Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 296 Insect Tail and Big Feet

Snape summoned a whirlwind, whipping up snowflakes that reached above his knees. Sirius Black froze, his wounds oozing crimson blood that dripped onto the pristine snow.

He looked up and their eyes met inadvertently. Without asking any further questions, Snape remained silent, his gradually focusing gaze indicating that the effects of the drug were wearing off.

Sirius's mind went blank. As his reason gradually returned, memories of the torture flooded back. He suddenly felt very tired, so tired that he didn't even have the strength to utter any provocative or insulting words.

Snape waved his wand, and the soft green light of the healing charm quickly healed the wounds: "Let's go to the Screaming Shack, go back to school through the secret passage, and then wander around the underground corridors a few times to try and get your old friend's attention."

There are still many details that haven't been clarified, but those are no longer important.

“You want to use me to lure Peter out… You’re probably going to be disappointed. He’s a cowardly mouse who won’t take any risks.”

"Why do you still look down on Peter after such a terrible lesson?" Snape turned his head, looking at the falling snowflakes, and turned up his collar to hide his face. "He deceived everyone to gain their trust, faked his death to escape, and kept you in Azkaban for thirteen years. He was smarter than you, and more ruthless than you."

Sirius wanted to argue, but suddenly felt dizzy as blood loss and the aftereffects of the truth serum rushed to his head.

Snape's eyes remained expressionless. A levitation spell enveloped his tattered robes as he lifted the wanted criminal from Azkaban and waded through the snow toward the Screaming Shack.

On the way back, some sections of the road were covered with ice and snow, and Snape effortlessly led the unconscious wanted criminal.

In the distance, pedestrians could be vaguely seen on the streets of Hogsmeade, but the Screaming Shack was in a secluded location, without even a ghost in sight. It sat slightly higher than the other houses in the village, its windows boarded up, its garden overgrown and buried in snow.

All the entrances were sealed off. Snape looked around before finding a fence that had been dug open by a dog. He squeezed sideways into the room, which was filled with dust and supplies. Only around the sofa were there some signs of fresh life.

The places where homeless people live are hardly admirable.

There were still faint claw marks on the sofa, curtains, and walls.

Those were the marks left by the werewolf when he transformed on a full moon night, chained in a shed, and unable to bear the pain. They were left by Lupin during his student days, and more than a decade later, those marks have become blurred.

This is also the origin of the rumors that Hogsmeade is haunted.

Snape walked around the room, stopping occasionally. There were no other residents in the shack. Footprints in the dust on the floor pointed to a cave in the corner, which was the entrance to the tunnel.

It was a narrow, winding tunnel that Snape had once wandered into during his student days. If James Potter hadn't warned him, he probably would have encountered Lupin in his full moon form, back when the Wolfsbane Potion didn't exist.

Dumbledore once said he owed a blood debt, and this blood debt was also the reason that convinced him to protect Harry.

The narrow tunnel can only be traversed by crawling, which is somewhat strenuous for those who are awake, but for unconscious prisoners, it is no trouble at all, as they are lifted through the secret passage by a levitation spell.

"boom……"

With a dull thud, Sirius's head hit the wall.

Snape pursed his lips. The tunnel was dark, and he couldn't see the way. The Levitation Charm was bound to make mistakes.

As they emerged from the tree roots beneath the scarred willow, the wind and snow howled once more. Dragging the unconscious prisoner along the paths back to the castle, Snape's footsteps left deep imprints on the snow, only to be instantly covered by new snowflakes.

“Peter is currently hiding in the castle, spying and leaking information about the Animagus. He hopes to use my wand to eliminate Black and bury the truth of what happened back then. But as long as he discovers that Black is still alive, and the Ministry of Magic has the potential to uncover the truth, he certainly won’t sit idly by.”

Snape's gaze swept over the shadows in the corner of the hallway, a place where rodents might hide. "Even rats would bare their fangs."

Sirius was suspended in the air by the levitation spell, his eyes closed and his expression blank.

In a dazed and unconscious state, she was manipulated by Snape to float through every floor of the castle, from the underground corridors all the way to the terrace on the top floor of the Astronomy Tower, and finally thrown under a row of stargazing telescopes.

……

"The Astronomical Tower!"

The insect's tail silently hid in the observation window of the astronomical tower.

Not far in front of him, a potions professor holding a wand scanned the area with eyes like a viper, ready to pounce on any wizard who might appear at any moment, but paid little attention to the unconscious, hypothermic wanted criminal on the ground.

The insect tail looked at its old friend who had collapsed to the ground.

