The days of hanging out at Hogwarts

The night is already deep.

12 Grimmauld Place, Blake's old house.

Loren walked up the old wooden stairs to the top floor. After exiting the stairs, he turned left and stopped at the door of the second bedroom. He looked up and glanced at the door number.

A small square sign was nailed to it. The workmanship was rough. The person who nailed the sign was probably not satisfied. He revised it several times. There were deep scratches on the paint underneath. There were delicate patterns engraved around the wooden sign, and the handwritten letters were very delicate. Neat:

"Without my express permission

No Entry

Regulus Arcturus Black"

Loren looked away, raised his hand and knocked lightly, waiting for a few seconds before pushing the door open and entering.

Crossing the threshold, what comes into view is a quaint and old bedroom. The main colors of Slytherin House's silver and green cover the bed, walls and windows. The Black family crest and the motto "Forever Pure" are carefully engraved on the bedside. There are many yellowed briefing papers piled up beside the bed, glued into an irregular collage, covered with dust, and it is difficult to see what the specific image is.

The bed was simply cleaned and looked much brighter. Regulus's body lay quietly on the bed, having changed into a neat set of clothes. However, the skin that had been swollen due to long-term soaking in water lost its elasticity, and the shape of the muscles seemed to be made of clay. The face is strange and inelastic.

There are three living people in the room.

"You finally came here, Loren, I thought... I thought..."

Sirius's lips twitched, but he did not say the second half of the sentence. He rubbed his brows tiredly, "Come and see this damn curse of the Inferi. It always controls Regulus's body, making it impossible for him to die." peaceful!"

He used to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He knew how to deal with the Inferi, but he was not good at "healing" them and seemed a little weak when dealing with curses.

Loren seemed not to have heard the first half of his sentence and asked calmly: "Mrs. Weasley encountered a Boggart at the top of the stairs, so she was delayed for a while. How is the situation?"

"It's not good. I have to use a binding spell to calm him down..."

Bill, who once worked as a Cursebreaker at Gringotts, was squatting by the window. The wand in his hand emitted a faint silver light. The pure light fell on the pale and swollen arm of the Inferi, making a slight "hissing" sound. The sound stirred up a few wisps of putrid and unpleasant vapor, and the arm shriveled up like a deflated rubber ball.

"[Tornado Sweep]"

Bill swept the unpleasant vapor out of the window, restrained the brilliance of the tip of the staff, and shook his head solemnly, "It's been too long, Sirius. The curse has soaked into every part of his body, even flowing in his bones. The evil magic power, I can’t remove the curse without damaging my body.”

Lupine, who was leaning on the bedpost, glanced at Sirius. His face, which was no longer young but still handsome, was full of pain and exhaustion. This was an expression that could not be seen at all when he was studying, and he said softly: " After the Inferi riots occurred in Brooklyn, New York last year, the Magical Congress of the United States of America organized relevant research. The blood of unicorns has a certain purifying effect on the Inferi curse, but it is very weak. The curse of the Inferi only flows in the blood..."

Lupine sighed, patted his shoulder, and whispered: "Cremate him, Sirius. This is also a relief for him. If he can learn about this in the world of the dead, he will also Agreed.”

"..."

Sirius' lips trembled a few times, he took a deep breath before calming down, and cast his expectant eyes on Loren.

On the way here, Loren already had the answer in his mind, but when he saw the miserable corpse on the bed, he sighed silently and took a few steps forward to check on the condition of the Inferi.

Pressing on the inside of the pale and swollen arm, the soaked muscles immediately sunk and did not regain their shape after a long time, showing no elasticity. It has been more than ten hours since it was fished out of the lake, and the limbs of the Inferi are still bitingly cold, much lower than room temperature.

The wand was pressed against the chest of the Inferi, and a warm magic power penetrated through the skin. There was no blood in his body, and only the cursed lake was left. The magic power fell into the heart that had been stagnant for decades, trying to spread through the blood vessels to the whole body. , but was quickly washed away by the ominous atmosphere.

Bill's eyes lit up. This idea of ​​using blood circulation to solve the curse was very inspiring. If combined with the methods of solving the curse that he had learned in the past, it should save a lot of effort.

