"Good afternoon, Professor."
Harry entered the office, and after offering his weary greeting, he collapsed into the sofa as if returning to his own dormitory.
"Doesn't seem like today went well?" Adrian raised an eyebrow, his eyes taking in Harry's dejected posture. He smoothly waved his wand, its tip glowing softly.
A crystal goblet filled with a purple drink, bubbling merrily with foam, floated gracefully toward Harry. "Try this—it's Professor Flitwick's favorite flavor. I've attempted to improve it."
Harry looked utterly exhausted at this moment, his unruly black hair was even more disheveled than usual, and dark circles were shadowing his green eyes.
He took a tentative sip of the fizzy drink that hovered before him. Then he buried his head deep into a silk pillow embroidered with a thunderbird pattern. Without offering any comment on the beverage's taste, he said in a muffled voice, "I just finished Potions class. Snape deducted ten points from Gryffindor again, just because I stirred the Baruffio's Brain Elixir counterclockwise three times—when the direction of stirring has absolutely no effect on the potion's actual efficacy according to every textbook I've read..."
When Snape's name left Harry's lips, the large dog resting by the crackling fireplace suddenly perked up his pointed ears. His unusually pink tail unconsciously swished into the dancing flames of the hearth, where several fire salamanders excitedly pounced on the tail.
The blue salamander was first to clamp its tiny but surprisingly sharp teeth onto the tip of his tail.
"Poof—"
Black's tail instantly erupted into bright blue flames that licked hungrily at the air.
"Oww!" The yelp echoed through the chamber.
Adrian and Harry both whipped their heads toward the sudden commotion to see a large pink dog struggling frantically to shake off the determined fire salamanders clinging to his now-blazing tail. His eyes rolled in panic as he spun in circles, creating a bizarre spectacle of flaming fur and desperate whimpers.
The sight was truly rather comical.
In fact, Black was quite desperate—with Harry's presence filling the room, he couldn't risk transforming back into his human form, nor could he reach for his hidden wand without raising suspicions.
Finally, Harry acted with the quick reflexes: "Aguamenti!"
A stream of clear water shot from his wand tip, dousing the burning tail with perfect accuracy and sending up a thin wisp of smoke that smelled faintly of singed fur and extinguished magic.
Adrian rushed forward in three quick steps as he grabbed the half-conscious fire salamander—its scales now dim and flickering weakly—and gently tossed it back into fireplace where it belonged.
"Be careful, Bubbles," Adrian said with mild reproach.
'Bubbles?'
Black's mind twirled in bewilderment, his eyes blinking rapidly.
'Was that me being called?
When did I get this name? How did I not know about it?'
"His name is Bubbles?" Harry asked with curiosity, studying the unusual pink dog with interest. Something about the creature struck Harry as oddly familiar, as if they had encountered each other.
But he quickly dismissed this strange thought with a mental shake.
After all, pink dogs weren't exactly common in the wizarding world—this creature must surely be some rare and exotic breed, perhaps from distant magical lands.
"Yes, he's remarkably well-behaved despite today's mishap. You can pet him if you'd like," Adrian said with a warm smile.
Upon hearing this invitation, Harry immediately sprang down from the comfortable sofa with enthusiasm and ran to Black's side, his hand reaching out to gently pat the soft, unusually colored fur on the dog's large head. The texture was surprisingly silky beneath his fingers.
Black lay obediently on the ground without any resistance.
"Is this a boy or a girl?" Harry asked innocently.
The moment the question left his lips, his messy black hair began to shake and rustle violently, as if possessed by invisible winds.
Guru emerged from within the hair, growing rapidly to the size of Harry's clenched fist in mid-air before expanding further to match Harry's head. Its leaves bristled with apparent indignation as it dove down and bit firmly onto Black's still-smoking tail with surprising ferocity.
"Oww—" Another pained yelp escaped Black's throat.
Seeing this, Harry frantically pulled Guru back into his embrace, it was writhing with clear dissatisfaction in his grip. Guru's tiny mouth still held a tuft of pink dog fur like a bizarre trophy, its small black eyes glinting with unmistakable triumph.
"Behave yourself, Guru!" Harry scolded, carefully trying to pry open its jaws. "This isn't your afternoon snack, you little troublemaker!"
Black sighed in a very human-like manner upon seeing this.
Why was this particular day proving so abundantly full of small disasters and painful encounters? He was absolutely certain he hadn't deliberately provoked anyone—neither fire salamanders nor size-shifting Chomping Cabbages. Yet here he was, nursing various burns and bite marks like some joke.
However, being able to have such close contact with Harry—even in this ridiculous disguise—was still rather wonderful.
At this thought, Black's dark eyes showed a complex expression that mixed joy, sorrow, and desperate love.
