Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 284 Goodbye Wormtail

"You want to interrogate Sirius Black alone, but why can't Severus and Remus know about it?"

“No, I have no intention of interrogating anyone. Melvin said to let them discover the truth themselves.”

"It's Harry who should investigate the truth, not Remus and Severus," Melvin corrected earnestly.

Professor McGonagall remained noncommittal; she preferred to believe the principal's version of events.

Walking back to the Gryffindor Tower, the three of them walked side by side through the corridor. The candlelight cast long shadows. Professor McGonagall looked back at Melvin beside her and felt that the young professor was a bit mysterious, always giving the impression that he knew the truth but could not reveal it.

The tragedy that occurred thirteen years ago in Godric Valley was left unresolved because the two victims did not return as ghosts or leave any last words. Everyone could only deduce the truth from the surface clues. Of the four close friends from their school days, some were dead, some were imprisoned, and one was wandering outside. No wizard raised any suspicion.

Professor McGonagall knew that Remus was unable to face the tragedy of that night and couldn't even find someone to confide in, while Severus, although he had made wrong choices in the past, had a change of heart after Lily's death and had locked himself in the basement since he started teaching Potions.

None of those who should care about the truth raised any objections, but a foreign wizard from another country spoke up, pointing out various doubts in the incident and guiding them closer to the truth.

“This truth is important, not only for Remus and Severus, but also for the entire wizarding world.”

Dumbledore spoke softly, as if he didn't want to wake the trolls and Barnabas sleeping soundly in the tapestry, "We may have made a mistake because of the chaos back then, and we can't make the same mistake now. So we can't ask Sirius Black directly, nor can we believe either side's version of the truth."

"The most credible truth is the one that brings these participants together to act and come together to tell their story."

Melvin added at the opportune moment, "So we need to be patient in the early stages so that it can be announced in the near future."

……

3 a.m., Gryffindor common room.

Tonight, the most bustling tower in the castle is filled with all the students of Gryphon College. Their reason is perfectly legitimate, and they need not worry about being punished for staying out all night. Melvin and the other professors walked into the Portrait Cave to wait for the two headmasters to speak.

Snape's search has failed. The entire eighth floor has been searched several times, and faculty, ghosts, and portraits have all been mobilized, but unfortunately, there are still no results.

Melvin hadn't been here much before, and although his face was expressionless, he looked around with great interest.

It may not be as comfortable as the Hufflepuff lounge, but it is still cozy and spacious enough. The ceiling looks very old, and Melvin also noticed many medieval decorations.

He pulled up a chair and sat in the outer circle, while Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall sat in the inner circle. The students, led by Percy, surrounded the two headmasters, their eyes filled with weariness, fear, and excitement, eagerly awaiting an explanation.

The students were all concerned about the outcome of the night raid, but worried that the headmaster would give them boring platitudes. When Melvin returned the cherry wood wand to Neville, some students gathered around to ask if Black had been captured and if the castle was safe.

Then he smiled and told the students that Blake was missing, no one knew where he was hiding, and that he was very likely still in the castle, possibly attacking any students who were alone.

Neville's face immediately turned pale and bloodless. Ron, barely suppressing his fear, trembled uncontrollably. Lavender threw himself onto his roommate's shoulder.

There were also some students who were equally frightened but managed to hold back their fear; almost all of them had taken Muggle Studies, and there were also some unfamiliar faces from the lower grades.

"Professor Levent, is that really the case?"

Hermione asked a worried question, and Dumbledore also spoke up, but the information they gave was somewhat different.

Melvin waved his hand and smiled gently: "It's true that Black is still at large, and it's also true that Dumbledore told you not to worry. In this castle, the professor will not allow any student to be harmed."

Hermione didn't know who to believe, so she listened quietly to Dumbledore while holding Crookshanks in her arms; the cat looked rather listless.

The situation didn't sound too bad; the professors were prepared and all of them were reliable.

Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick were there, their offices were on the eighth floor, so they could come over immediately if anything happened. Professor Sprout's reinforcements were also there, as were Lupin and Levent. Even Snape, whom they had always disliked, arrived just in time, his words brief and his fighting decisive, like those valiant Aurors in the newspapers.

