0454 Return

The tranquil summer days in the picturesque village of St. Catchpole were drawing to a close, with the second-to-last day of vacation marked by a dramatic shift in weather.

As night fell, a gentle rain began to patter against windowpanes and thatched roofs. By the time Harry and his friends ventured outside, the light drizzle had transformed into a relentless downpour. The once-distinct silhouette of Stoatshead Hill had been reduced to nothing more than a hazy, indistinct outline, barely visible through the thick curtain of gloomy rain that enveloped the landscape.

The Weasley household was in a state of unusual silence. Mr. Weasley had departed early for another long day at the office. Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley had taken it upon herself to escort the remaining children to Diagon Alley to buy the supplies necessary for the upcoming school year. The absence of the family's usual hustle and bustle left the Burrow feeling eerily empty, with only the rhythmic pitter-patter of rainwater infiltrating a corner of the kitchen to break the silence.

Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by a resounding "Whoosh!" The fireplace, its embers still glowing faintly from the morning's fire, erupted into life. A swirling vortex of vibrant emerald flames burst forth from the blackened hearth, and from the dazzling fire emerged Sirius and Remus.

Remus, who had stayed at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for over a fortnight, appeared even more pale and gaunt than usual. His movements were sluggish and unsteady, giving the impression that even the slightest breeze might topple him.

This frail state wasn't a result of any lingering injuries from the chaotic night of the Quidditch World Cup final, but rather the aftermath of his most recent transformation. Despite now having the financial means to buy the expensive Wolfsbane Potion, which helped him retain his human mind during his monthly transformations into a werewolf, it couldn't completely eliminate the weakness following his transformation.

And Sirius hadn't returned to the Burrow during this time because he was taking care of Remus during his recovery.

As Sirius walked in to the Weasley's cozy living room, his demeanor was uncharacteristically cautious and wary. His grey eyes darted about the room, taking in every detail as if expecting some hidden danger. He craned his neck, straining his ears to detect any sign of movement from the floors above.

"They're not home, Sirius—" Remus observed with a pale smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement at Sirius's odd behavior.

"How can you be so sure?" Sirius inquired, his brow furrowed with curiosity. In response, Remus simply raised a scarred hand, pointing towards an unusual clock mounted on the living room wall. This was no ordinary timepiece, but the Weasley family's enchanted clock, which showed the whereabouts of each family member instead of the time.

"Oh—" Sirius exhaled, his tense posture immediately relaxing. He casually walked to the table, pulled out a chair, sat down, and poured himself a glass of water from the still-warm teapot. After drinking it in one gulp, he let out a long sigh, his expression turning indignant.

"Disobedient, reckless." Sirius grumbled, running a hand through his shaggy black hair. "I explicitly forbade him from going out!"

"Well, the new school term begins the day after tomorrow, I guess Molly probably took the children to Diagon Alley to buy supplies——" Remus reasoned, lowering himself delicately into a chair opposite Sirius. He reached for the teapot, testing its temperature with a gentle touch. A flicker of disappointment crossed his face at the lukewarm temperature. With a flick of his wand, he muttered a warming charm. Almost instantly, a plume of steam began to rise from the spout, filling the air with the comforting aroma of tea.

Through the rising mist, Remus caught sight of the gloom that had settled over Sirius's features. A helpless smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he pondered the situation. "You still haven't forgiven Harry, have you?"

"Look at what he did that night, Remus!" Sirius exploded, his words bursting forth like a long-constrained firework finally finding release. The question had indeed been the spark to ignite Sirius's smoldering frustration.

After a month, the dark tan he'd developed from wind and sun at sea had faded considerably, but Sirius's face still darkened thoroughly when Remus mentioned Harry.

"The most dangerous riot in over a decade was still raging around us," Sirius continued, his voice rising with each word. "The fiercest wizard's duel in half a century had barely concluded. I warned them – I explicitly warned them not to leave the safety of the tent on their own. But what did they do? They brazenly disregarded my words! They used James's Invisibility Cloak to sneak back to the devastated pitch to search for that wand and in doing so, they stumbled right into the path of the Dark Mark!"

