A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 208 Conversation with Lupin

Harry woke up in his hospital bed and opened his eyes to a white ceiling.

"Here you go, Harry." He heard Hermione's voice and reached out to take it—it was his glasses.

Harry's vision cleared after he put on his glasses, and he saw Hermione and Ron sitting to his side. Madam Pomfrey was preparing potions at the bedside table, and Professor Lupin was leaning over to check on him.

Across the aisle, Professor Hyp sat leisurely on the opposite bed, flipping through a copy of The Daily Prophet.

"professor--"

"Drink it, son," Madam Pomfrey said. Harry struggled to say, "I think I'm fine!"

"Oh, really?" she said absentmindedly. "That won't stop you from drinking the potion. Hurry up, or I'll give you a potion of life and death."

Harry gulped down the liquid in his glass, then looked at Felix and asked anxiously, "Professor Hyp, did I last two minutes?"

Felix put down his newspaper, smiled, and said, "Your last move was really good; I was originally planning to time it perfectly."

It took Harry two or three seconds to understand the professor's meaning. He looked surprised and said, "So, I, I..."

"Hmm," Felix winked at him, "You can take your time to consider your wish, but don't make it too difficult, or I'll refuse."

Harry blurted out, "I want to know about my father, and Sirius Black!" He glanced at Professor Lupin beside him—who was staring at him in astonishment—and said softly, "Thank you for coming to see me, Professor Lupin."

Professor Lupin said gently, "It's nothing, I just happen to be free tonight. Harry, about your father—"

Mrs. Pomfrey brought over a blanket. "It's a bit chilly at night, cover yourself with this." She turned to the two professors and said impatiently, "The patient needs rest, please keep your conversation brief."

Professor Lupin changed his tune, saying, "Harry, I know you have some questions. You can come see me this weekend. I won't bother you any longer, Professor Hyp, shall we go together?"

Felix stood up. "Of course."

The two walked out of the office together, and as they turned a corner in the corridor, Lupin stopped: "Professor Hyp, we need to talk."

"About Porter?"

“Yes, it’s about Harry,” Lupin said calmly. “I can see you treat him differently. But don’t you think some of your methods are inappropriate for a third-year student?”

"You mean?" Felix looked at him curiously.

"During the summer training, please forgive me, but they were in the same carriage as me, and I overheard some things. From Harry's description, he fainted more than ten times during your training..."

Felix said casually, "Maybe more than that. If my records are correct, it should be 32 times."

Lupin looked at him seriously. "Haven't you realized the gravity of the situation? He's only thirteen!"

"What does age mean? Do you think Blake will let him off the hook just because he's young and wait until he's an adult?" Felix scoffed. "If you're worried about his health, there's no need to worry. I'm fully prepared."

Lupin suppressed his anger. "Harry will be safe at school. Besides, not everything can be excused with 'being prepared.' Have you considered his mental capacity? What were you doing when you were thirteen?"

Felix looked at him expressionlessly and said softly, "In my opinion, your reasons are all excuses. At least, I won't place my hopes on others and pretend that nothing happened."

Lupin calmed down, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I don't want my words to sound biased, but you come from Slytherin, and you were Snape's student..."

"What are you trying to say, Lupin?" Felix knocked on the window frame in front of him. "I'm in a hurry."

Lupin took a deep breath. "I care about Harry's safety more than anyone else, and you have such a huge influence on him. Snape and his father were mortal enemies in school, and I'm worried that Snape's attitude might affect you."

Felix looked out the window. "Severus can't control me, but I really don't intend to change my teaching philosophy. Professor Lupin, you're meddling too much. What does Harry have to do with you? Let's part ways here."

He took a few steps, silently counting in his mind, one, two, three...

"I know Harry's father! We're good friends, far beyond that word, and I'm incredibly grateful to him," Lupin suddenly said.

Felix, who had his back to Lupin, smirked. "You expect to convince me with vague language?"

"...Harry's father, James Potter, was a genius at school, he learned everything instantly, he was outstanding, and then there was Sirius... I mean Black." Lupin stood beside him, looking out the window; it was completely dark. "I was an outsider back then, and James took me in."

"James and that guy were young and hot-blooded, with flamboyant personalities, and were very popular with their classmates. James even joined the Quidditch team. But on the other hand, they also became targets for Slytherin."

Felix asked with interest, "Could you elaborate?"

Lupin thought for a moment, carefully choosing his words, "Slytherin at that time... might be a little different from what you've encountered. The Void's theories were very popular, and many students joined the Death Eaters right after graduation. We privately called them Death Eater trainees."

Felix nodded and said, "I have indeed heard about it."

