novelcrest Chapter 390 I heard someone wanted me to drop out of school?
Chapter 390 I heard someone wanted me to drop out of school?
Chapter 390 I heard someone wanted me to drop out of school?
Hermione finally spoke: "But Professor Lupin's Scabbers can't possibly be Peter Pettigrew—it can't be, you know it can't be."
"Why not?" Lupin countered, his voice sounding less like an eager defense and more like the calm tone he used when discussing a magical problem with Hermione in class. "Why not?"
Hermione swallowed hard, her mind racing through all the information she had gathered: "Because if Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus, people will know."
"We learned about Animagus in Professor McGonagall's class, and I did a lot of research when I was doing my homework. The Ministry of Magic keeps records of all wizards who can transform into animals."
"There's a register of all the Animagus who can transform into animals, indicating what animals they can become—and I checked the register, Professor McGonagall's name is on it, there are only seven modern Animagus, and Peter Pettigrew's name isn't even on it."
Harry could hardly believe his ears. This was the level of care Hermione usually showed when doing her homework—so meticulous.
He couldn't help but feel admiration; Hermione truly knew everything, no wonder she was always so confident.
However, Lupin laughed at this moment.
"You're right again, Hermione!" Lupin gave a forced smile. "You're really smart, but the Ministry of Magic doesn't know that there were once three unregistered Animaguss active at Hogwarts."
Hermione was taken aback, clearly not expecting Lupin to give that answer.
She quickly said, "But if there really are three unregistered Animagus, why has no one ever said anything about it?"
"Do you think they'll tell the Ministry of Magic?" Sirius roared furiously, his eyes fixed on the struggling Scabbers. "I've waited twelve years, Remus! Tell them! I need to know everything!"
"Alright—but you have to help me, Sirius," Lupin said. "I only know the beginning—"
Lupin lowered his head and closed his eyes, seemingly recalling those bittersweet memories.
His voice was unusually low, carrying a heavy, fateful weight: "Alright," he sighed, "but you have to help me, Sirius. I only know the beginning of the story—"
He suddenly stopped, because a loud cry of pain came from behind him.
The bedroom door slowly opened, making a chilling sound.
All six people present involuntarily turned their heads and stared at the door.
Lupin stood up alertly and walked towards the door.
He cautiously peered towards the stairwell, then shook his head: "Nobody's here—"
"This place is definitely haunted!" Ron said hastily, his pale face looking particularly eerie in the moonlight.
"No." Lupin shook his head. "The Screaming Shack has never been haunted—the screams and shouts the villagers heard were all from me."
This statement silenced everyone. Hermione's mouth opened slightly, as if she had many questions to ask, but in the end, she chose to remain silent.
She looked intently at Lupin, waiting for him to continue.
Lu Ping raised his hand and brushed his gray hair aside, his expression becoming even more solemn.
He pondered for a moment, then finally spoke: "It all started here—from the moment I became a werewolf. If I hadn't been bitten, none of this would have happened if I hadn't been so reckless—" His voice was filled with deep self-reproach and regret.
He paused, looking utterly exhausted.
Ron seemed about to interrupt, but Hermione gestured for him to be quiet.
Lupin lowered his head and gave a bitter smile, continuing, "I was bitten when I was very young. My parents tried everything, but there was no cure for werewolf disease back then. The medicine Professor Snape prescribed for me—wolf poison—was only invented in recent years. This medicine allows me to remain conscious while transforming. I only need to take it a week before the full moon to become a harmless wolf, curled up in my office waiting for the waning moon."
He paused for a moment, his voice growing even lower: "But before the invention of potions, I would transform into a horrible monster every month. I would lose my mind, completely lose my humanity. Back then, it was almost impossible for me to get into Hogwarts, because no parent would want their child to attend school with a dangerous monster like me."
"And then?" Hermione couldn't help but ask softly.
Lupin's gaze softened: "Later, Professor Dumbledore became the headmaster. He deeply sympathized with my situation and believed that with some precautions, there was no reason not to let me receive an education."
