Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 306 Dealing with the aftermath
The night is getting darker.

The castle was still brightly lit. Looking into the foyer from the marble steps, the candlelight was dazzling, and occasionally blue smoke from firecrackers would drift out. Colorful ribbons hung around the doors and windows, and green branches of holly and mistletoe were pasted on the walls.

The ghosts' translucent, illusory bodies penetrated the walls, carrying candles and torches inside, quietly experiencing the faint warmth, while simultaneously tinting the light a pale blue.

The warmth emanating from the fireplace pulled him back to reality. Lupin stood in the aisle at the entrance of the auditorium, never imagining that Christmas Eve could be so long.

Back in reality, he inevitably began to think about the future. He was initially reluctant to accept Dumbledore's invitation, but the headmaster promised a wolfsbane potion to help him get through the full moon and that anyone in the know would have their identity kept secret, which is why he agreed to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

But now that his werewolf identity has been exposed, he inevitably needs to consider whether he should continue teaching at the university.

He disobeyed the headmaster's instructions during his student days, left the Shrieking Shack without permission, and wandered around with James and the others. After becoming a teacher, he kept the Animagus thing a secret. He has done far too many things to wrong Dumbledore.

He used to be able to bury his head in the sand and deceive himself, but now that the children know about his werewolf disease and the truth about Sirius and Peter has been revealed, he seems to have no reason to stay here.

Looking at the brightly lit auditorium, Lu Ping unconsciously slowed his pace, somewhat hesitant to face the principal.

"..."

The male president of the student council waved a frozen bread and vowed to make holes in his own brother's head. The three of them chased and laughed in the corridor.

"By Merlin, while we are struggling to survive in the dimensional rift, they are enjoying their Christmas dinner here..."

Ron grumbled indignantly as he climbed the steps back to the castle, slightly out of breath. "Keep laughing, Percy, George, and Fred. Seize the last moment, and when Mother finds out what Scabbers really is, she'll break their legs."

"Why?" Harry couldn't understand.

“We don’t have enough food, so we never keep pets like rats or toads. They’re lazy and don’t do any housework. It was Percy who insisted on taking in Scabbers. He was a good student and did his homework well, so his parents couldn’t bear to scold or beat him. That’s how he got this privilege… Now we’ve discovered that Scabbers is actually a dark wizard disguised as an Animagus.”

Ron raised an eyebrow, his face full of schadenfreude.

Bill and Charlie left home to work, and Percy, as the only good student in the family, was always being talked about by his parents. In addition, Percy himself was a show-off, and although he didn't say it openly, he was secretly very proud of himself, which had long made him the public enemy of the children in the family.

“Are you sure you want to tell them? You’ve been with Scabbers for so long, George and Fred have both seen it, they’ll definitely make fun of you… for at least six months.” Harry thought of this.

Ron's expectant expression froze, and his face turned ashen, as if he had swallowed a fly.

"I have an idea..."

Lupin, who had deliberately lagged behind, overheard their conversation and suddenly suggested, "You should keep the matter of Peter Pettigrew a secret for now. Make a deal with George and Fred in secret, saying that you have something on Percy, and have them promise not to make fun of you in the future. Then tell them the details."

“I’ll go find them now. Remember to keep it a secret for now, don’t tell them.” Ron said and left.

Lupin watched them walk into the hall, a smile creeping onto his face. The young wizard's worries and scheming reminded him of his student days.

"Hmm...that is indeed a good idea."

Harry nodded in agreement, but something felt off; this approach seemed strangely familiar: "Make a deal, then make a promise."

As Harry was recalling and pondering, he heard Nick, who was almost headless, greet Professor Levent.

He looked up and saw the young professor stride into the auditorium, his posture upright. He had just returned from the snow, yet there was no trace of ice or snow on his body. A faint smile played on his lips, as if he were always so calm and composed.

Harry suddenly opened his eyes wide as he remembered the promise Professor Levent made at the start of the school year.

The professor was unwilling to reveal more information to him at the time, so he sent him to investigate the truth about his parents' death and promised that he would see his mother again afterward.

"Professor...Professor Levent."

