Hogwarts, Office of the Ancient Rune’s Professor.
Fireplace.
A bright green flame flared as Felix walked out carrying a candy box, patting the dust off his body with one hand, and then he pushed open the door of his office.
It is the last day of the weekend, the corridor is full of bustling, noisy little wizards.
Felix knocked on the candy box package and whispered, “You’re already in the castle, what do you think?”
“I’m going to pass out from the sweet fragrance here.” A grumbling voice came from the box, “I originally planned to eat a sweet treat, now I feel sore and sick.”
…
Felix walked into the Headmaster’s office, Dumbledore had been waiting for a long time, “Bang-” the candy box landed on the long-legged desk, a scattered clatter and a cry of pain came from inside –
“Ouch!”
Dumbledore looked at Felix in surprise, and Felix returned an affirmative look, “Just what you think … our guest is a tiny one.” So Dumbledore’s fingers touched the candy box, the top cover immediately popped open.
The box contained half a box of sweet like Creamy chunks of nougat, Exploding bonbons, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Ice Mice, Crystallised Pineapple, Peppermint Toad … most of the merchandise in the Honeydukes.
A hand poked out of the candy pile, and the palm-sized Sirius grimaced as he pushed away the chocolate ball pressed against his head, pulling himself out from deep, squirming, and drippy candies to stand on top of the candy pile.
He looked up, as Dumbledore’s enlarged face is beaming at him, and the phoenix with its golden and red feathers let out a low chirp as Fawkes flew around the office and landed on the long-legged table, cocking his head to survey Sirius in the box.
Sirius looked at it warily, “Don’t come any closer Fawkes, I fed you, remember?”
Fawkes gave two short cries and turned his head away from him.
Dumbledore’s blue eyes curled in a quick arc behind his half-moon lenses as he said gently, “How wonderful, I didn’t expect to meet you on this occasion.”
“Me too,” Sirius muttered, as he stepped over the edge of the candy box and, with a strong push of his arm, he jumped over to the table. He looked around as a small puff of smoke spewed from the oddly shaped silverware on the table, looking like a terrifying monster.
“Hurry up and change me back.” He said resentfully.
Unlike Dumbledore’s hidden smile, Felix laughed heartily, he used his wand to point at Sirius’s head, then his body involuntarily expanded and enlarged, he hurriedly jumped down from the table, when he landed on the ground, he already regained his original size.
Sirius stood straight, his back held straight, as he looked at Dumbledore, a complex emotion welled up as he said, “I’m back.”
Dumbledore nodded slightly, “Sirius, although Phineas sent back some information, but I still want to hear your story in person.”
Sirius did not refuse, he remained silent for a moment, then sat down in a chair and began to tell the story, he did not look at anyone, but the two people in the office, including the portrait on the wall, were staring at him with rapt attention.
“… And so, I broke out of prison, swam back to England, and then all the way north, like an evil spirit who has come a long way to seek revenge.”
Dumbledore concluded, “So, you’re here for Peter Pettigrew. And what about Harry?”
“I haven’t had a chance to think that through,” Sirius said frankly.
“When I found out that Peter Pettigrew is still alive, all I could think was revenge. But then again I did see Harry several times, the day he left his aunt’s house before school started, on a Muggle street – I wanted to get a look at him before I went north, but my distorted appearance might have scared him; the second time was at the Quidditch pitch – he flew well, just like James did, but I didn’t dare stay any longer and left halfway through; and during the Christmas holidays, when I ambushed the Weasley boy near the whomping Willow, trying to catch Peter Pettigrew and to be honest, I was shocked at how fast Harry reacted.”
“The last time we met was yesterday, I used a polyjuice potion to disguise myself as a muggle child.” He looked to Felix, “This Professor Hap’s little prop has got me twice.”
Felix bowed slightly.
“How did you know where Harry lived, the place is under a spell … Yes,” Dumbledore flashed a smile, ” James must have told you about it, I should have thought of that.”
Sirius shrugged: ” James visited them in the seventh year, but that family wasn’t exactly friendly, they seemed to think he is a bum when he mentioned his favourite broomstick and Quidditch.” His words were full of sarcasm.
“Mr. Dursley probably can’t accept the existence of magic,” Dumbledore said regretfully, “I’ve met him once, very much a rule-follower if you ask me.”
Next, Felix spoke up about the Marauders’ Map, focusing on the magical ability of this artefact in finding people, “Neither Animagus, Polyjuice, invisibility cloaks, nor any conventional concealment spell can shield it.”
He suggested seriously, “I think we can try to recreate this Marauders’ Map.”
Dumbledore pondered quietly, his long fingers tapped on the table and prompted, “Felix, has it ever occurred to you that the Marauders’ Map is probably still at Hogwarts?”
Felix replied slowly, “I did think about it, and it’s not impossible …”
“But the scope is too large, students, professors, or wedged in some library book … if I had acquired it, I would certainly keep it hidden.”
Dumbledore blinked, “I think you may have overlooked one possibility.” He said to Sirius, ” The ideal heir you have in mind would be a Gryffindor who likes to play pranks, right?”
Sirius nodded, “You’re right.”
Felix’s eyes lit up, “So, the Weasley twins?” That is the first name that came to his mind.
“Very likely, in fact, I have a few more candidates in mind, I’m going to write a few letters, it won’t really take much time,” Dumbledore said.
Felix had some regrets in his heart, but quickly cheered up, regardless of whether he could find the map or create it, he is happy to see it. If found, he can borrow it to study the finished product, and create one more efficient; if not found, he will form a team, re-research, and develop it, along with more features.
“Actually, the worst kind of possibility is that Peter Pettigrew may have stolen the map.” He cautioned.
“That’s what worries me, he had plenty of time and reason to do it.” Dumbledore said, “The only other possibility is, he didn’t think he would be on the map, so he didn’t take any action.”
Felix agreed with this, he looked at the time, “Headmaster Dumbledore, there is a small dueling match today at ten o’clock, if there is nothing else, I’ll leave you to it.” He pointed at Sirius and said, “He’ll be in your hands.”
Sirius’s eyes suddenly lit up, “A dueling match? Harry should be in it, right? Can I come along to see it?”
Felix looked hesitantly at Dumbledore, who also frowned, “Sirius, you’d better stay in Grimmauld Place, it will keep you safe – the Ministry of Magic is still looking for you, and if you get caught, we have no evidence to prove your innocence.”
“Just once -” Sirius said pitifully, “let me see Harry up close, I could pretend to be a doll and no one would think twice.”
His words silenced Dumbledore as Felix cast another spell, this time Sirius jumped back into the box of his own accord, and Felix nudged his wand and applied a silencing charm around the box’s exterior.
Sirius lost his sense of the outside world.
Felix looked at Dumbledore: “He is not good at Occlumency, right?” Dumbledore looked at him with a smile, so Felix understood what the Headmaster meant.
He lifted the candy box and walked out of the office with brisk steps.
———-
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