When October drew to an end, the weather had turned properly cold. The trees along the edge of the Forbidden Forest glowed with gold and orange leaves, most of which had already fallen, forming a crisp, rustling carpet across the grounds.

  Despite the Dementors circling the skies above the castle, the first three weeks of the month passed by without incident. The mood around school stayed calm, and nothing unusual disrupted the routine.

  But nothing ever stays quiet for too long in this castle. As the final week crept in, that calm was quickly replaced by excitement—not just because Halloween was around the corner, but because it was also the time for the school's All-Star Quidditch team to be heading to Germany to participate in the first round of this year's inter-school tournament.

  Thus, on Saturday, the school's deputy headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, along with flying instructor Rolanda Hooch and the Hogwarts team coach, Steven, all left for Germany, accompanying this year's fourteen students to show the world what they were made of.

  And speaking of the team, a few changes had shown up compared to last year. Three new players came in to replace those who'd graduated, Harry Potter stepped in as the first team Seeker after Marcus Flint left, and Fred Weasley snagged a spot as a Beater.

  It was a solid lineup. Everyone was feeling optimistic—and some were downright confident they could outdo last season's performance. Fortunately, no one jinxed it by running their mouth, and by the time the week rolled around, the team was still in the competition.

  When Halloween finally arrived, the Great Hall was once again fully transformed for the occasion, with giant carved pumpkins floating above the tables, cobwebs stretched across the rafters, and bats drifting lazily beneath the enchanted ceiling. However, this year, hardly anyone paid attention to the eerily vivid decorations.

  Instead, all eyes were glued to the four large screens floating around the Hall, broadcasting live the last match of the first round of this year's tournament.

  And as it happened, it was Hogwarts on the pitch tonight—so naturally, the whole school was on edge. With one win and one loss behind them, this final match would decide whether they moved on to the next stage, so it goes without saying why the tension in the Hall was so thick.

  Every time the Quaffle neared either set of goalposts, the Hall would erupt with sharp gasps or groans. Some had their faces buried in their hands as if they were watching a horror film, while others were on their feet, yelling at the screens as if the players could somehow hear them through it.

  Over at the staff table, the scene was much the same. All eyes were glued to the screens, and some—like Hagrid—could barely stay in their seats, behaving just like any other hot blooded student. No one said a word about the noise or lack of table manners tonight. Heck, even Snape had his eyes fixed on the screens for the entire match.

  The game ran over three hours, but no one cared. Even with the tables cleared and dinner long gone, the Hall stayed electric. In the end, Hogwarts claimed the win by reaching the maximum goal limit first. And at that moment, the Great Hall turned festive all over again as everyone burst into celebration.

  "A most spirited game, wouldn't you say?" the school's Headmaster asked the staff table after letting out a long breath he didn't even realise he was holding until the final whistle.

  Everyone else had been the same, sighing in unison with relieved exhaustion, glad that the team had won.

  "The kids gave their best, and luck was on our side too," Maverick said. He, too, had been swept up in the match and could see just how close it had been. In his opinion, they would need more than luck to make it past the next stage.

  Dumbledore chuckled lightly at the serious remark, his eyes twinkling behind half-moon spectacles. "Ah, but is luck not its own peculiar form of strength?" He paused, then, glancing at the clock, shook his head. "Much as I would like the evening to continue, curfew is nearly upon us..."

  "Give them a bit more time, Headmaster. It's a celebration..." Maverick cut in smoothly.

  "Professor Caesar is right, Headmaster. Besides, it's Halloween..."

  The other professors also chimed in, suggesting they allow the kids to celebrate a bit longer. The old man could only accept since everyone had spoken, and the thunderous atmosphere in the Great Hall continued until midnight before the students were finally asked to head to their common rooms.

  "Headmaster—" Maverick stopped Dumbledore before he headed to his office once the hall cleared. "When Professor McGonagall comes back, I'd like to have a chat with the two of you..."

  "Something urgent?" Dumbledore asked thoughtfully.

  "Yes... it has to do with Sirius Black..."

  The twinkle in the old man's eyes faded upon hearing that name and he nodded solemnly. "I shall speak to Minerva the moment she returns. Let us meet in my office tomorrow evening then..."

  With that, the old man departed, and Maverick also retired for the evening to have a good night's sleep.

  ---

  The next evening, after dinner, Maverick climbed the spiraling staircase toward the Headmaster's office, the stone walls flickering with torchlight, until he reached the familiar griffin-shaped gargoyle guarding the entrance.

  "Sugar quill," he said, and the statue leapt aside with a scrape of stone, revealing the moving staircase beyond.

  He wasn't alone. Remus was beside him as well, brought along because it would be easier to explain some aspects of Black's situation with him there to fill in the details.

