As Amortentia returned to Hogwarts with the two cats through the secret passage under the Screech Cabin, the snow had stopped, but the sky remained gloomy. The flat lawn and playing field were still lashed by biting winds.
Hagrid was walking to the Forbidden Forest with Baby, while Professor Sprout appeared in the greenhouse to check on her plants and flowers and see if they were damaged by the cold, Amortentia waved goodbye to her and quickly walked towards the castle.
No place lacked diligent people; as Amortentia entered the hall, she was surprised to find several seventh-year students already having breakfast. Percy Weasley was seated near the door, munching on a plate of sausages while leafing through a book titled "Practical Charms for Defense Against Dark Arts."
"Good morning, Professor Brewer--"
Noticing that Professor Brewer was staring at her, Percy Weasley swallowed his food quickly and ran over to her with a flourish. He glanced at the two kittens in Professor Brewer's arms for a moment before looking away,
"Is there anything I can assist you with?"
"I remember that you were supposed to be on patrol last night, Percy," Amortentia shook her head, "Don't you think you should have rested a bit more?"
Percy took this as a compliment, he puffed up his chest with pride, showing off his shiny badge as the head boy of the school's student council. He blushed brightly,
"Not tired, Professor, I'm planning to visit the library before the morning classes start," Percy boasted, "You know, I've got the NEWT exams coming up at the end of this term. I want to make sure I don't mess up; if I want to work at the Ministry of Magic... Of course, if you have any instructions."
"I don't have anything for you to do, Percy--"
Amortentia patted Percy's shoulder approvingly.
People with ideals and the willingness to work for them are always worth appreciation.
The smell of food in the Great Hall made Amortentia's two cats agitated, especially the black one. Having eaten mice for months, he saw the plates of sizzling bacon and sausages, and his eyes were almost green, meowing loudly as if trying to break free.
Amortentia obviously couldn't allow him to create a mess in the Great Hall, so she had to ask Percy to pack up some food and bring it back to her office.
During the last infiltration of the castle, Sirius was solely focused on rushing to Gryffindor's dormitory, killing Peter, and then leaving immediately without any desire to savor anything. But now the situation was different; along the way, he stayed on Amortentia's shoulder, looking around restlessly and extremely excited, barely following instructions.
"If you don't behave yourself, I'll put you in a cage, hear me!"
Amortentia twisted Lenni's ear and spun him around, scolding him harshly as she simultaneously freed Lady Loris from the armor that had been quickly secured by Lenni.
Lenni: Meow meow! (Translation: Can't you see, that Flibberacat is shouting at me!)
Although she knew that her human transformation would not result in any accidents, Amortentia unconsciously let out a sigh until she walked into the office, closed the door, and finally felt at ease.
Sirius was already starving, but after curiously eyeing the wall in Amortentia's office that was covered by a large black curtain, he jumped to the ground and eagerly clawed at the bag in her hands, hoping to have a good meal.
He lit the fireplace, pulled back the curtains to let in the faint light into the office, and then sank down into his seat behind the desk.
After this night, his mission underwent a dramatic change.
It still needs to find someone, but from Black to Peter.
To be honest, the task has become more difficult. Previously, he only needed to keep Black away from Harry. Now, he has to actively lure out a mouse hiding in the shadows, and this particular mouse is extremely vigilant and patient; ordinary methods are unlikely to get it to show its face.
"When you were in the house, did you say that the guy called Peter wouldn't leave Hogwarts and would definitely be around Harry?"
Sirius scratched his whiskers and gestured to Amortentia to transform him back.
"That's right, I'm sure of it--"
"Actually, being human is more convenient for eating. Black grabbed food with both hands and brought it to his mouth, taking a moment to say this."
"I understand Peter. Leaving Hogwarts means that he can no longer enjoy the protection provided by Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic for Harry. He would never leave here, and he must ensure that he can stay updated on the latest news in the magical world."
Amortentia nodded, not confirming nor denying, and a faint idea formed in her mind.
He wanted to know more about Peter's character, but it was clear that Sirius wouldn't say anything nice about him. All he would do is shout that Peter was a scum, a worthless sewer rat who was too scared to stand on his own and always followed powerful wizards around, hoping for their protection.
But is Peter really as despicable as Black claims? Amortentia rather thought not.
With his thoughts well-organized, extremely patient, and somewhat cruel, Peter had a certain amount of courage. Through fragmented descriptions, Amortentia gave her own opinion of Peter.
"Courage?!"
For the first few points, Sirius didn't say anything, but he couldn't bear Amortentia's last assessment.
"Are you saying that a scoundrel is also a person with courage, Brian?" Sirius scoffed. "That's just too funny. If he had even the slightest bit of courage in his heart, he wouldn't be such an embarrassing traitor!"
"As you say, he is a traitor. But Peter dare to betray his friends and deliver messages to Voldemort for more than a year under Dumbledore's nose. This is enough to prove that he is not a cowardly wizard with no courage at all, Black--"
Amortentia crossed her fingers and rested them on her raised knee, speaking lazily.
Sirius was about to refute that, but before he could say anything, Brian suddenly stood up from his chair and waved his wand wildly. In an instant, Sirius found himself transformed back into a sleek black cat, about the size of Fluffy the Loch Ness Monster.
"Remus is just outside. Don't let the cat out of the bag."
Remus?
Sirius's paw holding the sausage suddenly fell down, and he spun around on the sofa, darting under a cushion. However, the Loch Ness Monster's paw flung the cushion flying out, and its odd gaze made Sirius snap back to reality. He wasn't a wizard anymore or in his animagus form; he couldn't be recognized by Remus!
"I was just downstairs answering Percy's question on a Defense Against the Dark Arts issue, and I found out that you're back at the castle--"
The door to the room was opened silently, and Remus Lupin hurried inside. His face was serious, but there was a certain concern shimmering in his eyes.
"How about, Amortentia, have you... this cat?"
Remus, who rushed over to Amortentia's desk, noticed the two cats curled up on the sofa. He was slightly surprised by Fluffy's size, but when his eyes fell on the black cat on the other side, who was tense and seemed particularly nervous, Remus's steps suddenly halted and his solemn expression changed slightly.
It's strange, why should I feel so familiar with a black cat? I've never dealt with cats before?
When their eyes met in mid-air, Remus felt an even stronger sense of unease and couldn't help but be surprised.
Sirius tried his best to avoid eye contact with Remus, but he couldn't help getting a closer look at his old friend. The moment their gazes met, an overwhelming sadness rose from his heart, causing his cat body to tremble.
Remus has aged so much...
His temples were white with age, his face was lined with fine wrinkles, and his body looked very thin, even a little stooped. He looked like an old man who had already stepped into the twilight of his life.
The werewolf's situation in the magical world is not good, which Sirius knows. However, the old appearance of Lupin... He couldn't pretend that it had nothing to do with him.
"This cat..."
Sadness and guilt... Remus read both emotions from the black cat's eyes, but that was too strange. How could an animal have such rich emotions? And why did it make him feel so familiar... Remus was dazed in thought.
"Where did you get these two cats, Amortentia?"
"Where did you get these two cats, Amortentia?" Amortentia, sitting behind her desk watching the scene, subtly curved her mouth in a smile and replied calmly.
"The yellow cat is named Crookshanks, which is Hermione's pet. Because it was restless, it was fostered by Hagrid, but it particularly likes to go for walks in Hogsmeade. I found it there last night... The black one is an old flame of Crookshanks' that it found in the wild."
Reading Nook
