Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 328 Have a pleasant journey

The world turned into a turbulent sea. In the gaps between the rise and fall, I opened my eyes and saw the waves breaking apart, and my vision was filled with shattered images.

He thought that swimming to the surface would allow him to escape the bloodthirsty fish, but when he surfaced after his dive, he found himself surrounded by Dementors. Black cloaks encircled him, and their empty eye sockets cast gazes down like ghosts whispering.

The damp, cold white mist made the mouse's fur stand on end. The blood-red liquid diffused in the blue-black seawater. Another hailstone fell on his face, and an unbearable pain struck, as if a sword blade had pierced his head and soul.

Peter Pettigrew felt his senses fading and becoming increasingly hazy. He mustered his strength and struggled to swim, but it seemed as if he were in a dream, and all those exhausting swims were just illusions.

He felt he was going to die, that he would drown in the salty seawater and be devoured by fish, or that he would come into contact with the Animagus, become bloated, float to the surface, and be taken back to London by the patrolling Aurors.

The mouse stretched out its forelimbs, hoping that the ouroboros mark could help it one more time, but it couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion. Just when the insect tail was in utter despair, a gray-white water snake was quietly approaching, its nimble tail wrapping around the mouse.

The snake writhed, its scales opening and closing neatly, swimming towards the nearest shore following the direction of the ocean current.

The seawater and schools of fish seemed to give way to the long-horned water snake. The insect's tail opened its eyes, as if an invisible bubble membrane covered its head. The scene on the surface and the seabed was reflected on the bubble membrane. If you looked closely, the broken waves turned into neat scales.

They're not fish scales, they're snake scales.

A warm current surrounded him, in which rats and snakes swam. Peter felt no sensation in the latter half of his body, as if it had been torn in two, yet he also felt a warm sensation around the wound where his tail had been severed.

The insect's tail twitched instinctively, attempting to struggle, but the snake's tail immediately tightened its grip.

The insect tail immediately stopped breathing. The wound at the severed tail burst open, and the blood-red liquid was still slightly warm. It began to struggle desperately, but it seemed to have become a mouse waiting to be slaughtered, tightly bound by the snake tail.

He felt again that he was going to die, that he would be strangled to death by the water snake.

He stretched out his claws, trying to scratch the water snake to loosen its grip, but he had no strength to move. He was unaware that the long-horned water snake was dragging him away from Azkaban at an unimaginable speed, its silvery eyes gleaming.

The sound of the surging waves was like the wind whistling through the strait. These sounds would normally be the gurgling of bubbles to the ears of land mammals, but Wormtail heard them with exceptional clarity.

Reality and illusion gradually became blurred in Insect Tail's mind. He vaguely felt that he had seen this snake before, seemingly at sea, next to a professor wearing a long trench coat.

In a sudden moment, the long snake, coiled around the mouse, leaped out of the sea.

One landed smoothly, while the other rolled on the ground, its tail trembling. After leaving the seawater, the flowing air seemed even colder and damper, constantly taking away its body heat.

Before falling into a full-blown coma, Peter saw a young professor in a trench coat slowly walking towards them, and he seemed to hear him say:
"You clearly have experience, so why did you still end up in such a mess?"

Peter was unable to answer and peacefully closed his eyes.

……

Newcastle on the banks of the River Tyne.

“Wormtail, my friend, is the journey to Azkaban exciting?” Melvin asked softly with a smile, not looking at Wormtail, but flipping through the menu.

"Crunch... crunch..."

The insect's tail did not answer; its cheeks were bulging, and the sound of chewing echoed in every corner of the Black Monk's Restaurant private room.

This restaurant is built on the site of a 13th-century Dominican monastery, where monks used to come and go in a hurry, always wearing black cloaks and hoods.

This building was acquired by a private individual during the First Industrial Revolution, and it operated many businesses along the way before finally being converted into a restaurant. At this moment, the main hall outside was half full, while Melvin and Wormtail were in a booth at the far end of the corridor.

Yulm the longhorned water snake, or rather, the accomplice in this escape, also occupied a seat and enjoyed a rare, bloody steak on his plate.

Wormtail changed into a Muggle man's outfit: a jacket, a baseball cap, and sturdy deerskin boots. Soft lighting illuminated him, and a dazed look appeared in his eyes, which seemed to have survived a near-death experience.