The unconscious wizard had a thin face, with a tangled beard on his cheeks and chin. He looked weak and disheveled, showing signs of aging. The prison life in Azkaban had ultimately left its mark on this wizard who had lived a life of luxury since childhood.

The insect tail sighed silently, its feelings at that moment complex and subtle, hard to describe.

But he knew clearly what his purpose was: to kill Sirius and eliminate any future troubles.

Wormtail turned his gaze to the Potions professor, trying to find some clues in his expression and movements, but could only see an expressionless face that was hard to read.

How did he capture Sirius Black? Why bring him here instead of handing him over to the Dementors?
Most importantly, does he already know the truth about what happened back then?
As his thoughts raced, these questions lingered in his mind, becoming increasingly vexing. The insect tail could no longer contain itself and crawled along the crack in the outer wall toward the telescope, while the inconspicuous mouse approached along the blind spot of the field of vision.

The rats hunted the unconscious wizard with just their sharp teeth tearing through his flesh.

As the insect's tail approached from the side, it began to ponder whether to sever the carotid artery in his neck or bite through his eyeball, burrow into his head through the eye socket, and churn the inside into a paste with its tail.

He made his choice quickly, approaching silently. Snape had his head down, seemingly unaware of anything, his face still expressionless.

This will be a silent assassination, a subtle and clever way to fool those who think themselves clever, giving them a pleasurable sense of satisfaction.

The insect tail slid down the telescope stand and stood in front of the unconscious Sirius. With the help of his thin, disheveled body and tattered robe, it could block Snape's view without preventing him from peeking and observing through the folds.

He felt a slight itch in his small, sharp fangs.

Snape suddenly looked up, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The Potions professor, a Slytherin alumnus, always had a sinister and cruel smile. Wormtail's heart skipped a beat, and he curled up behind his robes.

"Was leaking the address of Potter's old house under the guise of a secret agent due to being threatened by Voldemort and forced into it, or was it a voluntary act of betrayal and self-interest?" Snape's voice answered from the open-air platform.

Has it been discovered?
Wormtail didn't know who he was asking—Sirius or himself?

Just then, a series of footsteps came from behind. In such a spacious place, everyone present could hear them. Snape frowned slightly and turned to look at the doorway to the terrace.

Three students, one professor, and four wizards came into view.

Snape's gaze swept over Harry, Ron, and Hermione, finally settling on the pale-faced professor, a hint of surprise in his eyes:
"Lupin Remus?"

……

The snow has stopped, and night is gradually falling.

The warthog statue on the school gate was covered in snow, an oval shape with only its two wings sticking out. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, closed and locked the gate, the falling ice shards hitting the snow with a crisp sound.

Filch glared coldly at the little witch: "Students staying on campus are strictly prohibited from leaving the school without permission!" Hermione gazed at the path outside the door, took a deep breath, and began her journey back to the castle.

She walked slowly across the snowy path, gazing towards the entrance hall, her restless heart gradually calming down.

An afternoon passed. She had spent the entire afternoon waiting at the school gate, lighting a few blue bellflowers. She didn't get cold, and looking at the vast white snowfield, she felt a sense of detachment from the chaos, allowing her to sort out her thoughts from a different perspective.

She tried to analyze the professors' behavior, including Professor McGonagall and the headmaster, especially Snape. Many times she felt like she was vaguely touching on something, but she always lacked key clues. The truth was shrouded in a veil of mist.

Upon entering the foyer, the warmth of the fireplace keeps the chill at bay.

The auditorium was brightly lit, and the Christmas dinner had already begun, but not all the guests had arrived yet.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and Hermione turned around to find it was Professor Levent.

“Mr. Filch reported that you wanted to sneak out of school, but you can find an opportunity even if you wait at the school gate all afternoon. What do you want to do outside?”

Melvin held a navy cap, which had just been popped out of a firecracker, his eyes filled with inquiry rather than reproach.

Hermione pursed her lips. This young professor always seemed so open-minded; even if students violated school rules, they wouldn't be reprimanded as long as their reasons were valid.

She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to believe: "I am following Professor Snape."

"Hmm?" Melvin looked curious and pulled her to sit down at the Gryffindor table.

“Remember how I was looking for Harry and Ron all afternoon, Professor? I followed your directions and found the Potions Office. Harry told me that their confinement was very strange, very deliberate, so I used the Time-Turner to go back to the time when Professor Snape left.”

Hermione took a deep breath and said without any hesitation, "I saw Snape disguised as Harry. He used Polyjuice Potion and left the school with a Firebolt!"

Melvin pondered for a few seconds, then quickly sorted out his thoughts.

