章 161: 0160 Grimmauld Place

Bryan had a hard time finding Grimmauld Place, although Tonks had given him a clue: "a rundown neighborhood in northwest London" but that was too vague for Bryan to pinpoint the exact location. He knew he couldn't just wander around every Muggle street and ask people if they had heard of Grimmauld Place. That would be too suspicious and risky.

But this was not a new challenge for Bryan, who had been working in the outside world for several years and had gained a lot of experience. He knew how to find the information he needed.

He returned to London that night, checked into a hotel for one night, and the next morning he headed to the largest Muggle police station in the northwest area. He cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, making him invisible to the naked eye, and sneaked into the station. He quickly hypnotized a policeman with a subtle spell, and made him lead him to the archive room. There, he searched through the files and maps, and finally found the exact address of Grimmauld Place. He memorized it and left the station without a trace. Before heading to his destination, he also stopped by a fast food restaurant for breakfast. He enjoyed a hot dog and a cup of coffee, while planning his next move.

Before he left, he also grabbed a bite at a fast food joint. By the time he reached the three-mile radius around Grimmauld Place using the Muggle transportation, the sun was high in the sky.

"What a shabby place–"

In a 24-hour convenience store three miles away, behind the spotless glass window, Bryan, who was munching on a hot dog, looked at the street that was on the edge of the city and muttered to himself.

It was daytime, but there were not many cars and Muggles on the main road of the district. The paint on the tall street lamps on both sides of the road was severely peeled off, exposing the rusty metal underneath. A gust of wind swept by, and the old newspapers abandoned by people on the side of the road spun up and flew into the air, hanging on a clothesline outside the balcony of a house. The windows of the houses were either broken or boarded up, and the walls were covered with graffiti and stains. The whole district looked like a ghost town, abandoned and forgotten by the world. But Bryan knew that this was not the case,

There was a faint trace of magic in the air–this did not surprise Bryan, he had anticipated this situation beforehand, otherwise he would not have approached this place slowly using the Muggle way.

The monitoring magic was the work of the Aurors. They had set up monitoring magic around Grimmauld Place. As soon as someone used magic in this area, the Aurors would show up behind you in the next second and threaten to lock you up or worse.

But Apparition was not forbidden in this area. In fact, the Aurors were hoping that Sirius Black would do that. They had set up anti-Apparition wards around Grimmauld Place, which would trigger an alarm if someone tried to Apparate in or out. They had also surrounded the house with dozens of Aurors, who were ready to capture or kill Sirius Black on sight. Bryan had seen the Aurors on his way to the convenience store. They were disguised as Muggles, wearing casual clothes and carrying bags or newspapers.

So how to get close to that house, Bryan, who had his cheeks stuffed with food, wondered in his mind. In this area, there was not only monitoring magic, but also a large number of Aurors. They formed a line, a line into a net, centered on Grimmauld Place, evenly distributed within a three-mile range, not leaving any gaps, and ready to support each other in case of an attack.

This was not the first time Bryan had dealt with Aurors. He acknowledged their "Professional skills", but their problem was that they were not prepared for "high-tech" wizards.

He could easily break in with his identity as the Golden Viper, but he didn't want to do that. He had used this identity for several years and had built a certain reputation and influence.

Bryan didn't want to make this identity clash with the Ministry of Magic. For the sake of the stability of the wizarding world, the Ministry of Magic could turn a blind eye to some of the illegal activities of the underworld wizards, but this leniency would definitely not extend to the matter of Sirius Black.

Sirius Black was the most wanted criminal in the wizarding world, and anyone who helped him or tried to contact him would be considered an enemy of the Ministry of Magic. Bryan didn't want to be that enemy.

'Change the disguise?'

That was not impossible. But thinking of those Aurors and Tonks, who had just left St. Mungo's Hospital not long ago, Bryan hesitated and gave up this idea.

Knock, knock, knock—

Bryan gazed at the bleak district with a blank expression, tapping the table lightly, making a rhythmic sound. After a while, the knocking sound abruptly stopped, and his raised fingers froze in the air. A smile crept up on Bryan's mouth for no reason.

"Then, let's lure them away."

The night was deep, and the pale moonlight was gradually obscured by the shifting black clouds. The shadows swelled from one end of the street like a wave, slowly but surely dragging the world into a mysterious realm.

Caw–Caw—

Several startled black crows took flight from a barren grassland in the middle of Grimmauld Place, swiftly darted over the roof and melted into the darkness. Their coarse and raspy cries echoed in the night, adding to the eerie and suspenseful atmosphere.

Hah— In a dark alley on the south side of Grimmauld Place, Tonks, who was clad in a dark cloak and concealed in the shadow of a power pole, exhaled a breath. Her eyes were fixed on the narrow gap between the 11th and 13th houses in the square, but her eyes were dull and weary.

