Chap97

"Oh, that's interesting. Viktor Krum has just been selected as a reserve Seeker for the Bulgarian national team."

"Who is Viktor Krum?"

"He's a student at Durmstrang, and he's only 15—turning 16 in a few weeks. It's incredible to be selected for a national team at such a young age."

I was currently at Colin's place, helping him catch up on the lessons he missed. Honestly, I wasn't sure his parents would allow him to return to Hogwarts, but I explained the risks of suppressing his magic—he could become an Obscurial—and reminded them that Hogwarts faces challenges every year or decade but still hasn't closed its doors.

"You can imagine, if every incident meant shutting down, the school would have been closed long ago."

Oddly, Marie was present too. When I told her she didn't need to attend because she already knew the subject, she replied:

"Who says I haven't lost my memory?"

I know she only comes to spend time with me, and while I find it endearing, it's also a bit embarrassing. Using the excuse that she wants to "catch up" on lessons is pretty weak. She even pretends to take notes and follow the lecture.

"Of course, the reason he is included in the Bulgarian national team is mainly because of the World Cup that will take place next year. The team wants him to gain experience on a real field and ultimately help them win the cup."

Intentions are so easy to discern, after all. He is a little too young to even be selected first, even if his talent equals that of Harry.

"Now, enough talking about Collin. Go back to your test unless you're done."

He did not want to say another word and continued working on his test about the history of magic that I assigned to him.

It had been a few weeks since the end of the year, the release of the victims, and Hagrid, who seemed traumatized by his detention—understandably so.

As I continued to flip through the international newspaper, I found a page that horrified me.

"What is this madness? Someone just escaped from Azkaban!"

"Isn't that Lockhart?"

"You really believed he had the skills to do that? He only knows how to 'Obliviate,' and that charm doesn't work on a Dementor."

The person who escaped is Sirius Black, someone considered the culprit who enabled Voldemort to attack the Potters' house and also the one who killed a dozen Muggles in broad daylight.

"I thought it was impossible to escape from that prison?"

"It is possible, but in principle, it requires brute force. However, he managed to escape without being noticed, which is absolutely strange, given that the Dementors can sense our location through our emotions."

It is incredible that he managed to escape, but why now? Why not do it long before, since there had been no prior attempts?

What are your intentions, Sirius Black?

"Do you think he'll be arrested?"

"The biggest problem in this story is how he managed to escape from under the eyes of the prison guards. If we try to find him with their help, they might as well hide the same way he did to escape."

I remember meeting him before.

My parents were part of the Order of the Phoenix, which was formed to fight Voldemort, and Sirius Black was a member. I had already met him back then, but I never felt that he harbored darkness within him.

The parallel thought of being one year old is too young to recall all the past, but it was one of the memories that left the strongest impression on me because that day, I met a lot of people.