Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 271 Cats and Dogs Meet
Although the shops in Hogsmeade have undergone some changes in decoration, the residents and merchants are still the same group of wizards: kind, hardworking, and compassionate. They are never stingy in feeding homeless stray dogs, as long as they have takeout food on them and the kitchen has enough food.

Although Aurors occasionally patrol the streets with Dementors, their attention is focused on the vicious and cruel Death Eaters; who would notice a pathetic black dog?
During the day, the black dog roamed the streets in search of food, and at night it rested in the screaming shed. After a while, the black dog's body was no longer so thin, and at least the flesh could be held up by its ribs.

With survival secured, the revenge plan was put on the agenda.

For former raiders, sneaking into Hogwarts was an easy task. Animagus's disguise completely fooled the Dementors. Although Warden Filch had blocked the school's main secret passage, the passage between the Whomping Willow and the Shrieking Shack remained open. The black dog's body was particularly suited to such a narrow passage, and it had already made several trips through it.

The Magical Creatures and Herbalism classes were outdoor classes, and while they were passing by, Sirius hid in the bushes to observe, trying to find an opportunity to directly kill Bugtail.

But that damned rat never showed up. I don't know if it was hiding on the Weasley kids or in the Gryffindor dorms. Without a wand, without a chance to meet it, how can it take revenge?

Infiltrating Hogwarts Castle is also very difficult.

The school's security measures were too tight. The administrator, Filch, was accompanied by that troublesome Lady Loris. Ghosts and portraits took turns on duty in the corridors. A password was required to enter the Gryffindor Tower, so there was absolutely no chance of sneaking into the castle.

His infiltration of the campus was originally just to gather intelligence, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that he actually smelled the scent of the insect tail right at the edge of the forbidden forest!

A perfect opportunity for revenge!

Hagrid has no wand, and the other three are just students. As soon as that damned rat shows up, they rush up and tear him to pieces.

He would explain it to Harry and the others later, whether they believed it or not was no longer important. He was willing to accept either being arrested and returning to Azkaban or the Dementors' kiss.

The path to the Forbidden Forest cabin was familiar to Sirius Black. He circled the Whomping Willow and the greenhouse, the black dog darting through the bushes with agility, as if he'd been there hundreds of times. During his student days, it had accompanied Remus through the most difficult full moon nights, and in Animagus form, it had explored the Forbidden Forest many times, even venturing deeper into the Centaur tribes and the lair of the Eight-Eyed Spiders. Hagrid's vegetable garden had been ravaged by them dozens of times.

Returning to the forbidden forest after decades, the black dog's eyes held an unusually complex expression.

Sirius quickly arrived at the vegetable garden and walked along the fence. There were footprints in the mud, and he peered out to observe and sniff. The largest footprint was Hagrid's, the three smaller footprints were Harry and his friends', and there was also the footprint of an adult wizard.

It smells familiar; I feel like I've smelled it somewhere before.

"..."

The black dog circled around in place, then suddenly stopped, remembering where it had smelled the scent before.

It was that strange wizard from that day!
Sirius's dog eyebrows furrowed together.

The reckless revenge plan could not proceed. Even though he was now physically strong, with sharp teeth and claws, and Hagrid and Harry should not be able to stop him, there were other adult wizards present, and they were not mentally sound adult wizards.

On the first day of school, he muttered about wanting to eat dog meat in the pouring rain, but ended up in Hogsmeade, acting all mysterious and strange.

We can't take the risk...

Sirius shook his head inwardly, slowing his pace once more. He decided to remain cautiously hidden for a while longer, waiting for a better opportunity to strike. Otherwise, if Wormtail noticed something amiss and became more alert, and if the professors took notice of him, even if he wasn't caught on the spot, the secret of the Animagus would be impossible to keep hidden.

I circled the vegetable garden a few times, then carefully stepped back.

"!!"

Suddenly, my tail touched something warm, and it turned out to be a big cat.

Sirius shuddered and almost cried out.

Behind me stood a ginger cat with thick, fluffy fur and a tail that looked like a bottle brush. Its persimmon-shaped face looked as if it had been flattened, and its bright eyes seemed to indicate a bad temper. Its bowed legs were slightly bent, poised to pounce.

"hiss……"

It smelled like Harry's female classmate, so it must be a girl's pet.

Sirius gasped, forced himself to calm down, and quietly retreated, trying not to provoke the cat.

