[223] Why Must He Leave

After a brief exchange, Sirius shooed Harry away.

"Leave this to Hall. You should go back now."

Sirius had calmed down and suddenly remembered — Harry couldn't be involved in this anymore. Harry had no idea what the Inferius Regulus looked like. His understanding was only superficial.

"Once Regulus wakes up... I'll introduce you to him properly. He'll like you."

Harry glanced at the closed door, then at Sirius. "If you encounter any difficulties, please tell me. Aren't we family?"

Sirius smiled genuinely. "You're right. But maybe you can't solve my problems either?"

"Then I'll go ask Hall for help!"

The Galleons in the Potter vault at Gringotts were enough for him to get Hall's help. If he didn't have enough, he'd add more.

Sirius waved tiredly. "Go back to class."

Harry chuckled and left.

Hall sorted the sapphires. Although they were all sapphires, there were differences in purity.

"Higher purity, set aside. This one's so-so, grind it into powder."

Hall swiftly divided the bag into two piles. The smaller pile had extremely bright gems — blue like the sky, like the sea. The larger pile had impurities. Hall flicked his wand, turning the entire larger pile into powder.

This was the scene Sirius walked into. His lips twitched. Perhaps Hall didn't consider these good enough, but after polishing they'd be quite popular.

"You've come at the perfect time." Hall didn't turn his head. "Let's draw blood."

Sirius looked wary. For wizards, magic involving blood was considered extremely evil.

"I need to draw Regulus's blood. Since the Inferius doesn't have any..." Hall drawled. "Time — I need to pinpoint the time belonging to Regulus. That requires a bloodline extremely close to his as a guide."

Sirius understood. Without hesitation, he struck his wrist with his wand. Bright red blood gushed into a container.

Hall watched without blinking. In the dimly lit room, he mixed the blood with sapphire powder and infused it with magic.

Sirius stared, wide-eyed. The blood didn't contaminate the sapphire powder — it was absorbed. The powder exhibited a lustrous, blood-red hue while remaining remarkably distinct.

Hall ignored Sirius's shock and continued processing the other magical materials. He was surprised Sirius had obtained everything in just two days. That couldn't be accomplished with money alone.

Family. Even though the Black family had declined, the wealth accumulated over generations still allowed Sirius to do what many couldn't.

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Would Sirius care if these were treasures? Definitely not. Regulus needs them? Take them. Harry needs them? Take them.

After more than an hour, Hall finished the preliminary preparations.

"Clear the room."

Hall looked around. There wasn't much. The bed where the Inferius Regulus lay, some bedding, a wardrobe. Hall waved his wand, emptying the room to its bare state. Regulus and the bed remained.

Hall began drawing a magic circle on the ground. Regulus lay on the bed, which floated in mid-air.

Holding the sapphire powder soaked with blood, Hall lowered his gaze and sprinkled it down. The powder automatically filled in and outlined straight, perfectly round lines.

A massive array spanning the entire floor was completed. The Inferius Regulus was moved to the centre.

Sirius looked uncertain. "Should I go out too?"

Hall smiled. "No. You're still useful here."

Sirius was a crucial element in this array. If he left now, they'd be in trouble.

Can time and space be visualised? What would it look like?

Hall didn't know before. But now he had some unspeakable insights — because he was embarking on a journey through time. Not the kind with a Time-Turner. True time travel.

Everything around him was pitch black. Not impenetrable black — a multicoloured black. If he could record it, many people would pay for this unique shade.

The money-making nerve in Hall's brain was still throbbing.

The next second, Hall landed on soft ground. He quickly steadied himself. From the sky, it was dusk approaching night.

Hall heard voices nearby.

"...Don't you want to go in and see what Lupin's doing?"

"Ha! I have no interest in you bunch of idiots!"

Hall's memory palace surfaced the corresponding memory — young Sirius and young Snape. The moment Sirius tricked Snape into the Whomping Willow.

Hall raised an eyebrow. Young Sirius — even a dog wouldn't want him.

"Who's there!"

Sirius and Snape both turned sharply.

Hall dusted off his robes and stepped forward. "Just passing by. Didn't expect to run into you two — a Gryffindor and a Slytherin."

He clicked his tongue inwardly. The youthful, fresh-faced Professor Snape and that big dog.

Snape being tricked into the Whomping Willow by Sirius must have happened during their fifth year. At that time, Snape hadn't yet broken ties with Lily, and Lily hadn't accepted James. This event was the turning point.

Young Snape's gloomy aura was no less than the adult version. His medium-length hair clung greasy to his cheeks, making him look like a sun-deprived creature.

In stark contrast was young Sirius. Leaving aside his cynicism, his face was undeniably striking. Inheriting the Black family's looks — black hair, grey eyes, a unique bad-boy charm.

While Hall sized them up, they sized him back.

Sirius's eyes showed disgust and disdain. Snape's eyes flickered with confusion. A Slytherin? But he didn't remember...

Hall waved. "Just passing by. I didn't hear what you were saying earlier."

His gaze swept over Sirius. Whether Hall chose reason or family, he wouldn't stand on Sirius's side. Young Sirius was a bastard.

"Are you really going to do what a Gryffindor says?" Hall looked at Snape.

Snape pursed his lips. He had to admit he was tempted. If Lily knew something about James Potter...

"Do you think he'd be so kind as to tell you something like that? Use your brain. I'm starting to doubt the brains of this year's Slytherins — how could they all believe that unreliable Dark Lord?"

"You're right," Snape finally said. He glanced at Sirius with disdain and dusted off his sleeve. "I shouldn't have believed his nonsense. Nothing good could come out of his mouth. This is a trap."

"I'm going back now. I still need to brew the potions the professor taught me tonight."

Hall watched Snape leave. He needed to think about a new problem — the timing was off.

Sirius Black, fifth year. 1975. But Regulus died in 1979. Four years too early.

"Slytherin snake, what do you know?"

Young Sirius stared at Hall with a gloomy expression, filled with hostility and anger at being interrupted.

Looking at him, Hall felt a strange sense of pity. "What do you want me to know?"

He chuckled. "Your Gryffindor friendships are really interesting sometimes. You four — the Marauders, right? But to you, Sirius Black, are the other two besides James Potter truly friends?"

Sirius roared, "What do you know! Shut up!"