Sirius didn't fully wake up until 10 a.m.
Looking at the exquisitely maintained small garden before him, his gaze was initially dazed and unfocused for a few seconds before it sharpened, and he quickly recalled what had happened to him last night!
He alertly stood up from the grass, peeked into the small house, and saw what seemed to be a house-elf working inside.
Finding that no one was paying attention to him for the moment, Sirius grew restless.
Having been so drunk last night, he himself didn't know how he had been so bewitched as to follow Nicolas back.
As the eldest young master of the Black Family, Sirius certainly knew what Nicolas looked like.
In that situation, he couldn't determine whether Nicolas had intentionally sought him out or if it was just a coincidence!
Staying here posed a significant risk for Sirius!
If Nicolas had acted intentionally, he might be captured again. If captured, the likelihood of those foolish Ministry's politicians directly sentencing him to death, having a Dementor suck out his soul, was extremely high.
But if he gave up this opportunity and escaped from the Flamel Residence...
Then he probably could forget about ever finding out where that Severus had taken Harry.
After hesitating for a moment, Sirius steeled himself and decided to take the risk and stay!
'Since Nicolas hadn't taken advantage of my drunken state last night to immediately turn him over to the Ministry, either bringing me back was just a coincidence, or there were other considerations.'
'Regardless of which it was, as long as I was here, there was still a chance.'
Having gritted his teeth and decided to risk his life, Sirius was no longer anxious.
He was impulsive, reckless, and stubborn enough that once he decided on something, he would rather die than turn back.
The only person who could stop him was James when he was alive.
Once he had thought it through, Sirius didn't stay in the garden. Since he had decided to stay, there was no need to hide.
He jumped onto the wooden steps and walked into the house.
The house-elf cleaning inside saw him but only glanced at him before continuing its work, as if it had already accepted Sirius's presence.
Staring at it, Sirius couldn't help but think of the elderly house-elf, Kreacher, back at his family's old house.
'That annoying creature, loyal to the family to the point of obsession.'
"Well, you're awake? I thought you'd sleep until noon."
A deep, aged voice made Sirius turn his head. He saw Nicolas, with long silver hair, slightly stooped, wearing a loose robe, looking incredibly ancient.
Sirius hesitated for only a second before realizing there was no need for pretense.
When Nicolas brought him back last night, he had clearly noticed that Sirius was different from ordinary animals.
So, he didn't act like a foolish animal trying to please humans but instead met Nicolas's gaze silently.
"I had Kimmie prepare a bowl of oyster soup for you. It's in the dining room. Drinking it after a hangover will clear your head."
"Last night, you agreed to come home with me, but that was while you were drunk. If you've changed your mind now, you can, of course, leave at any time."
As he spoke, Nicolas rolled up the long scroll of parchment in front of him. Before Sirius entered, he seemed to have been recording something, having written a great deal.
Hearing this, Sirius felt even more convinced of his suspicion.
'This guy must have an ulterior motive!'
'He knew I was unusual yet hadn't handed me over to the Aurors, instead speaking to me in such a manner.'
Sirius's initially tense and uneasy heart relaxed slightly. He walked toward the dining room, using action to express his choice.
Nicolas didn't follow him but carefully stored the rolled-up parchment on a shelf.
"Kimmie."
He called out softly.
The house-elf, who had been wiping the glass, looked at its master with confusion, its large eyes full of puzzlement.
Nicolas simply smiled and said, "After you finish the work downstairs, remember to go to the attic and maintain the matrix there."
"Okay, sir."
Kimmie didn't ask why, he just faithfully carried out Nicolas's order.
Nicolas relaxed into his chair and murmured softly to himself,
"No matter what, we must be prepared for any eventuality..."
Then, his gaze fell upon the bookshelf, finally settling on a scroll of parchment placed on the very top. The next moment, that scroll of parchment flew from the shelf to Nicolas's hand.
The parchment unfurled on the desk, revealing a crude map.
In the center of the map was a mark that looked both like a double-layer birthday cake and a fountain viewed from above!
