The Butcher of Hogsmeade

"Brother-in-law?"

"My cousin; Narcissa Malfoy, whose real name is Narcissa Black, is the daughter of my uncle Signas Black and the current mistress of the Malfoy family." Sirius casually rattled off a long list of names and identities, showing both distance and contempt for this relative.

Here's a small detail: they were speaking English, and Sirius only used the colloquial word "uncle" without making a detailed distinction. Therefore, Shen Hou didn't realize that "uncle" and "nephew" shared the same surname, and that "cousin" was also "cousin," so he assumed Signas Black was Sirius's "uncle"—even though they were indeed distant relatives, three generations apart.

Clearly, Sirius Black was unwilling to mention that his parents were distant cousins ​​who married out of the same surname, so Shen Hou had no way of knowing. At this moment, Shen Hou's only thought was: "Wizards really have small social circles."

"The tradition of pure-blood families, the purity of wizarding blood cannot be tainted... Hmph!" Sirius Black sneered. "Muggles are out of the question, Muggle wizards are out of the question, half-bloods are out of the question, and then there are 'pure-blood traitors' to be eliminated. That leaves very few marriage partners. If you ever have the chance to see the Black family tree, you'll find that most of the names are from the Twenty-Eight Houses of the Holy Order. I remember there's even a 'Potter' among them!"

James knew his best friend's inner conflict, so he subtly steered the conversation back to the main point: "Why do you think Malfoy did that? Was it because he placed bets on the underground market, or because of... Mysterio?"

Sirius thought for a moment, then said with a hint of disdain, "I guess it's for the Mysterio, but Malfoy must have placed a huge bet in the underground gambling dens too; I know all too well what kind of person he is, a vulture in the guise of a gentleman, following behind a ferocious predator, circling over corpses and blood, gnawing on the carrion left behind by the predator."

"You mean, he won't... at least isn't willing to participate in the fight himself, and only wants to reap the benefits?"

"Yes, that's his nature. If he really did follow the Mystic and become a Death Eater... well, although there's no proof, I can say with absolute certainty that he is a Death Eater!" Sirius showed no respect for his cousin-in-law whatsoever. "There may be some fanatical pure-blood believers among the other Death Eaters, but the Malfoys... humph, they must have seen the huge financial rewards first before their boundless enthusiasm for their faith erupted."

"Could the mysterious figure tolerate someone like this?"

"No matter what kind of person he was to begin with, once he becomes a Death Eater, the Mystic will mold him into whoever he wants him to be." Alastor stood up and shooed Mundungus away. "Alright, message delivered. You should go now."

"You can't do this! I'm risking my life! You should at least provide me with a safe house!" Mundungus complained incessantly, but he couldn't stop Alastor from kicking him out.

A short while later, Alastor returned alone, his expression grave: "Alright, bringing Mundungus here was just an excuse. Now we can talk about something more important."

Sirius asked, "Is there anything more important right now than the Death Eaters murdering Shen?"

"This is one of them; the situation is much more serious than we anticipated. We don't know how many gamblers have been incited, or who or when they will suddenly make their move. There is too much uncertainty. We can no longer use Shen as bait—at least not before the one-month deadline. Dumbledore believes that Shen must be protected with the Faithful Charm."

"Loyalty... What curse?" Shen Hou would often feel a pang of emotion, realizing how difficult his life in the magic world was; his current state was like someone in 2026 asking what smartphones were for.

Alastor waved his hand, not only refusing to explain himself but also interrupting James, who was about to explain: "Let me finish. James, you too, you, Lily, and little Harry, must be protected with the Faithful Charm."

"Why am I included?" James asked, puzzled, while Sirius looked tense and concerned.

Alastor still didn't explain: "Dumbledore specifically instructed you to go to the castle to see him and he would explain to you personally; he also said you know which way to go in and not to be seen by anyone."

"I want to go too," Sirius said firmly.

James was not surprised by Sirius's request, but he did not agree immediately. Instead, he looked at Alastor.

"I must go with James," Sirius emphasized again in a stronger voice.

Alastor hesitated for a moment, but quickly made his decision, waving his hand and saying, "Then go ahead. Dumbledore didn't say only James was allowed. And I don't need to ask to guess that the path James knows, you must also know—though I don't."

"If you want to know, you can ask Dumbledore," Sirius said with a broad smile, beaming with pride.

"Shall we go now?" James asked.

"Of course, we'll have to wait until after curfew tonight. Dumbledore's 'anyone' includes students and professors as well."

"Actually, even after curfew, we might still run into students." James smiled, his eyes filled with nostalgia, as if he had just remembered something.

"Then let's use the Oblivion Charm on them. Students who break curfew don't deserve pity," Alastor said sullenly, making James and Sirius exchange bewildered glances.

"Hey, since we're all free, can anyone explain to me that curse called 'Loyalty' or something?" Shen Hou looked at the three wizards expectantly.

"The Charm of Loyalty," James said. "A spell to keep secrets. Any secret can be hidden with this spell, and as long as the person responsible for keeping the secret doesn't reveal it, no one can find it."

"So you mean this spell, meant for keeping secrets, can also be used to protect my safety?"

"Of course, isn't your whereabouts a secret?"

Shen Hou pondered James's answer several times before finally grasping its deeper meaning, and was shocked: "So this 'secret' is actually a very broad concept. As long as you think it's a 'secret,' you can use a spell to hide it and prevent anyone from discovering it?"

"That's right, unless the 'secrecy officer' responsible for maintaining the confidentiality leaks the information on their own initiative."

Shen Hou was so excited that he blurted out, "If we treat someone's existence as a secret, wouldn't that person become 'invisible' and completely disappear from the world?"

James and Sirius both laughed: "Are you worried about disappearing from this world? No, theoretically that's true, but in reality it's impossible."

Why?

"Because that exceeds the limits of a wizard's 'will' and 'magic'; even Dumbledore probably couldn't cast the Faithful Charm to that extent. There have been wizards in history who suffered backlash for exceeding their limits; indeed, anyone, anything, and any thing can be called a secret, but not every secret is suitable for being put into the Faithful Charm."