Hermione scratched Crookshank's head and sighed.

"There are some things that we can't know."

She still couldn't understand why Ron was the one who got into trouble when Blake raided the boys' dormitory at night.

Professor Sprout brought tea, biscuits, and hot milk. Hermione fed Crookshanks biscuits, and after failing to sort out her thoughts, she turned to look at Professor Levent.

Half a minute later, a thought suddenly flashed into her mind:
Black's target may never have been Harry, but Ron; he had Ron on his mind from the very beginning.

She felt her thoughts suddenly become clear, but then more doubts arose, and she stared intently at the professor.

Melvin couldn't ignore it, so he simply raised one finger to signal for quiet and then pointed to the principal who was speaking in front.

“...I must commend one person tonight, Neville Longbottom.”

After Dumbledore finished his platitudes to appease the students, he smiled and offered a reward, quieting the entire common room. "He has displayed the bravery of Gryffindor. There are many kinds of warrior qualities. To defeat an enemy, one needs not only powerful magic but also composure and resourcefulness in the face of danger. Therefore, I award Gryffindor fifty points."

A wave of cheers immediately swept through the common room. All the students stood up and cheered loudly. George and Fred called on the entire Quidditch team, and together they tossed Neville into the air.

"But the lost and found list is also what led Blake to break into the tower!"

Professor McGonagall had to raise her voice to barely drown out the thunderous cheers, "For the next month, Neville will have to spend his weekends in solitary confinement!"

The deafening cheers gradually subsided, and then George raised a question: "Does this mean that Blake can't get in unless the password is written on the list?"

The silence lasted only a few seconds, followed by even more fervent shouts.

Flitwick and Sprout exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile. Decades of working together had given them experience, and the two principals' approach of rewarding one and punishing the other showed that the situation was under effective control.

Snape stood next to Hagrid, his face cold, unable to understand how Black had managed to escape.

He also had opinions on the way the two principals handled the situation:
Why reward college points and punish with confinement, instead of rewarding to offset confinement and punishing with deduction of college points?
It's obvious that Professor McGonagall wants to widen the gap in college points in order to win the year-end college cup.

Standing alone in the corner, Lu Ping looked blank and felt extremely complicated.

……

Before dawn, moonlight shone into the boys' dormitory.

Harry was helping Ron remake his bed. In the chaos of the accident, the blankets and pillows were scattered all over the floor, so he had to pick them up one by one, feel them, and put them back. On the bedside table was Rafer's little nest. Neville lay on the four-poster bed, feeding dried mealworms with one hand and twirling his cherrywood wand with the other.

The professor verified with a flashback spell that Black had taken the wand and mostly used stun spells, with no trace of dark magic.

"After Black sneaked into the boys' dormitory, he used a directional charm to find Harry's dormitory. He searched the dormitory one by one, and just as he reached Ron's bedside, before he could find Harry, he was startled by Scabbers. Then Professors Snape and Lupin arrived and scared Black away."

"From the moment Neville and Cadogan left the tower to call for help, to Black's hasty escape, the whole process took less than five minutes. Although Black was a vicious Death Eater, he still underestimated our Neville."

Simo recounted the process after reviewing and reflecting on the events.

He used a fire spell to create a commotion and distract the other person, secretly used the toad Raef to block the stun spell, pretended to be unconscious, and then immediately informed the other person after they left... The whole process has been exposed, and it will be known throughout the school tomorrow at breakfast.

"Warrior Longbottom is going to be famous!" Dean cheered.

Neville practically buried his head under the covers; he was actually quite uncomfortable with being in the spotlight.

Just as Harry and Ron were chuckling as they listened to their conversation, they lifted a cushion on the floor and saw a glaring crimson stain on the carpet, with scattered pieces of meat and bone fragments nearby.

The mass of dismembered body parts was imprinted on the carpet beside the bed, and you could vaguely see the bald rat skin.

"what!!"

Ron let out a mournful wail.

The roommates on the bed gathered around and helped pick up the sheets and blankets. They looked at the body parts on the floor, then at Ron: "Don't be too sad, Ron. Scabbers sacrificed himself to protect you."

