"So, you're leaving already?" Sirius asked Remus, leaning against the small garden gate of the Balasko's house.
"Yes, now that I made sure you're okay and well informed, I have to go back to Scotland and report to Dumbledore... Why don't you come back with me? We could stopover in Germany at your friend's house, then to Normandy before crossing the sea." Remus suggested, tapping him on the shoulder.
"It would be a pleasure to travel with you, Remus, but..." Sirius said uncertainly.
"But what?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't think I'm here by a mere coincidence. The events and encounters that have taken place since my escape have somehow changed me." Sirius said. "I don't know if you know what I mean."
"More or less…However, there is something you need to pay attention to," Remus said.
"What it is?" Sirius asked.
"You've always been the kind to run straight into trouble, but I hope you're aware that we're not in school anymore and that one mistake can cost you your life," Remus said.
"I know that, but I still don't care," Sirius said
"Be reasonable..." Remus said, exasperated before being interrupted by Sirius.
"I'm not saying this childishly, Remus. I don't want to get ahead of myself, I could be wrong, but I'm starting to believe that I'm where I need to be and what has happened to me since my incarceration was meant to happen." Sirius said seriously.
"What are you talking about?" Remus curiously asked.
"I think I've unwittingly started down a path that will teach me a lot about myself and the world. I want to see it through, which is why my return to Britain will have to wait." Sirius said.
"It's bizarre to see you so serious," Remus said as he examined him.
"It had to happen someday, right?" Sirius said with a smile, pulling out a sealed red envelope from his back pocket and handed it to his friend. "Do me a favour, stopover in Germany and deliver this howler to Alexa."
"Why would I do that?" Remus asked.
"To make amends for believing, I was guilty and betraying our marauder's oath by accepting a position at Hogwarts. To clear your honour." Sirius said, drawing a sigh from Remus, who accepted the envelope.
"Something tells me you'll always come up with this excuse to make me do things I'm uncomfortable with," Remus said.
"And the one for accepting the prefect badge," Sirius added as he opened his arms wide.
"What do you want?" Remus asked suspiciously.
"Come give me a hug," Sirius said.
"No," Remus said.
"Come give Padfoot a hug," Sirius said as he walked over to Remus with his arms wide open.
"Don't come any closer. I'll bite you, I swear!" Remus said too late, Sirius' arms closing around him, hugging him tightly.
"Let us know if we're bothering you." A voice said behind Sirius, who released his friend.
Balasko, Worple, Belby, Joan, Red and Florin had joined them outside with Worple and Belby's suitcases, who had also scheduled their departure for the same morning to return to their responsibilities back home or benefit from the free portkey that Dumbledore had made available for Remus.
"Yes, you are! We were having a real moment here!" Sirius scold them.
"On the contrary, you're saving me from his skunk smell," Remus said.
"Mr Black..." Belby said as he took off his hat and held out his right hand to him.
"Lord Black." Sirius corrected.
"I apologize, Lord Black. It has been a real pleasure. I hope we meet again very soon." Belby said as he shook Sirius' hand.
"To fund this research," Worple said as he shook Sirius' hand, ignoring the dark look Belby gave him. "Lord Black, I would be honoured to invite you for tea someday, to discuss your exploits, maybe I could write your biography."
"And so that I may remind you that you are in debt to me," Sirius added, borrowing Worple's fake polite voice.
"Sirius... Excuse me, Lord Black..." Florin said as he walked towards Sirius.
"For you, it's Sirius or mate," Sirius said as he shook Florin's hand, which he was surprised to find lukewarm.
"Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return the favour." Florin said.
"I will be satisfied if you take good care of yourself, Florin. Besides, I see that your face has regained some colour." Sirius noticed.
"Thanks to Denise, Worple and Belby. I feel like I'm back to normal. Except that I can jump as high as a building, and I drink three gallons of cow blood a day. And it's not Florin anymore, but Sanguini from now on." Florin said.
"And why is that?" Sirius asked.
"I think it's best to start a new life and blend into the world I belong to from now on. So we're going to make a little detour to Cluj to visit my family, and then I'm leaving for good to England with Worple." Florin said.
"You don't have to start a new life. Florin is not dead. He just evolved like everyone does at some point in life." Sirius said as he laid a hand on Florin's shoulder.
"What you have become is nothing to be ashamed of, Florin, you will see that with time you will learn to love what you have become, and with the help of your friends and family, you will not want to change anything about yourself. "Remus said.
