In the darkness, Sirius opened his eyes and woke up, and found himself lying on a comfortable and soft bed.
Sirius sat up suddenly, raised his head and looked around, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything clearly.
This is definitely not Azkaban prison.
If the Ministry of Magic caught him, they would definitely let the Dementors suck his soul away.
"Where is this place?"
Sirius quietly turned into a black dog so that he could see clearly in the dark.
Lupin was lying in the bed next to him, while Harry and his friend were lying in the beds opposite.
"Is this... the school hospital?"
At this moment, Sirius's mind was in a mess. He couldn't figure out why he appeared in the school hospital. He was racking his brains to recall what happened before he lost consciousness.
Someone brought him here, but why didn't they hand him over to the Ministry of Magic? Even if they were waiting for the Ministry of Magic to come, they should have kept him in solitary confinement instead of throwing him into the school hospital without any protection.
"woke up?"
In the darkness, a sudden voice interrupted Blake's thoughts.
Sirius twitched his ears, raised his head and looked around, but still couldn't find the person who spoke.
"Here, the photo on the table." the voice reminded.
Sirius looked in the direction of the voice and his eyes fell on the photo on the bedside table. He knew the person in the photo, his great-great-grandfather Phineas Nigellus Black.
"What a troublesome guy." Phineas complained as he looked at the approaching dog head, "You actually need a deceased person like me to help you solve the problem. And can you turn back into a human? I don't want to talk to a dog."
Sirius didn't want to pay attention to the nagging person in the photo and was considering whether to slip away now, but Phineas' words brought his attention back.
"If you want to know your situation, just listen to me. It's much better than you messing around over there."
"Long story short."
Sirius changed back into human form, walked to Lupin's bed with the photo, picked up his wand from the bedside table and created a ray of white light. His eyes swept across the old friend's face, and he couldn't help but worry about Lupin's health, as he looked very weak.
"I found someone to help you clear the charges of being a wanted criminal, so you can stand here and talk to me now instead of being thrown into Azkaban prison." Phineas babbled, "Well, you can't go to Azkaban prison anymore. If the Ministry of Magic catches you, they will definitely kill you directly."
"Clear the name?"
Sirius turned his gaze away from Lupin and looked at the old man in the photo, and asked in confusion, "What does it mean?"
"Literally," said Phineas unhappily.
As if he couldn't believe his ears, Sirius suppressed his pounding heart and asked hoarsely, "This sounds ridiculous."
"While you were unconscious, Mr. Albert Anderson captured Peter Pettigrew for you and handed him over to the Ministry of Magic. He also cleared your name through Dumbledore." Phineas' voice was calm, but his tone was filled with inexplicable pride and emotion. "So, you are no longer a wanted criminal."
Sirius couldn't help but open his eyes wide, this news was so fantastic that he couldn't believe it was true.
"What you need to do now is to transfer the 5,000 Galleons to Mr. Anderson's vault in Gringotts as soon as possible." Phineas warned sternly: "Although I agreed to it on your behalf without your permission, don't try to evade these Galleons. Mr. Anderson was kind enough to let you go and saved the lives of you and your godson Harry Potter. You must thank him when you have time."
"What's up with the five thousand Galleons?"
Sirius Black was still a little confused, but he remembered the name Albert Anderson, who saved him, saved Harry, helped catch Peter Pettigrew, cleared his name and restored his honor.
"Of course it's the price of asking Mr. Anderson for help. You're not friends, and you don't even know each other. It's impossible for him to help you for free. This price is already very cheap. People should know how to be content."
Phineas began to tell Blake what he knew. Although he didn't know how Albert did it, it didn't prevent Phineas from connecting these things together.
"I see. I will write to Gringotts later and ask them to help transfer the 5,000 Galleons to Mr. Albert Anderson's vault."
It took Sirius Black a long time to come back to his senses after hearing this.
Although he was ultimately unable to kill Peter Pettigrew to avenge James and Lily, this was undoubtedly the best outcome at the moment. Just as Phineas had said, he really needed to thank Albert for not arresting him and handing him over to the Ministry of Magic in exchange for a bounty for 10,000 Galleons; for saving him and Harry from the Dementors, preventing their souls from being sucked away by the Dementors and turning them into soulless zombies; for stopping the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, giving him the opportunity to wait for Dumbledore's arrival and fighting for a chance to clear his name; and for thanking Mr. Anderson for giving him a brand new life.
Five thousand Galleons was no longer enough to express his gratitude.
As for Mr. Anderson, Sirius had actually guessed who he was.
The student who had stared at the black dog in the alley that day, Blake was sure that was the man.
