LRAB Page 215
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Levin thought that if this photo were in the hands of Muggles, it would at least be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Levin ate his sandwich while browsing the newspapers.
He hadn't expected that Gianna would involve him in the promotional campaign as well.
Rita Skittles described his role in the incident with such clarity, as if she had witnessed it herself—because he was the one who told Jaina those things.
No wonder everyone looked at me so intently when I came in.
Penelope came specifically to tell him that this morning, the number of young wizards who signed up to attend the "Scholarly Academy" had reached a new high, all because of him.
Looks like this is another live advertisement.
As he finished his meal and was about to leave the Great Hall, a voice called out to him—it was Harry!
“Levin, thank you for helping Sirius.” Harry walked over, his expression complicated.
He recalled the rumors he had heard at the Three Broomsticks bar.
At that time, he still believed that his parents were murdered because of Sirius's betrayal.
He used to hate Sirius so much.
Who would have thought that he himself would end up sharing a room with the real traitor for three years!
And this time, the person who helped Sirius Black regain his life was once again Levin Green.
“It’s alright, anyone would do the same if they knew about this,” Levin said with a smile. “I just happened to be there. Besides, Blake has already discussed the payment with me, so you don’t need to thank me extra.”
"But in any case, you saved Sirius and found my parents' real enemy."
Harry stubbornly gave Levin a grateful hug, which left Levin somewhat helpless.
Levin wanted to tell Dumbledore that it wasn't that he deliberately approached his savior; it was simply that the other party insisted on coming to him.
This time when he met Harry, he was surprisingly alone, not with Ron and Hermione.
Levin could sense that Ron hadn't failed to come, but was hiding behind a corner in the distance, unwilling to see him.
He can understand.
After all, Ron had made a huge fool of himself in front of him recently.
He was first discovered by Levin while covered in feces.
Then Levin revealed that he had been sleeping in the same bed with a greasy, middle-aged, short, fat man who had turned into an ugly rat for many years—he had even kissed him many times…
If anyone saw me in this predicament, and not just once, I probably wouldn't be able to resist casting a forgetting spell on them.
As for Hermione, the girl still hasn't made up with Ron, so naturally she won't stay with them.
Just then, Levin noticed another person approaching from a distance.
He was tall and had a small mustache; he was clearly an adult wizard from outside.
“Sirius Black!” Ron exclaimed in surprise.
Sirius was staring intently at Harry with his deep gray eyes.
He was still as thin as he was on the day of the trial, but his attire was quite appropriate this time.
His hair and beard were no longer dirty and messy, but neatly groomed. He was wearing an expensive and well-fitting coat, and his mental state had improved considerably. He had even sprayed on cologne.
Even though he hasn't recovered to his best condition, you can still vaguely see some of his former dashing and handsome features.
But at this moment, there was a tension on his face that was hard to describe in words.
In this respect, Harry is the same as him.
Harry wasn't sure what expression he was making—expectation, timidity, worry…it probably wasn't very appropriate, because he felt his limbs were stiff.
In any case, it seemed like it was quick, yet it also seemed like it took a long time, and Harry finally arrived in front of Sirius.
“Harry, hello!” Sirius said. “I am Sirius Orion Black, but I don’t know if anyone has told you that I am your godfather.”
“Yes…I think I know.” Harry looked into Sirius’s eyes, his gaze filled with curiosity and anticipation.
The Sirius Black I saw in the newspaper before looked so frantic and angry, his face ashen and his expression gloomy.
He was even worried about whether he, as the godfather, would be easy to get along with.
In retrospect, my worries were unnecessary.
Sirius seemed relieved and smiled. "As his godfather, I brought some gifts, bought on Levin's advice. See if you like them!"
As Black spoke, he handed a large bag to Harry.
Harry opened the bag and found it full of prank props: dung bombs, sugar-coated candies, frog egg soap, nose-biting teacups, Dr. Philippa's self-igniting device, and water-blooming magic fireworks, all bought from Joko's joke shop.
How could a young wizard not like these toys?
Harry looked at the prank items in the bag with great delight, then suddenly remembered something and shouted, "Firebolt!"
Ron looked at Harry in surprise.
"Hermione guessed that the Firebolt was a gift from you, right?" Harry looked up at Sirius, awaiting his answer.
"Yes, the Firebolt was a gift from me. I sent the order directly to the Owl Post Office. I used your name, but I had them retrieve the gold from Garlingham Vault 711—my own vault. Consider it a gift from the Godfather to you for your thirteenth birthday."
