A bright moon rose slowly from the sea and climbed into the sky with difficulty.
Under the cloudless night, the waves wash against the rocks on the shore one after another. When you first hear the mechanically repetitive sound of the waves, it seems to have a power that cleanses away worries, but after listening to it for a long time, it inevitably disturbs your sleep. Standing in the lighthouse on a large rock, Old John was already snoring deafeningly, while on the first floor, where the dim electric light was lit, Sirius and Amosta were still busy with some things.
The flame released by the alcohol lamp burned the crucible on the shelf. In the pewter crucible, a dark brown viscous solution was bubbling.
"Excuse me, one-fifth of an ounce of Hawklap's juice—"
Amosta looked calm and stared at the half-finished potion in the crucible. When the brown liquid bubbled up and turned into more small bubbles, he gave instructions in a calm voice.
Sirius, who was waiting carefully, immediately threw himself down on the square table by the window, squinted his eyes and rummaged through the pile of bottles and cans. Finally, he picked out a thumb-sized glass bottle and handed it to Amosta.
"What you gave me was the secretion of Spotted Mangosteen——"
Amosta didn't even raise his head, stared at the bubbles and said in a stern voice,
"That thing is a necessary ingredient for Mrs. Skoll's universal stain remover. If you want to poison your savior, I wouldn't mind putting a few drops in it, Sirius-"
Sirius felt a blockage in his heart, and he quickly retracted the hand that handed him the bottle, and searched hard on the table with his eyes.
"On your right, the light green bottle." Amosta sighed softly, feeling a little helpless.
With the accurate reminder, Sirius finally found the right thing. After dropping one-fifth of an ounce of Hokrapu's juice, the brown solution immediately turned dark green, and a thick smoke came out. Just inhaling a little bit, Sirius suddenly felt a burning pain in his throat, and Old John, who was separated by a layer of wood, also coughed violently in his sleep.
Sirius quickly opened the window and directed the acrid smoke outside. Then, he immediately looked at Amosta, wondering if it was a failure. He saw Amosta holding a wand and turning it clockwise. When he stirred the potion gradually from dark green to light green in 7 circles and then one counterclockwise, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Didn't fail?"
"Don't make such nasty jokes--"
Amosta still looked focused;
"If it weren't for the fact that I spend so much time on magic spells and don't have any extra time to focus on other subjects, I wouldn't be able to get the title of master of potions and expert on magical animals-"
Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, shrugged his shoulders, and walked towards the only stool in the living room.
"When I was at Hogwarts, I got good grades in most classes, but I didn't like the Potions class. I mainly didn't like Professor Slughorn, who taught Potions at the time. That guy was always trying to convince me to leave. Gryffindor, to Slytherin—"
"I heard something about Professor Slughorn from Dirk Cresswell, now Head of the Goblin Liaison Office at the Ministry of Magic,"
Amosta rubbed his smoky eyes,
"He seems to particularly love dealing with those talented little wizards. Haha, it's Slytherin style--"
"Objectively speaking, he is not particularly annoying, but this problem is a bit troublesome-"
Sirius said in a complaining tone. As soon as his butt touched the stool, Amosta said in an urgent voice,
"Don't be idle, five porcupine quills!"
Porcupine quills were much easier to find than Hawklap's juice, and this time, Sirius didn't make a mistake.
After Amosta put the porcupine quills into the clear solution that already had a green tint, the originally calm liquid surface began to boil again. A large amount of water vapor evaporated from the potion. The solution that was originally half a pot was visible to the naked eye. It sank quickly, and after only half a minute, there was a small group of clear liquid like autumn dew left at the bottom of the pot.
Amosta waved his wand, and the liquid automatically flew into a clean glass bottle. After extinguishing the flame, Amosta twisted his neck and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Done?"
Under the dim light, Sirius looked at the life-like, anti-gravity suspended crystal liquid in the bottle, his voice slightly nervous.
"It is true that a leg injury that has lasted for half a century is not easy to cure. Considering his age, I adjusted the concentration of the medicine. The entire repair period will last about ten days. I am afraid he will not feel too good during these days, but After these days, his legs and some hidden injuries in his body will basically be healed."
"Thanks--"
Sirius clenched the bottle tightly. He looked at Amosta who was putting the bottles on the table back into the suitcase, and smiled sincerely.
