Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

"Such a thing actually happened? So you were hiding in that 'Requirement' room all night, which is why we couldn't find you at all?"

“Of course, I’m hiding in Eric’s box.” Sirius shrugged. “Even if you find me, without proof and without the Marauder’s Map, you won’t believe me.”

Lupin scratched his head awkwardly, but did not deny it.

Of course.

Yesterday, he was a professor at Hogwarts. If he met Sirius Black, he certainly wouldn't believe him just because he said he was innocent.

Fortunately, Eric had prepared a Marauder's Map in advance.

Marauder's Map was created by the four of them themselves.

Lupin may not believe Sirius Black, but he will believe the Marauder's Map.

Chapter 69 Worry

"Speaking of boxes, who would use the Unseen Stretch Charm to create such a large space inside an ordinary box?" Sirius asked, pointing at Eric's box.

Lupin glanced at Eric's Falco travel trunk and said thoughtfully, "I knew there was something wrong with that trunk of his, otherwise why would he take it everywhere?"

"No, that's not the key point. The key point is that he also put a Dementor inside!" Sirius exclaimed angrily.

Lupin was shocked and looked sharply at Eric, hesitating to speak. "Dementors?"

He really wanted to ask Eric where he got all those strange and unusual things, but having just reconciled with Eric, he was too embarrassed to ask.

Eric retorted matter-of-factly, "So what if it's a Dementor? It can't move."

“They certainly can’t move, but a stationary Dementor is far more terrifying than one that can!” Sirius said. “Don’t you know I’m allergic to these things?”

This is not a lie.

Having spent so much time in Azkaban, not just Sirius Black, anyone would develop PTSD about Dementors.

There's a saying that goes, "Those who spend their lives in Azkaban are either already insane or on their way to insane."

Sirius Black hid inside the box and saw a headless Dementor hanging there. Luckily, he had strong self-control, so he didn't lose control of his magic and blow up the Room of Requirement on the spot.

Despite the cage that Eric had conjured up, the presence of the Dementors was unmistakable.

If it were someone else, it's really hard to say.

Eric said, "You're lucky there's a place for you to hide. Do you think the commotion you've caused is insignificant? You might as well just yell and tell everyone that Black is at Hogwarts."

Lupin understood and asked, "Are they the ones that broke into the Hogwarts Express?"

Eric nodded.

Lupin was speechless; Eric was simply outrageous.

If he dared to catch a Dementor in first grade, it's hard to imagine what he would dare to do in the future.

Wait a minute...

Lupin then wondered if Eric had just pointed his wand at him.

If you dare to confront the professor with your wand, then catching a few Dementors doesn't seem like a big deal, right?

Well, thinking about it that way, Lupin felt much better.

"Forget about Eric's box for now, your plan won't work, Sirius," Lupin said. "No, you don't have a plan at all. You're still the same as before, just acting on your gut feeling."

Sirius Black said coldly, "I don't believe you could tolerate it if you were in my position and suddenly found out that Peter was in Hogwarts."

Lupin shook his head: "Of course I'll go to him too, but first, we have to be prepared, at least to inform Dumbledore about this."

Sirius said somewhat angrily, "It's not too late to inform Dumbledore after we've captured Peter. Lupin, Dumbledore isn't you. He won't immediately believe the Marauder's Map. He was even planning to send you to capture me yesterday."

"That's because you're still a wanted criminal, and there's nothing he can do about it. We just need to tell Dumbledore the truth, and he'll naturally believe you..."

Eric interrupted their discussion with a smile: "If I may be so bold, gentlemen, I'm afraid things aren't that simple."

The two of them turned to look at Eric.

Eric said, "I agree that Dumbledore is willing to believe Sirius. In any case, you will find a way to let Dumbledore know the truth about what happened back then. It won't be difficult."

"But this raises a question: what should Dumbledore do after he learns the truth?"

Sirius didn't understand: "What kind of talk is that? Of course Dumbledore would agree to send Peter to Azkaban."

Eric shook his head. "You're oversimplifying things, Sirius. Even if we assume he's willing to reveal the whole truth and clear your name, there will inevitably be a process..."

Sirius still didn't understand: "All Dumbledore has to do is issue a statement; with his reputation, it's a very simple matter."

Lupin suddenly realized and said, "You mean, the Ministry of Magic?"

“Yes.” Eric nodded. “Dumbledore is now the headmaster of Hogwarts, so theoretically he doesn’t have much power in the Ministry of Magic.”

"While his attitude is certainly important in clearing Sirius's name, ultimately it still needs the endorsement of the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore certainly doesn't care, but the Ministry of Magic, as the party responsible for sending Sirius to Azkaban, will naturally not be willing to admit their mistakes."

"That's the difference between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore doesn't represent the Ministry of Magic; on the contrary, he needs to cover up some of the Ministry's dirty deeds."