It seems Wormtail's plan was working. Snape, using the Firebolt to locate Sirius Black, disguised himself as Harry and went fishing.

The analysis in Lupin's office that night also came in handy. Snape noticed that Sirius had no ill intentions towards Harry, that both attacks were aimed at Ron, and that both intrusions into Hogwarts resulted in no casualties.

"Professor Snape, he seems evil, but he's actually quite reliable," Melvin remarked, suddenly feeling curious and impatient to know the outcome.

"He rode a fire bolt, and I couldn't keep up with him, so I've been waiting at the door, but he still hasn't returned to school. Harry and Ron are still locked in the underground office."

Melvin looked at her with some confusion: "But they've already arrived for the banquet!"

Hermione was taken aback: "Them?"

"Look, it's over there."

Hermione looked in the direction Melvin was pointing, and the three of them entered the Great Hall one after another.

Harry and Ron were still dressed in their daytime attire, while Snape had changed into a dark green robe. He was expressionless, walking with his head held high, and nodded slightly in greeting when he heard Professor Flitwick's greeting.

Dumbledore affectionately called to Severus, asking him to sit beside him. He had received several joke books from an old friend that day, and had a few new and interesting jokes to share with him.

Flitwick and Professor Sprout immediately moved away, worried that the lame jokes would affect their appetite, and pulled Hagrid aside to chat.

Hagrid was already drunk, his cheeks flushed, and he said in a gruff voice that he had heard a few jokes, told by the Greeks in the Pighead Bar, that were particularly funny, and that he had to compare them with Dumbledore's jokes.

With Melvin joining in the commotion as he sat down, the professors had no choice but to huddle together to listen to the jokes, their glasses clinking together in a festive Christmas atmosphere.

"boom……"

The hall was filled with the booming sounds of colorful firecrackers.

George and Fred tore open one colorful firecracker after another, blue smoke spreading out, and several lively white mice scurried away as Mrs. Lorris chased after them.

Laughter reached her ears, and Hermione looked at the brightly lit magical dome, feeling a sense of disorientation, as if the events of the afternoon were happening on another parallel timeline.

Sitting side by side at the Gryffindor table, Ron wolfed down his food, wishing he could shove the whole roasted turkey down his throat and into his stomach.

At this moment, Harry suddenly asked, "Hermione, where did you go this afternoon? After Snape let us out, we went back to the common room but couldn't find you, and we didn't see you in the library either."

"Let you out?" Hermione asked in a low voice, "When?"

“You hadn’t been gone long, less than half an hour, when Snape came back.”

Hermione checked the time; she had been standing guard at the school gate, just lighting the third blue bellflower flame.

……

Lupin has been feeling unwell these past few days, not only because of the slightly full moon, but also because of Snape's frequent inquiries. The Potions professor's subtle hints about the Transfiguration disguise suggest that he already knows about the Animagus, but has never explicitly stated it.

Christmas arrived during these difficult days, and Dumbledore invited him to a banquet. He was eager to attend, but worried that he might reveal his wolfish nature at any moment.

Hagrid's voice grew louder and louder as he got drunk, and could be heard even from outside the Great Hall. Dumbledore led the students in singing Christmas carols, completely off-key.

Lupin stepped out of the hall and heard Melvin telling a Muggle joke inside the castle, his laughter almost lifting the dome.

This kind of lively atmosphere that has nothing to do with oneself makes one feel lonely and desolate when alone.

Lupin did not leave the campus, but instead walked along the field to the Willow Tree.

Touching the knot before the willow tree could unleash its fury would instantly freeze the waving branches, making them appear like marble statues. The tunnel leading out of the school was narrow, winding, and so short that one couldn't stand upright; it also had a strange smell.

Lupin moved forward skillfully, his back bent, like an agile wolf traversing the jungle bushes with nimble movements.

So many years have passed, and walking into this tunnel again, he actually felt quite nostalgic. It felt like being isolated from the world, without having to worry about anything.

Lupin leaped out of the tunnel and stood in the dimly lit shack, taking a deep breath and recalling every little detail of the past.

Over the years, he has been to many places and spent many full moon nights. Most places are more spacious than this place, but this shack always appears in his midnight dreams. Many times he dreams that he is still in school, and after transforming, he hides in the shack.

In a sense, this is his lair. On countless moonlit nights, he howled and tore at things here. The pain that he once found unbearable now feels like a secret freedom, free from the need to care about other people's opinions.

【Fluorescent flash】

Lupin lit his wand, and just as he was about to relive his memories, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

The silver light illuminated the dirty shack, where the floor was covered in dust and covered with a series of brand-new footprints.

(End of this chapter)