"You are even more special than Professor Slughorn, Amosta, you know what I mean, right? The people in that college have always been hostile to Muggles, but you are willing to spend your time to replace a Muggle with whom you have no friendship. The old man brews a healing potion. To be honest, if it were more than ten years ago, I would not have believed that there was such a person in Slytherin——"
Amosta had heard a lot of similar remarks. He waved his hand casually.
"It's just food for these two days. I really like the smorgasbord cooked by old John. It's even better than the elves in school."
Sirius smiled and said nothing more.
Through the glass windows covered with oil stains and dust, Amosta looked outside. Late at night, the coolness in the air caused thick fog to rise from the coast. The fog was carried by the cold wind and gradually submerged the small town built on the open land.
The moonlight became hazy, and the hazy sea seemed a bit mysterious.
Just like before setting off to the 'Place of Merlin's Eternal Rest' with the woman Vitia Cliona, Amosta had a vague feeling in his heart that he might encounter some surprising things on this trip. Turning his gaze back into the room, Amosta looked at Sirius who was secretly filling old John with medicine, with a slight hesitation in his eyes.
Going to Azkaban is not difficult for him now. As long as he applies to the Ministry of Magic in the name of academic inspection, the Ministry of Magic will not disrespect him. However, the Ministry of Magic will definitely send personnel to accompany him. If something happens, the aftermath can be difficult.
Amosta was not worried that Sirius would spread rumors about him. He was a man of love. For the sake of self-salvation, he would rather stay in Azkaban for more than ten years rather than tell the truth about his innocence. Amosta believed that he would keep his secret, but he could not grasp the risks of this journey.
After giving Old John the medicine and using magic to put the old man to sleep peacefully, Sirius breathed a long sigh of relief and bowed slightly to Old John, his eyes filled with gratitude.
If possible, Sirius was willing to take Old John to London to live with him, but from beginning to end, he did not mention a word because he knew that this sea is the destination of the old man's soul, and apart from this, Old John would not go anywhere. will go.
Looking at the messy furnishings around him, Sirius grinned in the dimness.
After Harry graduates from Hogwarts and finds a lifelong partner, he can move here and accompany this kind-hearted old man for the last part of his life.
After coming down the creaking stairs, Sirius glanced at Amosta, who was standing at the door and looking at him. With just one glance, Sirius was suddenly shocked.
He saw a strong hesitation in Amosta's eyes as he looked at him. This was not normal. He had known Amosta for a while. This guy had always been extremely decisive, and he rarely felt this kind of thing in him. mood.
"What's wrong, Amosta?"
"nothing--"
Amosta withdrew his gaze and pursed his lips.
"It's just that - I think you also know that my trip to Azkaban is not to make trouble with the dementors or the criminals in the prison. I am pursuing some things, and these things may be risky - "
Sirius suddenly realized, then smiled,
"Are you afraid of getting me involved?"
"indeed so--"
Amosta looked calm,
"I don't want to deceive you, Sirius. I don't know what we will encounter, but I can tell you for sure that if there is danger, neither I nor Dumbledore will be able to control the situation. Harry The child has finally found a relative. If something happens to you, he may collapse."
"Yeah, he's definitely going to take a hit."
Sirius smiled as if he was not the one talking about him.
"But I believe in him. Harry is as brave as his father. Even if something unexpected happens to me one day, Harry can face life bravely, and I-"
The smile on Sirius's face turned a bit naughty, which made him look a little bit like the confident young man he once was.
"Taking care of Harry is my unshirkable responsibility, Amosta, but if this is the only thing I have left to do for the rest of my life, then I might as well die in the sea!"
The light of the lighthouse dimmed slightly in the early morning light. Amosta was using magic to widen and tidy up the rusty cabin. They would spend at least two weeks on the fishing boat given to them by Old John. Without magic to strengthen and make it more comfortable, the rest of the rafting days would be impossible.
Facing the cool sea breeze, Sirius raised his head and stared at the dim starry sky, with the corners of his mouth raised,
"When can we set off, Amosta, I can't wait to go on an adventure. Oh, this feeling is really good. It reminds me of the time I had adventures in the Forbidden Forest with James and Remus!"
Covered in dust, Amosta poked his head out of the cabin with an angry look on his face.
"If you are willing to come in and help me, we can leave early!"
"oh--"
Sirius spread his hands with an innocent look on his face,
"I'm not very good at preparation. In the past, it was all the job of that traitor Peter -"
(End of chapter)
