Chapter 238: Becoming a Black Dog Is a Blessing

"What? Of course not!"

Lupin froze for a moment, then laughed softly.

"I just admire her energy. It has nothing to do with romantic feelings between a man and a woman."

In truth, Abigail's lively personality always reminded him of James and Sirius. Not the Sirius of today, but the one from when they were teenagers, reckless and full of life.

Back then, they had planned to stick together after graduation. They dreamed of traveling the world, exploring remote and perilous places, and leaving tales of the Marauders in every magical ministry.

But after graduation, they were quickly drawn into the war. James married Lily, and soon after, they had a child...

Life felt like an accelerated film reel. Before Lupin could fully process it, their group of four had been reduced to just him.

When he looked back, there was no one left beside him. When he looked forward, the path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty.

The dreams of their youth had vanished like mist, blown away by the harsh winds of death and war.

Lupin's expression darkened slightly. Seeing this, Wade refrained from saying anything further.

The two continued along the tracks left by carriages, and soon they arrived at Hogsmeade.

From a distance, Wade spotted a hag perched atop a tall, spire-like rooftop. Her arms, resembling those of a bird, were folded behind her back. She stared at them for a moment with gray-green eyes before turning her gaze away in boredom.

Hags were a type of magical creature, living around wizards but keeping themselves apart from them, much like centaurs.

Unlike the social centaurs, however, hags were mostly solitary or lived in small groups of two or three.

Many hid among human cities or villages, but only in purely wizarding villages like Hogsmeade could they fully spread their wings without needing to disguise themselves as ordinary humans.

This hag was one of Hogsmeade's residents, and Hogwarts students occasionally caught glimpses of her during outings.

Lupin and Wade paid her little mind, walking past the tower she perched on.

Hogsmeade had taken on some Easter decorations—eggs and rabbits were everywhere, and there were even wizarding tourists from other places.

Lupin's home was as warm as ever, with a few rabbits hopping around near the door. One red-eyed rabbit, wearing a blue outfit, sat by the entrance and curiously watched the two approach.

Wade crouched down, reached out to poke it, and asked, "Is Sirius not here?"

"He's out buying supplies. To ensure the Animagus transformation is safe, there are some preparations we need to make," Lupin explained.

He picked some vegetables and lettuce from his garden, directed them to hop into the sink for a thorough wash, and then onto the cutting board to prepare for cooking.

The knife immediately jumped up and rhythmically chopped the vegetables with a series of thuds.

Wade glanced at the bookshelf and noticed several new additions, such as "Cooking Magic," "Delicious Things Require the Right Magic," and "A Complete Guide to Household Magic."

These kinds of magic, though highly practical, weren't part of the Hogwarts curriculum. Wizards interested in them had to learn on their own.

Wade went upstairs to put away his luggage and changed into comfortable, casual clothes before coming back down. As he descended, the sound of an engine roaring came from next door.

At the same time, the scent of food wafted out from the kitchen, and soon after, Lupin emerged from within.

The two of them headed next door and found Sirius Black had returned. His appearance was astonishingly stylish—

He was clad in a black leather jacket and boots, wearing sunglasses, with his black hair flying in the wind behind him.

Sirius was astride a massive red motorcycle adorned with golden lion patterns. It was clear he'd made numerous modifications to it because Wade couldn't even tell which brand it originally was.

Wade squinted—if his eyes weren't deceiving him, Sirius had just descended from the sky.

"Sirius," Lupin said helplessly, "you know the Ministry of Magic prohibits the misuse of Muggle items."

Sirius waved off the concern nonchalantly. "I had myself and the bike invisible under a Disillusionment Charm—nobody saw us. Anyway, hey, Wade! I suppose you're ready?"

"Of course," Wade replied with a smile.

"You haven't skipped a single incantation practice, have you?" Sirius asked seriously. "No lying—it's a matter of life and death, extremely important."

"Not once," Wade assured him. "At sunrise and sunset every day, twice without fail."

"Good lad!" Sirius said, roughly ruffling Wade's hair. "Come with me; let's show you what we've got prepared."

The group walked through a wooded path, trekking for about ten minutes until they arrived at a forest valley.

Here stood a makeshift wooden cabin, leaning precariously and held upright only by magic. Vines sprawled across the area like a spider's web, leaving only a narrow pathway open.

The branches and vines above stretched out and intertwined, forming a vast net overhead. Sunlight filtered through the small gaps between the leaves, scattering down like a curtain of rain.

In the clearing, a pit filled with clear water had been dug, looking pristine and inviting.

A small deer was drinking from the pit. Their footsteps startled it, and it leaped away in a bound. Pausing at the edge of the woods, it turned back to glance at them before finally running off.

"Damn it, when did this area get opened up?" Sirius muttered irritably.

Sirius walked over, pointed his wand at the gap where the deer had entered and exited, and immediately the surrounding bushes extended and sealed the gap tightly.

"What's all this for?" Wade asked curiously.

"Didn't you say you once dreamed of flying?" Lupin replied. "Dreams during Animagus practice often carry some degree of foresight. Your animal form is likely to be a bird."

"I used to dream about running on all fours, chasing my own tail in circles. I thought I'd at least turn out to be something like a leopard…" Sirius said dejectedly as he returned, then added:

"Animagus transformations need to be practiced in the open. If you turn into a bird and fly away, and the instincts of the animal take over, making you forget to come back, where would we even begin to look for you?"

This was the greatest danger of practicing Animagus transformations—it could cause a wizard to fully become an animal, losing their self-awareness and human consciousness.

"So, to keep you from flying off, we've sealed the area," Lupin explained. "And if you turn into a fish, there's plenty of water here so you won't suffocate."

The first Animagus transformation must be done in an open space. If the transformed body is too large, a confined area could literally crush the person to death. Conversely, if the form is too small, a complex environment could make them impossible to locate.

There should also be no other creatures nearby. A newly transformed Animagus could accidentally blend in with similar animals and wander off, or worse, become prey for other creatures.

Some animal forms require extremely specific environments to survive, necessitating special arrangements.

After methodically eliminating all potential dangers, the two adult wizards had set everything up. Sirius, who was tidying up the area, suddenly sighed and asked,

"Remus, why were we so reckless back then? We didn't care about anything and just went ahead with the transformation?"

"Surviving that was a miracle! Turning into a black dog was truly a blessing…"

Not waiting for Lupin to reply, Sirius dragged out his words, clearly still shaken by the memories, as he poured two bags of sea salt into the water pit.

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