"Thank you. To both of you." Florin said to Sirius and Remus, shaking Remus' hand.
"It's amazing how moving you can be Remus, it's like if you know what you're talking about. You make me want to cry now." Sirius said.
"Zip it!" Remus said curtly. "Well, the sun will be up soon. It's time to get going if we don't want our Florin to cook like a fried egg." Remus said gently as he picked up his suitcase. "Denise, Ludovik, thank you so much for your hospitality! Do you have any message for Professor Dumbledore?"
"Tell him he can go fuck himself," Ludovik said, receiving a blow on the head from his sister.
"It's been a pleasure having you here Remus, take care of yourself, and give our regards to Professor Dumbledore," Denise said warmly to Remus, who bowed politely to her.
"He's polite as well...more seriously. Take care Remus, It was great having seen you again. Tell Dumbledore to send me my wand." Sirius said to his friend.
"Your wand must still be at Azkaban or maybe they have sent it to your vault, I'll look for it. Sirius, do what you must do, then get back home. Maybe Dumbledore will have changed his mind about Harry by then." Remus said.
"Don't worry about it Remus, what matters is that he is safe and happy. Sooner or later, he will go to Hogwarts, and we will get plenty of time to know each other." Sirius said.
"Thank you, Sirius, for not making this more difficult than it is already. It's like you've become a real adult." Remus said.
"Fuck you," Sirius said with a smile.
The group greeted each other, Belby offered Denise some rare seeds while she hugged Florin tightly, Worple told one last disgusting joke to Balasko, Red and Joan, and then the little group disappeared after touching the portkey.
"I miss them already," Red said.
"we'll see them around some time," Joan said.
"When are you leaving?" Sirius asked.
"I'm leaving soon. As promised, Gregorovitch has agreed to take me on as an apprentice, but I have to wait until September to start." Red said.
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"He says that he is overworked in August because it is the month when Durmstrang students and other schools in Central and Eastern Europe buy their school supplies. So he won't have any time to take care of me. However, he sent me a list of ingredients and materials to get him to keep me busy. Red replied, showing him a list.
"I see...He wants to familiarize you with the field and introduce you to the raw material suppliers." Ludovik said as he consulted the list.
"In a way, your training has already started", Denise added.
"Are you serious?" Red asked them excitedly.
"Yes, follow me inside! I must have an address book somewhere!" Ludovik said as he left for the house, Red tailing him.
"Don't stay out too long, you two; I'll be serving breakfast soon," Denise said to Sirius and Joan.
"We'll help you," Sirius said as he started walking with her.
"That's very kind of you, Sirius, but I think Joan has been waiting for a chance to talk to you alone for a few days. Denise said as she smiled at Joan.
"Thank you, Denise," Joan told her politely.
Sirius walked back to Joan and waited until Denise was back in the house to talk. The young man had his head up toward the sky where the sun had just appeared on the horizon.
"What's going on?" Sirius asked.
"I'm sorry, Sirius, I haven't been honest with you. Joan replied.
"What have you done?" Sirius asked.
"I lied to you...about you know what. I lied to all of you." Joan said.
"You knew about the Ravenclaw tomb?" Sirius asked, surprised.
"No! I swear it was really unexpected! I knew there was something particularly important under the castle, but I didn't expect to find her tomb there. Joan said as he turned to face him.
"So what?" Sirius asked.
"The stele we found behind the tomb, the one that we can't read," Joan said.
"What's so important about it?" Sirius asked.
"Well... that's the problem, I have no idea! No one can decipher those steles." Joan replied.
"What do we care about that? Wait...Are there more?" Sirius asked, puzzled.
"Yes. I don't know how many there are in total, but they're scattered all over the world. Dracula's treasure was the stele under his castle or maybe the tomb; there was never any gold. Joan said.
"I don't understand! What does one have to do with the other, and why does it seem so important to you? I sealed the castle and promised you not to tell anyone about it. It will stay there forever in safety. "Sirius said.
"I don't think those steles are supposed to remain hidden. I think the treasure lies in the message they carry. Once, when I was a child, I overheard a conversation between my great-grandfather and my grandfather. Both were high ranked officials at the Russian Ministry of Magic. They were terribly angry that a study they had been conducting for decades had been shut down without any explanation and their research confiscated. The next day they were both forced to confess publicly to conspiring against the nation and then placed under house arrest and forbidden to receive any visit." Joan said.
