Chapter 369: In Fact, I'm Also an Animagus (Edited)

Tom returned to his human form after throwing Sirius to the ground. Seeing the look of astonishment in Sirius's eyes, Tom extended his hands and said, "It's just a special talent, is that so strange?"

Of course, it's very strange! Sirius had never heard of any young wizard who could turn into a phoenix.

"Do you think you're the only one who secretly learned the Animagus Charm?" Tom rolled his eyes.

However, judging by the expression in Sirius's eyes, it was evident that he didn't consider Tom part of the Animagus category.

Swoosh!

Tom waved his wand and used a nearby vine to securely tie Sirius, then he lifted the Petrification spell from Sirius.

Sirius instantly felt all the muscles in his body relax, and he stretched himself fully. He wanted to move his arms and legs, but he realized the vines held him tightly, and he couldn't free himself.

After struggling a couple of times, he gave up. He stared at Tom for a moment and suddenly said, "I've never seen any wizard turn into a phoenix through Animagus before!"

"A phoenix?" Tom showed a surprised expression. "I clearly turned into a Bird of Paradise!"

Sirius: ???

That's how people are. You remember something perfectly in your mind, but after someone, or even yourself, asks you once, you begin to doubt. For example, when you leave home, you always doubt: Did I turn off the water tap? Did I turn off the electric heater at home? Did I lock the front door properly? And then, these senseless questions make you feel uneasy.

Sirius experienced this phenomenon. He pondered for a moment and realized that the image of the animal the young wizard transformed into wasn't so clear in his memory. He only remembered a large bird with fiery red color, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was a phoenix.

"My Animagus form is a Bird of Paradise," Tom said, lying without blinking, as if he could really transform into a Bird of Paradise.

The Bird of Paradise is a brightly colored bird that, at first glance, resembles a phoenix, only slightly smaller. But Sirius had never seen a real Bird of Paradise, so he couldn't uncover Tom's lie.

"Uh..." Sirius gradually understood everything. This boy transformed into a large bird and brought him to the Forbidden Forest.

Once he grasped this point, Sirius sighed, glanced at Tom, and said, "How did you discover my identity? There are very few people in the world who know I'm an Animagus."

Not only are there very few people! In Sirius's eyes, apart from himself, only two people knew about his identity as an Animagus: Peter Pettigrew and Lupin. Peter Pettigrew had already hidden as a rat in a sewer, so this kid's source of information was... Lupin?

His eyes dimmed for a moment. In the past, he would have never had such thoughts. Who is Lupin? He's my good friend, my brother! How could he betray me? But now, after Peter's betrayal, Sirius, who had experienced that, had a crisis of trust.

If Peter could betray James, could Lupin betray him, Sirius? Suddenly, he didn't want to know Tom's answer; he was afraid to hear Lupin's name from his mouth.

Sirius sighed. "I forgot about that, I suppose you intend to hand me over to the Dementors, don't you? You're a lucky one, my friend! The reward for me at the Ministry of Magic is not low! Maybe you can get a Merlin's Medal or something..."

Seeing Sirius's expression, Tom also understood his thoughts. "Regarding your identity as an Animagus, I deduced it."

"Deduced?" Sirius was surprised; that word was somewhat strange and hard for him to grasp. How could a third-year wizard think of something that not even the best at the Ministry of Magic had considered?

Tom, of course, hadn't deduced it. It was like shooting an arrow and then drawing the target afterward; of course, it would hit. Working backward, from the result to the process, he could certainly do what no one else could.

"I'm an Animagus too!" Tom gave a rather convincing reason, "By chance, I noticed that Dementors didn't seem very interested in me when I'm transformed into an animal, so I made a bold assumption: Sirius Black is an unregistered Animagus."

"Oh!" Sirius's face showed a sudden understanding, "Indeed, if you're an Animagus and you've seen Dementors in your Animagus form, it's reasonable to have that assumption... I didn't expect that there would be a young wizard at Hogwarts secretly learning to become an Animagus like us."

"When I saw the large black dog you transformed into, I almost knew in the first second that it was a wizard," Tom continued, "Your behavior was too unusual. A common stray dog wouldn't have the desire to watch a Quidditch match in the rain."

Sirius smiled at Tom, though more like a snarl. When he saw Sirius baring his sharp white teeth, Tom felt uncomfortable.

Sirius had no intention of explaining his feelings toward Harry to an unknown young wizard. What worried him more was something else.

"I'm a fugitive from the Ministry of Magic, and you, being a student, don't you plan to hand me over to the Ministry?" He stared into Tom's eyes, trying to discern something in them.

Unfortunately, he couldn't discern any thoughts behind those eyes. Tom's eyes were like a lock firmly sealing his inner world, leaving no trace of external intrusion.

For some reason, Sirius remembered Dumbledore's eyes, but he quickly dismissed that idea from his mind. How could a clever young wizard compare to Professor Dumbledore?

Finally, he gave up. Sirius muttered under his breath, "The young wizards these days have much more courage than I did back then."

Sirius imagined reversing their situations. Would he have already contacted the Dementors? Despite his deviation from the right path, his abhorrence of dark wizards remained the same.

"I'm not in the habit of sending innocent people to prison for personal gain," Tom said with words that resonated like thunder in Sirius's ears.

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