Hogwarts doesn't need a savior

Even Doris and Hermione, who were following behind them, were given an angry glare.

After they left, Lupin rubbed his waist which was a little sore from the fall, and slowly groped towards the direction where the four people had just come from. He then saw the old book with traces of being flipped on the bookshelf - the dust on it made it stand out from the companions around it.

"Peter...map...?"

He repeated the name he had just heard, his brows furrowed and his eyes full of confusion.

An hour later, he appeared outside the door of the Rune and Ancient Magic classroom.

When the bell rang and the fifth-grade wizards who were attending classes left one after another, he walked into the classroom and said to Lynn, "Eric, can we talk?"

Lin En, who was answering a question for Pavla, was stunned. He turned his head to look at this man, whom he had not interacted with for more than a month after joining the company, and saw some clues from his face that could not hide the truth.

In just a flash of thought, he guessed the other party's intention and said politely, "Of course, you can, but you have to wait a moment until I finish explaining this knowledge point to Pavla and the others."

-----------------

Outside Hogwarts, in the Shrieking Shack.

The huge but extremely thin black dog limped into the deserted house, which the villagers of Hogsmeade called a haunted house, with some food in its mouth that it had found from somewhere.

The tip of its nose twitched slightly, and it did not notice anything unusual, so its whole body began to tremble, and boiling magic power began to erupt.

The next moment, a tall but thin figure lay diagonally on a pile of dry straw, his face pale and sickly.

Twelve years in prison have completely taken away Sirius Black's health and appearance. Now in his thirties, he looks far more vicissitudes than his age. His once handsome face is now hidden under wrinkles and is only vaguely visible.

But these were no longer issues he considered. He just picked up the food that he had stolen with great effort, opened his mouth, and bit and chewed it hard with his beige teeth, completely ignoring the taste and whether it was raw or cooked.

Through the narrow skylight, his eyes passed through the gaps between the branches of the Whomping Willow and looked out at the castle in the distance, which was hazy in the rain and fog.

He knew that the most shameful traitor was not dead, but was living on in this castle that once recorded friendship, next to the son of his best friend.

Hatred and guilt took root in his mind, and after more than ten years, they grew into a towering tree.

He must find that shameless scum and coward, and make this former friend pay the price for his betrayal in blood.

Biting off a piece of stale bread, he chewed and swallowed vigorously, replenishing his physical strength that had never truly recovered.

But it was just a drop in the bucket. The rain, the illness, and the fact that his body had been worn down by the years had all made him weak.

-----------------

Hogwarts Castle, Gryffindor common room, Harry's dormitory.

The students had all gone out to class, and the pet mouse that had frightened Ron for several days crawled out of its nest, nimbly crawled through the mouse feed, stood by the window, and stared outside motionlessly.

The misty drizzle had been falling intermittently for half a month, and the dense dark clouds matched his mood perfectly.

Ever since seeing the news that Sirius Black had escaped from prison, Peter, who had been hiding for twelve years, realized that he would eventually have to face this violent and tough guy when he was in school - and pay the price for not finding a chance to kill him last time.

Even the heavily guarded Hogwarts Castle could not give him the slightest sense of security.

Here is Dumbledore, Lupin, and... Eric, who was much more difficult to deal with than Snape when they were in school.

He shuddered at the thought of that memory, which was painful in every sense of the word.

Just at this moment, there was a rustling sound coming from the dormitory door.

A fat orange cat with a face that looked like it had been flattened tiptoed in and looked at him from a distance, but did not act rashly.

The cat-nose bloodline gave it intelligence far beyond its peers, allowing it to discover the difference of the mouse early on.

The cat and the mouse confronted each other silently, and then stopped fighting at the same time, turning away fearfully.

Chapter 268 Peter Pettigrew

"So, Peter Pettigrew didn't die at all, and he actually faked his death to get away?!"

In the closed office, Lupin's voice almost blew the roof off.

"If the soundproofing here is even a little worse, everyone in the castle will be able to hear you, Lupin." Lynn covered his ears and said, "Do you really want everyone to know that there is an illegal Animagus hiding in the castle?"

"Sorry, I was too excited." Lupin calmed down. Although his face was still a little excited, his eyes were calm. "Does Dumbledore know about this?"

"He doesn't know yet." Lin En said, "I'm thinking about a problem, maybe you can give me some advice."

"what is the problem?"

"Regarding the relationship between your two friends." Lynn crossed his legs and smiled. "You haven't seen them for twelve years, am I right? Ever since someone suspected that you were a double agent for Voldemort."

