Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 285 Looking for help
"I...I can't beat him."

Holding his teacup, Wormtail stammered, "Back in school, Remus and the others always dragged me into dueling practice. Even after I graduated and joined the Order of the Phoenix, they still made me their sparring partner, but I never won."

"That was more than a decade ago. If it were a head-on duel now, you would have the advantage."

The young professor in the chair spoke softly, his warm butterbeer steaming, his face obscured. “He was imprisoned in Azkaban for thirteen years. He couldn’t cast spells for thirteen years, and was tortured by Dementors until he was emaciated. He managed to escape but didn’t have a wand. You are different from him. You have a wand and plenty of energy.”

Melvin paused briefly: "Actually, you shouldn't have woken the student up tonight and fled in such a panic. You should have dealt with him in the dormitory."

"This……"

The insect tail hesitated, still unwilling to agree.

In fact, for the past thirteen years, he had been hiding in his humble abode pretending to be a rat. He hadn't been casting spells much, so his magical skills were rusty. Having been kept as a pet for a long time, his body wasn't particularly strong.

After a long silence, he raised his head and asked timidly, "Is there any other way?"

“If you don’t trust your wand, then do what you did thirteen years ago: turn your cunning rat brain around.” Melvin slowly coaxed, “Thirteen years ago you could frame Black and imprison him with the help of the Aurors in the Ministry of Magic, and you can use the power of others now.”

"Sir, you mean to expose his Animagus disguise and let him fall into the net again?"

The insect tail looked thoughtful, then shook its head. "I can't show myself in public, and... that could lead to a leak."

The reason they were able to frame Black last time was because of the chaotic situation, the loopholes in the Ministry of Magic's investigation process, and the fact that Black had suffered a heavy blow and had no intention of defending himself.

Now that Harry has become his emotional support, Black is very likely to appeal. If the truth of what happened back then is revealed, the portrait on the wanted poster will have to be changed.

"That requires finding a reliable partner, such as... Snape."

Melvin said quietly, "You were classmates, so you should know about that feud. Snape admired Lily and hated Black for leaking the secret. After graduation, you served the same master, and you know his character well—cruel and ruthless. Use this hatred to manipulate him into killing Black, just like you manipulated the Aurors and the wizards of the Inquisition thirteen years ago."

"This...but...it's me..."

The insect's tail looked up in fright, stammering and unable to speak a complete sentence, its hand holding the teacup trembling slightly.

“I know that Snape was a Death Eater, and to outsiders, Black is also a Death Eater. You’re worried that he might help Black,” Melvin said calmly. “But he’s the most suitable candidate. As for the others, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.”

"I...I know."

The insect tail felt cold all over, but it still agreed.

Now he sits in this Muggle Studies office, his hand branded with the ouroboros mark. The method the professor has suggested is feasible, though slightly risky. How can he refuse?
……

It's getting daylight.

Deep inside the Room of Requirement, a figure lay on the sofa, head tilted back, drowsiness enveloping him like a tide. There was a warm fireplace and candles, but he dared not close his eyes.

dong dong!

Suddenly, a light knock came from outside.

"Who?"

Sirius suddenly sat up straight, staring warily at the doorway.

There was a few seconds of silence outside the door, followed by a slightly high-pitched voice: "Dobby, a house-elf. Mr. Levent sent me."

Sirius Black's mind flashed back to the young professor's face. He had met him twice, and each time he had been deeply impressed. His eyes were filled with surprise. He had expected to be greeted by an Auror or even Headmaster Dumbledore, but instead, a house-elf.

The door was pushed open, and a cold draft rushed into the room, causing the lights to flicker.

A house-elf pushed open the door and entered. It had long, thin arms and legs, grayish-green skin, a gray scarf wrapped around its neck and hanging down to its waist, and was carrying a lunchbox. It wore wool socks but no shoes or boots, a rather peculiar outfit.

Staring with bright, round eyes, his face was full of curiosity.

Sirius was being scrutinized under that gaze, and he opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

"The professors' search is over, and the alert has been lifted. However, Mr. Levent asked me to tell you that it would be best to wait until after dark before leaving."

"No interrogation, no conversation, and you just let me go like that?" Sirius was incredulous.

Dobby ignored his emotions and continued relaying the message, rattling off a long string of words: "Don't worry about anyone finding out. Very few people in the whole school know about this place. Even if they do, they can only enter other rooms. Also, it's a 'Request-Free' room. There's no food here, but the master asked me to bring you sandwiches and water. If you need to use the toilet, there are all kinds of toilets here. Just think of the style of toilet and it will appear."