"Well……"

Crookshan hissed warningly, his eyes fixed on the black dog, clearly having seen through his disguise and knowing he wasn't a dog.

"..."

Oh no, it's a pet with cat-raccoon bloodline; it can see through disguises!
The mere smell of the strange wizard here was terrifying enough, and Sirius Black was only able to remain calm thanks to the patience he had developed during his time in Azkaban prison. Now, realizing that the cat had seen through his disguise and possessed cat-like blood, Sirius felt utterly terrible.

At this moment, he couldn't care less about his revenge plan. The little bit of intelligence left in his dog brain had been abandoned, and all he wanted to do was turn around and run away.

It stretched out its claws, arched its back, and bared its teeth.

Sirius Black is ready for a physical fight.

"Well……"

Crook Hill is also ready to fight at any time.

"!"

Sirius looked into those bright cat eyes, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly froze on the spot, his face bursting with intense joy.

If this cat can see through the Animagus, then can it also see through the worm tail's disguise?

As Harry's pet, it had a better chance than Harry himself to bring Scabbers out!

"Wang! Wang!"

"Well?"

"Wang!"

"..."

The cat and dog began a long attempt to communicate.

Not far behind, the young snake and the hunting dog calmly hid behind a tree, sat down on the spot, and stared at the cat and dog with a curious look, occasionally whispering a few words in dog language.

……

The Forbidden Forest Hut fell silent.

Hagrid and Ron were fast asleep, leaning against each other, while Hermione held her textbook and mumbled softly, her reading voice coming in fits and starts.

Harry pulled the blanket over himself and curled up on the cushioned sofa. He didn't know when he fell asleep, only that his consciousness was gradually fading, and he vaguely heard crackling sounds from the fireplace. The crackling continued intermittently, seemingly coming from a guest room far away. Harry's mind wandered with his eyes closed, thinking of Godric's Hollow in the dark, of his mother and father's shadows lying on the floor, of Professor Levent asking him the truth at the bottom of the hallway steps, of Professor Lupin standing under the covered bridge reminiscing about the past, their faces hidden in the flickering light and shadow, and of the ominous black dog lurking around.

Outside the window, thick autumn clouds hung in the sky. A figure draped in a cloak moved through the clouds, and beneath the dark hood was Voldemort's snake-like face.

Harry was startled, not knowing why he was seeing these things. The dream was chaotic and distorted, as if it were pieced together from multiple scenes.

"Crack!"

The sound of cracking wood woke Harry.

Ron was clutching his chest and hiding behind Hagrid when Crookshan stood in front of them, staring intently at him with his persimmon-like face, or rather, at the rat tucked into his collar.

After a half-minute standoff, Hermione came over, picked up Crookshank, and gently stroked its tail while soothing it in a low voice.

In front of the fireplace, Tooth and Yulm were still lying on the carpet, their eyelids weakly opened a crack, glancing at them indifferently before closing again carelessly.

Perhaps because he wasn't fully awake, Harry had a fleeting illusion that the dog-snake duo's eyes resembled those of the old wizard, as if they could see right through everyone.

"It's normal for pets to fight and play around."

Hagrid patted Ron on the shoulder to comfort him, picked up a few pieces of rock bread and stuffed them into their pockets, his gruff voice echoing in the house, "Go back, it's getting dark, and dinner time is almost here."

Yaya and Yulm continued to nap. Wizards don't have the privilege of sleeping whenever they want. They pushed open the door and left. A cold wind blew outside, raising goosebumps on their skin. Shivering, they hurriedly walked towards the castle with their necks hunched.

Harry shuddered as a dark shadow flashed past from behind the bushes, like a large black dog.

“I saw it again… that ominous sign,” he said in a muffled voice.

“It’s just a psychological suggestion. It might just be some dead branches and leaves, or maybe a passing hare,” Hermione reassured her.

Harry cautiously turned his head to look closely. The cold wind blew, causing the grass to sway and the branches to rustle, revealing the animal hopping around behind. Only when he saw the rabbit's ears did his tense nerves relax.

Hagrid escorted them to the fork in the road, patted them on the shoulders, turned and went back to the cabin, his footsteps pounding.

“Do you remember the truth that Professor Levent asked me to investigate?” Harry turned up his collar to shield himself from the cold wind blowing into his collar. “If even Professor Lupin doesn’t know the details of that night, who else can I ask?”