He paused, gazing at Harry. "A few months ago, I told you that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I entered Hogwarts. In fact, it was planted specifically for me. This house—" His gaze swept over the dusty, memory-filled room, "and the secret passage leading to it, were all built for me. Every month, I would be secretly brought here to transform inside. The Whomping Willow was there to prevent anyone from getting close and getting hurt while I was transforming."
"That transformation back then—" Lupin's voice was filled with deep pain, "was an extremely terrifying experience. Becoming a werewolf was incredibly painful; I couldn't control myself. I was forced to isolate myself, and all I could do was bite and scratch myself—the villagers thought those screams were from evil spirits casting votes."
Professor Dumbledore didn't refute them; instead, he let the rumors spread. Even now, many years after the house was quiet, the villagers still dare not approach it.
"But—" Lupin said with some emotion, "even with this torment every month, I was also happier than ever before during that time. Because I made true friends."
His gaze swept over Harry, Hermione, and Ron, finally settling on Sirius Black. "Three great friends—James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pedyru."
Harry proved it.
He never expected Lupin to mention Sirius and Little Pettigrew's names.
Lupin seemed to sense his unease, but calmly continued, "My three friends couldn't have missed my monthly disappearances. I made up all sorts of excuses—saying something had happened at home and I had to go back—but they weren't stupid, and they soon found out the truth."
I was terrified; I was afraid they would leave me because of my secret. But they didn't. They chose to stay and devised a way to make my transformation less lonely and painful.
His gaze deepened: "They—learned the Animagus."
"My dad too?" Harry asked in surprise.
“Yes,” Lupin nodded. “It took them almost three years to learn. Your father and Sirius were among the brightest students in the school, thankfully, because if Animagus transformation goes wrong, it can have terrible consequences—which is one of the reasons why the Ministry of Magic has such strict control over Animagus.”
"And Peter—he needed the full help of James and Sirius to accomplish all of this. Finally, in fifth grade, they mastered it, and each of them could transform into a specific animal at will."
"But how will this help you?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
“They can’t be with me as humans,” Lupin explained, “but they can be as animals.”
"Werewolves are only dangerous to humans."
Hermione was stunned by this explanation.
She never expected that such a bug existed.
"Every month they would sneak out of the castle wearing James's invisibility cloak."
"Peter was the smallest, so he could squeeze under the branches of the Whomping Willow, press down on the knot that would stop it from attacking, and then everyone came here through the tunnel and is with me."
"With their company, I became less dangerous."
"Although my body is still wolf-shaped, when I'm with them, my mind doesn't seem to be entirely wolf-like anymore."
"Hurry up, Remus!" Sirius urged.
"Soon, Sirius, soon—" Lu Pingan reassured them, then continued, "Once they learn to transform, our adventure will begin."
"Those nights, we were no longer confined to the Screaming Shack, but explored the entire school and Hogsmeade."
"Jaime and Sirius transformed into enormous animals, which allowed them to control the werewolves very well."
"I dare say no student knows every corner of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade better than us, so we drew the Marauder's Map and signed our nicknames on it."
Sirius Black is "Bigfoot", Peter is "Wormtail", and James is "Fork".
"What kind of animal is it?" Harry opened his mouth to ask, but Hermione spoke first.
"That's too dangerous!" Hermione exclaimed incredulously. "Running around with a werewolf at night? What if you break free from your companions and bite someone else?"
"It's terrifying to think about now," Lupin said somberly. "There were so many close calls. But back then, we didn't take it seriously, we even joked about it. We were young and impetuous, completely intoxicated by our own cleverness and daring."
He paused, his brow furrowing slightly, a hint of self-reproach in his voice: "Of course, sometimes I feel guilty for betraying Dumbledore's trust. After all, he was the one who took me in when no other headmaster was willing to accept me. And now, he doesn't know..."
I broke the rules he set to protect himself and others, and even led my friend to become an illegal Animagus. But those feelings of guilt are always forgotten whenever we get together to discuss plans for the coming month.