Melvin wore the same style of trench coat as last year, 100% Muggle-made, paired with a scarf to cover his face, so he could blend into the Muggle crowd at any time.

The outfit was very inconspicuous, and since the Aurors who were searching and patrolling appeared from time to time, clothes that were too conspicuous could easily cause trouble.

The wall near the coast has windows with sea views, and there are no other buildings in between, so you can see the gloomy harbor at a glance. At this moment, thick fog shrouds the harbor, and sailors are staying in the city. There are many unfamiliar faces on the streets.

Starting around noon, staff at various hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants along the route suddenly noticed a significant increase in revenue from their food, drink, accommodation, and transportation businesses. However, since it was not peak tourist season, they could only guess that it might be a gathering of some niche enthusiasts.

A middle-aged oddball, dressed somewhat old-fashionedly, mingled in the crowd, holding various kinds of peepholes, paying particular attention to sewers or garbage cans, and seemingly very interested in rats.

Wormtail hadn't had such a proper meal in a long time. Worried about the wound at the severed tail, he couldn't straighten his back no matter how hard he tried, and his slightly bulging beer belly made him look like an ordinary middle-aged Muggle.

Holding a fork in her left hand and a knife in her right, she cut the steak with unusual force, appearing somewhat stiff—a result of rustiness after not using it for over a decade.

They didn't waste too much time ordering. Melvin wasn't picky about food, and Peter, needless to say, had lived the life of a mouse for over a decade and was open to any kind of food. As long as it wasn't a creative dish like Stargazing, he was willing to put it down.

"I thought I was going to die several times."

Wormtail sobbed twice and then hiccuped in surprise: "While I was waiting for the trial in the waiting room, the Aurors threw frozen cream soup, rotten and stinking bread at me, and extinguished the fire that kept me warm in the middle of the night."

Melvin nodded noncommittally: "These Aurors have all experienced the Wizarding Wars. Their relatives and friends died under the wands of the Death Eaters. You are a newly captured Death Eater, and they are very willing to vent their anger on you."

When he met him on the shore, he checked the condition of the insect tail and found no signs of abuse. Apart from hypothermia and drowning, the most serious injury was the severed tail, which would be equivalent to a fractured coccyx in a human body.

It hurts a bit, but a few healing spells will heal it; neither Bone Regeneration Essence nor White Dew Essence will be needed.

"During the time I was adrift at sea, I felt like death had already found me."

The insect tail disliked the act of cutting the steak and instead grabbed it in its hand and gnawed on it, its movements somewhat reminiscent of a rat.

"Don't worry, Little Pettigrew, I have never betrayed my business partners. I was just a little delayed on the way."

Melvin said very sincerely, "Just half an hour ago, Ms. Burns issued an arrest warrant for you, and newspapers and the Mirror News published your details. Some wizards spontaneously came to the beach with spies that can detect Animagus. They have almost blocked the entire coastline. I had no choice but to get Yulm to bring you back."

“Business partner…” Insect Tail wiped its mouth and said with some resentment, “I’m about to lose my life, what can I possibly offer you as compensation?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how foolish his actions were. He looked up at Melvin, his eyes filled with fear and terror. He had witnessed the young professor's dark magic before.

"Doing business is about cooperation and mutual benefit, and it requires mutual consent."

Melvin put down the menu, took a parchment from his pocket, and showed it the freshly issued arrest warrant.

Peter Pettigrew's short, chubby half-body portrait is printed on the paper with clear details. After a few seconds, he will transform into a bald, missing-toed mouse with his cunning and deceitful little eyes constantly darting around.

"The wanted poster printed with the help of the Prophet's Newspaper has specially added the Animagus form, and every feature of your body is clearly marked. They also have the wand you used to use. The Silent Ones of the Department of Mysteries are trying to dissect the wand and reverse-lock your location based on the magic power remaining in the core."

Melvin said slowly, "Based on feedback from the club tavern owners, I believe that wizards throughout the British magical world are looking for you, the fugitive, as well as Norway and Belgium along the North Sea coast... I think you now have nowhere to run."

The insect tail was silent for a moment: "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Melvin shook his head: "It's not about what I want you to do, it's about what you can still do for yourself right now?"

"I'll turn myself in to try and get a reduced sentence..." Wormtail chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I hope they'll just give me a quick death instead of letting the Dementors drain my soul."