"...If possible, I hope you won't mention that name directly, Eric." Lupin's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of fear.

He had personally experienced the terror of the Dark Lord during his heyday, and Lynn was still on campus during those years.

He took a deep breath and said, "You are right. I don't know what happened between them, but I have a feeling that Sirius's escape from prison may be related to Peter. Otherwise, what reason would he have to escape from prison?"

"There are too many reasons, Professor Lupin." Lynn looked at him with interest. "The harsh environment, the torture of the Dementors, and the miserable experiences of his Death Eater accomplices, which one of them could not inspire him to have the courage to escape? Especially in the context that the insider did not reveal to the Ministry of Magic that he was actually an illegal Animagus."

"What do you mean, Eric?" Lupin's expression became serious. "Do you think I will protect him? You know very well that what I said is logical and consistent with Sirius's character. He is not a person who will give in easily."

"That's based on the assumption that he didn't defect to the mysterious man. I am open to that, but obviously, I'm in the minority on this issue." Lynn spoke slowly, causing Lupin's anxiety to rise steadily.

"So what exactly do you want to do?" he asked with a frown. "I know you didn't like him and James when you were in school, but that's all in the past."

"That's easy for you to say." Lynn suddenly turned cold, "Should we ask Amanda if those things are in the past?"

"I--" Lupin was speechless, not knowing what to say.

“Or do you think that as long as you think it’s over, it’s really over?” Lin En stood up with a fierce aura. “I just don’t like to vent my anger on others or look for grudges. It’s best not to be ungrateful.”

The overwhelming aura quickly dissipated, and Lupin, with his heart in his throat, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He sat awkwardly opposite Lin En, and watched him sit down again. His almost frozen face relaxed again.

"I will not take revenge on private persons. Don't think of me as the same as that informer. If Sirius Black is guilty, I will kill him with my own hands. Otherwise, I will keep him alive. That's it. Now you can go to Dumbledore and tell him everything you did in the past, if you want."

"Perhaps... we can let the two of them face each other?" Lupin, who had calmed down, pondered, "Find out what happened back then - as far as I know, Sirius is the secret keeper chosen by James and Lily, and their family has the Fidelius Charm."

No doubt he did not want to confess this to Dumbledore, or he would have done so long ago.

"This is the way to discuss things, Remus." Lynn called his name for the first time. "Perhaps you can tell me the cause and effect of the matter, so that I can make a more effective judgment, especially to find out the abnormality in Peter Pettigrew. By the way, I had a little conversation with the memory left by James Potter on the map. When an isolated memory knows that it is dead, the reaction is very interesting."

Things are going according to plan, although there is the uncertainty of Lupin.

But this made him feel happy and looked forward to a meeting in the future.

-----------------

Meanwhile, in Dumbledore's office.

The white-haired old headmaster was reading a letter from his student and old friend, Newt Scamander.

His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he was facing some terrible problem.

It was unknown how much time had passed before he finally pulled out the Elder Wand and waved it gently in front of him.

"Call the gods to protect you!"

The silver-white phoenix flew out gracefully and hovered around him, bringing a cheerful mood.

"Newt, you can come to Hogwarts on the weekend at the end of this month and discuss this matter with me in detail. The students will go to Hogsmeade to spend the weekend, and the school will be quiet. We may be able to get strong help."

He spoke softly, and the phoenix circled a few times before floating away, sinking into the wall and disappearing without a trace.

"That thing can't be solved, Albus." The portrait on the wall spoke slowly. It was Dilys Devonte. "I have worked at St. Mungo's for a few years as much as I have at Hogwarts. No wizard has ever been able to truly solve it. At most, they can only alleviate it."

"Thank you, Dalis." Dumbledore nodded, "But I still want to try, especially after Aurelius has been dead for so many years. If I can save his friends, it will be a comfort to him."

"Okay, as you wish." The witch in the portrait said sullenly, then walked out of the frame and disappeared.

She was a well-known figure. Unlike those old principals who were less famous or simply unpopular, there were large portraits of her everywhere, so she could travel around the UK and the world at any time to meet people from different places.

I don't spend that much time in the principal's office.

The room became quiet again. Dumbledore walked outside the headmaster's secret room and looked at the ordinary bookshelf, wondering what he was thinking.

All the portraits remained silent - most were dozing, while others pretended not to notice.

-----------------

In the Gryffindor common room, Peter, who had forced Crookshanks back, was still not relieved.

