Sirius's gaze seemed pulled by a string, his already bloodshot eyes fixed intently and angrily on Yuma.

His hand holding the wand trembled, the tip pointed directly at the French Auror.

But he maintained this posture for a long, long time, ultimately never using Legilimency on Yuma, who had calmly faced it all.

No one knew what Sirius was thinking at that moment, or what concerns held him back.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't used that spell in a long time, coupled with the unfamiliar feel of the wand in his hand. Or perhaps, in the end, his reason overcame his anger, making him consider the consequences of probing a senior Auror's memories.

"What did he say to you before he left!"

Sirius looked at him with a cold face, the fury in his eyes like a boiling kettle finally having its lid put on, concealing all the seething emotion.

All his reactions were noted by Yuma.

Yuma couldn't figure out why Sirius hadn't cast the spell yet, but regarding what Sirius wanted to know, Yuma had nothing he couldn't say.

Where Severus went after leaving France, he didn't know, and no one else did either.

The Ministry had even investigated the Floo Network usage records across all of France to find his trail but found no clues.

'Clearly, before leaving, Severus must have anticipated this.'

'He guessed these Death Eaters would seek revenge, so he concealed his tracks, vanishing from this troubled place.'

Yuma had been pondering this. Facing Sirius's question, he didn't forget to answer.

"He didn't say much, just thanked me for my hospitality during his time in Paris."

Hearing this answer, Sirius took a deep breath. He didn't seem to show doubt or affirmation, just gave Yuma a deep look, then suddenly waved the wand in his hand. With a loud 'crack', he disappeared on the spot.

Seeing him leave, Yuma could no longer maintain his previous composure. His expression turned tense as he quickly headed for the stairs!

He opened the doors to the bedrooms one by one, finally finding his wife and son asleep in the study.

After checking them and confirming they were only under a Stunning Spell with no other issues, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He then looked around the study, which had clearly been haphazardly searched by Sirius, with books and letters thrown about messily.

Yuma quickly went back downstairs to the fireplace, threw in a handful of Floo Powder, and within minutes, green flames erupted, forming the upper body of Gerard!

"Sirius Black is in Paris!"

The moment the connection with Girard was established, Yuma urgently delivered the news.

Hearing this, Girard's face, who had been in a meeting, instantly showed shock.

"Who did you say!"

"Sirius Black!"

Yuma repeated the name.

Although only Girard's face was visible in the fireplace, there were clearly many people around her.

Those people seemed to let out a collective gasp upon hearing Yuma's news. Girard turned around irritably, telling them to be quiet.

After managing the chaos around her, Girard looked back at Yuma.

"How did you get this news? Did Snape contact you?"

Her first thought was still that Severus had discovered something and notified Yuma first.

"No! Black found my home! He took my wife and son hostage, trying to force me to tell him Severus's whereabouts! When he got nothing from me, he fled! You need to come here immediately!"

Almost two or three seconds after Yuma finished speaking, in the fireplace, the green flames suddenly surged!

Amidst a shower of sparks, Girard's figure appeared in Yuma's home. Upon hearing Yuma's words, she had immediately made the decision to come from the Ministry.

Behind her, French Aurors holding wands continuously emerged from the flames.

Girard's robes were stained with uncleaned soot, but she had no energy to care about that now.

Stepping out of the fireplace and seeing Yuma, her first question was, "How did he escape!"

"Apparition!" Yuma said rapidly.

"He stole my wife's wand and used Apparition to leave!"

"Stewart!"

Girard shouted the name of an Auror.

Soon, a tall, long-haired wizard came forward with his team. They began casting spells to trace the origin of the Apparition.

French Aurors naturally had sufficient authority. Within seconds, they had a lead. Without any delay, the Auror named Stewart and his subordinates gave chase!

Girard did not leave.

She looked gravely at Yuma.

"Tell me what happened!"

As an elite Auror with many years of experience, Yuma knew exactly how to narrate an event in the most concise language.

Within two minutes, he had told Girard the entire story. Learning that Sirius had taken such a great risk just to find Severus's whereabouts from Yuma,

Girard's face turned grim and unpleasant.

The matter was now obvious.

"They haven't fled France, nor do they intend to lie low. They want... revenge on Snape!"

For Sirius, escaping Auror pursuit was actually quite simple.

As an unregistered Animagus, his ability to transform was not on record with the Ministry. This meant that, lacking such crucial information, even if Aurors saw him, they couldn't catch him.

Just like now.

Crouched beside a garbage bin, Sirius coldly watched the French Aurors Apparating into the alley one by one, beginning their investigation in the area, yet never glancing his way.

After observing the Aurors' actions for a while, Sirius stood up. Like an ordinary stray dog finishing a nap, he ambled away from the street, evading the Aurors' blockade and encirclement.

Today, he had taken such a great risk, yet gained nothing!

Upon first arriving at Yuma's home, he had conducted a thorough search of the French Auror's letters but found nothing.

Even the diary contained no mention of where Severus had gone, only a series of laughable expressions of gratitude and sentiment after being deceived by that fraud.

During the confrontation on the stairs, even without using Legilimency, Sirius could tell that Yuma, with his wife and child threatened, was not lying.

He truly didn't know where Severus had gone.

Without finding Severus, he couldn't find Harry, and he couldn't ensure Harry's safety!

Sirius couldn't guess what Severus intended to do, but he was certain that Snivellus had no good intentions in taking Harry.

