This Sirius Black...
Was it the same Sirius Black John was thinking of?
He'd just been wondering recently how to find the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix—was this surprise really falling into his lap that easily?
As Harry's godfather, Sirius had no reason not to be part of the Order.
If Sirius had come out in person, then that place must be extremely important—only the Order's headquarters could warrant such attention.
But how exactly had his dad escaped from an experienced adult wizard with actual combat skills?
"There was another name. I think that dark-haired wizard mentioned someone called... Index Finger Man.. or was it finger eating.. maybe it was finger chips Oakes...?"
"You sure?" John's gaze went blank.
All he could say was—what a coincidence. Oakes had chased a Death Eater to that place, only to run into Sirius trying to cast a Memory Charm.
"I should give Oakes a raise," John said, full of admiration for the guy.
Looking at his dad, John said earnestly, "Dad, I remember you like Quidditch, right? How about I build you a pitch?"
"?" Now it was Watson's turn to be stunned.
From the Quidditch books John brought home, he knew a Quidditch pitch was not something you could just set up on your average lawn.
With a hint of panic, he asked, "Wait—was that guy some kind of really powerful wizard, or... am I dying or something?"
One had to admire his dad's wild imagination—John personally led his father down to the basement.
When Watson emerged, he had three fake wands in his pocket: one could conjure a rubber chicken, one a rabbit, and the last an inflatable boat.
His waist was wrapped in a belt of protective charms that clinked and rattled with every step.
Around his neck hung one of Silverhand's new entertainment products—a fake noose that, when used, would suspend the wearer from the ceiling. But don't worry, it didn't actually kill anyone.
In his hand was a Golden Snitch. When released, it circled him twice before returning to his palm.
And on his head sat a red lion wizard hat. The lion emblem on it could shoot out flames.
With heavy steps, Watson staggered toward his wife and threw himself into her arms, a grown man of nearly six feet tall, whimpering, "He is treating me like those news celebs treat those cancer patients! I think I've been cursed… I might die tomorrow."
Lady Wick looked at him, speechless. Her son probably thought his dad dying was something worth celebrating.
She comforted him, saying, "It's fine. John just heard you liked this sort of thing."
Watson: "But he said he was going to get me a life-sized wizard chess set."
Lady Wick: "…I'll go ask him if your curse is particularly serious."
In the end, after questioning John thoroughly, Lady Wick confirmed her husband was just overreacting from being overfed, and finally relaxed.
The moment Watson heard he was fine, he immediately ran over to ask if the wizard chess set could be customized—maybe made in gold, with the king in his own likeness.
...
The Order of the Phoenix.
It was the first time Sirius Black had ever been shot. If not for the naturally stronger constitution of wizards compared to Muggles, the Golden Trio might already be attending his funeral.
A Healing Charm patched Sirius up.
Lupin asked, "What were you saying about the Star Deciples?"
Snape's expression flickered. He suspected the Star Deciples might be connected to Johnny Silverhand. After being humiliated by Johnny last time, he too wanted to understand their true purpose.
Just as Sirius was about to speak, Mrs. Weasley roared, "You three, back upstairs!"
The Golden Trio, who had just poked their heads down the stairs, were promptly shouted back up.
With that interruption, Sirius and the others headed into the meeting room.
The door had been enchanted—Harry and the others couldn't hear a word from inside.
Inside the meeting room, everyone except Dumbledore was already present.
"The Star Deciples appeared near Grimmauld Place—it was Index Finger eater Oakes, hunting something," Sirius said grimly. "I saw something fall off him—a piece of human skin. That means Death Eaters are nearby."
This news cast a heavy shadow over everyone present. Whether it was the Star Deciples or Death Eaters, neither boded well.
"We're going to need more help, Arthur," Moody said, turning toward Mr. Weasley.
Mr. Weasley took off his glasses, wiped them with a cloth, and put them back on. He sighed and said, "Percy refuses to join the Order of the Phoenix."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Because he got promoted?"