Loren put away his wand and shook his head: "There's nothing I can do..."

Sirius's eyes darkened, he lowered his head and looked at the face that was different from the one in his memory, and said in a harsh voice, "I know."

"..."

Outside the window, the sickle moon hanging diagonally on the treetops had only a thin tail, which was cold and dim. Fortunately, the late summer night sky was clear and there was no cloud cover, and a faint silvery glow could still be seen. In the center of the Leo galaxy, Regulus is quietly blooming with blue and white brilliance. It is a star that symbolizes compassion and kindness.

…

There were no dim and flickering candlelight, no melancholy music, and no flowers such as white lilies and roses. As the second son of the Black family, the funeral of Regulus Arcturus Black had no fanfare and could even be considered quiet. Silent.

There are no guests. A Death Eater's funeral is not suitable for inviting members of the Order of the Phoenix. A rebel who died fighting against Voldemort is also not suitable for inviting his old friends... Except for a group of people temporarily staying in this house, there is no one else. No one received the message.

In the foyer of the old house, two rows of candles floated quietly in the air, and the flickering lights illuminated the corridor. The dark curtains that had been closed for a long time were now opened. The mean and shrewd old woman inside rarely shouted or screamed. Swearing, there was no hysteria, but he stood silently in the center of the frame, looking at the urn not far away with a dazed expression.

The extremely old house elf huddled behind the curtain, holding a small locket tightly in his hand. Tears kept rolling out of his huge eyes, soaking the curtain.

Dumbledore stood behind the main table, and his solemn voice echoed in the house:

"Regulus Arcturus Black, a fine young man who impressed us deeply with his courtesy and gentleness, who shouldered his responsibilities to his family, who loved his brother, and who His family members... He once made wrong choices, but soon discovered his mistakes and was willing to sacrifice his life to make up for his mistakes...

"In the best years of his life, he sacrificed himself in obscurity and slept at the bottom of the lake. He used his own way to interpret what bravery is. He had compassion for the weak. His wisdom played with the most powerful dark wizard. He had super powers in his heart. A power beyond imagination..."

Loren and Hermione stood side by side in the corner, listening to Harry and Ron discussing ghosts.

To be honest, they were not familiar with the deceased named Regulus. At first, they even thought he was one of the Death Eaters. Because of the portrait of Madam Black, who was as hysterical as a howling banshee, they even thought he was one of the Death Eaters. He had a slight dislike for Regulus. Upon learning that he had died fighting against Voldemort, the slight revulsion turned into respect, but no sadness.

"You said, Regulus has obviously accomplished such a great feat, why didn't he turn into a ghost and stay?" Ron looked at the small urn and asked with some doubts, "Kreacher couldn't complete his If it weren't for Loren and Hermione, we wouldn't even know about it. Kreacher is already very old. If... the locket might be lost, would his sacrifice be in vain? "

"Perhaps becoming a ghost requires some kind of ritual?"

"What kind of ritual? When Nearly Headless Nick died, his wand was confiscated, and he could become a ghost..."

"Maybe it's a talent too? Like Tonks' Metamorphmagus, only a few people can turn into ghosts?"

"Stop guessing."

Loren turned his head and explained in a low voice: "Whether you can become a ghost depends on the wizard's own wishes. Only those who are afraid of death and unwilling to accept death will become ghosts and stay in the world, living in pain in the places where they left their marks in the past. …”

"But Regulus fell into not lacking the courage to accept death."

Sirius's hoarse voice sounded from behind. His hair, which had been cut short when he was a Muggle wanderer, had grown back. His curly and messy black hair hung down, covering his bloodshot eyes, but he still looked extremely haggard. He had been there for two days. There was no sleep. The first night he watched Regulus' body being burned, and the second night he talked to himself over his relics.

"He is very brave, at least braver than me..."

Sirius looked down at an old photo he was holding in his hand and muttered to himself.

Several young wizards quietly glanced at the figures in the photo. It was a photo that was dug out of a pile of old papers. There were slight cracks in the four corners and it was already a little faded. A Slytherin House Quidditch team was in the photo. Smiling and waving in the frame, a snake pattern is embroidered on the chest of the team uniform.