“Who else could it be, Professor Dumbledore?” Ron muttered.

“Dumbledore might not tell us if he thinks it’s not the right time.” Hermione, arm in arm with Crookshank, walked on the other side. “Let’s ask Professor Levent again tonight. The tutoring classes haven’t even started yet; the professor is so lazy…”

Harry nodded in agreement.

Before Ron could speak, he felt a tremor in his arms. Banban seemed to still be in shock, shivering.

……

The moonlight was hidden behind thick clouds, and its dim light slanted into the window.

In the Muggle Studies professor's office, Melvin poured himself a glass of hot pumpkin juice, the rising steam used to entertain 16-year-old Tom Riddle across from him. The antique ring sat in a glass dish containing a silvery memory-enhancing agent.

Riddle was still wearing his Hogwarts school robes, a white shirt with the word "Slytherin" in silver trim around the edge of the serpentine breastplate, and dark green cuffs, tie, and center stripe on the sleeves.

Returning to the castle and seeing the familiar professor's office, Riddle suddenly felt as if he had returned to his student days, even though his memories were stuck in seventh grade.

“Tom, I think we can be more honest with each other.” Melvin looked up, leaning against the bookshelf, behind him was a set of books on basic black magic, reference materials he had used when asking Riddle questions before.

The title printed on the spine in black and red ink, the colors of darkness and blood, made it clear to anyone that it was a book of dark magic. Riddle's gaze lingered on it for a moment, thinking that his partner would be sent to prison by Dumbledore sooner or later.

He shook his head and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You taught me how to control Dementors without reservation. Although I cannot immediately attack Azkaban and rescue your poor servants due to some practical reasons, I am willing to show my sincerity in another way."

Melvin paused briefly, looking at Riddle, "Tonight I can let you get a close look at that boy."

“That… Potter who survived a great calamity?” Riddle paused, taken aback.

“He’s taken my Muggle Studies class and will be coming to my place for tutoring on Saturday nights. You can hide and observe him from the shadows,” Melvin said, glancing down at the ring.

The ring is dark gold, with an ancient and mysterious black gemstone set in the center. It has an obsidian-like texture, and a faint white mark on the surface is the imprint of the Deathly Hallows.

The fragments of Voldemort's soul are attached to the Ring, making the Horcrux indestructible. To remove the Resurrection Stone from it, it would be best to have the Horcrux cooperate, and some sharp weapon would also be needed, such as the Gryffindor sword.

……

At nine o'clock in the evening, Harry and Hermione arrived at the Muggle Studies Professor's office on time.

Knock on the door and enter the room. The two instinctively looked at the shelf by the wall. The place where the Hufflepuff Cup used to be was now empty, and a transparent glass dish was placed there, containing a thin layer of silvery-white liquid, and a dark object inside.

Are they scented candles made by a wizard?

Hermione had a nonsensical thought pop into her head. She actually wanted to ask the professor what magic the Hufflepuff Cup had and whether it was related to healing the Longbottoms, but she couldn't bring herself to ask.

Just like last year's tutoring session, Melvin sat on a single sofa, with Harry and Hermione sitting side by side on a long sofa across a small table.

"The last tutoring session was before summer vacation, almost four months ago. Let's test your magic strength first."

Melvin's gaze lingered on Harry for a moment, then casually swept over the ring on the shelf. "Use your wand to cast the Illumination Charm at full power. I'll judge the increase in magic power by the effect of the spell. Come on, give it a try..."

Two dazzling lights flashed one after the other.

One stripe is crimson, the other is silvery white.

Harry and Hermione had their eyes closed, tears welling up in their eyes. When they cast the spell, they only remembered the professor's instructions to cast it with all their might, without taking any precautions. The two flashes of light almost blinded them.

Melvin quietly recalled their last tutoring session, comparing their magical growth.

The magical power of underage wizards increases naturally every year, and the two of them showed a significantly greater increase than their peers, which was related to their emotional fluctuations and changes in experience.

Hermione's trip to Paris, where she meets Bastian and experiences life-or-death situations with her family, causes a surge in her magical abilities. Harry's conflict with the Dursleys escalates, leading him to run away from home. After a period of confusion, his mind gradually stabilizes, and he suddenly learns about his parents' murder.

Neville, who was in the same grade, also experienced this magical growth. His parents recovered and his family was happy, but his growth rate was not as fast as theirs.

(End of this chapter)