"Whether it's the malicious attack more than a decade ago or the fact that Peter is an illegal Animagus, either of these would be a major blow to the Ministry of Magic's reputation if made public."

Sirius asked in confusion, "So what? Eric, you don't belong to the Ministry of Magic."

Lupin chimed in, "The current Minister of Magic, Fudge, is one of Dumbledore's men..."

No wonder Sirius didn't understand.

When he went to prison, the war was still going on. At that time, Fudge was just a mid-to-high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, not yet the minister.

After he was imprisoned, Voldemort died, and consequently, the Order of the Phoenix, which Dumbledore founded to fight Voldemort, ceased its activities.

But Lupin was, after all, a key member of the Order of the Phoenix, and he communicated with Dumbledore frequently, so he was aware of the relevant intelligence.

Furthermore, Lupin's thinking is more nuanced than Sirius's.

With just a little prompting from Eric, he had already figured out the key points.

Indeed, Sirius's case seems simple, but to handle it satisfactorily and achieve the desired outcome, they really can't just hastily report it to Dumbledore.

Because Dumbledore was not aware on the surface that Sirius was innocent.

Doing so would force Dumbledore to take immediate action to restore Sirius's reputation.

He had no choice.

A former member of the Order of the Phoenix, who had been loyal to him, was wrongfully imprisoned and now appeared before him. Dumbledore certainly wouldn't leave Sirius Black unattended.

This is tantamount to passing the buck to the Ministry of Magic, or to put it bluntly, putting the Ministry of Magic in a very difficult position.

In the past few months, under the direction of the Ministry of Magic, there has been an overwhelming amount of media coverage about Sirius Black.

While it might not be universally known, it's certainly a household name.

Sirius Black had a completely negative image in the newspapers.

Murderer, Death Eater, Dark Wizard...

It can be as terrifying as it gets.

Is there going to be a major reversal in public opinion?

Putting everything else aside, the Ministry of Magic has definitely lost face.

Or rather, being slammed to the ground and then stomped on twice.

Although Sirius Black was wrongly accused, the matter is neither insignificant nor insignificant.

To put it simply, these events occurred during the tenure of previous ministers, and it was during wartime, so the responsibility cannot be attributed to the current minister, Fouché.

However, if the matter escalates, it could be a devastating blow to the Ministry of Magic's reputation.

It's not impossible that Fouché will resign and step down as a result.

Public opinion can be terrifying at times.

Chapter 70 The Guarantee of the Soul

“Even if they are forced, under pressure from public opinion, to admit that Sirius is innocent, how to deal with you afterwards will be a huge problem,” Eric said. “The Ministry of Magic imprisoned you for twelve years. Should they compensate you? If so, how do we discuss and determine the content and time limit of the compensation? These are all problems.”

"Of course, the most crucial thing is that we absolutely cannot leak the information in advance."

"Don't forget, this is a school. If we ask to meet with Dumbledore, the news won't stay hidden."

“Peter knows Lupin, and he knows that Lupin is at school. Sirius, you failed to break into the Gryffindor common room before, and now Lupin is rushing to find Dumbledore. Peter will definitely be on guard.”

"He escaped from you once, Sirius. Peter may not have many other merits, but he must be very good at escaping. He's a mouse, after all."

Sirius, growing impatient, said, "So you mean we can't pass this problem on to Dumbledore right now, right?"

Lupin thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, saying, "Eric is right. We did not consider things thoroughly beforehand. We should capture Peter first and then notify Dumbledore."

Eric shook his head again and laughed, "No, we could have done that before Sirius broke into Gryffindor, but there's no need for it now."

"What do you mean?" asked Lupin.

Eric explained, “None of you realize that we have a huge advantage over Peter because he doesn’t know that we’ve joined forces to capture him.”

"Everyone except us believes that Sirius Black escaped from prison to kill Harry."

"Peter knew, of course, that Sirius had come to seek revenge, but he was unaware that he had been exposed. On the contrary, in order to conceal his presence as much as possible, from this day forward, Peter would not leave Ron's side easily under any circumstances."

“He’s only safe if he stays with Ron. After all, we can’t ask for his pet in front of him, and there’s no reason for us to do so.”

“We are in the dark, Peter is in the light, and we also have the Marauder’s Map. Considering all the troubles mentioned earlier, we don’t actually need to rush. We can wait until the opportunity comes when we can solve all the problems at once before we take action.”

"It's just that Sirius will have to stay in my box for now."

Lupin and Sirius both fell silent after hearing this.

Sirius had reached the point closest to Peter, but was asked to stop and wait.

Although Eric's analysis defied common sense, it was flawless.

Indeed, after Sirius's outburst, Peter will never show his face easily again. It's actually quite difficult to catch him without attracting the attention of others.

On the other hand, Peter's fixed hiding place actually saved them time in locating Peter's position during their operations.

Besides, Eric has the Marauder's Map now, so they can find Peter at any time.

As long as he is still at Hogwarts.