He lowered his head, his expression complex: "So many years have passed, yet I still can't shake these memories. This year, I've been struggling internally..."
Should I tell Dumbledore that Sirius Black is an Animagus—but I didn't.
"Why? Because I'm too cowardly."
Lupin asked himself the question and answered it.
"If I were to speak out, it would be tantamount to admitting that I have betrayed Dumbledore's trust and that I have led others into taking risks."
"And Dumbledore's trust in me was of utmost importance to me."
"From getting me into Hogwarts as a child to helping me find this job as an adult, he has always been the only one who believed in me."
His voice gradually lowered: "So I told myself that Sirius must have infiltrated the school using the dark magic Voldemort taught him, and that it had nothing to do with the Animagus. In a sense, Snape was right about me."
"Snape?" Sirius suddenly exclaimed sharply, turning his gaze away from Scabbers on his hand for the first time and looking up at Lupin. "What does this have to do with Snape?"
"He's here, Sirius," Lupin said gravely. "Snape teaches at Hogwarts too." He looked up at Harry...
Ron and Hermione.
"Professor Snape was our classmate."
"He strongly opposed me teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"He's spent the whole year telling Dumbledore how untrustworthy I am. He has his reasons. Sirius played a prank that almost killed him, and that prank involved me—"
Sirius gave a dismissive snort.
"He deserved it," he scoffed. "Trying to sneak around and find out what we were doing—hoping we'd get fired—"
“Severus is very interested in where I go every month,” Lupin told Harry, Hermione, and Ron. “We’re in the same year, and we—well—don’t get along very well.”
"He particularly disliked James. I think it was because he was jealous of James' talent on the Quidditch pitch—anyway, one night Snape saw me walking across the pitch with Madam Pomfrey, and she took me to the Whomping Willow to transform."
"Sirius, just to have some fun, told Snape that if he poked the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, he could come inside with me."
"Of course, Snape tried it—if he had followed him into this house, he would have encountered a wolf of a wild nature—your father heard what Sirius did and risked his life to catch up with Snape and drag him back, but Snape saw me at the other end of the tunnel."
"Dumbledore forbade him to tell anyone, yet from that moment on he knew what I was—"
"Is that why Snape doesn't like you?" Harry asked slowly. "He thinks you were involved in that prank?"
"That's right." Lu Ping had just answered when a cold, mocking voice came from the wall behind him.
Severus Snape emerged from beneath the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing steadily at Lupin.
Hermione screamed, Sirius jumped in fright, and Harry froze as if struck by lightning.
"I found this under the Whomping Willow." Snape casually tossed the Invisibility Cloak aside, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You're probably wondering how I knew you were here?"
He said with a sneer, "I went to your office, Lupin. You forgot to take your medicine tonight, so I brought a cup with me. How lucky—for me, incredibly lucky—I saw you come down this corridor and disappear from here."
"Severus—" Lupin tried to explain, but Snape interrupted him sharply.
"Shut up, Lupin!" Snape's eyes burned with a vengeful gleam. "I've warned the headmaster time and again that you've been secretly helping your old friend Black infiltrate the castle. Now, the evidence is right before your eyes. I never even imagined you'd dare use this old place as a refuge—"
"Severus, you're wrong!" Lupin said urgently. "You haven't heard the whole story—I can explain—Sirius didn't come to kill Harry—"
"Shut up!" Snape interrupted him fervently, his voice trembling with excitement. "Azkaban will have two more men tonight, Lupin."
I'm really looking forward to seeing Dumbledore's reaction—he actually believed you were harmless, a "tamed" werewolf!
Lupin's face paled even more. "You fool, Severus, is it worth sending an innocent person to Azkaban because of a grudge from our school days?"
Bang! Snape's wand tip immediately shot out a snake-like rope that wrapped around Lupin's mouth, wrists, and ankles.
Lupin lost his balance, fell to the ground, and was completely unable to move.