"I'm sorry, but without wanting to sound like an ass, I was under the impression that people accused of that kind of crime were systematically executed instead. "Sirius remarked.
"You're not wrong, but in this case, the goal was to humiliate them. Joan said.
"I see... So they were working on those steles? Sirius asked.
"I'm sure they were! In his own words, my great-grandfather believed that the history of these steles is closely related to doors or veiled passages. The word he used in Russian can be interpreted differently depending on the context of the sentence. I was a curious kid, so I went into his office at night and borrowed these sketches...This is all the Aurors didn't take away a few hours later." Joan said as he unfolded a parchment and handed it to Sirius.
Sirius' eyes immediately fell on the top of the page, which bore the exact design of the archway he saw a year earlier in Germany and a few days earlier in the masters' bedroom at Count Dracula's castle. But, unfortunately, the text that spanned the entire page was unreadable. On closer examination, he realized that the writing was the same as the one on the stele, but when he turned the page over to examine the text on the back, his eyes opened wide. Two words had been underlined, and two lines were drawn in pencil that went to the margin of the page where two drawings were clumsily scribbled, one of which he recognized immediately. The coat of arms of his own family.
"The other belongs to the princes of Wallachia, which is what brought me here. Then you appeared from anywhere! You! The last living member of house Black! For me, it couldn't be a coincidence. I thought you had come to the castle seeking refuge because you knew something about it. So I insisted on patrolling with you to keep an eye on you. I was sure you knew more than you were letting us know. But, then, the wall that hides the entrance to the tomb only reacted to your blood! So now I ask you, what do you know?" Joan asked, his eyes imploring.
After a moment of silence, Sirius lifted his head from the parchment and answered Joan sincerely, "Joan, I swear I don't know anything about this. I had no idea what we were going to find in the castle. I'm just as clueless as you, even though I am also intrigued as to why that wall opened to me."
"Come on! You must know something! There are no legends in your family? Did your parents ever tell you anything? Perhaps a children story?" Joan asked.
"Nothing, except an obsession with blood status...Besides, since I entered Hogwarts, our relationship became very bad until I ran away from home and got disowned. I'm sorry, Joan, but I ended up here completely by accident." Sirius said.
"I believe you...I did realize that you looked lost down in the tomb." Joan said.
"What do you think these stelae represent?" Sirius.
"Well, it seems obvious to me that they carry valuable knowledge...stories or information that someone is trying to acquire or destroy. I have no idea who carved them and why but what I am sure of is that they are ancient." Joan said.
"I don't know if this will help you, but I have seen one of these arches before last year. It was guarded by the gorgon. I must warn you, if you find one, don't go near them. They are dangerous." Sirius said.
"Really? A real one? Why dangerous?" Joan asked.
"It had a bewitching power. I was drawn to it. I felt like it wanted me to go cross it." Sirius said.
"And how did you resist its power? Joan asked, puzzled.
"I heard the voices of my brothers and sister, warning me. Things happened very quickly. To be honest, the gorgon attacked, and the fight started. I had to run away right after." Sirius said.
"I see...did you see a stele nearby?" Joan asked.
"No...The whole clearing was filled with the victims of the gorgon, and I wasn't looking for it...I may have walked past one without noticing. However, you know, since I can move around freely, we could go check it out, and I could pay a visit to my friend. What do you think?" Sirius asked.
"No... That's impossible. The area is off-limits. The German ministry for magic has built an office there." Joan said.
"I'm sorry I can't help you more. When I get back to London, I plan to stop by and pick up some of the stuff I left at my parents' house. Once there, I'll take the opportunity to look through my father's office and let you know if I find anything interesting." Sirius said as he returned the parchment to him.
"Thanks, Sirius," Joan said.
"My pleasure. It also means you'll owe me four favours instead of three." Sirius added.
"No problem!" Joan said.
"I was just kidding..." Sirius said. "Are you planning to go back to Russia soon?"
"I don't know... I miss my country and my family, but I am determined to continue my research. However, I am afraid to make a wrong move and draw the attention of the authorities towards my family and me." Joan said.
"I understand...Do you want my opinion?" Sirius asked.
"Of course!" Joan said.
"Your intuition led you here, and you found what you were looking for, Am I right?" Sirius said.
"Yes, kind of," Joan said.
"And in the same place, you found Rowena Ravenclaw's tomb with a message from her, right? Sirius asked.