"A map!"
"A treasure map!"
When Severus and Lupin returned with the dragonhide map and told Harry and Draco about the discovery under the lake, both boys' eyes lit up!
For children their age, neither could resist such a temptation.
As a professional adventurer, Andrews was clearly much more expert at studying maps than they were.
He examined the map carefully and finally concluded,
"This map probably doesn't refer to this forest, but rather to some enclosed space, like an underground maze, a limestone cave, a cave, etc."
"So, if we can't find the entrance, this treasure map is essentially useless?" Severus asked.
"Not exactly. This dragonhide is itself a small treasure."
As he spoke, Andrews handed the dragonhide map back to Lupin.
Regardless of whether the treasure map could lead to real treasure, after seeing it, Harry and Draco were clearly much more excited than before.
Especially after Severus told them that if they actively helped Andrews build the trolls' houses in the valley, Lupin would take the map and lead them on an adventure in the forest.
After lunch, Severus didn't leave again. He knew he couldn't rush things. Since the clue from the fairies indicated the Hag's ghost had come toward the valley, he should first look around the valley to understand the situation.
For the next three days, they worked hard on the trolls' houses.
There was no more conflict between Harry and Draco. They were determined to finish the houses as quickly as possible.
When wizards undertake construction, especially for lower-tech buildings like log cabins, the speed is naturally fast.
In just three days, they had completed the frameworks for over thirty large wooden houses. Even the basic wooden frames were already far better than the structures the trolls had lived in before, which couldn't even be called sheds.
During this time, Lupin also took the Wolfsbane Potion in advance. He successfully transformed while retaining his human mind during the August full moon, confirming that Severus's improved potion was very effective.
The improved Wolfsbane Potion indeed removed the originally extremely dangerous toxicity while preserving the positive effects of the dragon's blood.
After the full moon, although Lupin's body was still weaker than usual, it was much better than before… more than twice as good!
Especially after he recovered from the negative effects of the transformation, his originally pale complexion even looked rosier.
This made Lupin even more grateful to Severus deep down. Even if he didn't express this gratitude in words, it was clear he had taken it to heart.
It was on the third noon, after they had completed the basic frameworks of these houses.
Just as Severus and the others finished their morning work and were about to have lunch, a huge shadow suddenly enveloped the entire valley above them.
This anomaly made everyone look up, and then they saw dozens upon dozens of dragons flying across the sky!
Some of these behemoths were as massive as mountain ranges, making the trolls look like children before them.
Others were small and agile but still had a physique nearly similar to trolls, which was enormous by human standards!
Some of these dragons had wizards riding on their backs. They flew eastward as if patrolling their territory.
"Dragons! So many dragons!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. It was his first time seeing real, live dragons.
Draco really wanted to sneer at Harry's country bumpkin reaction at this moment, but even he, who had visited the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary with Lucius, had never witnessed such an awe-inspiring scene.
He also stood there, mouth agape, staring in shock at the sky.
Lupin frowned tightly. He could tell something unusual was happening with this dragon excursion.
"What's going on?"
Andrews had, at some point, rushed back to his cabin and brought out a camera, excitedly taking pictures of the dragon herd in the sky.
"It must be the Dragon Nature Reserve not far from us! Only there could such a large herd of dragons live!"
At that moment, Severus saw one of the wizards riding on a dragon's back clearly notice them in the valley below. The wizard patted the back of the Swedish Short-Snout beneath him, and then both wizard and dragon broke away from the herd, flying down toward the troll valley.
Seeing a dragon approaching, Harry and Draco were thrilled.
Especially when the Swedish Short-Snout flapped its wings and landed heavily by the lake, scaring the trolls holding logs into panicked flight and kicking up clouds of dust and mud!
"Hi! Hello everyone!"
The wizard on the dragon's back took off his goggles, revealing a distinctly Middle Eastern face.
"We're out patrolling for the reserve's upcoming expansion work. I'd heard there was an adventurer in this valley studying a troll tribe, but I didn't expect you to have so many people..."