  The door creaked open, and they found the Headmaster and his deputy already there, waiting for them—both seated with tea and some snacks already prepared.

  What's this? A gossip table prepared? Maverick chuckled inwardly, just as he heard McGonagall ask inquiringly, her gaze fixed on Lupin.

  "Remus?" she asked, brows drawn.

  "It's a long story, Professor," Maverick said as they stepped inside. "Professor Lupin is here because he can explain some things better... he has a history with tonight's subject, after all..."

  They all settled in, and Dumbledore, ever the hospitable host, offered tea and snacks just as quickly.

  "First off," Maverick said, dumping the cup back on the saucer after one disgusted sip—too damn sweet. "I need you to listen and think very carefully about what I'm about to reveal. The Sirius Black case isn't as simple as you've been led to believe…"

  For the next hour and a half, Maverick laid everything out from start to finish. He began with how he had found Black, and how questioning him had finally revealed the full truth.

  The truth about the Potters' deaths. The secret switch of the Secret Keeper. Pettigrew's betrayal. How the rat had framed Black for the murders and destruction he himself had caused—and that Peter Pettigrew had never truly died back then.

  Lupin chimed in every so often, filling in details as Maverick continued—explaining how he had captured Pettigrew afterward, and that the audacious rat had been living in plain sight with the Weasleys for twelve years, even staying at Hogwarts with Ronald Weasley during the past two.

  "...since Lupin had a history with both of them, I took him along with Black to finally interrogate the rat. He confessed everything... the man was a pure coward."

  Dumbledore leaned back, fingers steepled, his eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and contemplation over the turn of events. His deputy shared a similar look—bewildered that the two men she had once taught, long believed to be a brave hero and a coward, had somehow swapped roles.

  "I had a feeling something was off back then," McGonagall said quietly. "I knew that boy, Sirius Black, very well… mischievous, yes. A troublemaker, most definitely. But unlike other purebloods, he never cared about blood status, so I found it hard to believe he'd be a spy for a blood supremacist madman. His family, especially his mother, I was told, placed that above all else. I even heard he was disowned by her for—"

  "Nonsense!" A heavy, aged voice, sharp with anger, suddenly cut in, interrupting McGonagall. "A mere woman who married into my house possesses no authority to disinherit a scion of the Blacks. No matter how wayward that boy's opinions may be, blood and birthright are not—and shall never be—so lightly cast aside."

  "Phineas," Dumbledore said with a faint smile, "I almost forgot you are a Black as well."

  "Dumbledore," said the man inside the portrait, "I have heard many ridiculous tales tonight, but this one I firmly believe to be true. You must help that boy clear his name."

  Then he turned his gaze to Maverick. "And you, boy—please help him. As a favor, I will allow you to choose any treasure from the Black family vault, anything you desire..."

  Maverick chuckled at the portrait's ridiculous remark. "Headmaster, with all due respect, you're dead..."

  Not to be outdone, the former Headmaster replied firmly, "I will speak to the boy if you bring him here to me. He will listen to me..."

  "Okay, forget it," Maverick waved his hand dismissively. "I'll be helping Sirius Black clear his name anyway. Besides, even if you don't ask him, I'm pretty sure he'll hand over whatever I want from the vault..."

  "Have you thought about how to get his case started? What about handing over Peter Pettigrew to the Ministry?" McGonagall asked again once the blunt, old portrait had finished speaking its mind.

  Maverick nodded. "I've shared the full story with the Ministry's law enforcement director and several of his colleagues. They've promised to help—and to reopen the case as soon as Black and Pettigrew are handed over together."

  "You have handled these matters remarkably well, Professor Caesar. I doubt even I could have done it so deftly," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, leaning back in his chair. "But I can't help but wonder... surely there's more to this tale, yes?"

  "As sharp as ever, Headmaster… which is why I'm sharing this with the two of you in the first place. Because really, clearing Black's name and putting Pettigrew behind bars isn't a challenge for me..."

  The old man smiled, gesturing for him to continue, while McGonagall raised an eyebrow, also curious about what he had to say next.

  —————————

  The Wise Man Onboard (II) (CH - 225)

  The atmosphere in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office was unusually quiet at this moment. The usual twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was gone, replaced by a subtle crease of concern, and likewise, his deputy looked just as deep in thought, as if a thousand worries were running through her mind.

  "...Why, Maverick?" McGonagall asked after a moment of thought, forgetting to even use the formal "Professor" as she usually did.

  "You have wealth, fame, and power... so why involve yourself in the country's politics?" Her eyes studied his face, trying to make sense of the young man she had known for over two years but who suddenly felt... like a different person.

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  "Because I can't stand how backwards this country's magical government is, Professor. Fudge needs to step down, and a more competent minister is desperately needed."