"Damn it!" Sirius roared, his eyes wide with fury, as he lunged at Snape.
Snape raised his wand, pointing it at Sirius's forehead: "Give me a reason, Black. Just one reason, and I swear I won't hesitate."
Sirius Black suddenly stopped.
At this moment, it's hard to tell which face shows more hatred—Harry wants revenge on Sirius, and Sirius wants revenge on Peter Pettigrew.
Snape wanted revenge on Lupin and Sirius.
Harry stood there, paralyzed, unsure of what to do or who to believe.
He glanced at Ron, Hermione, and Sophia.
Ron looked just as confused as he did, while Sophia was taking pictures of something with her camera.
Only Hermione, and only Hermione, took action at this moment.
She took a timid step toward Snape and said in a very weak voice, "Professor Snape—it wouldn't hurt to listen—to what they have to say, would it?"
"Miss Granger, you're facing a suspension from school," Snape snapped. "You, Phillips, Potter, and Weasley went out without permission and were with murderers and werewolves. You're always so talkative, shut up now!"
"But what if—if there's a misunderstanding—"
"Shut up, you stupid girl!" Snape roared, suddenly seeming to go berserk. "Don't talk about things you don't understand!" Sparks flew from the tip of his wand, which remained pointed at Sirius's forehead.
Hermione remained silent in the face of this scene.
"How wonderful is the taste of revenge," Snape whispered to Sirius. "I've always longed to catch you—"
"You're the one making a fool of yourself again, Severus," Sirius cried. "If this boy brings the mouse back to the castle—" he tossed his head toward Ron, "—I'll go with you obediently—"
"Back to the castle?" Snape said glibly. "I don't think I need to go that far. The moment I step out of this willow tree, I'll summon the Dementors. They'll be happy to see you, Black. I think they'll be so happy they'll give you a little kiss, Black..."
The last bit of color in Sirius's face disappeared.
"You—you must listen to me," he said in a hoarse voice, "that mouse—look at that mouse—"
But Snape's eyes shone with a madness Harry had never seen before; he seemed to have lost his mind.
"Let's go, everyone out." With that, he snapped his fingers, and the end of the rope binding Lupin flew into his hand. "If I drag this werewolf along, maybe the Dementors will give him a kiss." Harry instinctively took three steps across the room, blocking the doorway.
"Get out of my way, Potter! You've got enough trouble already!" Snape roared. "If I hadn't come to your rescue—"
"Professor Lupin had a hundred chances to kill me this year," Harry said. "I spent so much time alone with him, learning how to fend off Dementors. If he wanted to help Black, why didn't he do it then?"
"Don't expect me to figure out the psychology of werewolves," Snape said disdainfully. "Get out of the way, Potter."
"You're pathetic!" Harry said. "Just because they teased you back in school, you won't even go through with it all."
"Shut up! Don't talk to me like that!" Snape screamed, looking even more frantic. "Like father, like son, Potter! I just saved your life, you should be kneeling down and thanking me! Actually, you deserved to be killed! Die just like your father, because you were too proud to believe you were wrong about Black—Get out of the way, or I won't be polite, get out of the way, Potter!"
Harry made his decision instantly, raising his wand high before Snape could take the next step.
"Disarm you!" he shouted—but at the same time, another voice rang out.
A powerful blast of air swept through the room, even causing the door to creak loudly. Snape was thrown to the ground, slamming against the wall before sliding down to the floor. A trail of bright red blood seeped from his hair; he was clearly unconscious.
Harry, panting, was about to turn around to see who was helping him when he heard a familiar voice.
"I just heard—"
A familiar and gentle voice followed: "Someone wants me to drop out of school?"
Sean stood in the doorway, wand in hand, and slowly walked into the room.
"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, her gaze shifting back and forth between him and the fallen Snape, her shock evident in her voice.
"Looks like I've come at just the right time," Sean said, walking up to Harry and patting him on the shoulder with a complex look in his eyes. "You did well, Potter—though the force you used could be improved."