Sirius paused, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. Remus opened his mouth to interject, but Sirius, caught in the tide of his own indignation, pressed on.

"Oh, sure, they caught Barty Crouch's house-elf in the end. But we both know someone like Crouch would never in a million years teach his house-elf how to conjure the Dark Mark. I'd bet my last Galleon that the real culprit was lurking in that VIP box that night, Remus. If Arthur and the other Ministry officials hadn't reacted so swiftly, if those three hadn't luckily run below the box when Arthur's group did... Merlin's beard, the three of them could have lost their lives right then and there!"

Remus leaned forward, his brow furrowed in concern, clearly wanting to offer some words of reason. But Sirius, having caught his second wind, barreled on, his frustration flowing continuously.

"But here's the kicker, Remus – he still adamantly refuses to admit he was in the wrong! Can you believe the cheek of that boy? He even had the audacity to tell me I had no right to lecture him because I supposedly did 'far more outrageous things' during our time at Hogwarts! As if our schoolboy antics could compare to the danger he willingly walked into!"

Remus pressed his lips together, fighting to suppress the smile that tried to break across his face. He took a moment, supposedly to sip his tea, before responding.

"Well, objectively speaking, Harry's not entirely wrong in his assessment," Remus said carefully, his tone measured. "Have you noticed, Sirius, that when you're lecturing Harry, you bear a striking resemblance to Molly when she's scolding Fred and George?"

Sirius's tirade came to an abrupt halt, his mouth hanging open in shock. For a moment, he sat in silence, processing Remus's words. Then, almost imperceptibly, his shoulders slumped, and he hung his head in a gesture of dejection.

"But... but he should have at least informed me, shouldn't he?" Sirius mumbled, his voice now barely above a whisper.

Remus's expression softened, empathy shining in his eyes. "I'm certain they must have discussed it before leaving the tent," he reasoned. "At the very least, Hermione would have raised the issue – that girl has a level head on her shoulders. But I imagine Harry managed to persuade her otherwise. If I were to make a guess, I'd say Harry's reasoning was that he didn't want to disturb your rest. After all, you had just emerged from an incredibly taxing duel that night. In his own way, perhaps he was caring about you."

Sirius fell into a contemplative silence, but Remus could see that his words had had an effect as Sirius's expression had softened considerably.

"Avoidance won't resolve this issue, Sirius," Remus said gently, "I think you should seek out an opportunity to—"

BANG!

A sudden, sharp noise cut through the persistent, dull patter of falling rain, causing both men to jump. Remus's words died in his throat as he whipped his head towards the door, eyes wide with surprise. Sirius, too, lifted his head, his body instantly tensing as if preparing for a fight.

"Have they returned already?" Sirius asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Impossible—" Remus replied, rising slowly from his chair. He began to move towards the back door, his steps cautious and measured. "Molly couldn't possibly Apparate with so many children in tow, and Arthur must surely be working overtime given recent events. Draw your wand, Sirius. These are not peaceful times we live in."

Remus's assessment of the situation was spot on. Sirius sprang to his feet, his wand appearing in his hand as if conjured. With the fluid movements of two men accustomed to watching each other's backs, they positioned themselves on either side of the door. Their eyes remained focused on the wooden panel, muscles coiled and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

Just as Remus was about to call out a challenge to whoever stood on the other side, a familiar voice, tinged with both amusement and mild exasperation, drifted through the door.

"You two paranoid fools with your wands at the ready behind the door, would you mind helping me open it? The rain outside is heavy, and my robes are almost soaked through—"

Remus and Sirius behind the door suddenly widened their eyes in delight!

"Why are you the only ones here?" Bryan inquired, a note of curiosity in his voice. "Where have the others gone off to?"

With Bryan's arrival, the dim living room gained some liveliness. After magically drying the water from his robes, Bryan, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes, held a teacup and scanned the room. He easily noticed that the Weasley family, including their guests Harry and Hermione, were not there.