“Don’t be so pessimistic, let’s look at it another way.” Melvin smiled. “In the eyes of the Aurors and ordinary wizards of the Ministry of Magic, you are an unforgivable Death Eater, but what if Dark Magic and Death Eaters ruled the wizarding world?”

The insect's tail furrowed its brow, a strange unease creeping over it.

“When you were in first year, you were still by Ron’s side. You should have met Professor Quirrell. Perhaps you’ve sensed that familiar feeling. You know very well that the Dark Lord is not completely dead.”

"What do you mean?"

"There are no more rat holes for you to hide in throughout Britain. I want you to go to Albania, find your former master, bring him back, help him resurrect, and let the Death Eaters rise again."

The insect's tail suddenly raised its head, its eyes filled with incredulous terror.

On Christmas Eve, on the terrace of the Time Rift, Wormtail confronted Boggart directly and witnessed his own fear firsthand. The young professor and the Dark Lord were the deepest shadows in his heart.

But at this moment, Wormtail had a vague feeling that this young professor was even more terrifying than that Dark Lord.

Peter Pettigrew trembled, his unfinished steak falling onto the plate. Images flashed through his mind: urging him to return to Ron's side, urging him to continue his covert work, telling him not to run away when Sirius came knocking, and to use Snape to kill him...

He suddenly felt a sense of unease without any reason: "Was all of this... planned by you?"

Melvin smiled gently and took a wand from his pocket:
"Your journey to Albania has been long and arduous. I bought this wand in Budapest. Have a pleasant trip."

……

"It's so cool!"

A red-haired boy with freckles on his cheeks stretched out his arms to embrace the table full of gift boxes wrapped in colorful paper, not caring that his shoulders would bend and dislocate. He buried his head in the pile of gifts, showing an intoxicated expression.

Familiar figures sat around a table in the side hall of the Great Hall. Harry's eyes welled up with tears at the sight of their reunion, but he found Ron's actions amusing.

Beside him stood Sirius Black and Professor Lupin. The once down-on-his-luck prisoner had changed into a neat and tidy robe, holding a wine glass, having just finished a real reunion.

Lupin's usually calm and composed eyes now revealed a look of remembrance and joy.

"Don't worry, it's all yours, no one will take it from you!"

Sirius pushed the scattered gifts in front of Ron: "I didn't come back to school as a wanted criminal. Besides talking to Harry and Remus, I came to apologize to you, Ron. These are my sincere apologies. The other day, when I tried to tear that rat apart, I caused you a lot of unnecessary fright."

"It's okay, it's okay, I forgive you."

Ron grinned, looking rather silly.

Brand new Wizard's Chess set, a collector's edition Gobblestone, and autographed posters of all the Seekers from Charlie's Cannons—even when he used to earn thousands of Galleons from Professor Levent, he never imagined he could buy these luxury toys.

Even if I lost a hand or a foot, it would be worth it, let alone a few frights.

"I heard you like Quidditch too, so I ordered a new broom. It's not as good as a Firebolt, but it's handmade. It won't arrive until next week."

"Sirius!"

Ron's heartfelt shouts echoed in the side hall.

Harry chuckled to himself, feeling an unprecedented sense of peace. From now on, he had a godfather, a place to go when he left school for the Christmas holidays, and he wouldn't have to wander the streets after leaving the Dursleys' house. He no longer had to compromise his signature in the guardian section of the consent form.

He had so much to say to Sirius and couldn't wait for summer vacation to begin.

Sirius Black picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp, feeling an unprecedented sense of exhilaration. He ruffled Harry's hair and said, "I'll come pick you up during the Easter holidays. I've already spoken to Professor McGonagall, and we'll take you back to Godric's Hollow to see your mom and dad."

"Ok!"

Harry nodded emphatically, his voice slightly choked with emotion.

"Stay vigilant on the road. There's still no news about Peter's escape. Nobody knows where he's hiding. Maybe he's in Godric Valley waiting for an opportunity to take revenge."

Lupin flipped through today's Daily Prophet, pointing to a photo: "Be careful."

"Ministry of Magic...Azkaban..."

Sirius curled his lip. A bunch of incompetent fools. They had clearly told Peter about the Animagus beforehand, yet they were still so careless.

Having experienced a prisoner escape before, don't you learn anything from it?
(End of this chapter)