What Rhys noticed was a filthy, mangy black dog.
It looked no different from a stray, and if Rhys hadn't seen it back on Privet Drive, he wouldn't have noticed anything unusual about it from this distance.
There are no two identical leaves in the world, and naturally, no two identical black dogs.
From Privet Drive all the way to Hogwarts? Claiming that there was nothing suspicious about this would be an insult to Rhys's intelligence.
And considering the prior incident with the Dementors, his finely tuned instincts were immediately triggered.
He leapt straight off the platform outside the window, gliding toward the black dog like a massive black bird.
…
Sirius Black was utterly exhausted. For the past month, he had been constantly on the move, almost without sleep or rest. When hungry, he'd catch small animals or sneak into Muggle communities to steal food or rummage through garbage bins.
When thirsty, he'd drink from rivers or irrigation ditches—transformed into a black dog, he had inherited a canine's strong immune system, so he had managed to avoid illness.
At last, not long after the start of term, Sirius arrived at Hogwarts.
The school was surrounded by Dementors, layer upon layer, but as long as he transformed into a dog, he could saunter right past them unnoticed.
He raised his head and looked at the distant Hogwarts castle. His withered heart felt briefly soothed, like a spring trickling through parched soil—but that trace of warmth was quickly scorched away by rising fury.
Peter Pettigrew!
That despicable rat was hiding inside that castle!
He was going to capture that treacherous coward, tear him to pieces, and avenge James and the others.
Sirius was a man of action. He glanced at the position of the sun and judged that it was currently class time.
That meant he might be able to use this window to sneak into the Gryffindor common room and drag Peter out? The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it himself.
It wasn't the right moment—there might still be students without class lingering in the common room. If he barged in, he'd surely alert them. Not only would he fail to catch Peter, he might even expose himself—!
Sirius was deep in thought, working out his plan of action, when he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He looked up—and was stunned.
He saw a young wizard flying toward him.
Yes, the boy had no broomstick, no visible flying tool—he was simply flying through the air.
Before Sirius could react, the boy had landed right in front of him, staring him down intently.
Sirius cursed inwardly and was just about to tuck his tail and dash toward the Forbidden Forest when he heard the boy speak:
"Transform back now and explain why you're here—otherwise, the Forbidden Forest will be home to one more pile of bones."
Sirius had no intention of entangling with him.
Without looking back, he sprang forward on four long legs and bolted toward the Forbidden Forest.
But after only a few steps, his feet tightened—several black ropes had appeared out of thin air, wrapping around his ankles and tripping him to the ground.
"Awo!?"
After falling, the ropes immediately lifted Sirius into the air and bound him tightly.
Urgh..
Sirius groaned inwardly—this truant student's Transfiguration skills were actually quite impressive!
Rhys walked over, grabbed the rope, and hoisted the black dog into the air, then strode straight into the Forbidden Forest with him.
After venturing about ten meters deep, the two of them were surrounded by dense trees. Rhys casually tossed the black dog under the shade of a tree and snapped his fingers—instantly, the ropes loosened and dropped away.
"Reveal your true form and explain why you've trespassed into Hogwarts," he said coldly, staring at the dog beneath the tree, his patience already wearing thin.
Had Helga seen what had just happened, she would have exclaimed in disbelief—when had Salazar become so merciful? A thousand years ago, if someone tried to flee like that, he would have ruthlessly struck them down on the spot. Who would've gotten a second chance to explain?
This was someone who had concealed their identity, trespassed into Hogwarts, and fled when questioned by school personnel. Showing mercy here would be irresponsible toward the students.
From the boy's tone, Sirius sensed danger. Without further hesitation, he transformed.
Before Rhys now stood a gaunt, skeleton-thin man with long hair. If not for the faint gleam in his eyes, Rhys might've mistaken him for a corpse lying by the roadside.
Even though half his face was hidden in shadow, Rhys still recognized him: Sirius Black, a wanted fugitive from the Ministry of Magic.
This was the very man responsible for Hogwarts being surrounded by Dementors.
Rhys raised an eyebrow. "Sirius Black?"
"In the flesh.."
Seeing that he had been recognized, Sirius simply leaned back against the large tree behind him and sat down, admitting his identity without hesitation.
As for launching a sneak attack on the boy in front of him—using his height advantage to knock him down and make a quick escape—that thought flashed through Sirius's mind but was immediately dismissed.
He had no illusions about his chances. He didn't believe he could win against the boy.
The fact that this kid had conjured and dispelled ropes without a wand showed he was highly skilled in wandless magic. Trying to fight someone like that would be a guaranteed loss.
Looking at Rhys's youthful face, Sirius couldn't help but marvel at how young he was. "Wandless magic at your age? That's seriously impressive."
"Not really," Rhys replied, slightly touched by Sirius's words. "Hogwarts' education standards have actually dropped a lot. I'm just… a special case."
"..." Sirius didn't know how to respond to that and could only blame his own bad luck.
"Enough small talk. Tell me why you came here," Rhys ended the idle chatter, staring straight into Sirius's eyes as he asked.
Sirius was silent for a moment before finally telling Rhys that he had come for Peter Pettigrew.
At first, he thought the boy would scoff and say something like, "Peter Pettigrew is dead—killed by you." But the boy didn't interrupt him, so he just kept talking.
Maybe it had been too long since he'd spoken to anyone, but once he started, Sirius couldn't stop. He poured out everything—every misfortune he'd suffered.
He rambled on for nearly fifteen minutes, finally finishing his tale.
Leaning against the tree trunk, his throat felt like it was burning.
"That's why I escaped from Azkaban and came all the way to Hogwarts..." Sirius panted, looking at Rhys. "I have to catch Peter Pettigrew."
But the boy still pulled out his wand from his robes.
Sirius closed his eyes in anguish. Sigh.. Of course—who would believe a fugitive from Azkaban?
_______
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