Regulus sat in the middle of the front row. He had the same black curly hair as Sirius, a slightly arrogant expression, and was relatively thin among the players.

Harry's eyes lit up slightly: "He was once a Seeker?"

"Yeah, he's an excellent seeker, but he's a little worse than you and James..." Sirius fell into memories again.

Who would have known that that boy with a stinky expression would do such a thing?

He is so good, he also has his own ambition and pride. He once read books quietly in the library and shined on the Quidditch field, but in the end he ended up like this. The sacrifices you made were almost unknown?

In the afternoon, Sirius carried the box and got into Arthur's Ford Anglia luxury sedan, driving towards the Black family cemetery and into the brilliant sunset clouds.

A few brilliant pink and gold sunsets rolled like huge waves in the distant sky, and the setting sun melted gold.

…

Because it is located at the end of Spider Alley, this street is called Spider Tail Alley. The street is located on the edge of the industrial area. There is a small river on the street. Abandoned metal cans and paper scraps float across the water from time to time, and the ground is covered with scattered debris. The rocks and muddy water were turbid, and the air was filled with a faint damp musty smell. At the corner of the street, there were a few crooked street lamps, and the lights were dim and unclear.

The entire street is narrow and dilapidated, and most of them are old brick houses. The walls are weathered and peeling, exposing the inferior bricks inside. Most of the residents on the street have moved out, and there are almost no pedestrians. Occasionally, there will be a few skinny wild cats rummaging for food in the garbage, making a slight rustling sound.

Snape's cold gaze swept across the wild cat, without any intention of stopping, he walked quickly across the street and opened the closed door of his home. Ignoring the house elf's welcome, he hurried upstairs and knocked on the wooden door of the study.

After getting permission, he opened the door and walked into the dark room like a nest.

Voldemort raised his face and looked at the photo: "Severus, you are not preparing for the start of school in the school castle, why are you back?"

Snape lowered his head slightly, his voice solemn: "When I returned to Hogwarts, I overheard a piece of news that Barty Jr. and Walton have fallen into the hands of the Order of the Phoenix. I have verified it. According to the staff of the Ministry of Magic, Walton's vacation has ended long ago, but he has not returned..."

The scarlet snake pupils shrank into a vertical line, emitting dangerous light. Voldemort asked in a cold voice: "Where are they?"

"Only Dumbledore knows this. He is not confident in the protection of Azkaban, so he did not hand the people over to the Ministry of Magic." Snape replied quickly, "He refused to tell me, even if I used the excuse of providing truth serum to help interrogation."

"Of course he doesn't need truth serum. He is a master of Legilimency. His eyes are truth serum..." Voldemort frowned, and a hissing sound of a snake spitting out his tongue came out of his mouth, which made people shudder. "Yes, Dumbledore, he was I should have expected that Voldemort would go looking for giants! Barty... Walton... We must speed up the plan, we need help!"

"You mean, Azkaban?"

"Yes, I want to give him a surprise before Christmas!"

"One more thing..."

Snape looked up carefully to see his face, as if he didn't know what to say. He hesitated for a while before slowly revealing, "Dumbledore destroyed one of your Horcruxes... Slytherin's locket..."

"Dumbledore!"

Voldemort's voice suddenly became sharp, and the sound waves almost condensed into substance, turning into a pale palm, stirring the hazy dream, pulling, stretching, and deforming the picture...

Hundreds of kilometers away, Harry, who was sleeping, frowned, and his eyes moved quickly under his eyelids, as if he was about to wake up from a nightmare, but soon calmed down and sank into the deep shadows again.

A film image gradually began to play in his mind, which was more blurred and hazy than the dream just now. He couldn't see the house number and words clearly, but some details were very clear.

"Where is this?"

He walked towards a black door in the empty corridor, passing by rough stone walls and torches. There was a doorway on the left that led to the stone steps downstairs.

"What am I doing?"

He reached out and touched the black door, but couldn't open it...

Harry felt a little irritable in his heart. He wanted to go in. Behind it was something he wanted, something he had dreamed of...