"..."

Neville and Harry didn't say anything, but each patted him on the shoulder.

……

Castle staircase platform.

Melvin, Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin went downstairs together. Their offices were on the lower floors. Along the way, they appeased the ghosts and portraits, and with each floor they descended, the torches went out.

Melvin said goodnight to them on the third floor. Compared to Snape's basement and Professor McGonagall's cat café on the second floor, the Muggle Studies office was considered a high floor.

Carrying a kerosene lamp, I walked down the corridor, extinguishing the torches and candles along the way. Outside the door, locked tightly with a reverse-lock spell, lay a familiar figure—

Spotted Mouse.

The light from the kerosene lamp transformed into fireflies, illuminating the candlesticks on the surrounding walls and ceiling. Melvin and Wormtail sat facing each other across a walnut desk.

The shelves are much fuller than last year, with the teeth of magical creatures, dried flowers from Professor Sprout, and a new mirror from Wright. But there's an empty space in the middle, which used to be for glass bottles, the kind used to keep mice.

Taking advantage of the chaos, he caught a mouse, crushed it to death in the dormitory, and faked his death again after thirteen years. He left the Gryffindor boys' dormitory and waited for the young professor to return. Sitting in this chair, Wormtail felt that he was safe for the time being.

Having escaped Sirius's pursuit, they also have the protection of a powerful wizard.

But for some inexplicable reason, he was still somewhat afraid. He didn't know why, but facing this young professor, just like facing the Dark Lord of the past, he couldn't help but feel fear.

Hot cocoa or pumpkin juice?

Melvin asked considerately, holding a teapot in his hand, from which wisps of steam rose.

Insect Tail sniffed, unable to discern what was in the teapot. He didn't want to drink either, but dared not say so directly: "I'm fine with anything, I'll drink whatever I want."

"Relax, don't be shy. We are business partners and have had a pleasant collaboration in the past. I believe there will be opportunities to work together again in the future."

Melvin looked into the eyes of the insect tail, poured tea from the kettle, and butterbeer, bubbling with hops, flowed out. "Ms. Rosmerta's brew. Haven't had it in a long time, have you?"

"I actually just wanted to drink this...".

The last syllable of "insect tail" stuck in his throat, and he suddenly felt a chill rise in his heart. He lowered his head to take the teacup, no longer daring to meet the young professor's dark eyes.

“I simply prepared several drinks in the teapot beforehand, guessing you would miss Three Brooms’ Butterbeer. I didn’t use Legilimency to probe your mind,” Melvin said gently.

The insect retracted its tail again, burying its head even lower.

"..."

Melvin was somewhat exasperated; no one believed him even when he told the truth. "You must have heard what happened tonight while hiding in the corner. Tell me, what are your plans now?"

"Find a safe place and continue hiding," the insect tail said, its voice trembling.

“Actually, Ron is safe right here.” Melvin took a sip of his butterbeer. “Black was able to sneak into the Gryffindor Tower tonight because the Longbottom kid lost the password list. He won’t be copying passwords anymore, so Black can’t get into the tower anymore. The dorm is safe.”

“It’s not safe at all,” Wormtail said in a low voice. “Ron was attacked in Hogsmeade, you know, that black dog was Sirius Black, and he was after me. Tonight he was attacked in the dorms. Who knows when he’ll find another opportunity. As long as I don’t leave Ron’s side, I’ll never get rid of Sirius Black.”

"So you came to me because..."

“Sir, I would like you to send me out, whether it’s a Muggle city or a wizarding village, the more remote the better, preferably so that Sirius will never find me in his lifetime.”

"Sending you away...that's easy."

Melvin paused briefly, then changed the subject, "But do you really want to hide forever, to be a rat that can't see the light of day for the rest of your life?"

"..." The insect tail was unsure of his meaning and remained silent.

“The Animagus can evade capture, you can evade Black, and he can evade Aurors and Dementors. He’s only in his early thirties. How many more years do you think he’ll have to hide?” Melvin advised earnestly.

"what do you mean?"

"Find a way to deal with Blake and get rid of this trouble completely."

(End of this chapter)