"I'll stay here and watch this fellow. You go back immediately to confirm the situation... Don't tell Dumbledore about this."
Snape stood motionless, head bowed in prolonged silence, apparently weighing something within his mind. Having reached his decision, he instructed Glenn thus, raising his wand toward Sirius Black, who lay on the ground with vacant eyes.
"Stupefy."
Blue light flashed. Sirius Black fell unconscious once more.
"Obliviate."
White light surged forth. Sirius Black convulsed several times where he lay.
"I understand."
Without Snape needing to explain, Glenn had been thinking the same. He certainly wouldn't allow Hermione to remain in the same vicinity as an extremely dangerous, concealed dark wizard capable of demolishing half a street with a single spell.
As for Snape's final instruction not to inform Dumbledore... After brief consideration, Glenn grasped his reasoning. He simply intended personally eliminating Peter Pettigrew—entirely understandable.
"Be wary of Peter Pettigrew, and watch for Remus Lupin as well. We still can't confirm whether what emerged from this fellow's mouth represents reality. Black would find entering Hogwarts nearly impossible without assistance from someone inside the castle."
Snape seemed uneasy, frowning as he added another warning.
Glenn nodded.
In the next instant, Glenn's form began distorting within the Shrieking Shack, then vanished silently.
Beyond Hogwarts' protective enchantments, space tore open as Glenn in his black robes materialized. He reached for the earpiece on his left ear, channeling magic to adjust the communication frequency and redirect the connection to Hermione.
Though he could reach Hogwarts swiftly at full speed, directly contacting Hermione through the earpiece to warn her about staying away from Ron's rat Scabbers would prove faster.
Disturbing the girl's peaceful sleep felt somewhat unfair, but he could only ask Hermione to endure staying awake a bit longer. After all, Glenn maintained clear priorities regarding what mattered most.
Accompanied by faint sounds from the earpiece, Glenn confirmed the channel had connected, so he began softly calling Hermione.
"Hermione."
Contrary to Glenn's expectations, the girl responded immediately to his call. Her familiar voice, tinged with gravity, reached Glenn's ears.
"I'm here."
Though Glenn felt somewhat surprised by Hermione's instant response, he was more concerned about the violent explosion reverberations echoing through space that accompanied her reply.
What was happening there?
"You—"
Glenn was about to speak when Hermione immediately interrupted.
"If you're calling to warn me to be careful and avoid Ron's pet rat Scabbers because he's an Animagus, I believe I've already encountered him."
Hermione's helpless voice transmitted through the earpiece. Glenn's heart plummeted as the Obscurus within began stirring—signs of magical transformation emerging.
"Focus on dealing with him and protect yourself. I'll be there immediately."
"Right. Don't worry."
Cloaked in black with her hood casting shadows across her features, Hermione raised her wand and deflected an explosive curse. Her form retreated with agile leaps, evading stone fragments that burst and scattered when the curse struck the wall.
Dust billowed everywhere. Emerging from the debris to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Hermione, maintaining an alert feline posture with bared fangs and bristled fur, was Crookshanks.
Hermione's brown eyes stared grimly into the dust cloud, her wand beginning to move as she murmured to herself.
"As expected, I'll still have to fight for this. I can't let you succeed."
Time returned to when Hermione had separated from Glenn and Snape.
Only after watching Glenn's silhouette disappear into the shadowed corner did Hermione shift her attention to Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, what are your intentions now?"
"Though it might seem unfair to Professor Snape to say this, is it truly appropriate letting Professor Snape venture alone to the Shrieking Shack to apprehend Sirius Black?"
"Based on my assessment of Glenn and Professor Snape—two individuals who act with extraordinary caution and prudence, with Glenn particularly disliking exposure before others—they'll very likely operate according to a pattern where 'one person maintains watch outside the Shrieking Shack as backup should capture fail, while one infiltrates the Shrieking Shack alone to execute the arrest.' The external backup would most likely be Glenn, and if Professor Snape matches my observations, he'd definitely volunteer as the primary force entering the Shrieking Shack to confront Sirius Black."
Hermione gently twisted the brown curls cascading over her shoulder as she analyzed the probable action patterns of the departed pair.
"Based on my understanding of Professor Snape, if he truly harbors personal animosity toward Sirius Black... Sirius Black might not survive until his next imprisonment."
Having reached her conclusion, Hermione helplessly spread her hands, bright eyes fixed on Dumbledore with expectant blinks.
She wasn't sympathizing with the inhuman treatment Sirius Black was about to endure, but Hermione worried that Snape, consumed by rage, might accidentally kill Sirius Black without means of revival—then matters would become dire.
Though Sirius Black was merely a vicious Azkaban escapee, casually killing him would certainly provide the Ministry of Magic another pretext for troubling Snape, even Dumbledore and Hogwarts. This represented a situation Hermione preferred avoiding.
As for Sirius Black?
Who was that again?
Unfamiliar. Truly unfamiliar.
Dumbledore naturally grasped Hermione's implication, but could do nothing about it. He simply sighed, massaging his temples with his thumb while smoothing the furrows between his brows.
"I trust Severus will exercise proper restraint."
That was all he could hope for. As Dumbledore, as Hogwarts' headmaster, whether from personal or public perspectives, interfering with the hatred between those two men seemed inappropriate. Moreover, today's Snape appeared loaded with gunpowder—probably nothing could restrain him now.
How vexing. Both those fellows proved thoroughly troublesome.
Never mind—he'd address castle matters first.
"Since Sirius Black's whereabouts have been pinpointed, we can allow students to return to their most familiar, comfortable beds for proper rest. However soft and pleasant sleeping bags might be, they can't compare to their own beds."
🔥 Want to read the next 90 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/DarkGolds]