Although he was unable to experience the satisfaction of revenge, Sirius still looked forward to a brand new beginning and a brand new life!
"Find someone to marry and have some children soon. Don't let the direct line of the Black family be cut off. Your brother Regulus is dead, and you are the only one left in the direct line of the Black family." Phineas rambled on and on, "And remember to thank Mr. Anderson. You are still alive thanks to him. He also had a very unpleasant quarrel with the Ministry of Magic because of you."
"What's going on?" Sirius had no good feelings towards the Ministry of Magic. He was thrown into Azkaban prison without approval.
"How else could it be? Peter is still alive and the Ministry of Magic has become a joke. Those guys don't care whether you are innocent or not."
"I see."
Sirius put Phineas's photo into his pocket, and with the help of the faint white light from his wand, he walked to Harry's side to check on his godson.
The person on the bed to Harry's right began to move. When Ron opened his eyes, he noticed some faint light coming from the left in the darkness. When he turned his head, he saw a figure sitting at the head of Harry's bed, and the other person just happened to look up at him.
In an instant, the figure in front of him overlapped with Blake, who broke into the student dormitory with a knife.
“Ahh…”
A shrill scream rang out in the school hospital, immediately waking up Madam Pomfrey who was resting next door.
"What's wrong?"
Madam Pomfrey, in her nightgown, hurried into the ward with her wand raised.
"B-Blake!"
Ron raised his unbandaged arm and pointed at Black beside Harry's bed, screaming in horror, "He's Sirius Black."
"Calm down, Weasley." Madam Pomfrey glared at Sirius, who was awake in the middle of the night, with a reproachful look. After taking a glass of tranquilizer and giving it to Ron, she explained to him, "Mr. Black is no longer a wanted criminal. He is innocent."
In fact, when Madam Pomfrey first learned the news, she was also confused.
Later, Dumbledore explained everything to her personally, and it took Madam Pomfrey a long time to accept the so-called "truth".
"I'm sorry if I scared you."
Blake was also helpless. He really didn't mean to scare Ron. Others didn't know that he had been rehabilitated and still treated him as a wanted criminal.
"If you are innocent, why did you break into our dormitory with a knife?" Ron still feels aggrieved about that incident.
"I'm looking for your pet, the mouse named Scabbers. He's actually a wizard named Peter Pettigrew, and his Animagus is a mouse." Sirius explained to Ron, who was still a little uneasy.
"Peter Pettigrew has been killed by you." Ron felt ridiculous.
"No, he's still alive and has been imprisoned in Azkaban by the Ministry of Magic. Otherwise, how do you think I can restore my reputation?" Sirius ignored Ron's look and said hoarsely, "You'll probably be able to see a report about this in the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning."
Ron was completely confused. He had no idea what was going on. Why did the whole world change when he woke up
In fact, he is not the only one who is confused. The entire school hospital and even the entire British wizarding community will soon be confused.
They didn't understand how Sirius Black, the vicious fugitive who was still wanted by the Ministry of Magic yesterday, became the tragic hero who had silently protected Harry Potter for twelve years overnight
Peter Pettigrew, who was once regarded as a hero, is still alive and has become the murderer who betrayed the Potter family.
Except for a few who knew the truth of the whole matter, everyone else was destined to remain confused for a while after reading the Daily Prophet in the early morning.
What on earth is wrong with this world
…
Harry suddenly opened his eyes and sat up from the hospital bed. He looked up and around and found himself in the school hospital. What shocked Harry even more was that there was a slovenly middle-aged man sitting next to him. He recognized the man's identity at a glance: Sirius Black.
"You... why are you here." Harry stepped back uneasily, trying to stay away from Black while reaching for his wand.
"I'm sorry, I seem to have scared you." Black looked at his outfit and said helplessly, "Lupin is right, I should have changed my clothes before coming to visit you."
"Why are you here?" Harry was still a little nervous. In his impression, Black was still just a vicious wanted criminal.
"I'm free." Sirius handed the newspaper in his hand to Harry and said, "Peter Pettigrew has been imprisoned in Azkaban by the Ministry of Magic, so my reputation has been restored and I am no longer a wanted criminal."
Harry looked at the picture on the front page of the latest issue of the Daily Prophet, then looked up at Sirius in front of him and opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
To be honest, Harry's mind was in a mess. How come the world had changed so drastically after he woke up
The once vicious wanted criminal turned into a tragic hero. The reason why Sirius Black escaped from prison was to protect him, which was ridiculous, but it was all true. Harry couldn't help but doubt his life.
