Chapter 291: I Already Warned You
Just then, Professor Lupin rushed to the scene. He and Sirius Black worked together in perfect sync. They cast several spells in unison, forcing Peter Pettigrew to retreat repeatedly until he was finally forced to flee in a pathetic scramble.
The two had just stopped to catch their breath and hadn't even had a chance to say a few complete sentences before they launched into a brief but intense conversation. To Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the dialogue was completely disjointed.
For example: "This is absolutely impossible..." Professor Lupin's brow was tightly knit, his voice filled with disbelief. Sirius Black interjected, "Unless he was the one from back then..." He stopped mid-sentence. Professor Lupin urgently pressed, "Did you guys switch...?"
In reality, it was less of a conversation and more of an urgent interrogation from Professor Lupin, with Sirius Black nodding and shaking his head, occasionally interjecting with a word or two.
After this exchange, the two looked at each other and then embraced tightly, leaving Harry and his friends utterly bewildered. The embrace held both the excitement of a long-awaited reunion and a shared reflection on the past. After they let go, they didn't say another word and immediately chased after Peter Pettigrew.
After all this commotion, the only thing Harry and his friends had confirmed was what they had already suspected: there was more to the story of what happened that year, Peter Pettigrew wasn't dead, and Sirius Black seemed to have been framed.
But what exactly was the truth? They were still completely in the dark. The mystery weighed on them, making them feel both eager and lost. They wanted to ask, but couldn't get a word in. They could only watch Lupin and Sirius, who were talking to themselves, disappear into the forest.
Although Professor Lupin was willing to vouch for Sirius Black, both Hermione and Lupin had said that they both knew one thing: Lupin was a werewolf. And it seemed that Professor Snape and Dylan were already aware of this as well.
During the previous skirmish, Peter Pettigrew had tried to attack the trio to tie down Sirius Black, but Sirius Black had protected them in time. Because of this, they still had a shred of trust for Sirius Black. But as for the specifics of the situation... they were completely confused. They had gone through so much, only to end up with no answers!
"Haven't you figured it out yet? What we say is irrelevant." Hermione's brow was tightly furrowed, her voice filled with helplessness. "They and I'm talking about Dylan and Professor Snape, at least don't want to hear any explanations at all!" She had tried to get Professor Snape to listen to Sirius Black's side of the story, but the moment she spoke, he had silenced her with a stern warning. His cold glare still gave her chills.
"But if this continues, will Sirius get hurt, or even..." Harry couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He just stared anxiously at the duelers. He also remembered Dylan's calm expression when he had told him about Peter Pettigrew. Hermione seemed to be right; Dylan probably already knew something. After all, his divination was something even the professors had acknowledged. It wouldn't be surprising for him to know things in advance.
"I... I don't think so?" Ron scratched his head, his gaze wandering. He was clearly not sure. "Didn't Dylan say that they'd subdue Sirius first and then question him carefully? And logically, they do have the advantage. It's a fact that Sirius snuck into Hogwarts."
Having read numerous case files to help with Buckbeak's trial, Ron found that the content of the legal documents helped him clarify his thoughts a little.
Harry tightly clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the three people in the standoff, his heart pounding. He was worried about Sirius but didn't know what he could do to change the situation. Could Sirius Black really be a good person? Harry stood to the side, his brow slightly furrowed, repeatedly thinking about this question. If what Professor Lupin said was true, and he had been framed... did that mean he could have a godfather? The moment the thought surfaced, his heart skipped a beat, and his fingers involuntarily picked at the corner of his robe.
"Sirius, you should be very clear about your current situation." Dylan's tone was calm, a hint of persuasion in his voice. "It's a two-on-one. You clearly don't have a chance. It's better to give up and put down your wand." He paused, looking directly at Sirius, and continued, "If you are indeed innocent, we will not frame you without reason."
Professor Snape didn't even raise an eyelid at Dylan's words, his expression noncommittal. He just gave Sirius a cold glance. His grip on his wand didn't relax in the slightest.
"Heh." Sirius Black tugged at the corner of his mouth, a helpless smile on his face. He turned his head, his eyes sweeping over Snape with clear mockery. "Kid, you have no idea how deep the feud is between me and your friend here."
"If I were to put my wand down, I'm afraid this... 'Professor' Snape..." He deliberately put extra emphasis on the word "Professor," his voice long and drawn out, filled with undisguised contempt and disdain. "...would immediately summon the Dementors to give me a 'gentle' kiss." As he spoke, a flicker of weariness and bitterness flashed in his eyes. He was clearly exhausted, but he knew Snape's nature all too well and would not put down his wand.
After hearing Sirius's words, Professor Snape's expression remained unchanged, but his lips were pursed into a tight, hard line, and his grip on his wand tightened a little more.
"Alright..." Dylan sighed softly.
The moment he sighed, Sirius Black's body tensed instantly, like a crouched leopard. His hand gripping the wand raised slightly into a defensive stance. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, locked on Dylan and Snape, clearly ready to respond to an attack at any moment.
"I already warned you, Black. It seems you want to suffer a little more." Dylan's shoulders gave a slight shrug. His tone was unemotional, as if he were stating a simple fact. "Then, for your unauthorized entry into Hogwarts and for disturbing my sleep these past few nights, you'll have to pay a price."