"No, because he joined another group," Mr. Weasley said with a touch of exasperation. "The Constellation Society."
At the mention of that name, Moody muttered, "That's not funny."
Kingsley said in a low voice, "From what I know, that Constellation Society was started by students at school."
"That's right," Bill chimed in, "but that doesn't change the fact that they're impressive. Aside from Percy, there's another talented witch—Fleur. I've met her."
"It's true that most of them are still students," Mr. Weasley said, clearly troubled, "but Percy believes they're destined to become famous across the wizarding world."
Percy had joined the Ministry of Magic and held a director-level position, which could've been a huge help to the Order of the Phoenix.
Unfortunately, Percy was firmly devoted to the Constellation Society and had openly expressed disdain for the Order.
Mr. Weasley had smashed things in frustration. The future of the wizarding world was no child's game.
Almost everyone in the room dismissed the Constellation Society. They were the elite of the magical world—children's clubs didn't warrant their attention.
Except for three people.
Snape's eyes glinted coldly. He was the only one who truly understood just how terrifying John Wick really was.
First year—killed a troll.
Second year—slayed a basilisk.
Third year—captured Sirius Black.
Fourth year—split a lake with a single sword.
Talented people always attract other talented people. Everyone in the Constellation Society was a genius.
Lupin thought about the possibility that John might be a follower of Johnny Silverhand and wasn't sure what to make of it.
Sirius rubbed his left rib—it was starting to ache again.
Putting that topic aside, the conversation shifted back to the Star Deciples and the Death Eaters.
Both were extremely dangerous. If the Order of the Phoenix was discovered by either side, it would be disastrous.
"Don't worry, we have the Fidelius Charm here. Dumbledore is the Secret-Keeper. No one can get in."
Tonks tried to lighten the mood, and her words helped ease some of the tension in the room.
Yes, surely this place couldn't be discovered so easily… right?
Sirius couldn't stop thinking about that Muggle who had escaped.
He had a gut feeling something big was coming.
His right eyelid wouldn't stop twitching.
...
The Order of the Phoenix headquarters needed some cleaning.
Although Sirius had been living there again for a year, he hadn't really taken care of the place.
He loathed this house and had handed it over to the Order without the slightest hesitation.
"Woof woof."
"Shameless scum, filthy half-blood, disgrace to the family, vile spawn…"
A string of curses erupted from the portrait of Sirius's detestable and foul-mouthed mother, awakened once again by the barking of a dog.
Harry and Hermione tried to stop Podmore—who had transformed into a dog—right at the staircase where he was about to pee. (A/N: Podmore is the man who was bitten by our Tom.)
"We don't know what's wrong with him. He's been like this since this morning," Harry said, trying to suppress his disgust.
Bill came over to take a look, his expression grim. "His curse has worsened. It's a dog curse—he's gradually turning into a dog."
"I've never heard of someone turning into a dog, uh… no offense, Sirius."
Harry had just said it when he noticed Sirius staring at him.
He had forgotten—his godfather was a dog Animagus.
Bill tried several counter-curses, but none worked.
Podmore looked utterly hopeless. "I'm going to turn into a dog-man… like a werewolf?"
His neck felt itchy, and he instinctively tried to scratch it with his foot, nearly pulling a muscle in the process.
He wasn't nearly flexible enough to get his leg up to his neck.
The Golden Trio shuddered. Hermione whispered, "Maybe only John can fix this."
As she spoke, everyone turned to look at her.
Bill hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Can we ask John Wick for help? We can't just watch him turn into a dog."
Among those present, only Hermione was friends with John. She bit her lip and said, "I don't even know if John would be willing to help. You all know how much he hates being offended."
Harry looked embarrassed—that was clearly a jab at the time he fell on John's lawn.
Regardless, all their hopes now rested on Hermione.
She wrote a letter and borrowed Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon.
Pigwidgeon flew out of Grimmauld Place and then…
Stopped just outside Grimmauld Place.
___________
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