"Hello, Remus."
In the ward, Murphy saw the man who had just woken up.
Remus Lupin's injuries were severe. The virus in Greyback's saliva had entered his brain, causing serious brain inflammation and rendering him unconscious for a long time until he recently came to.
Remus looked extremely haggard. Due to being sustained solely on injections and liquid food, he was significantly thinner and paler than before, with hardly any color in his face.
"Are you Murphy Duckholm?"
Murphy nodded.
"The werewolves..."
He had woken up a few times in between but quickly rested again, never leaving the ward, unaware of the situation outside.
"Oh, twelve died. The rest were saved," Murphy said. "Your friends were lucky; they are all still alive."
The werewolves that died were mostly those who were the happiest to jump around with Greyback. Murphy's ravens had been tracking them for some time, knowing who should be killed and who could live. This was decided before Radwan Perry and his team made their move.
"Twelve..." Lupin was somewhat shocked but didn't say much.
Among his brethren, indeed, some deaths were not to be mourned.
"Thank you for sparing them," Lupin said.
He was referring to the werewolves friendly to him, most of whom were more timid in nature and followed Greyback out of necessity, with little blood on their hands and scorned by Greyback and his loyal warmongers.
Lupin knew that with the dozen or so werewolves capable of transforming at will while retaining their sanity, it was possible to kill everyone. Their survival must have been influenced by Murphy's intervention.
"No need to thank me; they still have their uses," Murphy said.
"What do you plan to do with them?" Lupin asked.
"For a while, they will be my prisoners," Murphy said. "I will educate them and reform their thinking, turning them into harmless ordinary people, and then... it's up to their own will. Those who want to stay and work for me can join my team; those who want to return to being ordinary people, I won't force them to stay."
Lupin looked at him for a while and said, "What you're saying is different from others."
Murphy smiled, "Don't worry too much about what others say. If it bothers you, just hit back. Mr. Remus, what are your plans for the future?"
"I... don't know yet," Lupin said somewhat blankly.
When he decided to stand up for his kind, he had almost prepared to sacrifice himself.
He didn't quite understand his motivation at that time. After many years of living aimlessly and in exile, he was just surviving numbly. But the moment he heard Sirius was innocent, alongside his overwhelming joy, he felt deeply wounded.
My friends have been fighting all along.
James sacrificed himself for this.
Sirius suffered ten years of prison.
Yet, they never bowed to fate.
Compared to them, what have I been doing all these years? How am I any different from that cowardly rat, and how can I face them as a true friend?
Perhaps it was this anger at himself that made him recklessly challenge Greyback.
"If you don't have any plans yet, I have a suggestion," Murphy seemed to see his confusion. "I want you to teach those werewolves."
"Your brethren have a lot of hostility towards wizards and Muggles. It's hard for my people to truly approach them. Only you can win their trust."
"Of course, you don't have to decide right now. Get well first, then think about it."
"When you're better, I'll take you to meet someone."
"Oh, and there's one more thing. I need to ask for your opinion." Murphy took out a cage.
Inside the cage, a large gray rat with a missing finger was hiding in the corner, head buried in its chest, listless, not knowing if it was dead or alive.
"Scabbers?!" Lupin recognized it at first glance.
"He was kidnapped, wasn't he? How come he's with you?"
Murphy shrugged, "Because I was the one who kidnapped him."
Lupin was puzzled, "Why save him? Letting him rot and stink in Azkaban is what he deserves."
"Sirius could escape Azkaban in his big dog form, let alone him, a rat even better at escaping?"
"It's unlikely that Azkaban could hold him; better I capture him first than let him escape on his own."
"Now, I've brought him out to ask for your opinion," Murphy said. "If you want to kill him, you can do it now; if not, I'll take him away. He still has some use to me. Of course, I can assure you, his end will be no easier than death."
"Does Sirius know?"
"I told him from the start. He said he already got what he wanted and doesn't care about Scabbers' fate, so he left the decision to you."
Lupin thought for a moment, "Can you ensure he won't continue to do evil?"
Murphy nodded.
"Take him away, then. Do as you please with him; it's the punishment he deserves."
...
In mid-June, Remus Lupin's injuries had largely healed. Murphy brought him to Weasel Mountain, knocking on a door halfway up the mountain.
"Sir, someone's knocking." A boy's voice came from inside the house.
"Oh, it's probably Arthur again. Tell him if he talks about apologizing again, I won't open the door."
But as he spoke, the door suddenly opened.
A handsome man with long curly hair, wearing a light purple shirt, stood inside the doorway, a smile on his face. But his expression froze upon seeing the two visitors.
"Black," Murphy lifted the two bottles of wine he was carrying, "Royal Blanco, to celebrate your new home."
"Ah, thank you." Sirius Black glanced at Murphy but quickly turned his attention back to Lupin beside him.
"You seem to be doing well, Sirius," to Murphy's surprise, Lupin said.
"Oh, you don't look so good, my friend. Another scar?"
No apologies, no bursting into tears; the two men just teased each other as if the decade of separation had never happened, as if they had seen each other just yesterday.
The two men smiled, extended their arms, and embraced.
Tsk.
Such friendship.
Murphy even felt a bit envious.
"Come in, please." Black opened the door wider, inviting Murphy and Lupin into the cottage.
Unexpectedly, the room was very clean and tidy. In the living room stood a skinny boy wearing round glasses, curiously looking at his godfather's friend.
"Sirius, this is..."
"Yes," Sirius's face showed a kind of affectionate expression, "James and Lily's child, Harry."
"Harry Potter."
Death is like resting after a long day, and for those with a clear mind, death is just another grand adventure.
Farewell on your journey.
___________________
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