Chapter 241: Remus, Did You See Him?
Sirius felt his vision blur, and Wade's figure vanished from his sight. He quickly looked around, yelling, "Wade!"
His voice was drowned out by the thunder, and the lightning illuminated faces to a ghastly pale.
Sirius abruptly turned his head to look at Lupin, who was not far behind him.
"Remus, did you see him?"
Lupin shook his head, shouting, "We've blocked off all the surrounding areas! He couldn't have gone far!"
Sirius turned back and saw that the entrance they had come through was indeed tightly sealed by Lupin, which brought him some relief.
But this didn't guarantee absolute safety, as there were always gaps between branches and vines. A common bird, if it folded its wings, might be able to squeeze through.
"He turned into a bird!" Sirius yelled. "He's very fast, probably a swift or an owl or something!"
Lupin nodded, grateful they had brought their Flying Broomsticks.
Both of them mounted their brooms and, with a whoosh, shot into the rain.
The rain pouring through the gaps in the leaves was like a faucet had been turned on, gushing down onto their heads and flowing down their necks into their clothes. Both of them were soaked to the bone, but they couldn't spare a thought for using magic to ward off the rain.
Wade's animal form being a bird wasn't too surprising; a flying raptor was more useful than most creatures.
This was actually something to celebrate.
But the bad part was that during the first Transfiguration, a human's consciousness often clashed with an animal's. Sometimes, the transformed person would forget they were human.
An animal's simple brain would make them flee or charge into a wall, or even do worse stupid things. If they couldn't change back, they would soon be completely assimilated by animalistic thoughts.
If Wade ran out into the open in this state, the two of them worried they would never be able to find him again.
In just a few minutes, Lupin already felt like he was freezing. His hands gripping the broom were turning blue, and his lips had lost all color. Rain flowed into his eyes, and through the dense curtain of rain, he could only see a small area in front of him.
He saw Sirius shouting frantically, seemingly saying something, but he couldn't hear a word. Finally, Sirius gestured wildly with his hands and feet, indicating that they should split up and search in a spiral pattern.
Lupin nodded and flew off.
He tried his best to appear calm and collected, but in reality, he was panicking beyond measure.
In just a few short minutes, Lupin had regretted countless times—
Regretting why he had taught Wade the Animagus transformation method, regretting why he had encouraged him to learn a subject that was too advanced for him, and even more, regretting why he had called Wade out tonight.
—If anything happens to that child, it's all your fault!
Lupin told himself this in his heart, regretting it over and over again.
He had known for a long time that Wade was much younger than James and his friends were back then.
Even though his knowledge and potential talent were immense, his magical power wasn't strong enough, and his willpower was certainly inferior to an adult's.
He hadn't spent a long time gradually mastering the techniques and methods of Transfiguration, nor had he undergone long periods of meditation and magical control training. Lupin and Sirius had both felt a vague unease about this, which was why they had spent a great deal of time preparing.
At this moment, all the anxiety and worry seemed to converge and erupt, making Lupin feel as if his body had gone numb.
The two of them searched meticulously from bottom to top, finding nothing. When they landed back on the ground, their faces were paler than a corpse's.
At this point, the torrential rain had also lessened slightly.
"Perhaps we should notify Dumbledore... Sirius," Lupin said, his lips trembling slightly. "At least call Professor McGonagall; her experience is greater."
Sirius frowned, saying, "Maybe the rain was too heavy just now, and we couldn't see clearly... Let's search again!"
He flew off like an arrow from a bowstring. Lupin's mind was a bit muddled, but he instinctively raised his broom and followed him up.
They each held a Wand, and bright light emanated from the tips of their Wands, illuminating a large area.
However, after circling a few more times, they still found nothing.
By then, even the optimistic Sirius had to admit that they seemed to have accidentally lost Wade.
They looked at each other, their hearts sinking as if into the bottom of a cold well.
Just then, Lupin suddenly heard a faint, "Woah" sound.
He froze for a moment, thinking he had misheard.
Then, he saw Sirius looking behind him in astonishment, with an expression that was both annoyed and amused. After a long moment, he finally spoke:
"You little rascal... hiding in a place like this..."
Lupin spun around sharply and saw a dark blue bird hiding behind him.
Its body was much larger than a pigeon's, but it was relatively small among raptors. It had black stripes on its head and cheeks, a black and blue sheen on its neck, and white markings on its belly.
At that moment, it was gripping the crossbar of the broom with its yellow talons, hiding behind Lupin to shelter from the wind and rain. When he turned around, it even tilted its head, looking at him with curiosity and innocence.
Lupin: "..."
He felt his heart almost stop from the fright this kid had given him.
He opened his mouth, then opened it again, but still couldn't say a word.
"Let him change back first," Sirius said, drawing his Wand and walking over. "The longer it takes, the longer it will take for him to regain consciousness."
Seeing him approach, the dark blue bird shifted uneasily, as if wanting to escape. But as soon as it spread its wings, it was immobilized by magic.
The bird's grayish eyes darted nervously, watching as Lupin also pulled out his Wand.
"Get ready, Wade," Lupin said. "I'll count to three. One... two... three!"
Two beams of blue-white light hit his body. He struggled, and then his limbs underwent a strange transformation. The bird, which had been shorter than a human forearm from head to tail, transformed into a twelve-year-old boy in a matter of seconds.
He landed on the ground with a thud, splashing water all over himself. He looked ahead blankly, his wet hair plastered pitifully to his forehead.
"Pfft—"
Sirius couldn't help but let out a laugh, which grew louder and louder. Then Lupin also revealed a bitter yet relieved smile.
"You almost scared me to death, Wade..."
"...Huh?"
Wade was confused.
It was his first transformation, and his mind was hazy; he barely remembered anything that had just happened.
"Alright, go back and change your clothes."
Lupin pulled him up from the ground and said, "Since the first transformation was successful, future transformations will be much easier. Remember to maintain a clear mind and self-awareness; that's very important."
He had said these words more than once. Wade nodded, then asked curiously, "So? What's my animal form?"
Before he transformed, the image of his transformed self had appeared in his mind, but he only remembered it was a type of bird and had momentarily forgotten its name.
"A Peregrine Falcon," Sirius said with a smile. "The fastest bird—you won't need to take the Hogwarts Express to school anymore."
Next chapter will be a bit late
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