At this moment, a slight sound from behind made Tonks jolt, and she abruptly turned around. She raised her wand instinctively, ready to cast a spell at the intruder But when she saw the visitor's familiar silhouette, Tonks relaxed, rubbed her shoulders, and slowly lowered the wand in her hand.

"I'm here to take over, Tonks, you can go find a place to rest for a while–"

The calm and deep voice said something that made Tonks perk up a bit, but she didn't obey the order and leave right away.

"I think we're just wasting our time, Kingsley."

Glancing at the square that showed no sign of activity, Tonks lowered her voice and grumbled. She felt frustrated and restless, and she wanted to do something more meaningful and exciting than guarding an empty street.

"Since Black escaped from Azkaban, we've been guarding here, but we haven't gotten anything so far. In my opinion, we should send all the Aurors to the vicinity of Hogwarts, search Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest, instead of squandering precious time and energy here, Kingsley!"

"You have a point, Tonks."

Surprisingly, Kingsley didn't argue with Tonks's opinion. Apparently, he shared a similar assessment in his heart. He had been an Auror for a long time, and he had seen many things. He had fought against the Death Eaters in the first war, and had witnessed their atrocities and horrors. He had also seen the rise and fall of the Dark Lord, and hoped for a lasting peace and order. Kingsley stood shoulder to shoulder with Tonks, facing the shabby and desolate square in silence. After a long time, Kingsley took a deep breath and said again.

"But Black is a Death Eater, Tonks. You didn't live through that period of time. You don't know how cruel and cunning the Death Eaters are. We can't overlook any possibility."

"Alright, you're right, Kingsley. But maybe you can help me arrange to go to Hogsmeade. At least, after work, I can have a drink with my old classmates–"

Tonks played with her pink hair that looked more like straw and muttered discontentedly.

"Staying up late is really bad for you. Lately, I've noticed that my hair is falling out a lot–"

Boom!

A low rumbling sound like thunder came from another direction two miles away. Accompanied by a shrill scream, the dazzling fireworks that burst in the air suddenly lit up the quiet night!

"Stop, Black!"

When the sound of the fireworks died down, an angry roar made Tonks and Kingsley's faces change.

"It's Dawlish's voice!"

Tonks's eyes were incredulous, and she gasped and shouted.

"Black, he actually came back here!"

Kingsley's face was grim and he didn't reply. He pointed his wand at the empty space in front of him, and with a whisper, a graceful and shiny lynx materialized from a silver-white mist. Kingsley stepped forward and used his wand to transmit a piece of information into the lynx's mind. The lynx leaped nimbly in the air, and then suddenly vanished in front of them.

"Kingsley?" Tonks asked puzzledly. "What are you doing, we should-"

"Prevent the previous mistake, Tonks," Kingsley said calmly. "Let's go, Tonks, let's send that despicable scoundrel back to Azkaban!"

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章 162: 0161 Black's Attack

As if looking down at the earth from a bird's eye view, a dark figure suddenly appeared in an empty alley near Grimmauld Square. They emerged from a hidden spot and sprinted away from the nearest Auror patrolling nearby. The others quickly mounted their flying brooms and soared towards the source of the loud explosion with full speed. The night sky was lit up by flashes of different colors, and the sound of curses and spells echoed in the air.

Tonks and Kingsley were among the first ones to reach the scene of chaos. They gasped in horror as they witnessed the devastation that had befallen on the street. A stretch of asphalt road built by Muggles was completely torn apart by a powerful blast that had also ruptured the drainage pipes hidden underground. Water jets spurted out from every crack and hole in an erratic fashion. The violent shock wave had ripped off the wall and roof of the second floor of a Muggle house closest to the epicenter of the explosion.

Through the broken glass window, Tonks could see a terrified Muggle couple sitting on a collapsed mattress, clutching each other and screaming at the top of their lungs! Their faces were pale and their eyes were wide with fear. They had no idea what was happening outside their home.

The lights of the surrounding buildings flickered on one by one, and the noises and cries for help from the Muggles filled the air. Some of them tried to call the police or fire brigade, but their cell-phones were not working. Others ran out of their houses to see what was going on, but they were stopped by a group of wizards in black cloaks who cast memory charms on them

The horrific scene stunned Tonks, who felt a surge of pity and compassion for the innocent victims. She opened her mouth and instinctively wanted to comfort the Muggle couple on the second floor, but before she could take a step, she was pulled back by Kingsley's arm,

"Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes will be here any minute, they will take care of everything here, Tonks, focus on our job. This is awful."

Kingsley's voice was shaky and his breath was ragged, "This scene reminds me of twelve years ago!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The dazzling and dense curses flew like a hailstorm, the ground trembled incessantly, the explosions echoed in the silent night, and more and more Muggles on the outskirts of the city noticed the commotion. In a series of deafening blasts, it seemed that the whole city was jolted awake!

