Chapter 244
Chapter 244
Although none of her many questions had been answered, Hermione temporarily closed her mouth. She drew a breath of icy air, looked gravely at the Whomping Willow lazily waving its branches ahead and drew her wand.
She knew perfectly well how powerful the tree was. The fact that it could reduce Harry’s broom to fragments demonstrated its danger.
Hermione had doubts about Suer’s claim that the knot would immobilise it. Nevertheless, she transfigured a small mouse and successfully made it touch the scarred spot.
“Beautifully done.” Suer applauded and praised her, then stepped into the Whomping Willow’s reach.
Hermione watched the tree nervously. Only when she saw that it truly remained motionless did she hurry after him.
“You could have done that better than I did. Why make me do it?”
“There is a reason. My magical power suddenly increased by a great deal, and it has become difficult to control,” Suer explained. “Transfiguration requires a steady flow of magic. If the power fluctuates, the result can explode.”
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. Looking at the dark opening behind the knot, she immediately found another question.
“How did you know there was a tunnel here?”
“Dumbledore told me.” Suer naturally shifted the responsibility to Professor Dumbledore.
He would eventually have to give the Marauder’s Map to Harry as events required. It was one of Harry’s father’s possessions, so doing so would simply return it to its rightful owner.
“Lumos Maximum.”
After climbing into the opening with Hermione, Suer drew his wand and cast the lighting spell as naturally as ever.
He could not use Transfiguration for the time being, but other spells were still possible.
They were merely rather terrifying in strength.
Hermione cried out and covered her eyes. The instant Suer cast the spell, the entire tunnel had blazed with light and stung her eyes.
“I think I understand now…” She wiped away tears brought on by the glare and stared at him helplessly. “When you cast a lighting spell, it behaves like a flashbang.”
“I didn’t choose this,” Suer said innocently.
He flicked his wand, detached the ball of light from its tip and guided it deeper into the tunnel.
Its brightness finally became manageable, though the dark passage remained as clear as day.
“That’s better. Let’s go.” Suer led the way.
They followed the winding tunnel over rises and dips until they soon reached the wooden door at its end.
“Can you tell me whom we’re meeting now?”
Suer placed a hand upon the door.
“Sirius Black,” he answered quietly.
“What? Who?” Hermione’s eyes widened, and she seized Suer. “Have you lost your mind? He’s a wanted criminal.”
Suer took her small hand and reassured her softly. “I know. Don’t worry, Hermione. Dumbledore sent me to find him.”
“Black had a reason for escaping from Azkaban.”
“I’ll explain everything later.”
Hermione hesitated and studied him. “There truly isn’t any danger? Everyone says he came for Harry. He even tore apart the Fat Lady’s portrait. If not for…”
“I sympathise with what happened to the Fat Lady, but there really is no danger,” Suer replied firmly.
“Come. You’ll understand in a moment.”
Suer pushed open the ancient door and led Hermione into the room beyond the tunnel, where boards had been nailed across every window.
Hermione kept her other hand tightly around her wand, ready to strike Black at any moment.
Despite Suer’s repeated assurances, she thought caution was necessary. Black was, after all, the vicious murderer said to have blown apart an entire street and killed more than a dozen people.
Suer continued straight ahead, stepping over a damaged section of floor where the wooden boards had broken away to expose the stone beneath.
Creak…
The second of the room’s two wooden doors opened again.
The instant it moved, a huge black shape lunged towards them. Suer instinctively stepped in front of Hermione and raised his wand.
“Depulso!”
A thick red beam carrying a violent force shot into the oncoming shadow.
It was hurled backwards even faster than it had attacked. A thunderous series of cracks followed.
Hermione peered around Suer. A huge black dog, thin and filthy, lay motionless amid a pile of wreckage.
“And you said there was no danger?” she asked shakily. “If that dog bit us, we’d need injections at the hospital.”
Suer did not notice the reproach in her expression. He stared blankly at his wand, then at the wooden floor shattered beneath Black.
What was this? Had his Banishing Charm somehow acquired the effects of a Blasting Curse?
“I’m talking to you!” Hermione said again.
“Er… that was an accident.” Suer laughed awkwardly and carefully put his wand away. “That black dog is actually a person. An Animagus shouldn’t carry rabies, should he?”
“You mean the dog is Black? He’s an Animagus?” Hermione asked in astonishment. “If Dumbledore sent you, why did he attack us?”
“He probably thought we were Aurors coming to capture him,” Suer improvised. “Do you know a Reviving Spell, Hermione? I may have struck him a little too hard.”
“I’m afraid not.” Hermione shook her head and looked again at the motionless Black. “He isn’t dead, is he?”
“Probably… not?” Suer smiled bitterly and stepped cautiously over the broken boards. “I’ll check.”
Black’s breathing was weak, but fortunately his chest still rose and fell.
“Haa…” Suer sighed with relief and beckoned Hermione closer. “He isn’t dead. He’s only unconscious.”
…
After quite some time, Black gave a painful groan. Agony shot from his head through every nerve and dragged him back to consciousness.
The pain in his chest told him that several ribs were undoubtedly broken.
“He’s awake!” a girl’s voice exclaimed beside him.
Black forced his eyelids open and saw a young girl with an astonishing quantity of hair smiling with relief while pointing her wand at him.
“Your method worked,” she said.
Everything above Black’s neck felt soaked. His wet fur clung unpleasantly to his skin.
“Of course. The best cure for unconsciousness is a bucket of icy water,” replied another clear voice, this one belonging to a boy.
Black’s eyes moved blankly towards the ruined ceiling.
His thoughts remained empty for an instant. Then the pain awakened his lost memories.
How had he fallen unconscious?
Ah, yes. While resting in the sitting room, he had heard voices and footsteps beyond the door. Acting on instinct, he had attacked as soon as it opened, intending only to frighten the intruders away.
Instead, a thick red beam had struck him head-on.
What spell had that been?
Black remembered the incantation he had heard before losing consciousness.
“A Banishing Charm? But can a Banishing Charm truly be that… powerful?”