  "By competent, you mean Lord Greengrass? How are you so sure he won't be the same… or worse?" she pressed.

  Maverick let out a quiet sigh. "Look, Professor, it's out of sincerity that I'm sharing this with you. Even if you choose not to persuade the votes in your faction to cooperate, I'm confident I can still secure the minimum support I need."

  He paused, his eyes flicking between the two of them, stopping briefly on Dumbledore, who had remained silent the entire time. Then he added, "I just don't want you to be caught off guard when everything unfolds."

  Hearing his answer, McGonagall didn't know what else to say and could only turn to her mentor, hoping for his take. What Maverick was asking for was simple enough—just their support when it came time to vote to impeach the Minister for Magic. His reasoning was also sound because, truth be told, she wouldn't mind seeing the current Minister replaced as well.

  But decades of working under Albus Dumbledore had shaped her thinking, and many of his principles had rubbed off on her over the years. One of them was: never meddle in public opinion.

  In Dumbledore's eyes, public opinion was as dangerous as any powerful wizard, and when such a wizard set out to shape the minds of the masses… well, he had seen firsthand what came of it half a century ago.

  "Do you know why I never meddle in this country's politics, or in any magical community's for that matter, Maverick... even with all my power?" the old man said at last.

  Maverick didn't answer. He just waited, letting the silence stretch until Dumbledore chose to fill it.

  "It corrupts," Dumbledore said simply. "Too much power concentrated in one place always leads to the same end. And absolute power—"

  "—corrupts absolutely," Maverick cut in, waving a hand in mild dismissal. "I'm familiar with the proverb, Headmaster. And forgive me for being blunt, but I am not Gellert Grindelwald."

  His gaze locked on the old man's, unflinching, as the sudden name-drop pulled the room into an awkward silence. Even Lupin, who had been quiet for some time, visibly flinched, feeling as though the temperature had dropped a few degrees.

  Who doesn't know that name was a taboo—especially in front of this old man?

  "Let me be perfectly clear, Headmaster..." Maverick pressed on. "I have absolutely no interest in subverting the Muggle world, nor do I fear their technology will one day grow to a point where they have the power to subdue us."

  "If anything, I wish the two worlds could one day coexist peacefully as humans, and not as Muggles and Mages." He paused, letting his words settle before adding,

  "And that day will come, eventually. You've both attended enough of my Muggle science lectures to know it's only a matter of time before we're discovered by the Muggle public. There will be chaos, of course, but after some time—maybe years, maybe decades—the world will enter a new age. The only thing we can do is control how we get exposed and minimize the chaos that follows."

  Honestly, Maverick didn't plan on bringing up the Statute of Secrecy tonight and had only intended to talk about Sirius Black's case and impeaching Cornelius Fudge.

  However, now that the conversation had drifted in this direction, he thought it was not a bad idea to at least give them a vague heads-up before eventually revealing his plan to break the Statute in the coming year. Only vaguely, though, as he did not want to go into details just yet. For that, he would bring in his strongest backer to persuade the old man… and if that did not work, make him either fall in line or stay out of the way.

  Cough.

  "I believe we've strayed from the matter at hand, haven't we?" McGonagall said suddenly, clearing her throat, looking a little nervous. After all, Maverick was getting dangerously close to the biggest taboo in the magical world—and she didn't want to have that conversation. Not now. Not ever.

  "You're right, Professor," Maverick said with a sigh, pretending he had only brought it up on a whim. "I only came to talk about Sirius Black's case and impeaching the Minister of Magic… so—"

  He turned back to Dumbledore again, and, softening his tone, asked, "—tell me, Headmaster… will you cooperate?"

  Upon hearing Maverick address him directly, Dumbledore's expression flickered once more. Since the name of his old lover had been mentioned, he had remained silent—not out of anger, but deep in thought, weighing the young man's words, especially the comparison to Grindelwald. Maybe he was reading too much into it. They were similar in many ways, yet very different in others.

  Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that Maverick carried a dangerous motive for taking charge of the Ministry of Magic—even if it wasn't him personally who would sit in the seat.

  Alas, perhaps I am indeed overthinking it. With that thought, he finally brushed the thoughts aside.

  Then, as if a quiet decision had settled in his mind, he leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table.

  "You shall have my full support in clearing Sirius Black's name," he said, nodding thoughtfully. "Provided, of course, that all you have shared today proves true. And as for the matter of impeaching Cornelius…" He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly, "for the sake of a brighter future for magical Britain, I find myself inclined to lend my support to that cause as well."

  Maverick clad a smile at that. "Thank you, Headmaster. Though you might as well say it's for the greater good…"

  "Professor Caesar!" McGonagall cut in, a twitch in her brows.

