Inside the bag was a token engraved with a single Chinese character—Zhang.
Along with it was a note, also written in Chinese.
[I am not here to ask you to fulfill your promise from all those years ago. I only wish to tell you that the war ended a long time ago, and it is time for you to visit. You cannot keep the thing left in your mind forever. You have been in hiding all these years; had you not suddenly appeared at Hogwarts as a professor, we would have thought the thing in your head had already killed you.]
Victor gently set the note down. "Unfortunately, it's not the right time yet... Old Zhang."
For years, he had lived a reclusive life, with only occasional whispers of his existence surfacing in the underworld.
It was no wonder Old Zhang thought he was dead.
He lightly rubbed his temples. Deep within lay something hidden—something designed to deceive the Dark Lord...
But the war wasn't over yet. Without knowing exactly how the Dark Lord had returned from the dead, he couldn't afford to reveal this secret.
Victor penned a reply and headed to the owlery near Ravenclaw Tower to find an owl to send it off.
"This old-fashioned way of communicating is certainly a bit of a hassle..."
Sirius Black sat panting by the roadside. He had chased Regulus through several blocks, only for the boy to slip back into the safe house at the last moment.
"I never realized the lad was such a runner. And he's so stubborn! He won't even listen to a single word I say!"
He looked at the woman standing beside him. Dorcas Meadowes was staring at the row of houses, a flicker of frustration crossing her face.
She knew the safe house was hidden among them, but she had no way of flushing Regulus out.
Sirius asked tentatively, "Did he have some sort of falling out with you? Otherwise, why would he run the moment he saw us? And... your attacks weren't exactly holding anything back..."
In fact, when they first spotted him, Regulus had looked like he wanted to speak to Sirius. But the moment he caught sight of Dorcas Meadowes, he had turned and bolted without hesitation.
He didn't even care about the brother he had been so focused on before.
Truthfully, Regulus's judgment had been spot on. Had he been a step slower, a powerful curse would have torn the boy apart...
"He ambushed me while I was weak and used the Imperius Curse to kidnap me as leverage against Victor Wick," Dorcas replied coldly.
"Er..." Sirius was stunned.
He knew Regulus had looked for Victor, but he hadn't expected him to use such methods.
"The boy... well, he spent some time with the Death Eaters. Even if he realized his mistakes later, some of his old habits haven't changed. Please, try to be patient with him..."
Now Sirius understood why Regulus had reacted so violently.
Seeing him standing with Dorcas, the boy likely assumed Sirius was there to help her settle the score. After all, their relationship hadn't been particularly deep back then, and they had plenty of disagreements.
In Regulus's eyes, it was entirely possible that his older brother would help an outsider deal with him...
'That idiot, I'm his big brother... He hasn't committed any unforgivable atrocities. Why would I hurt him?'
Dorcas turned to him, her expression blank. "The three Unforgivable Curses... if any wizard dares to use one on another human being, they are sentenced to Azkaban. He used the Imperius Curse on me... and you think he's innocent?"
Sirius knew his former colleague's temperament all too well and could only offer a placating smile. "The boy is guilty, of course! But... well, could you give him a chance for Victor's sake? You know Victor is looking for him, not trying to throw him in Azkaban."
"Victor only needs the information in his head; he never said I couldn't lock him up in Azkaban afterward," Dorcas said, unmoved.
"How about I teach him a lesson myself? I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" Sirius practically begged.
"I prefer to take my revenge personally."
Sirius felt his head throb. As the saying goes, never offend a woman lightly... and Regulus hadn't just offended one; he had crossed one of the most powerful witches in the wizarding world. Where did he get that kind of courage?
To kidnap someone while they were heartbroken and then drag them in front of their most important ex-boyfriend to be humiliated...
That was a deep grudge!
No matter how Sirius replayed the situation, he couldn't see a way to protect that brat Regulus from Dorcas.
"If all else fails, I'll just sell myself to Victor and beg him for another favor..."
Outside, Sirius was sighing in despair.
Inside the safe house, Regulus was also sighing.
"Damn it! You're my big brother! Even if we have our differences, you can't team up with my enemy to come after me!"
If anyone else were there, they might have advised Regulus to clarify the situation—perhaps by writing a letter to Sirius.