The elf's shrill voice pierced Sirius's head, but he still caught the key words: "The Room of Requirement! Is this the Room of Requirement?"

“Yes, very few people know about this place. Sometimes when we clean the castle, we store tools here. Mrs. Trelawney sometimes uses it to store wine bottles. Professor Levent said she was escaping reality…”

Sirius Black looked dazed. How did a young outsider know about this secret room that even the Marauders couldn't discover when they created the Marauder's Map?

He suddenly remembered his current situation, stared at the little elf arranging the lunchboxes, and tentatively asked, "Do you know who I am?"

“Dobby knows that Professor Levent said you are Sirius Black, a fugitive, a wanted criminal, and that reporting you could get you a large sum of Galleons.” Dobby sighed, somewhat regretfully, “Unfortunately, Dobby is not a wizard and cannot report you for the bounty.”

The elf's regretful look was obvious, and Sirius felt a little uneasy: "Why didn't you hand me over to Dumbledore? Aren't you a house-elf from Hogwarts?"

"Dobby is of course an elf employed by Hogwarts, but Dobby is also an elf who seeks freedom. Mr. Dumbledore hired me to clean and cook, but did not put me in charge of castle security, which is not within my scope of duties."

"Hire?"

Sirius felt his beliefs were being challenged; after thirteen years in prison, he seemed a bit out of touch: "You mean, Dumbledore will pay you a salary?"

"Of course, otherwise how would I have money to buy scarves and socks?" Dobby thought the man was a bit silly. He put down the lunchbox and turned to leave.

"and many more!"

Sirius quickly called out to Dobby, "Can I ask you for some information?"

"Why should I help you?"

"I'm willing to pay."

Sirius rummaged through his pockets for a moment, then pulled out two bronze knuckles and handed them over; he had found them in the Hogsmeade sewers.

“Alright, for Tungnat’s sake,” Dobby reluctantly agreed.

Seeing the elf's demeanor, Sirius felt less eager to inquire about the outside world. After a long silence, he asked, "I want to know, why... are you different from other house-elves?"

"I should say, why can't other little elves be like me?"

Dobby sighed softly and began to recount his experience of leaving the Malfoy family in pursuit of freedom.

"Although I am employed by Hogwarts to do things for Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, I also occasionally do things for Mr. Levent and Mr. Potter, which is entirely voluntary for Dobby..."

“If Professor Levent hadn’t said that you had no ill intentions toward kind Harry, I probably would have handed you over to Harry instead of doing business with you.”

Sirius found the little elf who had saved up money to buy his freedom very intriguing.

The house-elves I'd seen before were all like Kreacher from Black's old house. This elf was completely different. Its mind wasn't dominated by slavery or pure-blood ideology; it possessed a vibrant life force. Although it was a bit greedy, its true purpose was to pay off its debts and gain freedom.

"Who exactly is Professor Levent?" Sirius Black was even more curious and couldn't help but ask.

Dobby immediately became wary: "Although Dobby is no longer an ordinary house-elf, Mr. Levent is still my master in name only. I cannot betray him, much less leak his information to you, a wanted criminal."

This tone is just like Kreacher's. Sirius was a little annoyed: "Then tell me about Harry. That Professor Levent said that I am his godfather and that I have no ill intentions towards him."

Dobby glanced at him dismissively and snorted, "I don't trust you!"

"..."

Sirius was starting to reconsider his earlier thought; this little elf was too undisciplined and completely lacked the respect due to wizards.

"Dobby is leaving. Goodbye, fugitive wizard."

Seeing that the intelligent being he could communicate with was about to leave, Sirius quickly called out, "Wait, wait, I have another question."

"Your Nate is only good enough to ask these questions."

"..."

Sirius started searching his body again, but unfortunately, a stray dog ​​isn't a homeless person. He could only retrieve a few knuckles from the sewers. No one gave him any money, and he didn't go back to the old house or Gringotts. He had already taken out the last two knuckles he had.

In desperation, he shouted at Dobby, "Don't you want to know the true meaning of freedom?"

Dobby stopped and turned to look at him.

"Paying off debts to gain freedom is just your own speculation. What Professor Levent told you is that you can only gain true freedom when you understand the meaning of freedom."

