From inside the room, their voices continued. Sean listened in silence and saw Harry pressing even closer to the door, trying to catch every word.
"All right, Arthur, I'm sure you only did this because you thought it was the right thing to do.
But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore.
As long as Dumbledore is Headmaster, I don't believe anything at Hogwarts can hurt Harry.
Dumbledore knows all this, doesn't he?"
"Of course he does. We went to ask whether he'd allow the Azkaban guards to be stationed at the school entrances. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."
"Not happy? Aren't they there to catch Black? Why would that upset him?"
"Dumbledore doesn't like the Azkaban guards."
Mr. Weasley's voice grew heavy.
"To tell the truth, I don't like them either… but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, sometimes you have to join forces with the very people you'd rather avoid at all costs."
"If they save Harry—"
"—then I'll never say a bad word about them again."
Mr. Weasley said wearily.
"Come on, Molly. We'd better go upstairs if we're going to keep talking…"
Sean heard chairs scraping. The Weasleys were clearly about to come out into the corridor.
He tapped himself once with his wand and disappeared into the hallway as though he'd thrown an Invisibility Cloak over himself. Seeing Harry still frozen there, he casually cast a Disillusionment Charm on him too.
The private room door opened. A few seconds later, the Weasleys passed right by them, and the stairs creaked under their steps as they went up.
"He's after me…"
Harry muttered unconsciously, staring out the window as if Sirius Black might be right there, nearby.
"Sean…"
Harry whipped around and looked at him like he was looking at a lifeline. His voice came out hoarse.
"Did you hear that, Sean? He's after me…"
Harry thought of Sirius Black killing thirteen people with a single curse, of him being Voldemort's most trusted follower, of Fudge not caring at all about the magic they'd used outside school and focusing only on making sure Harry was watched…
Sirius Black… his goal seemed obvious.
The clatter of staff clearing dishes drifted in from the edge of the corridor. Harry snapped back to himself and looked into those calm green eyes, and for no clear reason, he felt a little steadier.
The Weasleys clearly thought that once he knew the truth, he'd panic.
But Harry found that, deep down, he actually agreed with Mrs. Weasley—Hogwarts really was the safest place in the world.
Not only was Sean there. Dumbledore was too.
Didn't everyone say Voldemort had only ever feared one man in his life—Dumbledore?
Black had been Voldemort's most trusted lieutenant. Surely he'd fear Dumbledore too.
And then there were those Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to terrify almost everyone. With them stationed around the school, Black's chances of getting in seemed incredibly slim.
But…
There was still one thing Harry couldn't understand. Sean said Black had some other motive and wouldn't hurt him—but why?
While he was still caught up in that question, Harry saw Sean quietly staring at a chair nearby. A small bottle then floated over, wobbling through the air.
It was Ron's Rat Tonic. It had been left beside the chair where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been sitting.
Harry grabbed it in delight. Sean nodded, and the two of them quickly headed out.
The moment they stepped into the corridor, they saw Fred and George crouched in the shadows on the landing, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.
They were listening to Percy tear apart the room he shared with Ron, searching desperately for his badge.
"We took it," Fred whispered to them, proudly showing it off.
The badge now read Bighead Boy.
Harry's face twitched violently. He was clearly trying not to laugh.
With the Rat Tonic recovered, Justin and the others were finally able to separate Ron from his brother Percy.
Of course, Percy still looked absolutely miserable. After all, not many people could wear a badge that ridiculous and stay in a good mood.
"Come on…"
Ron clapped a hand over his mouth and rushed out of the Leaky Cauldron. The moment he got outside, he burst into helpless laughter, and he didn't stop until they reached Flourish and Blotts.
The sunlight over Diagon Alley was bright and golden. Crowds flowed past in every direction, mixed with all sorts of pets. By mid-afternoon, six different Kneazles had already climbed onto Sean's shoulder.
Only after a flustered young witch pulled the latest one away could Sean finally speak with Professor Quirrell, who had just arrived in a hurry.
At that moment Sean was standing outside Flourish and Blotts. The younger students had already rushed inside excitedly, and even Harry had managed to put aside his dark mood for the time being.
"Professor, how did it go?" Sean asked softly.
"I… I'm very sorry, Mr. Green. I couldn't find him," Professor Quirrell said, wrapped in black robes and trembling a little.
"That isn't your fault. If he's determined to hide, none of us will find him."
Sean frowned slightly.
"Vold—he's very cunning. More powerful than any of us can imagine, Mr. Green.
After all this time, that place has become his territory…"
Quirrell spoke nervously, glancing toward the crowded street every few moments before finally continuing, one word at a time.
"With his magic, even in that form… he may still be alive. Not just alive—he'll be plotting. He'll return. You must be careful. Truly careful. If we're going to… destroy him, it won't be in that forest.
You know it as well as I do—in that form, he cannot truly die. Even if we destroy all the evil we can see… he may still find a way to complete his plans…"
Quirrell said all this with deep unease.
"For now, please keep searching. If you run into any problem at all, contact me through the magic hand mirror immediately. I'll send Tila to go with you."
Sean spoke slowly.
He raised a hand and placed a Bowtruckle on Quirrell's robes. Tila naturally climbed into Quirrell's pocket.
"Ah… ah…"
Quirrell stared blankly at the tiny Bowtruckle as it scratched lightly at his sleeve.
"It likes you. If anything unexpected happens, it'll help you activate the magic hand mirror."
Sean said.
"Oh… it likes me. Does that mean I'm doing all right, then?"
Quirrell asked faintly.
"You're facing the most dangerous danger, the darkest evil, Professor."
Sean said seriously.
~~~
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