Hiding the wand stolen from Yuma's wife under a paving stone in an alley, Sirius, who had transformed into a black dog, lingered in the shadows of Paris's buildings, hesitating.

Besides Yuma, he had another option.

According to reports from magical news outlets, likely because Severus had rescued him, Nicolas Flamel seemed to have a rather close relationship with him.

Several reporters who had luckily managed to intercept Nicolas twice had heard from his words praise and affirmation for the British wizard.

Additionally, rumors suggested that before Severus finally disappeared from Paris, he had taken the children to the Flamel Residence for lunch. Therefore, the probability that Nicolas knew Snape's whereabouts was much higher than Yuma's.

But under the current circumstances, while Sirius dared to risk coercing a French Auror for information, he wasn't so sure about approaching Nicolas!

He was impulsive at times, but impulsiveness didn't mean stupidity.

Nicolas had just been rescued from a kidnapping incident days ago. The area around his home wouldn't be patrolled only by magical newspaper reporters but also by numerous French Aurors.

Sirius's current identity was that of a vicious Death Eater who had escaped from Azkaban. Except for Sirius himself, who knew he was framed, everyone else believed he was part of Barty Jr.'s group of Death Eaters.

Especially after his coercion of Yuma, it was predictable that the Aurors' surveillance around the Flamel Residence would be elevated to another level.

Sirius was torn and hesitant. He knew he had to find Severus's trail quickly, but the only path to that answer now seemed to be through the Flamel Residence.

Yet clearly, for him now, the Flamel Residence was a dead end.

Sirius had never felt so lost and helpless before. He wandered the streets and alleys of Paris. He knew clearly what he needed to do, yet he walked aimlessly.

Time silently slipped away as the faint glow of the sunset passed through Paris's countless skyscrapers, falling on Sirius's pure black fur.

He hung his head, ears drooping. At some point, a light rain began to fall over Paris. Sirius trotted to the nearest metro station for shelter.

Avoiding the station manager, he was about to find a quiet, clean spot to curl up when he suddenly looked up and realized the place was filled with unkempt, ragged Muggles, rats foraging everywhere, and stray dogs relieving themselves wherever they pleased.

Among these people and animals, he was now the most presentable and clean one.

This made Sirius can't help but glance back at the station manager, who seemed completely oblivious to these people and animals, sleeping soundly on a recliner with a weekly magazine covering his face.

This was clearly a gathering place for the homeless. The station sign blatantly read [Stalingrad Station] in French.

Discovering the purpose of this place in the city, Sirius shook his head, actually feeling more relaxed.

He settled at the edge of the tents set up by the homeless, establishing a territory for himself under the hostile gaze of a pack of stray dogs.

Outside, the city was under a light rain. The old metro platform was bustling with people. The Muggles busy in this concrete jungle were transferring from their workplaces back home through this key urban hub.

This shift to a relaxed mindset meant almost every Muggle had a smile… children, men, women.

Sirius lay on the cold floor, his front legs crossed under his chin, silently watching all of this.

At this moment, his worry for Harry, his resentment towards Snape, his incomprehension of Lupin… all these emotions churned within him, making him feel as if he had drunk that pint of Gamp's Old Gregarious that promised a 100 Galleon prize if finished in one go… bitter and nauseating.

In the end, all that remained in his heart was regret.

He began to regret why he had been so foolish as to want to punish himself in Azkaban instead of paying more attention to Harry?

'Why did you think that killing Peter meant you had completed your atonement?'

'How many more mistakes will you make?'

'How many more people will you wrong, Sirius Black!'

Sirius curled up in the shadows, emitting the unique whimper of a canine.

Night unnoticeably deepened, but this homeless camp didn't quiet down… instead, it grew livelier.

Alcoholics and drug addicts are born to be companions of the night. Stimulated by alcohol and drugs, those people dance wildly, starting a party!

"! You're a rare big fellow! Want to try some of this?"

A drunkard discovered Sirius curled up in the corner. Clearly intoxicated, his face flushed red, he hugged a pack of beer and plopped down next to Sirius.

Lost in his sorrow, Sirius initially didn't want to engage with this Muggle. But caught off guard, a can of beer was poured into his mouth!

"Hey! Drink with me! My treat! Tonight's a good night, right? Every night is a good night, worth celebrating!"

The cool beer, just taken from the fridge and still emitting a faint chill, flowed down Sirius's throat into his stomach, offering him a rare sense of solace after so long without alcohol.

He didn't angrily shake off the beer the drunk offered. Instead, he opened his mouth initiatively, gulping down the entire can of beer in one go.

This surprised and excited the generous drunk.

"You like the taste, right?" He laughed heartily, opening a new can while slinging an arm around Sirius's dog head, "That's right! It's the best stuff! Drink up! I, Hant, am treating today!"

He called out, feeding Sirius beer while opening one for himself, clinking cans together.

Thus, man and dog drank merrily together. The drunk didn't treat Sirius as a dog, and Sirius accepted the numbness brought by alcohol, beginning to enjoy this moment of relaxation and pleasure!

They drank together well into the early hours of the morning. Empty beer cans were tossed aside one after another. The drunk named Hant kept replenishing the supply from the store. Finally out of money, he simply started stealing others' alcohol.

Just as Sirius was about to succumb completely to it, his eyes, which were already seeing double and the world upside down, suddenly caught sight of a person.

A man in pale grey robes, with silver-grey long hair, looking extremely old!