Unfortunately, the only one in the ancestral home with him was Kreacher, who had always harbored a grudge against Sirius...
Kreacher's bullfrog-like voice croaked beside him, "Master is right! The elder master is truly outrageous! How could he help an outsider harm his own family? Kreacher thinks he must be holding a grudge because the young master didn't plead for him when he was kicked out of the house."
"Don't speak of him like that! He is still your master!" Regulus snapped, glaring at Kreacher.
Kreacher shrunk back, but the look on his face betrayed his true thoughts.
Regulus felt restless, and Kreacher's words had ultimately struck a chord.
He remembered how he had been fully committed to joining the Death Eaters back then, even making extensive preparations, which had made his mother very happy.
But Sirius had been dismissive of his choices and made it clear he would fight the Death Eaters to the end.
Consequently, his name had been blasted off the family tree by their mother.
Regulus hadn't objected at the time, even thinking his mother was right...
"Sigh... in the end, it's because I failed him back then... I was wrong..." Regulus sighed deeply. "However... it's a good thing Dumbledore found Peter Pettigrew and cleared his name so he could be released from Azkaban."
In reality, many could guess that the matter wasn't as simple as the newspapers reported.
But Regulus lived in isolation, and his only sources of information besides the papers were Kreacher's scouting reports.
Information filtered through Kreacher was naturally missing many key details, so Regulus still didn't know the full truth.
"Go check again. See if they're still outside..." Regulus said weakly.
Kreacher nodded, his hunched figure vanishing on the spot...
Outside the safe house, Dorcas was still staring fixedly at the row of residences.
Beside her, Sirius was already plotting how to write a letter to Victor...
"What if..." Dorcas suddenly lowered her voice, "I just burn this whole row of houses down?"
Sirius nearly jumped out of his skin. "No, no, no! That's way too extreme! These Muggles are innocent!"
"I'll evacuate them first." The more Dorcas thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. "I'll give them the urge to move out. The Muggles who live here are wealthy; moving is no hardship for them."
She wasn't sure if the Fidelius Charm could withstand fire, but even if the flames couldn't penetrate the safe house, the smoke would flush Regulus out!
Once the fire started, there was no way Regulus could stay inside peacefully.
"My dear Miss Meadowes, Regulus is in the ancestral home, yes... but have you considered that I own a share of that house too?"
"I'll pay you back once it's over," Dorcas said flatly, her eyes already scanning the surroundings, calculating where to set up firebreaks. "Besides, the memories you have of this house aren't exactly pleasant, are they?"
"That house is very expensive!"
"It doesn't matter." Dorcas gave a small smile. "If I can't afford it, I'll borrow from Victor. Worst case, I'll spend the rest of my life by his side, doing whatever he asks."
As she reached the last sentence, the tips of her ears turned slightly red.
Sirius's face went pale.
'Lady, you're not paying a debt; you're just smuggling in your own desires!'
"There's really no need to burn my house down just to find an excuse to stick to Victor..." he hurriedly tried to talk her out of the crazy idea.
Dorcas's sharp gaze suddenly shot toward him. "You have an objection?"
"No, no!" Sirius immediately changed his tune. "I just wanted to say, I have a way for you to get what you want without burning my house!"
"You really have a way?" Dorcas looked at him suspiciously.
Sirius straightened his new clothes and smoothed his long, dashing hair, affecting a composed air. "Who didn't know I was a suave heartbreaker back in the day? I understand a man's heart much better than you do."
"Fine," Dorcas agreed crisply. "I want to see if the problem is his body or his orientation."
Sirius stumbled, nearly falling over. "I think... he's probably fine in both departments, really."
"Then tell me your plan," Dorcas pressed seriously.
"Don't be in such a hurry." Sirius acted mysterious, full of confidence. "My plan can't be revealed too early, or it won't work."
"I'll give you a week," Dorcas said coldly. "If your method works, the debt between Regulus and me is settled. If it doesn't... I'll give you a thrashing first, then go settle the score with your brother!"
"Don't worry." Sirius looked calm on the surface, but his palms were already slick with cold sweat. "Since I've dared to take this on, I won't disappoint you."
This girl was way too extreme.
Who was the one who just got out of Azkaban here?
She wasn't like this before.
Had being rejected by Victor so many times caused some sort of strange psychological shift?