the chaotic space currents. But now, there happened to be someone inside the house whom he had marked with magic, serving as a 'coordinate'.
Previously, at the Shrieking Shack, the reason why Bryan released Black from the house was actually with ulterior motives.
Because, ever since he had failed to break into this place last time, Bryan suddenly realized that this house matched his ideal residence to live very well.
Bang!
A deafening impact broke the eerie silence in the darkness, and the mansion, which had been uninhabited for twelve long years, finally welcomed the only surviving legitimate heir of the Black family.
Sirius Black lay on the cold ground, groaning weakly. Although he narrowly avoided the powerful magic unleashed by the young wizard named Bryan Watson, he was not unscathed. The explosion had generated a fierce shockwave that swept over his upper body, easily fracturing several of his ribs. Moreover, the broken bone in the most severe area had pierced through the skin, causing a trickle of blood to flow like a crimson stream.
However, Sirius did not focus on his injuries, but rather looked at the old house before him with a complex and bitter expression.
The air was filled with a damp, dusty smell, and a lingering sweet rot. It seemed that the sound of someone entering had awakened the house, and a row of old-fashioned gas lamps on the wall of the corridor that connected to the entrance were all lit up, casting a shaky and unreal light on the long and gloomy corridor, where the wallpaper was peeling off the walls and the carpet was worn and torn.
A spiderweb-like chandelier above flickered with a faint and ghostly light, and on the walls hung some portraits that had turned black due to years of neglect and lack of protection.
Sirius took a deep breath, and the moment he saw those familiar furnishings, the unpleasant memories in his memory surged up again like a storm. He had sworn never to come back here, but now he had to break his oath to save his life.
The years he had lived here were like maggots in his brain, making his already gloomy expression even more grim and haunted. But he knew that he couldn't spend too much time immersed in the past's terrible memories, otherwise, he would waste the opportunity he had fought so hard to obtain from Bryan Watson.
The excessive blood loss made Sirius's face pale as a sheet, and the pain of the broken bones was like the tide under the full moon, wave after wave hitting his consciousness. Maybe the next moment, he would fall into a coma.
He clenched his yellow teeth, and crawled to the wall, leaving a shocking dark mark on the wooden floor covered with a thick layer of dust.
"Ouch, he really didn't go easy on me–"
He lifted the prison clothes that had rotted into rags, and under the yellow light of the gas lamp, Sirius gasped, and finally saw how serious his injuries were. His chest was covered with bruises and cuts, and his left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle.
Sirius lifted his hand with great difficulty, and his wand sprayed out wisps of white light. Under the cool and soothing light, the broken ribs retracted into his chest, and the wound closed itself, leaving a hideous and jagged scar.
After roughly treating his external injuries, he looked at the dilapidated and gloomy mansion in front of him, and Sirius sighed, leaning on the wall, and stood up with tremendous difficulty.
Excessive blood loss had turned Sirius's face even paler than before, and he looked like he had just a bit more breath than a corpse. Suppressing the faint and dizzy feeling of fainting that was assaulting his consciousness, as well as the uncomfortable and oppressive feeling brought by this old house, Sirius leaned against the wall and struggled to stand up.
Since he had already returned, there was no need to rush to leave. He needed to find some food to replenish his strength and also carefully plan how to proceed with his plan.
The Director of Student Safety Office at Hogwarts had already found him and discovered that he was an illegal Animagus. Therefore, it would be extremely foolish to try to infiltrate Hogwarts using the same methods again. The difficulty of avenging James and Lily had suddenly increased by a large margin. In the short term, the only method Sirius Black could think of was to seize the opportunity when that Red-haired boy brought his pet rat home for the summer and strike.
And this also meant that he had to wait another six or seven months to achieve his goal. For Sirius, who had been dreaming of revenge, this was an extremely painful and unbearable torment. Lost in his thoughts, Sirius let out a faint and melancholic sigh of profound sadness.
'How did Bryan come to the Shrieking Shack tonight?'
There were two possibilities. The first was that the young wizard had finally remembered that Hogsmeade still had his secret experimental base, and had a flash of sudden and brilliant inspiration to come back and take a look.
However, Sirius believed that this possibility was not high because the terrifying young wizard hadn't returned for over two months, so it was highly likely that he didn't want to use that place anymore.
And the reason for his sigh was the second possibility–Bryan Watson came through the secret and hidden passage under the Whomping Willow.
At Hogwarts now, there was only one person who knew that he still had the ability to pass through that passage, and that was his best friend–Remus Lupin.
Ever since he had gone to Hogwarts on the night of the Halloween feast, Sirius had been worried for a while. He knew that Remus was teaching at the school, and he was afraid that Remus would tell Dumbledore everything, and expose him as an illegal animagus, and thus seal the passage under the Whomping Willow.
But in the following days, Sirius, who was monitoring Hogwarts through Crookshanks, was relieved. Dumbledore did not seal the passage, which meant that Remus probably didn't say anything to Dumbledore.
As his former friend, Sirius Black could guess the reason behind Remus's reaction.
But now Bryan had come through the passage to the Shrieking Shack, and had called out his name when he was still in his transformed state. Sirius had reason to believe that Remus had told everything to this young man.
"Have you made up your mind to kill me, Remus?"
His heart, which had been numb and cold for a long time, surged with sadness, and his skeletal and gaunt face also showed a trace of sorrow.
"This is all retribution–"
Sirius laughed bitterly and whispered, his physical and mental strength had reached the limit, and he suddenly felt weak and powerless, and his body collapsed involuntarily, hitting his head on the giant leg umbrella stand in front of the door at the end of the hall that led to the basement kitchen.
Clatter—
Two velvet curtains with beady and malicious eyes were pulled open, and behind the curtains, the ugly and wrinkled old lady with a black and pointy hat suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at Sirius struggling to breathe on the ground, took a deep and raspy breath, and in the next second, a terrifying, deafening, and hair-raising scream instantly awakened this dormant and dusty mansion.
"YOU TRAITOR!!!"
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