0234 A Deal

0234 A Deal

"Dumbledore and Remus, I don't want to see either of them now!" Sirius shouted, his voice hoarse with anger and pain.

He took a quick step back, avoiding Bryan's hand that reached out to grab his shoulder.

"I won't ask for your help, Watson. As long as you don't reveal my secret to them, I'll find a way to catch Peter myself!"

"Save it, Black." Bryan said coldly, his frown deepening. "No matter what, I am the Director of Student Safety Office. Black, don't expect me to let you run wild in the castle. Whether it's Dumbledore or Remus, someone needs to monitor your actions."

Bryan had figured out Sirius's character. Perhaps he was loyal to his friends, but he was also a stubborn and arrogant fool. He had a reckless disregard for the rules and the consequences of his actions. Letting him run wild in the castle would inevitably cause trouble. If this trouble only involved himself, it wouldn't matter, but the potential result could harm the young wizards in the castle. Bryan couldn't allow that to happen.

"Don't make me use magic to force you, Black." Bryan impatiently threatened, waving his wand in a menacing gesture. "You know I'm more powerful than you. You don't stand a chance against me."

Sirius clenched his fist tightly, glaring at Bryan fiercely. He hated to admit it, but Bryan was right. He had lost his wand and couldn't use spells, and he knew that even if he had his wand, he couldn't put up a decent resistance.

The only way he could express his anger might be to suddenly transform into a dog and give Bryan a bite when he wasn't paying attention! But that would be foolish and futile. How could he convince Bryan not to hand him over to Dumbledore?

Sirius desperately thought about this question, and suddenly, the sparks exploding in the fireplace gave him an inspiration. He remembered something that might sway Bryan's mind. He hurriedly said,

"Wait, Watson, I want to make a deal with you!"

'A deal?'

Bryan raised an eyebrow, and something flashed in his eyes.

Noticing the change in his expression, Sirius felt a secret joy. He knew how to deal with this powerful and somewhat excessive young wizard.

"Don't hand me over to Dumbledore and Remus, help me enter Hogwarts to find Peter. If you can agree to this," Sirius gasped, as if he was making a great sacrifice,

"You want the bounty money from the Ministry on me, right, Watson? How much was it, fifty thousand Galleons? No problem, I can pay you that!"

Bryan pursed his lips, his expression showing intense 'struggle'.

"No, Mr. Black–" Bryan shook his head and said, trying to sound noble and virtuous. "I can't give up my principles for money. I've said before, letting you run wild in Hogwarts may harm those innocent and lovely young wizards. I can't pretend to ignore this possibility, Mr. Black. My conscience would condemn me!"

"What is this?" Bryan asked, curiously taking the parchment from Sirius. He had never had stored money in Gringotts before. He had always kept his money in a secret place, hidden from prying eyes. He didn't trust the goblins, or anyone else for that matter.

"I used an owl to help Harry order a Firebolt, using the money from my own vault. When he was competing, those Dementors caused his broom to turn into a pile of splinters. This is the receipt from Gringotts, stating that there is still over thirty thousand in my vault." Sirius explained.

"Sorry, Mr. Black." Bryan said, coldly handing back the parchment to Sirius. But, He was a bit surprised, that Sirius cared so much about Harry.

But Bryan remained unmoved. He calmly said, "I've thought it over carefully, and I still can't trust you to roam around Hogwarts. In my opinion, we should go see Dumbledore. He must have a way to help you find Peter."

'Greedy and shameless scoundrel, a Slytherin-born villain!'

Sirius thought indignantly.

"I only have this much now, Watson!" Sirius gritted his teeth and said, desperately trying to change Bryan's mind. "If you're not satisfied, there might be some valuable old things in this house that you can take!"

Upon hearing this, Kreacher immediately widened its reddened eyes and was about to scream. However, when it tried to do so, it found that it couldn't make a sound at all because Bryan had already blocked its voice and movements!

"Don't think too badly of me," Bryan shook his head and defended himself, as he pointed his wand at Kreacher. He had noticed the house-elf's reaction, and he quickly silenced it.

"I'm not after your wealth, Mr. Black. I just want to get the reward I deserve, that is, the fifty thousand Galleons from the Ministry for you. But since you've lost your family inheritance and don't have enough money, well, I have an idea–"

Sirius didn't notice Kreacher's strange behavior. He stared at Bryan, angrily saying,

"Tell me your plan, Watson. I want to know how you can agree not to hand me over to Dumbledore and Remus!"

"Well, here it is!" Bryan's face changed, and he enthusiastically looked around the kitchen.

"Since you don't have enough gold coins to compensate for my loss, in my opinion, you can temporarily mortgage the right to use this house to me for a year. After a year, if you manage to gather enough money, I'll return the house to you. If you can't do it by then, well, with interest, you'll need to hand over the right to use the house to me for two years. If you still can't repay the mortgage after three years, the mortgage period will be four years–"

Looking at Sirius's unexpected expression, Bryan smiled.

"Of course, while you're still alive, I'll allow you to live in this house." Bryan said, 'generously'.

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