"How about some tea? Tieguanyin from the Far East."
Cornelius Fudge had recently developed a liking for this style of tea drinking, carefully filling two rows of small teacups with an air of ceremony.
"Minister, sir, I don't quite understand. I used magic at home, which is against the law, but there's no punishment?"
Harry Potter wasn't afraid of much—except being expelled from Hogwarts. Considering everything he had done before, if it weren't for Dumbledore's leniency, he could've been expelled every year.
"Don't worry. The Minister isn't going to throw you into Azkaban just because you turned your aunt into a balloon."
Do you know who I am? I'm Cornelius Fudge!I'm a good man, a benevolent man—has there ever been a better Minister for Magic than me?Following Regulus Black's advice, Cornelius Fudge had been working hard to maintain the image of a kind-hearted leader. It had paid off—more and more people at the Ministry of Magic were favoring the "good guy" Fudge.
"But on the other hand, your running away from home made the whole situation quite troublesome. We've got a murderer on the loose."
Fudge wasn't sure why, but Regulus Black had specifically told him to bring up Sirius Black.
"You mean Sirius Black? What does he have to do with me?"
Harry found it odd. Ever since he left home, there had been constant news about Sirius Black—and now it seemed to somehow involve him.
"Of course, there's no connection. You're safe, don't worry. You'll be returning to Hogwarts tomorrow. These are your new textbooks—I fetched them directly from the library. Tom can now take you downstairs to rest."
The owner of the Leaky Cauldron rather roughly pulled Harry to his feet—time to prepare a guest room.
"Harry Potter! It's quite safe here at the Leaky Cauldron—certainly better than wandering the streets. Don't go running off."
Fudge gave a final reminder. With him—the Minister for Magic—present, Aurors naturally wouldn't be far behind.
In Harry Potter's third year, aside from having the werewolf Lupin as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Hagrid also became the professor for Care of Magical Creatures. So there was a special book—The Monster Book of Monsters.
It took Harry some time to get it under control. It was a wild, biting book, behaving just like an animal. You'd either get bitten or subdue it. While there was a simple trick to pacify it—stroking its spine in the direction of its scales—many students either didn't dare open it or, like Harry, used force to suppress it. At least that way, the book would stay quiet for a while.
After taming The Monster Book of Monsters, Harry carried his trunk downstairs at the Leaky Cauldron.
A flat-faced ginger cat dashed past Harry's feet, chasing Ron Weasley's rat.
"I'm warning you, Hermione! Keep your cat under control, or I won't hesitate to turn it into a teapot."
Ron Weasley clutched his rat, Scabbers, while accusing Hermione's new pet, Crookshanks.
"Ron! Has a week away made you forget your manners? It's just a rat. Cats chasing rats is natural behavior."
Regulus Black was also returning to Hogwarts today—especially to accompany Hermione and the other girls.
"Sorry, Mr. Black."
Ron uncharacteristically admitted fault but still clutched Scabbers tightly. After all, the rat had grown up with him and was dearer to him than family.
"Your family gave me a gift from your trip to Egypt, so this is my gift for you."
Regulus Black handed Ron a hamster cage that looked like a little villa.
"It has lots of toys for the rat to play with, and even a hidden bedroom."
Regulus then turned to Harry.
"Mr. Potter, you're early this time. I trust you won't be missing the train again."
Soon, the whole Weasley family had arrived. Hermione Granger pulled Ginny Weasley aside to whisper secretively.
Ron was eagerly telling Harry all about their seven-day trip to Egypt.
"Egypt! What was it like?"
"It was amazing! So many ancient relics—mummies, pyramids—even Scabbers liked it there."
Ron Weasley was animatedly recounting many details about their travels.
Not far away, Hermione Granger was petting a cat while chatting and laughing with Ginny.
"I'm asking you, have you missed him? I heard he's been really busy this summer, so he hasn't even written much."
Hermione Granger glanced in the direction of Regulus Black, then looked back at Ginny Weasley.
"We've been corresponding. Mr. Black even asked me to help him collect some magical books from Egypt."
Ginny Weasley knew that Regulus Black was using this as a way to send her money. The amount of Galleons he gave far exceeded what would be needed just for buying souvenirs. Only someone like Ron Weasley, that clueless oaf, would think his family was suddenly rich.
But in fact, quite a few members of the Weasley family were now well-off. Ginny had been receiving money from Regulus Black for various reasons. While the amounts were significant to her, they meant nothing to him.
The young girl enjoyed collecting all sorts of items, and with the support of those Galleons, she could afford them.
During the summer holidays, Ron Weasley had played chess and helped Regulus Black win a good amount of prize money. Regulus had said Ron could keep half of it—but only once it was given to Molly Weasley. Until then, Ron could only take a small allowance.
Meanwhile, the Weasley twins were also using Regulus Black's money. They had developed a wide array of little gadgets, each one highly entertaining. Their product count was nearing the milestone of 100. Regulus Black had promised that once they hit 100 different products, he would give them a shopfront owned by the Black family in Diagon Alley.
There were already over ninety items. The few remaining were expected to be ready before the winter holidays. When the twins noticed Regulus Black looking their way, they each raised both hands and then gave a thumbs-up—90% complete on product development.
This gesture received an approving nod from Regulus Black.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley soon arrived. After the initial greetings, Arthur Weasley called Harry Potter aside.
"Harry, some of my colleagues at the Ministry think I shouldn't be telling you this, but I've also gotten support from others. I want you to understand—you are currently in great danger…"
Before taking the children to school, Arthur Weasley had met with Regulus Black at the Ministry of Magic.
Regulus had been very candid in explaining Sirius's situation to him. He told Arthur that the prison break had been part of a larger, carefully planned operation. As a senior official in the Ministry, Arthur had a duty to be informed.
"All you need to do is explain to Harry how dangerous Sirius is. Once public perception shifts, that's when Sirius will truly be free. Otherwise, my foolish brother will never figure out how to clear his own name. You were all once members of the Order of the Phoenix—do you really believe Sirius is a Death Eater?"
Once again, Regulus Black had convinced Arthur Weasley to help him by telling Harry about Sirius's supposed evil.
"Harry! Promise me, under no circumstances are you to seek him out. Swear it!"
"Mr. Weasley, why would I want to look for someone who's trying to kill me?"
Though he wasn't sure if Sirius was truly innocent, the fact that Harry agreed so quickly made Arthur Weasley feel a bit uneasy. After all, Sirius Black was Harry's godfather—and once, his own comrade in the Order of the Phoenix.
Still, it had to be said. What if Sirius Black really was a hidden Death Eater? To have escaped from Azkaban in such a dramatic way—he was the first to ever do it.
After boarding the train, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Regulus Black chose the same compartment. Before long, nearly fifty girls from different years had crowded into the space.
"How can so many people fit in one compartment?"
Ron Weasley found it utterly unbelievable.
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