"That's right," Joan said.
"Isn't there a moment when you think that the next step would be to look more closely into Hogwarts's history and its founders?" Sirius asked.
"Sirius! Bloody hell! That's a great idea!" Joan said.
"I know, it happens sometimes... But, come on, let's get inside! I'm starving!" Sirius said.
Hogwarts, Headmaster's office. Two days later, 10 am.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Professor Dumbledore. I'm sorry to bother you during the summer break. I imagine it's the only time of year you manage to find a moment for yourself. Told him the old man who just took place in front of him in his office.
"On the contrary, it's a pleasure to see you back here at Hogwarts. How many years since you last visited the castle?" Albus Dumbledore asked in a warm voice as two lemonades appeared on the desk.
"A little over five years... The day I resigned from the school board." The man replied as he took a sip of lemonade.
"Your resignation this morning from the Wizengamot was also quite a surprise. Dumbledore added.
"Yes, I know. I assure you it was a thoughtful decision." The man replied.
"Is there anything I can say to make you change your mind, our community need someone of your standing today more than ever." Dumbledore said.
"I apologize, professor, but this is the right moment for me to retire." The man said.
"Irresponsible!" A slim man scolded him from a painting hanging up on the wall next to the rest of the former directors of the establishment.
"I'm sorry, Great Uncle, but I don't have the strength for such responsibilities anymore." The man apologized and exchanged a smile with Dumbledore.
"You see me delighted to see you again. However, I must confess that you find me somewhat preoccupied. Your letter was rather vague, Lord Longbottom." Dumbledore asked.
"I'm sorry, but these days I get lost in my accounts. Anyway, I wanted to talk with you about Neville, my grandson." Lord Longbottom said.
"Of course. Is he doing well?" Dumbledore, his voice betraying his concern.
"Yes...in a way, it could be worse." Lord Longbottom said, unsure of how to explain what was troubling him.
"Lord Longbottom, if that's what you're worried about, I've heard the rumours... It's not customary to divulge this particular information, but I can assure you that Neville is enrolled at Hogwarts and will receive his letter on the same day like every other child his age. In children, magic randomly manifests itself. They usually use it without realizing it."
"Oh, you are wrong! Unlike my brother and Augusta, I don't really care, wizard, muggle or squib; Neville will do wonders as long as he puts his heart into it. I don't doubt it for a second." Lord Longbottom said proudly.
"You are proving to me for the hundredth time that you are one of the few people who have grasped the meaning of the word 'magic'," Dumbledore said.
"However, I am worried about something else. Recently my boy has become so withdrawn and shy that he seems terrified to speak in public, even with us, his family. I recognize that Augustina can be very severe with him at times, the old ways... But it can't be only that...I have something to confess." Lord Longbottom said.
"You can tell me anything," Dumbledore said.
Lord Longbottom closed his eyes for a long time, and when they opened again, they were filled with anger. "The night Frank and Alice were attacked in their home. Neville wasn't spared."
Few things could make Albus Dumbledore's blood run cold. However, no words came to his mouth. Because there was nothing to say, it was time to listen.
"It was not the cruciatus curse that broke my son and daughter-in-law but to watch helplessly as their one-year-old son was tortured in front of them. "Lord Longbottom said.
"I would never have imagined..." Dumbledore said before being interrupted by the raised hand of his guest, who surprisingly was smiling a little.
"No, don't imagine! You'll have nightmares about it, even you Dumbledore!" He told him. "It was too late for Frank and Alice. It's a miracle they woke up... Dumbledore! Neville not only survived, but he also survived unscathed! I had him secretly examined for months, and all the exam results are clear. His brain and all his cognitive functions are in perfect condition! I have watched him grow over the past five years, I have watched him closely for any sign, but nothing happened until two months ago when his behaviour changed dramatically!
"Forbidden spells are among the least studied because of their dangerousness and all the legal permissions one has to get from the ministry to use them, even for academic purposes... So why not bring him here to Hogwarts? I could examine him myself, call in trusted experts. We could keep it out of the books. "Dumbledore offered.
"Well, to be honest with you, I've already taken the initiative. "Lord Longbottom said.
"What have you done?" Dumbledore asked, a part of him dreading the answer.
"During his sleep, I got into Neville's mind and erased the episode in question from his memories. Lord Longbottom said slowly.
