Granger residence.
Arthur was leisurely enjoying afternoon tea when the front door burst open.
Harry rushed inâcarrying Siriusâs body in his arms.
He hadnât even knocked.
Fortunately for him, Arthur had long ago placed Harry on his magical whitelist. Otherwise, the layered defensive wards surrounding the house would have reduced him to a smoking cautionary tale.
Harry hurried forward.
"Arthur! Pleaseâsave my godfather!"
Arthur extended his spiritual sense over Sirius.
Then he shook his head calmly.
"He was struck by the Killing Curse. His life force is completely extinguished. I cannot restore him."
That wasnât entirely true.
Arthur
could
replenish life force.
He
could
even construct a new body.
But both required extremely rare resources.
And Sirius Black was not someone Arthur was close to.
There was no reason to expend such materials.
That did not mean he intended to refuse help entirely.
He simply had another solution.
"However..." Arthur continued.
Harry, who had nearly collapsed into despair, immediately looked up.
"However what?"
"Thereâs a way to preserve his soul."
"What is it?"
Arthur replied evenly:
"It involves your Invisibility Cloak. Itâs one of the Deathly Hallows. It can hide from Death itself."
"If you cover Sirius with it, it will sever Deathâs pull on his soul."
Harry froze.
His Invisibility Cloak... was a Deathly Hallow?
No wonder Arthur had borrowed it several times before.
Anything Arthur took interest in was never ordinary.
Arthur continued:
"But understand this. Doing so would effectively turn Sirius into a ghost."
"He would remain in the human world indefinitelyâlike the ghosts at Hogwarts."
"The question is whether he would accept such an existence."
Harry didnât hesitate.
"That doesnât matter. Iâll go get the cloak."
He dashed out.
Arthur considered reminding him he could simply Apparate.
But Harry was already gone.
Time was criticalâif Siriusâs soul drifted too far toward the underworld, it would become harder to intercept.
Fortunately, the Dursley residence wasnât far. Harry flagged a taxi and returned quickly.
He burst back in, clutching the cloak.
"What do I do?"
"Cover him. Then leave the rest to me."
Harry spread the cloak over Siriusâs body.
Arthur took out his Death Staff.
He lightly tapped the cloak.
Death energy surged softly through it.
The cloak activated fully, severing the underworldâs tether.
Harry blinked.
"...And?"
Arthur lowered the staff.
"Itâs done."
Harry stared.
"Thatâs it? Whereâs his soul?"
Arthur shrugged.
"Probably floating somewhere nearby."
Siriusâs soul had already left his body under Deathâs pull.
Arthurâs action merely used the body as an anchor point to sever the connection.
He did not know the soulâs exact location.
If he did, he could have cut the tether directly without needing the cloak.
After all, he now wielded a fragment of death authority himself.
Harry pressed anxiously:
"How do I find him?"
"Ghosts tend to return to places they were most attached to," Arthur replied. "You could check Grimmauld Place."
Then he added,
"Or remove the cloak and wait. His soul may instinctively return to his body."
Harry lifted the cloak.
He decided to wait.
If Sirius did not return, he would search the Black residence.
While Harry waited, Arthur asked:
"So. What exactly happened?"
Sirius hadnât been ill.
There had been no warning signs.
Exceptâ
Voldemort had returned recently.
Arthurâs mind sharpened.
Could it be connected?
Harry explained everything.
"...Three Death Eaters. They killed him and fled."
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"You donât know their names?"
Harry shook his head.
"But my godfather recognized the woman. He said she should have been in Azkaban."
Arthur understood immediately.
Bellatrix Lestrange.
So.
Voldemort had already begun moving.
And Sirius Blackâ
Had become the first casualty.
Arthurâs gaze deepened.
Interesting.
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