At night, the bright moonlight illuminated the earth.
The lights in the office building went out one by one, and the wizards who had worked all day dragged their weary bodies to the first floor by elevator. They lined up in front of a fireplace in the hall. It was a completely enclosed industrial area. The factory gate did not allow entry or exit. The space inside was bound by anti-Apparition and no-flying spells, and except for using specific fireplaces, there were no other ways for staff inside to leave.
The office grew increasingly quiet, but the loud noises from the towering factory across the way continued. Sirius Black stood at the edge of the rooftop of the office building, gazing at the enclosed factory without windows, letting the raucous wind sweep across his cheeks, a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Here you are--"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind, but Sirius didn't show any surprise. He turned around and took the sandwich his colleague offered. After opening the package, he took a big bite and chewed while muttering.
"Wow, that's delicious, thank you, Tonks--"
"No need to be modest——"
As if having been praised, Tonks looked happy. She tousled her hair. Silently, her chestnut hair turned violet. She also leaned over the railing, looking at the factory opposite. After a while, she murmured softly,
"It's all just a waste of time."
Hearing the complaint, Sirius Black helplessly smiled, but in his heart, he fully agreed with Tonks' words.
Half a month ago, several well-known companies in the magical world were victims of theft. Despite the tight security, the thieves managed to break into the core office area. However, what was puzzling was that despite their abilities, they did not steal anything and instead searched the executive offices where the company's top management resided.
The thief was very careful, not disturbing the office, but the astute business leaders still detected something amiss through some monitoring spells and subtle clues. They joined forces with some crucial companies that had not been robbed yet and pressured the Ministry of Magic to catch the culprits.
Unable to bear the pressure, Cornelius Fudge directly deployed the Ministry of Magic's elite forces. One part went to follow up on clues, while the other part took preventive measures.
Therefore, Sirius Black and Tonks were sent here.
The company producing Flummery Powder, Flummery Bump, operates as a monopoly in the magical world. Its founder, Ignotus Veinsmith from the thirteenth century, was the inventor of Flummery Powder, and this company is the only one authorized to produce Flummery Powder in the magical community.
The company is of great importance to the daily transportation of thousands of wizard families. It can be imagined how much attention Flummo Bump would receive.
Sirius Black and Tonks were on guard on the roof, while in one of the offices below, Kingsley and Delcourt were waiting for their target to show up.
However, as Tonks said, there are more important companies in the magical world than just one. It's impossible to have comprehensive defenses with such a small team from the Office of Witches and Wards.
"Did you hear about it?"
Tonks had no sense of duty while executing a mission, she spoke in a normal, indifferent tone, saying,
"Next week, students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are coming to Hogwarts!"
Tonks had a look of envy on her face,
"I was so jealous when I was studying at Hogwarts that the Department for International Magical Cooperation and the Department for Magical Games couldn't do anything. Will Mr. Scrimgeour let me take two days off for the Triwizard Tournament?"
"You're dreaming, Tonks..."
Sirius Black sighed and said,
"Since I became an Auror, I've never had a day off. I've been planning to visit Hogwarts and see Harry."
"Oh, the boy who lived, Harry Potter!" Tonks suddenly perked up and asked eagerly, "Do you think he'll be involved in the Triwizard Tournament?"
"Impossible——"
Sirius Black smiled and said,
"Of course, I know Harry. He wouldn't shy away from the dangers of the Triwizard Tournament, but the problem is, he's not old enough. With Amortensia at Hogwarts, Harry and his friends might want to find a loophole, but they're unlikely to find an opportunity. By the way, Tonks, didn't you go to Hogwarts with Amortensia?"
"We even spent time in detention together, in Snape's office,"
Tonks said with pride and emotion, "It was great to be with him."
"He was two years older than me, and his time at Hogwarts wasn't like today at all. He didn't like to interact with people, but you could see it in his eyes that he wasn't afraid to communicate. No matter where he went, he carried a basket of books, and he was famously a bookworm back then."
"That sounds a bit like Harry's friend, a little witch named Hermione Granger."
Sirius Black pursed his lips, smiling slightly,
"When I was at Hogwarts, the one who loved learning the most was Lily, you know, Harry's mother. She was the smartest witch I've ever met; many people admired her. James, of course, liked to pick on her just to get close to her, and then there was Peter... well, let's not talk about him. Remus was like that too; he idolized Lily's intelligence. Of course, he wasn't bad himself; Remus was the hardest worker among us."
"Leonard once told me about how you became friends,"
Tonks immediately perked up, and she said eagerly, "What was it like? Did you fight each other first?"
"He told me that when you two were at school, you were among the few students who didn't care about his background!"
"He even mentioned that to me?"
Sirius Black looked somewhat surprised at Tonks, "This guy is not one to open up about his past easily. I'd bet that Remus really likes you, Tonks!"
Though she knew that 'like' in Sirius's words did not mean that, Tonks was still overjoyed and her hair turned pink. She looked eagerly at Sirius and requested him to tell more about their past stories.
Sirius Black was already a legendary figure within the Ministry itself, and his unique life experiences had attracted many people. Many people were curious about his story, so he didn't find Tonks' request strange at all. Moreover, since Amortensia asked him to make more friends in the Ministry, he had never been hesitant to talk about his past, except for some secrets that couldn't be disclosed.
In order not to be discovered by DeLacourt and Kingsley below that the two were slacking off, Sirius randomly cast a spell to block any possibility of outsiders overhearing their conversation. Then, he began chatting with Tonks about the past.
The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they forgot the passage of time. Tonks would tell Sirius about her impression of Amortensia Brain, as he was when studying at school, while Sirius was generous with details about their adventures at Hogwarts.
Time slowly passed, and the moon shone more brilliantly against the deep darkness.
The two watched as a convoy of carriages stopped outside the factory to be inspected before proceeding to the unloading channel.
Sirius Black looked away and then continued the conversation.
".After graduation, I had a falling out with my family, so I moved into James's house with my belongings. James's family treated me very well, and they treated me like their second son. James and I even tried to convince Remus to move in as well, but he was always afraid that one day he might lose control and harm the family of James."
Later, the war became more intense, and we...”
Thud!
Bang! The floor beneath my feet suddenly shook violently, as if lava erupting. A huge ball of flame broke through the wall, spraying outwards in all directions. A black-cloaked figure was blasted outwards by a powerful blast wave.
"Tonks, Sirius, what are you two up to?"
Knocked back into the hallway by the explosion, Kingsley, with one arm gushing blood, held up his wand to blast away the ceiling, roaring through the gaping hole.
Delacour had broken through the thick smoke, his face twisted in a sinister manner as he rushed towards the unconscious wizard, who was lying on the ground in a black cloak.
Under the bright moonlight, looking at the face lying on the ground, with its mask shattered, Sirius and Tonks on the roof were both stunned.
(Chapter ends)
