Daily News: The Prophet of Hogwarts

Chapter 314 Heroes and Funerals

Sirius Black arrived in a flustered state. Although he was extremely dissatisfied with everything about the Black family, Regulus was, after all, his brother.

But unexpectedly, there was one more person.

"Who is this?" Ryan could sense that the magic contained within this down-and-out, somewhat aged wizard was different from that of ordinary wizards.

"Remus Lupin, my best brother. He's been staying at my house lately, helping me pack. He used to be a Gryffindor student too, and he's on good terms with James. He wanted to see Harry, so he came over tonight."

Behind Sirius Black followed a small figure; clearly, the dirty, somewhat aged house-elf was Kreacher.

"Harry should be in the Gryffindor common room right now, Mr. Lupin. You can go there to find him." Lane narrowed his eyes, noticing some subtle characteristics in Lupin.

He then added, "If nothing else is happening, you can wait two more hours until dawn. Something big is going to happen, which may be good news for Mr. Lupin."

"Me? What good things could I possibly have?" Lupin chuckled self-deprecatingly. He was born to be the revenge of the werewolf leader, and for all these years he had been cautious and prudent. The happiest time for him was when he was studying at Hogwarts with his friends.

But later—

My friends are either dead or scattered.

Even after Voldemort was completely defeated, he himself was still destitute.

Ryan, with a slight frown, looked genuinely troubled. Even Lupin, who wasn't well-informed, knew the weight on the shoulders of this boy who was about the same age as them back then.

But he couldn't see the slightest wavering on Ryan's face. It was a spirit that said, "Though there be thousands, I will go."

He smiled and said, "I understand, thank you. May I speak with Sirius for a few minutes?"

"Please make yourselves at home. We'll meet at the Adventurers' Club later. Mr. Black should know where it is. I'll be waiting for you there, along with Mr. Kreacher."

Lupin watched as Ryan vanished from their side with a snap, not wondering how he had done it, but instead asking Blake, "Do you think we had that kind of ambition to shoulder the whole world when we were his age?"

"I thought he would be terrified after what happened today—" Sirius Black, a quintessential Gryffindor, whose courage and unreliability were also in line with the qualities of a lion.

But at this moment, he put himself in Ryan's shoes and thought that if he had broken the secrecy law to the point of no return, he would never have been as nonchalant as Ryan.

Both he and Lupin could see that Ryan only looked tired, not worried at all, and instead, they could see eagerness in his eyes.

"Honestly, now I understand why Harry idolizes him so much." Black shrugged. "Even though he's so close to that guy, I can't help but like him a little."

"So if you see Snape next, you must control your temper. You really can't beat either of them," Lupin repeatedly warned.

"Okay, got it. You go see Harry first, Kreacher and I will go find him."

In the Gryffindor common room, the little lions couldn't sleep at all because the people who attended the Adventurers' Club gathering had spread the news of the day, and all the little lions were in a strange state of excitement. Harry was also in the crowd discussing it with his friends.

Suddenly, someone came from outside and said they were looking for him. Harry followed the middle-aged man outside, puzzled. He wasn't worried that the man was a kidnapper, after all, this was Hogwarts, and he was Harry after being enhanced by the Voldemort fragments.

Adventurers' Club.

As soon as Sirius entered the room, he saw a pale corpse lying on the floor.

Ryan paid little attention to Blake, whose eyes held a thousand unspoken words, and asked directly, "Mr. Kreacher, did Regulus take you to a black lake and a place in the middle of the lake with a green light source liquid, and then give you the order to destroy a small box?"

Kreacher was very cautious and refused to say a word.

This is when Black has to step in. Under the ancient magical contract, Kreacher is forced to reveal the truth: Regulus had taken him to a cave in the cliff, ordered Kreacher to drink the potion, and then ordered him to leave and find a way to destroy the locket.

"And then?" As he listened to Kreacher's story, Sirius Black gripped the cold corpse on the ground tightly. He already had one brother who had died, and another who had betrayed him.

And now he has discovered that his own brother, whom he considered a complete stranger, is actually on the same path as him.

When the topic of Regulus came up, Kreacher broke down in tears.

Ryan couldn't help but suspect that if Blake had died, Creech might have thrown a small celebration.

What happened next is quite clear. According to the house-elf's account, he tried everything but failed to destroy the locket until Black returned to the family. In order to give Harry a good living experience, he cleaned up the junk, that is, he sold all the old antiques that were associated with the concept of pure blood.

So, that locket was thrown out the door.

Sirius Black's fingernails dug deep into his palms. He was speechless because he had personally thwarted a hero's last wish.

"What's that locket?" he asked in a trembling voice. He desperately wanted Ryan to tell him the truth, and he longed to make amends.

He wanted to make amends for his mistakes, but he was also terrified of the truth Ryan would reveal, which he would find hard to accept.

Ryan didn't speak, but patted Blake on the shoulder: "What's done is done, let it go. I think the most important thing now is to give Mr. Regulus a fitting funeral, so that the world knows Mr. Regulus's story and his heroic status."

Although Black was an impulsive lion, he also had a smart enough mind. He knew very well that deeds like Regulus's, which had no evidence, would not necessarily be accepted by the world.

His already pained eyes were now filled with fear, afraid that his younger brother would bear an undeserved stigma and never find peace.

"There's no need to worry about the world's inability to accept it. I will exonerate Mr. Regulus in my own name. The principal will also attend Mr. Regulus's funeral. It's what he deserves."

Ryan's tone left no room for argument. He looked directly into Black's eyes, as if declaring some kind of truth: "Mr. Black, please remember. Mr. Regulus died for justice, and his name should live on. Anyone who dares to question this will be my enemy."

"So go ahead and do it, issue the obituary in Blake's name."

He seemed to be saying things that Blake couldn't understand, intentionally or unintentionally: "Many people will know about Mr. Regulus's funeral, so we must show respect for the hero."

Blake didn't understand, but Regulus was his younger brother, so he would naturally take care of everything after his death.