  "Right… right… sorry, couldn't help myself," Maverick chuckled, glancing at the old man who, instead of taking offense, just smiled back, amused.

  "When shall you take us to see Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, then?" he asked, leaning back a little relaxed in his chair.

  "I can bring them both here now, if you like," Maverick replied, glancing between the two. "Or you can come with me to where I'm keeping them…"

  Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged a glance and silently agreed it would be better to bring them here directly. And so, Maverick left with Lupin, taking the Floo Network—first to where Black was, then to Greengrass Manor to pick up the rat—and returned to the office in less than half an hour.

  ---

  "And who might this be, then?" McGonagall asked, her sharp eyes fixed on the unfamiliar figure who stood beside Lupin, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

  "Right... I forgot," The man in question glanced down and said as he slipped a ring from his finger. Instantly, his features changed, revealing a face they all knew—wearing that all-too-familiar grin.

  Seeing his true appearance, a flicker of surprise crossed the two deans' faces, and McGonagall stood from her chair and approached him.

  "Uh… Professor, I hope I'm not in any trouble," Black said, swallowing nervously. Despite having graduated long ago, he still feared the stern professor. But to his surprise, she suddenly pulled him into a motherly hug and patted his back gently.

  "You poor thing. I apologize for allowing you to suffer in that wretched place all these years."

  Sirius flinched at the sudden embrace but then sighed and relaxed into it. "I chose to stay silent, Professor. It's nobody's fault," he said, voice more emotional than he let on.

  McGonagall stepped back, then finally turned her gaze to the other man—the true culprit behind it all—locked in a small cage, chained up. "Why is he unconscious?" she asked.

  "It's better if he doesn't see you both otherwise it could get complicated during the hearing." Maverick said. "But if you need to interrogate him, feel free to use Veritaserum after changing your appearance. Or I have a memory of our interrogation that you can watch."

  "The memory will do…" Dumbledore said, rising from his chair. He walked over to Sirius, resting a hand on his shoulder and offering the same apology for neglecting him. Then, taking the vial Maverick had handed over, Dumbledore and McGonagall both leaned in to examine its contents without another word.

  ---

  Half an hour later.

  "Professor Caesar. And you two!"

  As soon as she raised her head from the Pensieve, the stern headmistress glared sharply at the three men, eyes blazing with all the words she chose not to say aloud.

  "Did you give them the wrong memory?" Sirius nudged Maverick, whispering.

  "No, of course not. Probably…" Maverick mumbled, tilting his head toward the fuming lioness.

  "Do you call that interrogation? Merlin… that was downright barbaric!"

  Dumbledore walked back to his chair and sat down, making no move to stop his deputy's outburst. To be honest, he wasn't fond of the brutality either—the endless cycle of beating Peter Pettigrew and then healing him, repeated for over an hour, so much so they had to skip most of it.

  Finally, after sizing up the two culprits—Lupin and Sirius—to her heart's content, McGonagall sank back into her seat. But not before casting a sharp glare at Maverick, clearly knowing he had allowed it to happen.

  The brief episode ended quickly, and Dumbledore and McGonagall now fully grasped the clear proof and truth behind the whole incident. They talked a bit more, with the portrait of the dead headmaster joining in—rambling on at Sirius about marrying a few wives—before finally calling it a night.

  With the meeting finally over, and after returning the rat and Sirius Black to where they had been picked up, Maverick and Lupin made their way back to their offices.

  Settling into his chair in his own office, Maverick reflected quietly on the night's events, thinking, things had gone about as well as they could have.

  The old man was on board—though not entirely convinced—but that was enough for now. The next few months until the end of the semester would hopefully pass quietly at Hogwarts. Yet beyond the school's walls, before the holidays, Maverick still had a pressing matter looming on his schedule—something not quite tied to the magical world, but destined to play a crucial part in his plans for the coming year.

  Smartphones. Well, not quite smart—at least, not yet—but the world's first truly mobile phone with a color touchscreen and a built-in camera. Maverick's company on the Muggle side had been working tirelessly to bring this vision to life, pouring countless hours into research and development. Now, after months of trials, they were finally in the testing phase, with a planned launch set for late November. This wasn't just another gadget; it would be a game changer.

  Though the world's technological evolution had, in some ways, raced ahead faster than Maverick remembered from his previous life, everyday inventions like public computers and cell phones followed a familiar path—a steady, predictable climb.

  Therefore, he didn't need to be a Tony Stark-level genius to make a name for himself in the Muggle world. With knowledge of the future twenty years ahead, he was confident he could build a technological empire on the Muggle side just as well.

  —————————

  Author's Note:

  You can find this story on Webnovel, Fanfiction, and ScribbleHub, all under the same author name: RyanFic. Updates drop first on Webnovel!

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