Leonard did not react at all to Sirius's refusal to take advice.
Because it really was sincere advice. If Sirius cleaned himself up a little and made himself look more presentable, people would naturally trust him more.
Looking that disheveled and filthy, who would not be wary on sight?
Sure enough, Sirius might have talked tough, but the very first thing he did after picking up the wand was cast a Human-presence-repelling Spell on himself, then clean himself up.
For a wizard, cleaning up was easy. One Cleaning Charm, and the stubborn grime and foul stench were gone in an instant.
Then Sirius used the Water-Making Spell to summon a little clean water and smooth down his hair. In no time, a Sirius in ragged clothes but looking like a fallen nobleman had freshly emerged.
The long-lost feeling of cleanliness left him looking as refreshed as drought-stricken land after rain, his face full of pure comfort and enjoyment.
Leonard watched Sirius preen in silence, then reminded him, "Don't say I didn't warn you. You'd better complete the task I gave you. Otherwise, the regret that follows will definitely not be something you want to deal with."
Sirius's expression stiffened. He glanced at Leonard's middle-aged face, then at the Dursleys' house not far away, let out a sigh, and nodded hard.
"Since you agreed, I won't waste any more words."
The vines gathered at Leonard's feet, ready to carry him away.
Right then, Leonard froze. Under Sirius's anxious gaze, he turned to look toward the Dursleys' house.
Sirius swallowed. He thought the mysterious man in front of him was about to do something bad, but then a woman's pig-slaughter scream suddenly came from the direction of the Dursleys' house.
Sirius whipped his head around and immediately saw a woman as round as a ball floating in the sky, swaying as she drifted into the distance.
Sirius stared, dumbfounded, then looked at Leonard. "Was that you?"
"Of course not." Leonard answered casually, gazing thoughtfully at the fat woman drifting away in the sky.
He was not thinking about this inevitable plot scene. A fat woman getting punished for her foul mouth was not worth Leonard's attention.
What Leonard had suddenly noticed was something much more interesting.
The fat woman being blown up like a balloon should have been the result of Harry Potter's magic bursting out in anger. There was no actual spell involved, just a more direct kind of power, something closer to making thoughts reality.
Harry Potter thought the fat woman was as round as a ball, so she got inflated and sent flying.
This kind of magic, power directly interfering with matter, was the most common form of magical outburst. But the key point was that when Leonard sensed Harry Potter's magic erupting, he also seemed to feel an aura similar to the state Grindelwald had been in.
"Grindelwald... what he studies and uses is all modern magic... could this be how the Eternal Wizard manifests through modern magic?"
Leonard turned that thought over in his mind.
"Is Harry in trouble?" Sirius had no idea Leonard was thinking about anything so complicated. He only knew that something had clearly happened to Harry Potter.
He wanted to go, but he did not dare. He was afraid of running into the people hunting him.
It was not that he was afraid of being caught. He was afraid of frightening Harry.
But that did nothing to ease his worry.
Was Harry hurt? Did he need help? What exactly had happened over there?
As for the matter of turning a Muggle into a balloon with magic, that was not even on Sirius's list of concerns.
Leonard glanced at Sirius, whose whole mind was tilted toward Harry Potter, silently rolled his eyes, and slipped away while Sirius was in a panic.
This matter was over, so there was no need for Leonard to stay any longer. As for whether Sirius, now that he had a wand again, would use magic to retaliate against the Dursleys for how harshly they had treated Harry Potter, that was none of Leonard's business.
...
The Leaky Cauldron, third-floor guest room.
"Claudia, it's time to wash up."
Fleur walked into the room and softly called out to Claudia, who was leaning by the window and staring out blankly.
"Okay." Claudia answered obediently, jumped down from the chair, ran over to Fleur, and looked up at her. "Sister, when is Leonard coming back?"
"He should be back soon..." Fleur sighed inwardly and hid the worry in her eyes.
It had already been four days, and there was still no news from Leonard.
Leonard had sent no message back. There were no reports in the papers of any victims, and no news that Sirius had been caught either.
Fleur had no idea what state Leonard was in now.
"Don't worry, Claudia. Just be good." Fleur gently stroked Claudia's little head with affection.
These past few days together had only made her like this pretty, adorable little girl even more. Fleur had already felt an unusual sense of closeness when they met during last summer's holiday, and now that feeling had only grown stronger.
"Claudia isn't worried." Claudia shook her head, her silver-gold hair swaying like flowing water. "Leonard is really strong. He won't run into danger."
"Yes, yes... Leonard is very strong." Fleur used the tone one might use to coax a child. "Come on, let's go bathe."
She only thought this was some mysterious confidence born from Claudia's favoritism toward Leonard.
Although Fleur also felt that Leonard really was very capable, facing a vicious Death Eater... it was still far too dangerous.
"Mhm." Claudia nodded, took Fleur's hand, and the two of them walked into the bathroom together.
Steam filled the bathroom. As the sound of water rose, Fleur held Claudia and sat down in the tub, their hair spreading out in the water like alluring aquatic plants.
As they soaked, Fleur remembered helping Claudia undress just now and, like a thief, snuck another glance at Claudia's tiny frame.
Good heavens. She was obviously so petite, so how could that part be so big?
Fleur was utterly shocked and completely unable to understand it.
But how could she possibly ask innocent little Claudia something like that?
Holding Claudia, Fleur buried her face in her hair in embarrassment. The fresh scent of grass and wood filled her nose, only making her feel even more ashamed of her own thoughts.
"Sister..." Claudia suddenly said. "Do you like Leonard?"
Fleur lifted her head from Claudia's fragrant hair, a thoughtful look appearing on her face. As she scrubbed Claudia's back, she said, "I'm fond of him, but it's not quite that kind of liking yet."
As someone with Veela blood, Fleur was not the sort of girl who would shy away from facing her own feelings and act coy about them. Whatever she felt, she felt.
She really did have a favorable impression of Leonard, and the reason was simple. He had not been charmed by the Veela aura at all. Everything he said and did came from his own true feelings.
And he was very capable too, both in magic and in potions.