"You are aware that as talented as you are, the solution you have chosen is only temporary. Sooner or later, the memory will emerge." Dumbledore said gently.
"And by then, Neville will be older and ready to face it! You can't blame a grandfather for putting aside reason to give his grandson a few years of peace. He has the right to be happy, to be a child! You and I both know that his generation will have to step into adulthood way too early! No need to bury our heads in the sand! "Lord Longbottom pleaded.
"Lord Longbottom, is there anything I can do for you?" Dumbledore asked.
"For me? Nothing at all! For Neville, yes!" Lord Longbottom said. "I would never ask you to allow him any kind of special treatment, but please, keep an eye on him when he comes to Hogwarts."
"Sir, you talk as if..." Dumbledore said.
"I know." Lord Longbottom said.
"I promise you that as long as I am alive, I will always be there for him, whether it is before, during or after his school years," Dumbledore said.
Balasko's living room, 5 pm.
"Close your mind, Sirius", Ludovik ordered Sirius, sitting in front of him, his face tense.
"My mind is closed," Sirius said, annoyed.
"You're thinking of a sheep riding a broom," Ludovik said.
"It's because of that stupid story Red told me at lunch. I can't get the picture out of my head!" Sirius complained, running his hand through his hair.
Ludovik sighed and leaned back in his armchair. "Sirius, what we are doing is vital. Denise and the other two have agreed to let us have the house for a few hours; we should take advantage of that."
"I'm more than willing, but you haven't given me any instructions except to close my mind!" Sirius said.
"I would have thought that with your family background, you would have picked up a few things," Ludovik remarked.
"Not at all," Sirius said.
"Very well... You should have started with that. But, before we continue, can you tell me what you think legilimency and occlumency are?" Ludovik asked.
"Well, one is to read people's minds, and the other is to defend yourself against the first one," Sirius said.
"That's more or less correct, but not exactly. Actually, Occlumency is the ability to become aware of your own mind and dominate both your conscious and subconscious. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" Ludovik asked.
"Not really..." Sirius asked.
"Maybe you would understand it better this way..." Ludovik said before his eyes met his and he felt a cold chill filling him. Suddenly, after blinking, he found himself in a completely different environment from the Blasko's cosy living room.
He was running as fast as he could in a corridor with white tiles and light green painted walls. On his right, James bumped violently into a cart, knocking the glass tubes it carried to the ground, breaking them. He mouthed a quick apology to a woman and joined Sirius, who had stopped further down the road to wait for him.
"Don't stop for me! Go for it! "James shouted.
"Are you kidding me?! You're the one who should get there first!"
A few moments later, they both burst into a hospital room and froze at the scene. A sweaty redheaded woman was lying on the bed, legs spread, face sweating, red and whipping, following the instructions of a man in a white lab coat, while Peter was on his knees in a corner, vomiting in a trash bin.
"Keep pushing, Lily! I can feel the head!... I mean, I hope it's the head; otherwise, this baby going to have some big toes! Keep pushing! Breathe!" the man yelled at her.
"JAAAAAMESSSS!" Lily screamed as she saw them.
"NO! I'm doctor Nevi, Remember? Nurse! I think we're losing her!" doctor Nevi said to a woman who was assisting him.
"I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU, YOU MORON! MY HUSBAND JAMES!" Lily shouted.
"Don't stand there, dumbass! Go hold her hand or do something!" Sirius said as he pushed a pale-faced James towards Lily.
James rushed to stand next to Lily, kissed his wife on the forehead, took her hand in his, and began to cheer her on.
"I love you, Lily! You are strong! You are the best! Keep pushing!" James said, his voice barely audible over Lily's screams of pain.
"One more push!" Dr Nevi asked.
"It's almost over, my love! I love you so much! I'd do anything for you! You'll never do the dishes again! I'll take out the trash! I'll..." James said before groaning in pain as Lily bit his hand.
"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!" Lily screamed.
"I got the head!" the doctor shouted.
"MERLIN! I JUST SAW LILY'S VAGINA, AND THERE'S A HEAD STICKING OUT OF IT! IT'S HORRIBLE!" Sirius screamed, his eyes wide in horror.
"SOMEBODY TEAR HIS EYES OUT!" Lily screamed, crying.
"Where is Voldemort when we need him?" James said, scowling at his best friend.
"And it's over! "The doctor announced cheerfully, the hospital room suddenly plunging into silence, only the cries of the newborn could be heard in the world.
