Sirius had rested for three days. Thanks to the delicious food and drink provided by the Fire Serpent Party, his complexion had improved significantly. Strangely enough, the Party members never referred to themselves as such. But of course—not a single criminal among them—they were all loyal and reliable under Count Dantes.
That morning, Sirius woke up early, inserted his wand into the brand-new holster at his waist, and strode out of the mansion. He was eager to find Harry—and finally deal with Peter Pettigrew, that traitor!
"Mr. Black, please stop."
An attendant called after him.
"What is it?"
"Sir, you are currently wanted by the Ministry of Magic. Wanted posters have been plastered everywhere wizards might go in Britain. If you're caught, Count Dantes will hold us accountable."
Sirius tilted his head. "How could those fools at the Ministry ever catch me?"
"They know you're an unregistered Animagus. That helps, but there's always a risk."
"Besides, today is Mr. Dana Emrys's match," the attendant added. "He instructed us to bring you to the Quidditch Pitch in Merlin City once you woke up."
"A match? And why is that so important Dana would call it a 'surprise'?"
The attendant smiled. "If you go, you're guaranteed a surprise—assuming your identity stays secret."
Curiosity sparked in Sirius. Gryffindor had no aversion to surprises.
"Alright," he said, accepting the mask the attendant offered. "But what's this?"
"This is a new product from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—the Disguise Mask. It changes your appearance as effectively as a Metamorphmagus or Polyjuice Potion. They say it was inspired by some awe‑inspiring professor at Hogwarts."
Weasley? Sirius immediately thought of the young Weasley who'd held Pettigrew once before. "It's a hidden item. You wouldn't have been able to get this if you hadn't had a good relationship with the Weasley twins."
Sirius nodded. He'd almost forgotten how well Dana Emrys and the Weasleys got along. If Dana helped, catching Peter Pettigrew wouldn't be a major challenge after all.
The Floo Network carried him to Merlin City. Though identity verification was required, the Count's control ensured Sirius passed without trouble. He arrived at Merlin City's First Quidditch Pitch—the home stadium of the Cannons—with an unremarkable face that displeased him. Even after years in Azkaban and the ravages of time, his own features were far more distinguished than this disguise.
He took a seat in the "family and friends" section—second only to the VIP boxes. The stadium was sparsely filled, with Sirius settling in early.
"Ron, how many seconds do you think Dana will take to catch the Golden Snitch today?"
A boy's voice sounded nearby.
Another replied, "I dunno, Harry. If it weren't for the Emrys Victory Time Guess, I wouldn't be here."
Sirius's eyes tightened as he turned to see a young boy with glasses—and eyes identical to Lily's. The lightning bolt scar on his forehead confirmed it: Harry Potter, his godson, the boy he had always yearned to protect.
Harry smiled at his friend. "I heard today's grand prize is a Nimbus 2001! If we guess right, at least next term we won't be behind Slytherin in equipment!"
Sirius stared. He longed to reveal himself, but he was wanted—he couldn't risk it.
Fatefully, Harry's seat was right next to his, their chairs conjoined. The two simply nodded at each other, like strangers.
Sirius wondered if this was Dana's promised surprise.
Harry sensed the man beside him had been staring and asked, "Sir, is there something wrong with my face?"
Startled, Sirius's face reddened, but the Disguise Mask concealed his features. "No, nothing's wrong. You just seem familiar… Are you… Harry Potter?"
"Yes, I am, sir," Harry said confidently. Two years of fame had done him well.
"It's good to see you, Harry!" Sirius managed, delighted to speak with the boy.
Harry smiled back. "I'm happy too, sir. Are you a relative or a friend of a Cannons player?"
"Something like that," Sirius said.
"We're close friends with Dana, from school," Harry added.
"Is that so? You must know him well then!"
"He's okay. He's the top student, though—studies all the time, so we don't see much of him."
Sirius frowned. That sounded familiar.
"I used to hate people who studied so hard," he admitted. "Making themselves look superior."
Harry smirked; Ron nodded in agreement.
"You think so?" Harry asked. "I have a brother like that… two, actually. But Dana and Hermione are different. He never acts superior."
"That's true," Ron chimed in. "Dana's powerful, stronger than Hermione, even—but he's never arrogant."
As they talked, more spectators filled the stadium. Once around 90% of seats were taken, a wooden board rose to announce: "Guess the exact moment Dana Emrys will catch the Golden Snitch today! Guess correctly and win a Nimbus 2001! In case of a tie, the winners will share."
The stadium erupted in cheers. Pens scratched across boards.
Sirius chose "5 seconds." Harry nudged him. "We need a decimal point, you know."
Sirius smirked and changed his guess to "5.5 seconds." He peeked at his companions. Harry wrote "4.4," and Ron "4.9."
Dana's average is around 7 seconds, Sirius thought. Younger spectators must believe in his legendary speed.
The match began—and in… 5 seconds, exactly, Dana Emrys caught the Snitch. The crowd roared.
"Ah! Just 0.1 seconds off!" Ron groaned, slamming his fist on the bench. Harry slapped his forehead in mock frustration.
"Sorry," Harry apologized to Sirius. "I made you miss the grand prize."
Sirius laughed. "This was just for fun—prize didn't matter that much."
Suddenly, an orange figure swooped over: Dana himself, landing before them.
"Hey, Ron, I hear you guessed within 0.1 seconds," Dana said, eyes sparkling with amusement.
Ron nodded, breathless.
Dana offered a grin. "Here's a deal: your rat… the one you've had for ten years? I want to study why it's lived so long. If you give it to me, I'll arrange for you to get that Nimbus 2001."
Ron's eyes went wide. Sirius's breath caught, too. Harry looked on, puzzled.
Without hesitation, Ron nodded. "Okay! I agree!"
He turned to Harry. "Harry! I'll trade my Nimbus 2001 for your Nimbus 2000! You just buy me another pet to make it even."
End of Chapter 100
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