"What's going on, Dawlish!"

Kingsley, who had rushed to the battlefield and quickly joined the closing encirclement, looked pale at the man in the black robe who was dodging one curse after another with incredible agility. He shouted at Dawlish, who was seething with anger.

"This person suddenly broke into my patrol area. I wanted to verify his identity and ordered him to stop. Then the ground suddenly exploded. The strong wind lifted his cloak. I saw his face!"

Dawlish pointed at the man in black with trembling fingers. "It's him! It's Sirius Black!'

Kingsley hurled a stunning spell at a tricky angle, but the black-robed man who was fleeing seemed to have eyes behind his back. He abruptly threw himself forward before the red curse hit his ribs. He avoided Kingsley's spell with unbelievable speed.

"Are you sure this is Black!"

Kingsley, who had a vague feeling that something was wrong, yelled at Dawlish,

"I think this guy is more like a werewolf or a vampire. Dawlish, how can a wizard be so agile!"

But this question did not need Dawlish to answer. Kingsley had his own answer. In a gust of wind, the black-robed man's hood was lifted again. In the dim curse light, that face looked like a dry corpse. The two sunken black eyes on it showed a terrifying madness,

"You can't catch me!"

When the hoarse and ferocious voice fell into his ears, the world suddenly became silent for a moment, and then erupted again.

"Even if Voldemort comes in person, he won't be able to save you tonight, Black!"

Kingsley shouted angrily. The Aurors and wizards who had been transferred to patrol here totaled more than a dozen people surrounded him from all sides.

A group of Muggles, trembling and stunned! stood at their own windows and gaped at the scene on the street that resembled a Hollywood movie shooting.

Facing the dense crowd of magic department strikers on land and sky that surrounded him, 'Black' sneered incessantly without any fear, but raised his wand and slammed it down! A wave of surging air waves centered on him swept across the block with an overwhelming force. The strikers around him were thrown off their feet one after another. One by one, those who had blocked the sky on their flying brooms plummeted to the ground like falling stars, writhing and howling in agony!

'Black' let out a shrill laugh full of mockery, but he also knew that he couldn't linger here for too long under these circumstances. So he quickly bent over and grabbed a flying broom at his feet. He mounted it smoothly without wasting a second. He zoomed away from the city and vanished into the endless night in a blink of an eye.

Without waiting for anyone's orders, all those strikers who were still conscious rose up with clenched teeth and limped to their feet. They mounted their flying brooms, some sharing one broomstick with another, and pursued 'Black' with resolute eyes.

"Oh my God!"

An old woman in her sixties or seventies stood trembling behind a cracked glass window. She was so terrified by this magical scene that she could barely utter a word. She had lived in this neighborhood for decades, and she had never seen anything like this before. She thought she was dreaming or hallucinating, but the pain in her ears and the smell of smoke told her otherwise.

"Is this the end of the world?"

"Don't worry, ma'am!"

Tonks also mounted her Comet 260 and said softly, "We will be able to end this nightmare soon!"

Swipe, swipe! Looking down from high altitude, it seemed that dozens of giant dragonflies had suddenly emerged, darting towards the suburbs in a swarm. Closer to the city center, the neon lights from the Muggle police cars and fire trucks were already faintly visible. They would probably arrive at the vicinity in no time. However, these Muggles were destined to play no role.

At this moment, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes that was in a state of turmoil was urgently contacting the Muggle government through relevant channels, hoping that the Muggles would remain calm and leave everything to the wizards to solve.

According to normal development, tonight's incident would definitely cause a sensation in both the magical world and the Muggle world, causing incalculable impact, but Bryan was not worried, because under the notorious reputation of Sirius Black, whether it was on the Muggle side or in the Ministry of Magic, they would try their best to cover up the fact that 'Black' had launched another terrorist attack. Even the Daily Prophet would not have any reports.

As for privately, unconfirmed news from the Ministry of Magic was nothing more than rumors and gossip, and would not cause subversive and catastrophic panic in the entire European wizarding world.

There were not many residents near Grimmauld Square. The bombing just now had made all those who didn't witness it with their own eyes think that a gas explosion had occurred. Faced with this situation, they didn't dare to stay in the house at all, but ran out of the door in panic, scattering in all directions to escape the disaster.

In the shadow of a tall street lamp near the square, Bryan in a black travel cloak without any markings came out of the illusory shadow state.

After circling around for a while, his gaze fixed on the position of No. 11 and No. 13 Grimmauld Square. Although he didn't know the exact location of the Black family's old house, the alert and trap set by the Ministry of Magic gave him a clear clue.

Da, da, da

Bryan walked slowly towards the two houses, casually freezing the magic set by the Ministry of Magic with a flick of his wand. He stood in front of the two houses, staring intently at the partition wall shared by the two houses.

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