What? Sirius Black froze, his hand tightening on his wand. Dylan's words made his brow furrow instinctively, a look of confusion in his eyes. Disturbing his sleep? The statement was so sudden that he was momentarily baffled.
But this was clearly not the time to be distracted. Sirius Black immediately reigned in his thoughts, fully focusing on the situation. But even with all his attention, the situation didn't improve.
In reality, Dylan didn't just practice in real combat once. He had previously sought out various professors for practice. Later, he used Tom as a sparring partner. And after each battle, he would reflect carefully. The repeated practice sessions made him acutely aware of a problem: only a few of the offensive spells he had mastered, the maxed-out Dark Arts spells, could be cast silently. This was far from enough. And among these Dark Arts spells, only Sectumsempra could be used openly.
While the crisp, clean tone of the incantations was undeniably cool, in a real fight, if he couldn't defeat the enemy with a single blow and couldn't expose his other dark magic, he would have to say a spell for every action. That was completely uncool. Not only would the speed of his incantations likely not keep up with his opponent, but constantly mumbling like a machine gun was a sign of inferiority.
So, in order to maintain his composure and grace in battle to put it bluntly, for the sake of being "cool" Dylan had specifically practiced a few spells that ordinary students could use during his free time over the holidays, until he could cast them silently and quickly. Spells like the Blasting Charm and Disarming Charm he had just used, as well as the Reductor Curse and Petrificus Totalus, were all on his practice list. His spellcasting had improved significantly, especially after receiving pointers from Ravenclaw.
The fight in the clearing was now in full swing. Professor Snape was the one on the offensive. His wand movements were fast and furious, one spell after another continuously pouring toward Sirius Black. Red, green, and blue lights intertwined in the air, making a whooshing sound. These spells had no rhythm or strategy, let alone any defense. He wasn't really fighting; he was using this opportunity to vent years of pent-up resentment at Sirius Black.
Facing such a dense onslaught, Sirius Black, despite being exhausted, was able to handle it relatively easily. After all, in prison, he often had to deal with trouble. He was used to it. Sirius nimbly dodged and weaved. His wand moved so fast that he was always able to cast a defensive spell in the nick of time, blocking Snape's curses one by one. Occasionally, he even found a moment to return a spell or two, temporarily forcing Snape to retreat.
The real pressure came from Dylan. With a light wave of his wand, the shield he created with a Shield Charm was unbreakable. Any spells that tried to break through were firmly blocked. When faced with a surprise attack from a difficult angle, a Finishing Charm always appeared at just the right moment, nullifying the attack.
What was most surprising was that Dylan would always find a fleeting moment when he was busy dealing with Snape to suddenly attack! Each attack was astonishingly powerful. This forced Sirius to dedicate most of his energy to constantly watching Dylan's movements.
He couldn't understand it. How could a student be more difficult to deal with than Snape? The pressure Dylan put on him was even greater than Snape's! The key was that he felt this kid hadn't even used his full strength yet!
Swish! A spell from Sirius came flying. Dylan gave his wrist a nimble flick, his wand drawing a small arc in the air, deflecting the attack. He then countered with a Reductor Curse. Sirius quickly ducked. Boom! A nearby tree, as thick as a man's embrace, shattered, and wood chips flew everywhere. He then narrowly avoided a spell from Snape, and a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. But he didn't even have time to wipe it away and quickly cast a defensive spell to block another of Snape's fierce attacks.
Gasp... Gasp... His chest heaved with his rapid breathing, making his counter-spells feel weak.
The battle didn't last long, but the area around the two, and even the area in front of Harry and his friends, was a mess. The ground was covered in craters of varying depths. Many trees were cut in half or blown to smithereens by spells. The air was filled with the smell of dust and scorched wood. There were traces of spells colliding and being deflected everywhere.
Dylan knew that Professor Snape had already sensed that something was amiss with the events from that year. The way they were working together was less about carrying out their duty and more about using the opportunity to openly settle a private score. Dylan certainly didn't mind helping Professor Snape teach the person who used to bully him a lesson. Even if he was Harry's godfather? So what? Later on, Sirius might even be crying and begging him to be his godfather.
At this moment, the unspoken understanding between Dylan and Snape was unparalleled. Seeing that Sirius's movements were becoming uncoordinated and the speed of his wand movements was slowing, with each dodge becoming more difficult, Professor Snape and Dylan exchanged a glance. They didn't seize the opportunity to launch a fierce attack to subdue him. Instead, they slowed their offensive.
Their attacks maintained a subtle intensity keeping Sirius running on empty and unable to catch his breath, making him look disheveled, but never truly dealing a serious blow. The two were like extremely patient predators, quietly waiting for their prey to exhaust its last ounce of strength. Until it miserably collapsed on the ground, and could only watch as it was placed on the chopping block, ready to be slaughtered.
Finally, the hand Sirius was holding his wand with began to tremble uncontrollably, and he could no longer cast any effective spells. The wand he had stolen from Ron fell into the grass with a thud. His body could no longer support him.
He had been a fugitive on the run, then fought Peter Pettigrew. At this moment, he was completely exhausted. His legs gave way, and he fell heavily to his knees. He then collapsed forward, lying on the ground, unable to move.
Seeing this, Dylan and Snape finally stopped. Seeing the time was right, Dylan raised his hand and cast an Incarcerous spell.
Swish!
(End of Chapter)
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