The nurse carefully wrapped the baby in a blanket before placing it in Lily's arms, who now was displaying a huge smile. The baby stopped crying as soon as it met its mother's skin. James delicately sat on the edge of the bed and put an arm around Lily's shoulders, looking at her son with a look of wonder.
"Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Potter, I'll give you a moment of privacy." Dr Nevi said gently before leaving the room followed by the nurse.
"Yeah...uh... I'll wait outside too. Congratulations! "Sirius said.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius. Come meet your Godson! "Lily told him nicely.
He walked towards them , his feet shaking, but found himself back in the Balasko's living room, in front of Ludovik, who had lit a cigarette.
"Beautiful Baby..." Ludovik said to him.
"How did you... That's private!" Sirius said.
"I don't care. Sirius, what just happened is a demonstration of an intermediary level of Legilimency. Ask yourself how I managed to get so deep into your mind and get such a clear and fluid memory without you getting in my way. Ludovik asked.
"How did you do it?" Sirius asked.
"Legilimency takes as its starting point the emotions of the target. When you are happy or sad, your mind is unstable, unbalanced, which creates breaches through which I can infiltrate your mind," Ludovik explained.
"But how do you access someones mind?" Sirius asked.
"In a moment when you are emotionally agitated, I take the opportunity to insert some of my magic into you. Once inside you, I build a connection, a kind of wire, between me and the small part that belongs to me placed in your subconscious without you knowing." Ludovik told him. "If we take you as an example, I have previously studied your case to identify the elements that could make you angry, and from that moment on, I place my magic in you."
"How did you do that?" Sirius says.
"When I say a little bit of my magic, what is the thought that comes to you?" Ludovik asked.
"I think of a little ball of light," Sirius said.
"Well, what I'm talking about is something much more structured, with a much larger capacity to grow. I'm talking about an idea or scenario." Ludovik said.
"An idea?" Sirius asked.
"To make you believe, for example, that you are still wanted, that you harmed your young friend and ruined her life. Thus, artificially creating in you an even stronger feeling, which is in this case, 'guilt'. Once this step was completed, you were at my mercy." Ludovik said.
"So the first step is to know how to interpret a person's feelings and manipulate them? Sirius asked.
"Yes, I want to be honest. Legilimency is considered by many wizards in the world to be an immoral use of magic. Once I have my magic inside you, I would proceed to a sort of exchange." Ludovik said.
"An exchange?" Sirius asked.
"Yes. In a way, I swap with the part of my consciousness lurking in your mind through visual contact. However, must wizards need a wand to build the connection. Ludovik said. "I think I've summarized the concept for you. I won't tell you any more about legilimency for now."
"You promised to teach me!" Sirius said.
"I never said when! However, believe me, I am doing it for your own good, first, because you are still not skilled enough and secondly because I am sure you would try to use it against Dumbledore, a man a thousand times more powerful than you, and you would end up making worse than they already are. So we're going to focus on occlumency for now. I think you should have grasped its concept by now." Ludovik said sharply.
"I have to control my emotions or hide them," Sirius said.
"No, you must be able to suppress them. In other words, get into a state where you won't feel any emotion." Ludovik said.
"That's impossible! It's like asking me to stop breathing! Whether it's joy, fear, love, anger, hatred, or courage, we always feel something depending on the situation!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Did you hear me say it would be easy? Sirius! We are talking about a form of magic in many cases beyond the reach of most wizards and witches! Ludovik scolded him. "You want to be able to protect your Godson? You have no choice, do the impossible!"
"Very well." Sirius said after a short moment of silence. "can you at least give me an indication as to where to start?"
"That's why I'm here! We'll start slowly. The first step is a must. It consists of realizing an introspection of yourself. In other words, you need to meditate, to be alone with yourself so you'll get to know more about your own person. I must confess that I have come across a lot of confusion and doubt every time I have looked into your mind. How could you ever protect something that you are yourself in conflict with? Ludovik said.
"I can't," Sirius said.
"Why?" Ludovik asked.
"I don't want to be alone with myself. I hate myself. That's what was the most difficult in Azkaban, not the dementors." Sirius said.
Ludovik crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and laid his hands on Sirius's shoulders, then said to him gently," Sirius, it wasn't your fault. I know it, the entire world knows it now, and it's time you accept it too."
As usual, thank you for reading! Please fav, follow and review! You can also send me a PM if you have any questions!