Early the next morning, Rhys returned to the Forbidden Forest carrying a rat cage.
Naturally, the cage held Peter Pettigrew. Rhys had fed him a Sleeping Draught, and he was now in a deep slumber.
Ever since Rhys had purchased him from Ron, Peter had barely had a few moments of consciousness. Every day, Rhys dosed him with Sleeping Draughts and nutrient potions to ensure he remained in a state where he couldn't wake but wouldn't die either.
He would never allow a malicious adult wizard to remain conscious within the grounds of Hogwarts, no matter how pitiful or seemingly powerless he appeared.
Sirius was still waiting at the same spot, and during the wait, he had once again assumed his black dog form.
With his heightened canine senses, he detected Rhys's approach even before he appeared, and he noticed the cage Rhys was carrying.
Sirius immediately stood up, his tail raised high, his entire being teetering on the edge of madness—the hatred and torment he had bottled up for over a decade all erupted in that instant, pushing his sanity to the brink.
He had indeed reflected deeply the previous night and believed himself to be of clear mind, but the moment he sensed Peter Pettigrew's presence, he nearly lost control.
Sirius almost went berserk. All the negative emotions he'd accumulated in Azkaban had been condensed into a singular hatred for Peter.
With such overwhelming emotions, how could one expect to restrain them at will?
But after transforming back into human form and staring fixedly at the finger-missing rat for a very, very long time, Sirius finally managed to suppress the fury burning within him.
"It seems you've come to a new answer." The fact that Sirius hadn't pounced forward to snatch the cage from his hands said everything, and Rhys was quite pleased—he didn't want a descendant of the Black family to carry an unjust crime.
But he wasn't Sirius's guardian either, and had no intention of coddling him. It was best that Sirius had come to this decision on his own.
Sirius took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to look away from Peter Pettigrew, then nodded.
"Why this choice?"
Faced with Rhys's question, Sirius paused briefly, then answered that it was all for Harry.
"He's my godson. Without him, maybe I wouldn't care so much about clearing my name. But with Harry around, I can't let myself bear this guilt forever—having your godfather be the one who killed your parents, that's just too cruel," Sirius replied in a low, hoarse voice.
Rhys raised an eyebrow—he hadn't expected Sirius to be Harry's godfather.
That changed everything. The relationship between a godfather and godson was almost as strong as blood ties. Sirius even had the right to sign Harry's Hogsmeade permission slip! With such a bond, it was no wonder Sirius wanted to clear his name.
"Then I'll keep Peter for now. Don't worry, he won't escape." Rhys lifted the cage and gave it a shake in Sirius's direction.
"What did you do to him?" A trace of curiosity surfaced in Sirius's heart—why did that guy seem to be sleeping so soundly?
"I gave him a bit of Calming Draught. I wouldn't let something like him stay conscious around me."
Sirius nodded seriously. "Peter may be vile and cowardly, but he can't be underestimated."
After all, he had deceived not just Sirius, but also James and Lupin—a cunning traitor, through and through.
"What should I do next?" Though Sirius had managed to suppress the urge to kill Peter for now, he was still in a state of agitation. He was desperate to clear his name, and if possible, he wanted to drag Peter off to beg forgiveness at James and Lily's graves before breakfast.
Rhys fell silent for a moment.
Sirius's situation was truly a bit tricky—this matter stretched far back and involved a lot of people. From what Rhys knew of the Ministry officials, resolving this wouldn't be easy. He needed some time to make arrangements.
Handling this would take some of his attention and energy, but considering the Black ancestor's past contributions to Hogwarts, Rhys decided to lend Sirius a hand.
"Find a place to stay and focus on recovering your strength. Leave the rest to me. I'll figure out how to deal with the Ministry."
Seeing Rhys speak with such certainty, Sirius was still a little anxious, but he understood the difficulty of the situation. And since Peter's current suffering was probably worse than death, he agreed to wait.
"By the way, I don't even know your name yet." Sirius gave a wry smile. "Who exactly are you?"
"Rhys Lint, just an ordinary third-year student from Slytherin House."
Sirius: "…"
"Bloody hell, there really is a good person in Slytherin," he muttered.
Rhys: Say one more word and I'll hand you over to the Dementors!!!
He was genuinely rattled by Sirius's remark—because Sirius had struck a sore spot.
Damn it! How did Slytherin House end up like this?!
Irritated and slightly offended, Rhys gave Sirius a few final instructions before turning and leaving the Forbidden Forest.
Watching Rhys's departing figure, Sirius shook his head. Looks like he really needed to reconsider his long-held prejudices against Slytherin House.
With a flick of his body, he transformed back into his black dog form.
He was growing increasingly fond of being a black dog. According to Sirius himself, his Animagus form granted him greater stamina, senses, and immunity—but perhaps it was also due to the influence of being an Animagus in the first place.
The big black dog trotted happily out of the Forbidden Forest, heading toward a small wooden hut on the edge. Sirius had already made up his mind—he planned to mooch food and shelter from Hagrid for a while.
Hagrid was an early riser. As the gamekeeper, he had plenty of work to do. That morning, he was squatting on the doorstep of his hut, handling the game he had caught during last night's patrol, while also preparing breakfast for himself and his hound, Fang.
Next to him sat a brazier with a fish and a skinned rabbit roasting over it.
The fertile Forbidden Forest and the abundant Black Lake could provide the students and staff of Hogwarts with nearly endless resources.
Cold-water fish from the lake and fat rabbits from the forest only needed to be roasted and sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper to release an incredibly enticing aroma.
Hagrid's general cooking skills were questionable, but his grilling was actually quite good. The scent of roasted rabbit and fish could be smelled from dozens of meters away—and that kind of aroma easily attracted wildlife. Today, it had drawn a black dog over.
Sensing an intruder in its territory, Fang stood up and barked loudly at the black dog.
The black dog showed no fear. It merely paced outside the hut, occasionally sniffing the air.
Hagrid chuckled, unfazed. He even gave the increasingly restless Fang a tug, pulling him back behind himself, and then tossed the roasted rabbit from the brazier over to the black dog.
The black dog carried the rabbit to the side, happily wagging its tail as it ate.
Hagrid laughed heartily in delight.
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