Hogwarts: Even Voldemort Can't Stop Me From Studying

”You’re still young, there’s no need to learn from those old men and wear the masks of adulthood too soon.”

Coming outside, much of Sirius’s anger dissipated, and he said in a low voice.

He grabbed Vid’s arm, slowed his pace as he walked forward, eyes ahead, fingers unconsciously tightened, then relaxed immediately, leaving a few creases on the boy’s sleeve.

Vid turned his head to look, time hadn’t marred his handsomeness but had hidden the shadow of Azkaban in the fine lines at the corner of his eyes.

Sirius’s voice suddenly became hoarse as if he remembered something:

”When we were your age, James and I... and of course Remus... we spent all day outsmarting Filch, discussing routes for night roaming, or figuring out ways to deal with some insidious Slytherins...”

A faint smile crossed his lips but twisted abruptly into deep-seated pain before it could bloom.

”Back then, there was still a war outside, but we... we rarely thought about those things... But you, only fourteen, have to watch others stand trial, hear those... those...”

He suddenly turned his face away, Vid faintly heard the sound of grinding teeth.

”Damn maturity! Damn weighing pros and cons!”

Sirius spoke angrily, not knowing to whom he was venting his anger, cursing viciously for a few minutes, then looked at Vid and said:

”Listen, kid, leave those matters for the old guys to worry about, you have the right to be silly and not care about anything, and the qualification to charge recklessly!”

Murmurs from the portraits echoed in the corridor.

Vid looked up at this thirty-something-year-old man who still retained some innocence and recklessness, his throat moved slightly, and a pure, almost gentle smile appeared on his lips.

”Sirius...”

The boy’s eyes were bright and his voice light: ”I’m not Harry, nor am I a normal child who needs protection... I chose to get involved myself.”

”I know.”

Sirius said hoarsely, suddenly reached out to ruffle Vid’s hair, the action rough yet affectionate.

He said softly: ”But as long as I’m alive, you can still be those reckless little troublemakers for a few more years, without forcing yourselves to touch the darkness... Just help me out, give me a chance to show off, hmm?”

Vid looked into his eyes, opened his mouth, but found himself unable to speak, only felt the hand on his head heavy, carrying a kind of passionate weight.

”Sirius!”

The familiar voice made both of them turn their heads simultaneously, Harry was running over from the other end of the corridor.

”I thought I was seeing things... How are you at Hogwarts?”

Harry stopped, panting, raised a hand to straighten his crooked glasses, his eyes full of joy as he looked at his godfather.

Sirius laughed heartily, slinging an arm around Harry’s shoulder and said: ”Of course to see our Champion, and help Dumbledore a little... By the way, how’s your preparation for the third task?”

”Oh, I recently learned two very useful spells, Hermione said this way I won’t worry about getting lost in the Forbidden Forest...”

Harry said excitedly, Sirius nodded with a smile, Vid occasionally responding.

After chatting for a while, Sirius patted Harry’s shoulder and said: ”Alright, kiddos, I guess curfew time is approaching? Best head back early and avoid getting caught by the professors.”

Harry felt reluctant but checked the time, he could only bid farewell to his godfather with reluctance, then left with Vid.

As the figures of the two teenagers disappeared around the corner, the smile on Sirius’s face gradually faded. He leaned against the cold stone wall, pulled out a wrinkled chocolate frog from his pocket, unwrapped it, then stuffed it into his mouth.

From afar came Peeves’s mischievous laughter teasing students who were late returning, Sirius stood quietly, gray eyes churning with complex emotions.

Numerous fragmented clues pieced together in his mind but failed to form a complete puzzle. Yet for this Gryffindor, he didn’t need evidence, he instinctively trusted his intuition.

——Is it you? The person Barty spoke of.

The man fiddled with the chocolate frog’s wrapper, the sound of rustling in his palm.

His mind flashed back to not long ago when Barty mentioned he killed those Muggles, the fleeting expression on the boy’s face.

It’s hard to say how much of his fury then was for the innocent victims and how much was from not wanting to witness the boy’s oppression, hence his emotions erupted like a volcano.

——After today, Dumbledore will surely sigh and shake his head, thinking he might never change his reckless nature, right?

But...

Who cares?

”Ha!”

Sirius squeezed out a disdainful laugh through his teeth, his canine teeth unconsciously grinding, the torchlight on the stone wall casting his profile in flickering light.

The chocolate had long melted, the syrupy sweetness mingling with bitter cocoa spreading across his tongue.

In a trance, Sirius seemed to see James leaning against the railing playing with the Golden Snitch, his messy black hair shimmering with gold under the sunlight, his lips carrying a wanton and defiant smile.

In the blink of an eye, the blurry figure seemed to turn into Harry.

The boy’s emerald green eyes were incredibly clear, always carrying a smile and trust, his childhood experience made him seem mature, kind to the point of having a self-sacrificial spirit.

Blinking his eyes again, the illusion vanished, leaving only the silent and deep corridors before him, students had returned to their dormitories, the castle appearing particularly empty.

”Crazy...”

Sirius muttered to himself, shaking his head.

He initially planned to confirm some things with Vid, but now, Sirius abandoned the thought, deciding it wasn’t necessary to ask anymore.

Some truths need not be verified, just like back then, before deciding to learn Animagus, James never inquired about Remus’s secret on the nights of the full moon; when his family took in the runaway Sirius, they didn’t explore the reasons for his break with his own family.

As long as he recalled Vid’s eye filled with suppressed anger, Sirius felt his heart burn—that kind Lingering pity and angry gaze for strangers would not exist in a cold-blooded person.

So...

No matter if Vid was indeed the person rumored to have once defeated Voldemort, Sirius didn’t care.

He only needs to know that this boy is worth trusting.

Just as looking at this cold and reticent person, incredibly soft inside was surprisingly unexpected.

And some people... When they smile gently, one wonders if their heart is as cold and hard as a stone.

Sirius took a deep breath, the icy corridor air filled his lungs. He licked his teeth, turned and walked back to Filch’s office.

As he pushed the door open, the interrogation was just ending, Barty slumped on the chair, showing a creepy smile, mumbling indistinctly:

”The master’s plan is about to be successful... He will be stronger than before, the entire Magic World will bow at his feet... and I... I will receive rewards beyond any wizard’s wildest imagination.”

His voice was filled with pathological fervor and longing, the last few words almost turning into breaths.

Then, Barty’s head drooped to one side powerlessly, falling into a slumber, but the smile remained frozen on his face.