"It's hard for me to understand your feelings." Sirius showed a bitter smile on his face: "In fact, I only found out about all this not long ago."
When Sirius woke up, he found himself lying on a Hogwarts bed and even wanted to sneak away. In the end, it was Phineas, his great-grandfather whom he had never liked, who explained everything to him.
When Sirius learned that Phineas had paid someone to help him clear his name, it also took him a long time to accept this ridiculous answer.
"So you are innocent, and Peter Pettigrew is the traitor who betrayed my parents." Harry asked tentatively.
"Yes." Blake said guiltily, "I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, Peter wouldn't have succeeded."
"Is Peter Pettigrew really still alive? Is he really Ron's rat Scabbers?" Harry continued to ask. He couldn't wait to know the truth.
"Yes, he's still alive." Sirius said softly, "To be honest, I'm still confused. I only found out not long ago that Mr. Anderson caught Peter and helped me restore my reputation."
"Mr. Anderson?" Harry asked, "You mean Albert Anderson?"
"Yes, if there was no one else in Hogwarts with this name, it would be him." Sirius spoke of this with emotion.
"Albert Anderson?"
Harry's mind was still in a mess, and he listened to Black's words vaguely.
"What happened after I passed out?"
"I'm not sure either." Sirius hesitated for a moment and changed the subject, "I don't know if anyone has told you? I'm your godfather."
"Yes, I know," said Harry dryly.
"Now that I've restored my reputation, if you want a, a different home..." Black said while secretly observing the changes in Harry's expression. Although he tried to hide his uneasiness, he did it unsuccessfully.
However, Harry did not notice the change in Sirius's face, but was attracted by his suggestion.
"Live with you?" Harry's eyes widened in disbelief. "Leave the Dursleys?"
"Yes." Blake nodded and said, "Of course, if you want to live with your aunt and uncle, I can understand."
"Are you crazy?" Harry said hoarsely. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys!"
At this moment, Harry felt that he was hit by luck. He was finally going to leave the Dursleys and live with Black, his parents' best friend.
Harry was actually feeling giddy with excitement, and he was looking forward to the looks on the Dursleys' faces when he told them that he was going to be living with the wanted criminals they had seen on TV.
However, Harry still hasn't figured out what is going on.
Sirius actually didn't know much, and he told Harry what he knew.
"So, Ron's pet mouse is Peter Pettigrew? The reason why Hermione's cat targeted Scabbers is because Crookshanks could tell at a glance that Scabbers was not a mouse? So the one who helped you invade the castle was not Professor Lupin, but a cat?"
The more Harry listened, the more ridiculous it seemed, especially since Hermione's cat had helped Black steal Neville's note and ordered an owl.
Also, that Firebolt was actually a gift from Sirius to him.
However, what shocked Harry the most was yet to come. The reason why Albert helped Sirius clear his name was because Sirius' great-grandfather paid him 5,000 Galleons to help.
"Harry, I can chat with you here thanks to Mr. Anderson. He helped me solve the problem, so it's normal for me to give him some money." Sirius smiled bitterly, "In fact, Mr. Anderson has been eyeing me for a long time. If he cared about Galleons, he would have handed me over to the Ministry of Magic long ago, but Mr. Anderson didn't do that. He seemed to have discovered Peter's existence. Later, he drove away a large number of Dementors and saved our lives. I heard that he and his friends took down the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic... In short, Mr. Anderson gave me a brand new life."
Harry listened to Black with his mouth open the whole time.
"After Mr. Anderson got the money, he seemed to share it with several friends who were with him last night. I heard that they planned to use the money to open a store to realize their dreams." Sirius was very grateful and admired Albert. "He also took out a large sum of Galleons to hire Lupin, allowing Lupin, who quit his job, to live a decent life for a long time. I must take the time to thank him someday."
"I see." Harry nodded stiffly. "Wait, you said Professor Lupin resigned?"
"Yes, he resigned on his own and should be packing his luggage in the office now." Blake said softly, "I will leave the school with him later."
"Why?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Snape told everyone this morning that Lupin was a werewolf." Black gritted his teeth angrily when talking about this. "If Lupin doesn't resign, Dumbledore's office will be flooded with owl letters from parents. No one wants to let a werewolf teach their children, and he doesn't want to take the risk. If it weren't for Albert, God knows what would have happened."
Black continued, "Dumbledore used Snape's Veritaserum to get Peter to tell the truth. I think it was a big blow to that guy to lose his best chance to send me to Azkaban, and it was thanks to his Veritaserum that I was cleared of the crime, so he did that to get back at Lupin."