"They probably went with Molly to buy things in Diagon Alley—" Remus said. He looked Bryan up and down, then suddenly asked,

"The Daily Prophet said you assisted the Ministry in arresting that dark witch. How did you manage it?"

Bryan's eyebrow arched slightly at the question, but he remained silent, allowing Remus to explain.

"What I mean is," Remus continued, his curiosity getting the better of him, "we didn't hear any reports of another earth-shattering duel breaking out somewhere. Given you guys' recent reputation, one would have expected... well, something more dramatic."

"Oh—" After inwardly praising Remus's sharpness, Bryan smiled. "You all know I confiscated her Staff on the night of the Quidditch final. That was the source of her power. Without that Staff, her abilities were greatly diminished."

"That's bloody impressive--" Sirius said enthusiastically, looking at Bryan, who had such a calm demeanor, after his recent doings.

"When I was at St. Mungo's, I heard from an injured Hit Wizard that many people are already nominating you to be the next Minister for Magic or Headmaster of Hogwarts. Various strange organizations have also sent you invitations. But so far, you haven't responded to any of them."

"Actually—" Bryan took a sip of tea and smiled. "I've accepted an invitation from the International Confederation of Wizards to serve as Vice-President."

"The International Confederation of Wizards—" Remus blinked. "Why did you choose to accept their invitation? I mean, in most cases, that organization doesn't have much effect."

"Perhaps, but I believe I might need that title in the future--" Bryan said vaguely. Then, he turned to Sirius.

"With the school year approaching and the Triwizard Tournament coming up next year, I plan to return to Hogwarts today to make some preparations. But before leaving, I remembered your matter. Someone told me you were at St. Mungo's taking care of Remus, but when I went there, I found you had already left. I guessed you might have returned to the Burrow—"

"My matter?" Sirius opened his mouth, confused. "Do you need me to help with something, Bryan?"

Bryan's pressed lips twitched, and he rolled his eyes slightly.

"On the night of the Quidditch final, before I went to the Ministry, you said you wanted to talk to me privately. Now you've forgotten about it?"

Bang!

The late summer thunder rumbled across the sky, its deep, resonant tones softened compared to the sharp cracks of midsummer storms. Yet with each low growl from the heavens, the rain intensified, falling in heavy sheets that blurred the world beyond the windows into a gray, misty haze. The pitter-patter of raindrops against the roof and windows created a constant, soothing background rhythm, mixed by the occasional gurgle of overwhelmed gutters.

"Oh, I forgot!" Sirius exclaimed suddenly, the sharp sound of his palm meeting his forehead cutting through the ambient noise of the storm. His eyes, were filled with frustration and a hint of worry. "Harry's got me so worked up, I completely forgot about this!"

As he spoke, a small whirlpool of rainwater began to form just outside the door, as the dim and archaic gutter system was inadequate for the overflow. The water bubbled and bubbled as it spilled over the edges of the drain, creating a miniature flood on the doorstep.

"What's the matter?" Bryan asked with interest, leaning back in his chair with a teacup in hand. The coming days would be filled with many things to consider; these two days before the students returned to Hogwarts were perhaps the last opportunity to maintain any semblance of a leisurely state of mind.

Sirius exchanged a meaningful glance with Remus. After this wordless exchange, Sirius fell into a contemplative silence, his brow furrowed in thought.

Remus, sensing the need to fill the growing silence, cleared his throat softly before speaking. "It's about the night of the Quidditch World Cup Final," he explained, his amber eyes flickering between Sirius and Bryan. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione had a rather alarming encounter with the Dark Mark.

The three of them snuck out to search for Harry's missing wand without informing anyone of their intentions. Sirius only learned of this incident from Arthur the next day. You probably already know he gave Harry quite a scolding for it?"

After stepping into the role of a father, many thoughts change imperceptibly, especially for someone like Sirius who had been through so much.

Bryan nodded. "Yes, Fudge mentioned the first part of that incident to me,"

"What are your thoughts on the matter?" Remus asked, his expression growing even more solemn.

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