James and Snape now had a shared topic because of what they had experienced in the dream.
They also had a shared goal, resurrecting Lily Evans. They simply did not know each other's true purpose.
The Practical Guide offered many resurrection methods, and the most feasible among them was the cauldron revival ritual.
The ritual's host needed to create a magical cauldron, prepare a resurrection potion, and master soul-summoning magic. It involved alchemy, Potions, and Charms, and each field required a master-level wizard to even attempt it.
Snape knew he could never accomplish it alone, so he had already reached an agreement with Dumbledore. That great wizard had also suffered the pain of losing a younger sister, and to resurrect Ariana, he would never spare himself any effort. Snape would be responsible for brewing the resurrection potion, while Dumbledore would research the soul-summoning ritual.
James told the old bat that he could solve the cauldron problem. It was actually very simple. James himself had been resurrected by Skyl from a cauldron, and that magical cauldron was still sitting in the living room of the old Potter house in Godric's Hollow.
After the central brain was built, Snape could finally begin attempting to brew the resurrection potion. That process was destined to involve countless failures.
He planned to continue letting the female teaching assistant, Collins, take over his classes. That way, he would have plenty of free time to practice his Potions skills.
Speaking of Collins, it was only several days later that Snape realized she was not at Hogwarts. She had taken the train south on the day before Christmas.
"She is probably spending time with her family." The old bat locked himself in his office and stared at the boiling potion inside the cauldron. That thought was no more than a bubble rising from the churning brew, vanishing in an instant.
...
On Christmas Eve, Lily walked out of the Dursley home and rode her crooked homemade flying broom, working hard to keep up with the four little Gryffindor brats ahead of her.
In the end, she landed at Grimmauld Place in London. This was a Muggle neighborhood, and Lily knew it was also the location of the ancestral home of the ancient and noble Black family.
Sirius Black received the four young wizards in front of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. He hugged his godson.
From a distance, Lily looked at the gaunt, skeletal Sirius, and confusion and sorrow appeared in her eyes. In her memory, this wizard had always been handsome and radiant.
What exactly had happened to turn a heartthrob into what he was now?
Lily kept her agreement with Skyl firmly in mind. Even though questions were storming inside her heart, she still held herself back and did not step forward to reveal her identity.
Resurrection always came with a price. Lily had already made up her mind that even if she had to live under an assumed name for the rest of her life, she would protect Harry.
Harry and the others stayed overnight in the Black family home, while Lily found a nearby inn and rested for two hours. Before dawn, she continued watching Grimmauld Place.
Thanks to the skills she had honed during the fight against Voldemort, Lily was not discovered at all.
On Christmas Day, a wizard named Remus Lupin came to meet Sirius. He wore patched wizard robes, and the only possession he had was an old leather suitcase. His face was sickly, and he looked worn and haggard.
One of them was a black dog, and the other was a wolf. They had never gotten along especially well since their school days. But now that old acquaintances had met again, one as a fugitive and the other as a destitute poor man, they had no choice but to look back and admit that the person before them was the only friend left in the world.
Sirius and Lupin drank by the table.
Lupin said, "Twelve years, Black."
"Yes. I never liked you much before, Moony. But now I only want to have another drink with you. Does that count as growth?" Sirius already looked old, and Lupin, sitting across from him, had gone gray early as well.
"All it proves is that suffering is a strange thing. We have both tasted enough of it, so of course we hope someone else can understand." Lupin closed his eyes. "I have not dreamed of Hogwarts in a long time. I have not thought of you either."
"But as soon as you received my message, you came at once."
"Because I never forgot you. Padfoot, Prongs, Lily... and of course, Wormtail."
"All the good people died, but the traitor is still alive and well." Sirius raised his glass. "To friends."
The two drank deeply.
Lupin put down his glass and asked, "Have you confirmed Pettigrew's whereabouts?"
The moment this matter was mentioned, Sirius felt a headache coming on. "No. All I have is one piece of information, and I don't even know if it is reliable. Pettigrew is looking for a snake named Nagini. Harry told me that, and he heard it from a transfer student named Skyl."
"Skyl?" Lupin's expression shifted.
"What, you've heard of him?"
Lupin opened the small suitcase he carried with him and pulled out a copy of Transfiguration Today and a copy of the Daily Prophet from a hidden compartment.
"This Skyl is quite impressive. The report says he is a transfer student who previously studied at a place called the College of Winterhold."
Sirius scratched his head. "What College of Winterhold? Never heard of it."
"Exactly. That is why some people suspect he falsified his academic background. But not long after he entered Hogwarts, he published an important paper and was hailed as the youngest Transfiguration master of the modern age." Lupin opened Transfiguration Today and found the paper Skyl had published.
Sirius skimmed through it quickly, his expression twisting more and more. Finally, he tossed the magazine aside and sneered. "What the hell is this? Transfiguration turning stone into gold, rewriting history? Why doesn't he just say he's Merlin? This is obviously fraud. This trick wouldn't fool even Muggles."
"He later clarified that the part about rewriting history was false, but turning stone into gold can indeed be done." Lupin spoke seriously. He took out his wand and gently tapped his wineglass, transforming the glass material into a piece of soft bread.
"Here, try it." Lupin handed over the goblet-shaped bread.
"Are you mad?" Sirius looked stunned. "Gamp's Law says Transfiguration cannot create food."
Lupin calmly stuffed the bread into his mouth and began chewing.
Seeing that he had truly swallowed the bread, Sirius still could not believe it for a moment. Only after tasting it himself did he finally accept the ridiculous fact.
"After learning essential Transfiguration, I have never gone hungry again. You know how difficult it is for werewolves to find work. Now I do not have to worry about food or clothing."
Sirius held back for a long time before finally saying, "That's badass."
"The name Nagini sounds a little familiar. I have heard that wizards from the Indian subcontinent call serpent-people naga. Does Nagini mean a female naga?" Lupin rubbed his chin as he analyzed it.
"So we're going to India?" Sirius hesitated a little. With our physical condition, are we going to die in a foreign land?"
"Let us first search for traces of Pettigrew. Next, I will go to Knockturn Alley and ask around. You stay here and do not go out."
At the same time, Harry and the others were also discussing countermeasures.
Hermione analyzed the situation calmly. "Pettigrew absolutely would not dare appear in front of wizards openly. Even if he had no choice, he would definitely disguise himself. There are plenty of wizards like that in Knockturn Alley. He will certainly think of some way to obtain a wand. We can ask around and see whether any wizard has lost a wand, or go to Ollivanders and ask whether anyone has bought one."
Harry gently rubbed the scar on his forehead and said in a low voice, "I can feel it. Voldemort is in London. He has not gone far. Wormtail and Voldemort are together."
"Do we have a way to deal with Voldemort?" Hermione was a little worried. "Do we need to contact Mage Brelyna?"
"There's no need to ask for help. We have two adult wizards on our side. But we still need to make some combat preparations. We need staves, enchanted weapons, and alchemical potions."
Harry took a deep breath and said with a solemn expression, "The Killing Curse is very dangerous. If it hits, death is certain. So next, we have to learn how to move in secret. Wormtail does not know we are looking for him, though Voldemort might be able to sense me. In short, the Disillusionment Charm, Invisibility Potions, Invisibility Cloaks, we need to use every method available to hide our tracks, then take the enemy down in one strike."
Ron and Neville chose to store their intelligence with their two companions. All they needed to ask was who they were supposed to beat up, and then they could charge in.
The four strongest third-year Gryffindor wizards were all here. Harry had maintained an undefeated record in the Dueling Club to this day. Even if Voldemort came back to life, they would still dare to go up and challenge him.
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