Seeing the little elf stop, Sirius quickly sped up his speech, “I’ve had a similar experience. I felt trapped by the rules and regulations of pure-blood families and couldn’t have freedom. Later I realized that freedom is not something given to you by anyone, nor can it be bought. It is something you fight for yourself, and no one can take it away from you.”

Dobby looked puzzled.

“That professor helped you get rid of Malfoy, and without the contract, you don’t really have a master anymore. Professor Levent didn’t bind you either; he just said you needed to repay a debt. Do you understand?”

Sirius looked at the tiny, thin elf in front of him and said, "That professor wanted you to understand this: no matter who you are employed by, this is just your job, and it cannot enslave your will."

"So, Dobby is actually free?" Dobby seemed a little dazed.

"That's right!"

Sirius nodded emphatically. "Working for pay, paying off debts—that has nothing to do with freedom. No one enslaves you. Once you understand that, you are free!"

Dobby's eyes widened, almost bulging out.

"I'd like to hire you now to do things for me."

Sirius promised you a huge reward after this was all over. You could pay off your debts and still have some left over. You could travel everywhere, buy yourself clothes, not just scarves and socks, but a whole outfit!

Dobby's eyes were sparkling.

……

A new week begins, and classes resume as usual.

The raid last night went on so late that the Gryffindor students were all quite tired and drowsy. They took advantage of Professor Binns' lecture on the history of magic to catch up on sleep at their desks.

Hermione strongly condemned this behavior.

"Professor Binns is so old, yet he still insists on teaching us. How can he sleep in class?"

"Today's lesson on the fairy rebellion is key content; it will be on the final exam and the wizard level exam!"

"..."

When they entered the Divination classroom in the North Tower, Hermione was still grumbling incessantly. Harry and Ron ignored her; they hadn't had enough sleep and their minds were still foggy, so they decided to continue sleeping during the Divination class.

So the two of them chose seats towards the back of the middle:
"Stop talking, Hermione. Look at your dark circles, they're even worse than ours."

"you……"

Hermione sat down next to them, intending to wake them up every few minutes after class started.

Her gaze swept across the entire classroom. The room at the top of the North Tower had its doors and windows tightly shut, preventing the dim sunlight from entering. A silk scarf was wrapped around the lamp, casting a hazy red glow over the entire room. Herbs had been added to the fireplace, supposedly to stimulate inspiration. The various burning aromas mingled together, initially a bit pungent, but she got used to it afterward.

What are we going to learn in this lesson?

Lavender expressed his anticipation, because many students were beginning to believe in Trelawney because of the rabbit Bingkey incident.

Hermione glanced at her silently, without refuting her.

After class started, Trelawney added more herbs to the fireplace, and the smoke rose, making the sweet aroma even stronger. Listening to her ethereal voice as she lectured, Hermione felt the air in the classroom begin to sting her eyes.

"I see... what you fear will come again..."

"He's already been here... and he's lurking in the shadows, plotting..."

The voice became even more ethereal, and the classroom grew even darker. Hermione felt her eyes sting and couldn't help but blink.

"Wake up, Hermione! Wake up!"

Hermione opened her eyes and found herself lying face down on her desk, with the Divination textbook covering her head.

The professor had finished class and left, and the students were leaving one after another. The doors and windows were opened for ventilation. Without the hazy red light and the pungent fragrance, a cold wind blew into the North Tower classroom, and everyone woke up.

Hermione sat up and looked around. Harry and Ron next to her had just woken up, and there were red marks on their faces from the books. She touched her cheeks and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"Let's go, next period is Snape's Potions class." Harry took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Upon hearing the professor's name, Ron snapped out of his daze, picked up his backpack, packed his books, and then sat there, a sad expression on his face.

Hermione saw a Chocolate Frog box in her backpack containing Scabbers' corpse, which had been treated with a freezing charm so it wouldn't rot for the time being and had no odor.

She asked in a low voice, "Harry, is he planning to keep...keep Scabbers with him forever?"

Harry shook his head: "He plans to hold the funeral after the Quidditch match this weekend, bury Scabbers in the Forbidden Forest, invite Hagrid to attend, and ask Nick the nearly headless man for advice on the funeral process."

"..."

Hermione felt a sense of relief as she observed the moment of silence.

Fortunately, Banban died at the hands of Black, not at the hands of Crook's lynx, otherwise he would have been an accomplice.

(End of this chapter)