He looked around warily, while retaining the clumsiness, slowness, forgetfulness, and weakness that befits an old pet mouse.

He crawled slowly on the windowsill, looking around sharply with his eyes.

And just a few meters away from him by the window, Lynn and Lupin, who were performing the art of illusion to the highest level, were also observing him closely.

Lynn had seen him in this form countless times at the Burrow, and Lupin would never forget the three friends who had given him countless help and comfort on the full moon nights, especially their Animagus forms.

When he saw with his own eyes the front paw with a missing toe and the pair of sharp eyes that definitely did not belong to a mouse, the last bit of fantasy in his heart was shattered.

It was not the blood curse and permanent transformation that could not be escaped, nor was it the dullness of instinct that had left him without wisdom. There was no doubt that this was the friend he once trusted completely, the self-sacrificing hero in his eyes, Peter Pettigrew.

He was sure that there must be a huge secret hidden under this disguise.

Chapter 269 Crack

After confirming Peter Pettigrew's identity, Lupin returned to Lynn's office and couldn't control his emotions, so he drank a large glass of red wine.

If Lynn hadn't had any in stock, he would probably have preferred to drink a whole bottle of vodka.

"I don't understand why they kept everything from me! I never thought of telling anyone!"

He slammed the table indignantly, and a slightly sickly flush appeared on his face.

His body was not healthy, and although the treatment at St. Mungo's had largely saved him from the pain of transforming into a werewolf, recovery was one thing and physical restoration was another, the latter requiring adequate nutrition and a long time.

Facing this colleague who had agreed to cooperate with him, Lin En considerately poured him another glass of wine, which he also drank in one gulp.

"This amount is good for your body, let's stop here." He said softly, and then poured himself a glass. "I can understand your feelings. It must not be a pleasure to be hidden everything by your best friend."

"Everything changed after graduating from Hogwarts." Taking advantage of the alcohol, Lupin opened up in front of his "rival" from his student days.

He swung his empty glass. "James and Lily are still the same, always one of the ones following Dumbledore. And Sirius. Another drink."

"Only one cup." Lin En pretended to be embarrassed and quickly poured him half a cup.

"My health is not that bad." Lupin was not satisfied and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. "Since he knew the prophecy, Sirius has not trusted anyone, including me. On the contrary... on the contrary, Frank, he is a man, I admire him. And you, I know what you have been through in the past six months, you are an amazing guy."

"It's nothing. You've lived in Frank's house, right?" Lynn's eyes moved slightly, and she took a sip herself, then poured some wine for Lupin, "Cheers to Frank and Alice."

"To Frank and Alice." Lupin had tears in his eyes. "It's a pity for them and James... Alas!"

"It's all over." The same words came out of Lynn's mouth with completely different emotions, "You have to protect their children, Harry, right?"

"Harry... yes, Harry!" Lupin, who was not very good at drinking, was already a little drunk. "No matter what Sirius and Peter did, no matter who of them lied, I have to protect James and Lily's son."

The wine glass fell on the table with a crisp sound, followed by the sound of wine falling.

"Peter was not right at that time... He was like me, he couldn't find a way to make a living, unlike James and Sirius who came from wealthy families..."

"What on earth does Sirius know...?"

"Why did it become like this... I need to ask them clearly..."

The drunken sounds continued intermittently until they finally fell silent.

Several bottles of strong wine were finished, and Lupin fell drunk on the table, mumbling to himself.

"More than."

Lynn, looking calm, snapped his fingers, and a house-elf in brand new clothes immediately appeared in front of him.

"Professor Eric, what are your plans? I'm happy to serve you." Dobby asked cheerfully.

After leaving Malfoy Manor, he finally joined Hogwarts and received a salary.

And from Lucius Malfoy, he heard the whole story of how he was fired instead of killed, and he was grateful to Lynn, whom he had only met a few times.

Lynn responded to his enthusiasm with a smile: "Please help me send Professor Lupin back to his office. When he sobers up, prepare some hangover drinks and food for him."

"Yes sir, Dobby would love to!"

The free elf gently hugged Lupin and disappeared from Lynn's sight in the blink of an eye. Hogwarts' anti-Apparition magic was completely useless against it.

After they all left, Lynn took out his wand and simply pointed it lightly into the air, and the smell of alcohol completely dissipated.

Having drunk quite a bit of wine, he sat down at the desk as if nothing had happened, took out his notebook, and began writing down dense messages on it.