Sirius's sudden arrival greatly surprised Dumbledore.
He had been preparing for bed, dressed in a soft dressing gown and a pointed velvet nightcap, when he received the mud-splattered Sirius in his office.
"What happened?" Dumbledore asked with a serious expression, countless thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.
Sirius sat across the desk, his mouth downturned, his eyes full of worry. "Harry just told me he had a nightmare, and his scar is hurting too."
Dumbledore: "..."
He clasped his fingers together, looking at Sirius. After a moment of silence, he said, "Harry's scar hurting is indeed no small matter... What kind of nightmare did he have?"
"He dreamed... he dreamed that Lockhart and Garr Trocar were being tortured. Harry said the scene in the dream was very vivid... like it was really happening."
Sirius frowned and said, "Actually, half an hour ago, I saw those two enter a house and never come out. I believe what Harry saw was the truth."
Dumbledore carefully observed Sirius for a moment. "It's nighttime now. It's normal for them to enter a house to rest and not go out again. Why do you think there's a problem?"
"Because..." Sirius paused, then said, "Because Wormtail led them there; that place is a trap... That house looks like it hasn't been lived in for a long time. There must be something wrong."
But they're fugitives. Isn't it normal for them to find an abandoned house to temporarily settle in?
"I remember you were tracking Lockhart and the other person to find Pettigrew's whereabouts." Dumbledore asked coaxingly, "So you encountered Peter Pettigrew? You didn't catch him?"
"No," Sirius said resentfully. "I finally found his trail, but he was meeting with an accomplice. To avoid being discovered, I hid. Then those two vanished right under my nose!"
Dumbledore sighed. This state, which seemed to have logical reasoning but subtly felt like utter nonsense, looked awfully familiar.
"Relax, Sirius." Dumbledore pulled out his wand and pointed it at the young wizard opposite him. "You've been affected by Voldemort's Notice-Me-Not Charm. I'll remove it for you now."
Voldemort? Sirius thought vaguely, Isn't he dead already?
Then he remembered what he had heard earlier and was startled, an inexplicable fear spreading from the depths of his heart.
Just as Sirius was about to reveal Voldemort's resurrection plan, his entire body was engulfed by the light of the spell.
Voldemort was a master of curses. The curses he cast with full power were incredibly complex and potent, even Dumbledore couldn't fully undo them.
For example, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts had changed every year for decades, sometimes even twice a year. Compared to professors of other subjects who could teach for decades, the turnover rate for this course was shockingly high.
However, the scope of this Notice-Me-Not Charm was so broad that it diluted the curse's power, making it less difficult to undo. But even Dumbledore couldn't cast a counter-curse on everyone.
After Wade, Dumbledore successively uncursed Snape, Kingsley, Moody, Lupin, and other Order of the Phoenix members. Sirius, having been on the move, was still under the spell's influence.
After the curse was lifted, his dazed mind instantly became incredibly clear, even clearer than usual.
Concealed memories surged in his mind, even bringing up some older things, as if a wall named "forgetfulness" had suddenly crumbled for a few seconds, and sealed memories vividly reappeared before his eyes.
...
"Sirius, what are you doing here?" Regulus walked out from behind a bookshelf and asked softly.
"Reading, obviously." Sirius said lazily, suddenly throwing the book in his hand at his brother.
Regulus caught it effortlessly, then paused due to the strange feel of it. The book's cover had a slightly dark, skin-like texture, as if made from some special leather. Upon closer inspection, tiny pores could even be seen.
Sirius showed a malicious smile. "You know what? The book in your hand is made of human skin!" He looked at his brother's face expectantly, hoping to see this "model Black Family member" scream in fright, throw the book away, or even burst into tears.
But Regulus didn't react so poorly. His face just paled slightly, then he walked over and tucked the book back onto the shelf.
"Father said your detention is over, Sirius," Regulus said slowly. "But he's still angry. You'd best be careful."
Sirius didn't hear the worry in his words, only taking it as a warning from his parents. So Sirius sneered, said nothing, bumped past Regulus with his shoulder, and walked out of the basement where he had been confined for several days.
Regulus, left behind, hit the bookshelf with a thud. He rubbed his shoulder, lowered his head, and followed his brother out.
...
Sirius was lost in thought for a long time, then slowly began to recount everything from before. His father's bone... a servant's flesh... an enemy's blood... resurrection... the contents of Harry's nightmare...
He subconsciously wanted to conceal certain parts, like the strange perspective in Harry's dream, but under Dumbledore's seemingly all-knowing gaze, Sirius ultimately told everything he knew without reservation.
Dumbledore stood up and paced back and forth in his office. After a moment, Dumbledore asked, "Are you sure Wormtail called that person Barty?"
"Yes," Sirius said.
"Barty Crouch?" Dumbledore pressed.
"No... not Barty Crouch. I remember that person's voice; they sound different." Sirius guessed, "Maybe it's another person named Barty."
Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "Does that person's voice sound like Barty Crouch Jr.'s?"
"Barty Crouch Jr.? Isn't he dead?" Sirius asked, astonished.
He looked at Dumbledore, vaguely understanding something. "That kid is several years younger than me, so I don't really remember his voice... Perhaps you could look into my memories."
He touched the tip of his Wand to his temple and extracted a shimmering silver strand of memory. The Pensieve, which had been in the cabinet, flew over and landed on the table in front of Sirius.
Dumbledore tapped it with his Wand, and the thoughts within the basin began to swirl. A moment later, a voice emerged from within:
"You've done well, Wormtail..."
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