Sirius smiled.
“Ha!” Ron said triumphantly. “See? There is no evil curse! Hermione is wrong.”
“But Hermione did guess it was him who sent it,” Harry reminded her.
At this moment, he was overjoyed. Sirius Black hadn't forgotten to give him a birthday present even while he was on the run. It was the first time he had felt the love from his family!
Just then, a small, gray thing suddenly jumped onto Sirius's shoulder, tilting its little head and looking them over.
Ron looked closer with interest and discovered it was a small, thin owl.
As if sensing Ron's gaze, the owl flew straight to Ron and landed directly in Ron's palm.
"Ouch!"
The little owl chirping in his hand pecked at Ron's finger, as if it thought it was a sign of affection.
“Ron, perhaps you would like to adopt this owl, since you lost that mouse because of my mistake,” Sirius said with a smile.
Ron's eyes widened. The little owl was still hooting excitedly.
"Adopt it?" he said, half-believing, staring intently at the owl for a moment. "Thank you, but... is this a real owl? Not someone's Animagus?"
Harry and Sirius laughed at his expression.
“This is better than enough for me!” Ron said happily. “It’s mine now.”
"Oh, and this too!" Sirius Black took a piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to Harry.
Harry quickly scanned the area and immediately felt a warm, satisfied feeling, as if he had drunk a bottle of hot butterbeer.
It read: I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather, hereby grant him permission to visit Hogsmeade this weekend.
He handed the parchment to Ron. "Great, now you can come to Hogsmeade with me openly."
Ron shouted with joy, then suddenly covered his mouth.
Sirius laughed merrily from the side, "Don't be nervous, I know James has an invisibility cloak, we used it just like you guys!"
A look of nostalgia flashed in Sirius's eyes; those were the happiest days of his life.
Thinking of this, Sirius suddenly became hesitant and stammering.
“That’s right… your parents appointed me as your guardian,” Blake said curtly, “in case something happens to them.”
Harry waited for him to continue. Did Black mean what he thought he meant?
“Of course. I’d understand if you’d like to continue living with your aunt and uncle,” Blake said. “But… um… think about it. I’ve been rehabilitated… if you want… a different home…”
Harry felt something explode inside him.
"What—living with you? Leaving the Dursleys?"
“Of course, I don’t think you’d want that,” Blake said quickly. “I understand, I just want to know if I would…”
“Are you crazy?” Harry said, his voice suddenly hoarse, just like Black’s. “Of course I want to get out of the Dursleys! Do you have a house? When can I move in?”
"You're willing?" Blake asked. "Really?"
“Yes, I really mean it!” Harry jumped up.
Black felt that today was the happiest day of his thirteen years. He laughed and patted Harry on the shoulder, just like he had patted James back then.
"I have to go now, Harry. I'll come pick you up when you're on holiday," Sirius said reluctantly.
Harry nodded repeatedly, already calculating in his mind how much time was left until summer vacation—a completely opposite purpose and feeling to his previous calculations about how much time was left until summer vacation.
"Oh, right!" Sirius had only taken a few steps when he suddenly turned to look at Harry. "You should spend more time with Levin at school; he's a great friend."
Ron watched Sirius Black disappear into the distance, then glanced at Harry, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Out of respect for the owl, he ultimately refrained from saying those bad things about Levin.
“Next time we go to Hogsmeade, we can have lots of fun.” Ron fiddled with the little owl in his hand, clearly enjoying it.
Harry touched the parchment signed by Sirius Black and smiled. It was wonderful to be leaving the Dursleys' house!
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Chapter 237 Number 12, Grimmauld Place
After Sirius left, he met Levin at the other end of the corridor.
"Sorry, it took a while to reunite with Harry, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he said apologetically.
“It’s alright. Reuniting with your godson takes no matter how long it takes.” Levin smiled and waved his hand. “As I said, I’m not in a hurry about the reward.”
“But I don’t want to drag this out too long.” Blake was still a bit impatient and didn’t want to owe anyone anything. “If it’s appropriate, why don’t you come with me to receive it now?”
Anyway, it's the weekend and there are no classes to attend, so Levin nodded in agreement.
So he followed Sirius Black and swaggered away from Hogwarts.
The young wizards who encountered Sirius Black along the way were all very surprised, unable to believe that the protagonist from the newspapers had actually appeared, and they all gathered around to watch.
"It's been so long since I've felt like the center of attention!" Sirius joked. "The last time I was this adored was by the Dementors."
Levin greatly admired his optimism.