"James and that guy, Sirius Black, he was a good guy back then," Lupin said with difficulty. "They quickly became a banner of Gryffindor. James was carefree and liked to play pranks, but he hated evil and always protected his classmates. As for Black, he strongly resented his corrupt family and had no affection for Slytherin either. He even severed ties with his family when he was 16. I just never expected that he would betray James in the end." He shook his head and didn't continue.

Felix, however, understood what he hadn't explicitly stated, and he remarked with a sigh, "How can one not feel a pang of sorrow when a boy full of a sense of justice turns into a dragon?"

Lupin continued, "James and Black offended quite a few people. Of course, some people disliked them because of the pranks, but they didn't care. Peter and I were part of it too. Looking back now, I find it incredible how stupid I was."

"You're not just here to tell me about your experiences when you were young, are you?"

"We'll get to that soon. James and Black had a sworn enemy back then, who is now the Potions professor, Severus Snape. They were rivals, and for some reason, this rivalry reached a fever pitch in the last few years."

"Because of Harry's mother?" Felix interrupted him, asking. From what he'd gathered, it seemed to be mostly a romantic entanglement. "Please forgive me, I've found some information privately."

Lupin stared at him, his expression complex, before finally saying, "You truly are a Slytherin, Professor Hyp. I don't mean any disrespect, but you clearly know some inside information yet remain silent..."

Felix said briefly, "My knowledge is limited and I cannot see the whole picture from back then, but it can be used to clarify some doubts. Please continue, Professor Lupin..."

Lupin said somewhat speechlessly, "It's far more complicated than that. I'm one of the people who knows the situation best, Professor Hyp. I hope our conversation doesn't leak out."

"At least I won't tell anyone." His gaze slid across a corner of the corridor, a playful smile appearing on his face.

But what if someone is right here?

"Harry's mother, Lily Evans, was good friends with Snape before they even started school, while James and Black hit it off immediately. Strangely, they ended up in the same carriage in their first year, but it wasn't a pleasant meeting. After starting school, James complained to Lily, reminding her that she shouldn't befriend Slytherins, that they were all scum, but Lily ignored him."

"It wasn't long before I became friends with James and the others, and I brought Peter along. The four of us were inseparable, somewhat like Harry and his two best friends," he said with a smile, adding that it must have been one of the best memories of his life.

"As I said before, James and Black quickly rose to prominence and gained a large following. As for their relationship with Snape, it can only be said to be somewhat similar to Harry and Malfoy's relationship now. Snape embodied too many of the things James disliked: unkempt appearance, research into the Dark Arts, being a Slytherin, and also harassing his classmates."

"Why entanglement? I remember you said Snape and Harry's mother were good friends," Felix asked.

“That’s true, but you can’t expect an eleven or twelve-year-old boy to analyze problems calmly, especially James and Sirius…” He paused, “They’re both impulsive.”

"The conflict between James and Snape quickly escalated. James cast a curse on Snape, and Snape also developed various spells to retaliate. Lily, on the other hand, always defended Snape and disliked James in every way."

"Several years passed like this, and James began to have romantic feelings," he smiled. "He suddenly developed a liking for Lily, whom he had always been at odds with, and tried to strike up a conversation with her, but how could Lily possibly pay him any attention? James quickly changed himself; he became less arrogant and stopped showing off all the time, in short, he showed a more mature side..."

"His fight with Snape was moved to the shadows, so Lily wouldn't see it. We didn't think anything of it; at that time, Snape had already shown great talent in potions and was highly favored by Professor Slughorn, who gave him a lot of extra help. We all agreed that if he graduated, it would definitely greatly increase the Death Eaters' strength."

"In the meantime, due to some rather unpleasant events, Lily and Snape broke off their friendship, and James took advantage of the situation to show her great care. Please forgive my use of that word, but the meaning is similar."

"About a year later, James and Lily got together in seventh grade, and his relationship with Snape became more complicated—incompatible personalities, ideological clashes, and finally, emotional issues were also involved."

"If you ask me, the person Snape hated most was James, and probably Black, who was the one who acted as a spy for Voldemort and leaked Harry's family's address. Good heavens, I don't even know how to tell Harry that James trusted him so much and even made him Harry's godfather..." Lupin said, his eyes red.

“Professor Hyp,” Lupin looked at him and said sincerely, “we haven’t had much contact, but I can tell that you are a serious and responsible professor. Some of my students like you very much, even though they are not old enough to take your elective courses.”

"I'm telling you these stories so you won't be influenced by Snape. And please believe me, my feelings for Harry are genuine."

Felix was silent for a moment. "Professor Lupin, you're overthinking it. Harry is a student I have high hopes for, and I also look forward to his future."

Lupin left, and Felix looked around the corner, sighed softly, and left from the other side.

At the corner of the corridor, Harry sat silently on the floor, while Ron and Hermione looked at him with complicated expressions.

This part of the story is hard to break down, so I'm especially late today. Sorry.

(End of this chapter)