He was this child's godfather.
By all rights, he should have taken James and Lily's place in caring for their boy.
Of course, Harry had no possible way of knowing what thoughts and emotions churned within the mind of the unusual pink dog resting before him. He simply patted Black's head again with tenderness, his touch meant to comfort and reassure. "Don't worry about Guru's behavior. I promise he won't bite you again—he's usually much better behaved than this."
Black cooperatively whimpered in response.
At this moment, Adrian stood up from his chair and walked to Harry, looking thoughtfully at Guru in his hands. "Let me give you some advice, Harry. You should take Guru out for more physical activity and mental stimulation."
"Is something wrong?" Harry showed a puzzled expression.
"It needs a form of healthy release," Adrian explained. "Too much magical energy has accumulated within its small body over time, which could potentially become problematic if left unchecked."
In fact, the Tree of Wisdom had already provided him with detailed information about Guru's current condition through their connection:
[Name: Guru]
[Species: Mandrake]
[Level: 3]
[Traits: Gigantification, Energy Accumulation]
[Status: Growing (35%), Energy Overflow (Mild)]
Guru seemed to have developed a concerning "Energy Overflow" status from accumulating raw magical energy for a long period without proper outlets.
Although Adrian didn't yet fully understand what long-term effects this might produce, judging by Guru's increasingly irritable and aggressive behavior, the situation was definitely trending toward something potentially problematic that needed addressing sooner rather than later.
"Alright, Professor. I'll make sure to take him for longer walks around the castle grounds," Harry nodded with the obedient earnestness. "Maybe we can explore some of the courtyards I haven't visited yet."
Guru seemed to understand Harry's promise and gradually shrank back down to its preferred travel size, disappearing into Harry's messy hair—that was its exclusive spot.
Since there was still an important Herbology class scheduled for later in the afternoon, Harry didn't linger long in the comfortable warmth of the office.
After Harry left, Black transformed back into human form, though his hair still retained a hint of pink.
"That was Harry Potter, wasn't it?" His voice trembled with emotion.
"Who else could it possibly be?" Adrian replied.
"You're absolutely right," Black took a deep breath, his hands unconsciously clenching and unclenching at his sides. "He looks remarkably like James in so many ways—the hair, the way he moves, even some of his expressions."
"Only in physical appearance," Adrian leaned back thoughtfully in his chair, his fingers steepled before him. "Although I never knew James Potter personally, from my perspective as Harry's professor, that young man is superior to his father in every way."
Black didn't respond immediately, his grey eyes dimming with the weight of regret and lost years.
He had absolutely no idea what kind of person Harry had grown into during those crucial influential years.
Logically, after Harry tragically lost his beloved parents, he as the chosen godfather should have stepped forward to take on far more responsibility in the boy's life, should have been there to guide and protect and love him. Yet he had catastrophically failed to fulfill that duty, leaving Harry to face the world alone.
The thought filled him with a troubling worry that ate at his soul.
Without proper parental guidance and love during those vulnerable childhood years, wouldn't any child inevitably grow up emotionally damaged in ways that might never fully heal?
Fortunately, he told himself with desperate hope, it was never too late to make meaningful amends. Perhaps within just a few short days he could finally clear his name and appear in front of Harry openly as the godfather he should have always been.
He suddenly felt grateful that he hadn't yet located Peter Pettigrew. As Dumbledore had wisely explained, keeping Peter alive and bringing him to justice through proper channels was the crucial key to definitively clearing his name and restoring his freedom.
Just as Black became lost in these hopeful but complex thoughts about potential futures, the office air suddenly began to shimmer and dance with brilliant silver light that seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Dumbledore's majestic phoenix Patronus appeared in the center of the room.
The magnificent Patronus opened its curved beak, and Dumbledore's familiar voice echoed through every corner of the chamber:
"Professor Westeros, you must immediately bring your pet dog to the headmaster's office without delay. The password remains the same as our last meeting."
As soon as those words faded into silence, the beautiful Patronus dissolved gracefully into wisps of silver mist that disappeared into the warm air like morning fog.
"The pet dog he mentioned—that refers to me?" Black pointed to himself with a complex expression.
"We need to go immediately."
Adrian rose from his chair swiftly, grabbed his traveling cloak from its hook, and waved urgently to Black as he strode toward the door.
Any message requiring Dumbledore to use a Patronus must be extremely important.
Without needing further explanation, there had almost certainly been major progress regarding Peter Pettigrew's capture and Black's long-awaited vindication.
Seeing the seriousness of the situation reflected in Adrian's tense posture, Black immediately transformed back into his Animagus form and followed close behind, his heart pounding with a mixture of hope and terror about what news awaited them in the headmaster's office.
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