Harry rushed forward, his heart pounding. He had never been this nervous, not even when facing the Boggarts and the Dementors ganging up on him. He called out to the young professor, "Do you remember the investigation task you assigned me at the beginning of the semester?"

Yes, I remember.

Harry was a little excited, his breathing quickened: "Can I really see my mother?"

"Okay, but not now. Let's wait a couple of days and get ready."

"Could it be a Boggart in disguise?"

"No."

"That was... using a magic potion to give me a good dream?"

"No."

"Could it be that my mother left behind a magical portrait?"

"..."

Melvin stopped and looked down at the boy who had miraculously survived. Harry's emerald green eyes shone with elation, and he spoke cautiously, like a young animal:
"What I mean is, to let you see your mother's soul, not a ghost, not a portrait, not any false illusion, but her real soul, temporarily returning from the land of the dead to be with you for a brief reunion."

"This...I...Professor..."

Harry was both surprised and delighted, and stood there stunned, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

The group entered the hall, where the banquet continued. The professors at the head table looked up at the pale-faced Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at the back. Their glasses clinked countless times, whiskey was replaced with brandy, eggnog with mead, and now the glasses held purplish-red wine.

Professor Flitwick raised his glass and called to Lupin, “Remus, come here quickly. We’re drinking wine. I said it’s Bordeaux, but Pomona insisted it was Burgundy. Dumbledore went even further and said it was Spanish. Your sense of taste is more sensitive, so come and have a taste.”

"..."

Lu Ping paused for a moment, then looked up and met the principal's deep blue eyes, which were upturned at the corners, carrying a gentle and kind smile.

Just like the night I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter, the professor personally visited me, sitting in a chair by the fireplace, with the same kind smile.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Merry Christmas, Remus."

Before Lupin could answer, the two red-haired twin brothers rushed over and pushed Lupin in front of them like shields, so that he would face the baguette in Percy's hand, which had cooled and hardened.

"Oh no! Professor, help! Percy is trying to murder his own brother!"

Just then, a match popped in the fireplace, and flames escaped from the firebox, warming the tired and weak body once again.

...In the clear glass was a deep purple-red wine, its color particularly vibrant under the candlelight. The one pouring it was an old wizard wearing a lady's pointed hat.

At the head table, Professor McGonagall rose to give up the seats to Dumbledore's left and right, gesturing for Melvin and Lupin to take their seats.

The principal personally poured them wine. The controversy over the wine's origin had long been put aside, and the deans sat quietly to the side, waiting for their account.

"Let's begin, Melvin, Remus, take us into the story of the night, to chase after that frivolous and alluring vixen..." Dumbledore paused slightly, meeting Professor McGonagall's eerie gaze: "Let's embark on an exciting and thrilling adventure."

Melvin picked up his wine and took a sip, feeling more like he was at the bar of a pub than in the auditorium of a magic school.

Lupin also put aside his melancholy and recounted the whole story.

From the Willow of the Beating Man to the Astronomical Tower, and then to the terrace of the Lost Lands, the story has been told several times, and retelling it again makes it more organized and detailed. Told in Lupin's voice, it is even somewhat captivating.

“What an incredible journey.” Dumbledore’s eyes showed admiration.

“Yes.” Melvin nodded.

"The story ends at the time of dessert at the dinner party, when you, the main characters, leave the table and set off. When the story begins, the kitchen has just put the pumpkin into the pot, and Severus can smell the aroma of the pumpkin soup, but all the plot has already been written."

Flitwick stood on a high stool, shaking his head and swaying, speaking in the tone of a bard, but his voice was too high-pitched, sounding more like a theater announcer.

Professor McGonagall had met Sirius Black that night and was prepared for something else to be hidden, but she was still somewhat dazed when she heard the truth revealed.

Sprout was also in a daze. She still remembered the mischievous things James, Sirius, Remus, and Pettigrew did when they were in school. After so long, those experiences about friendship, betrayal, and courage sounded like they came from another world.

"No wonder Severus hinted to Melvin to leave halfway through; I knew it wouldn't be that simple..."

The herbalism professor couldn't help but mutter, "But why don't you just say so?"

“Pomona, time is a very strange thing, as magical as magic. Any tiny tremor can cause a hurricane on a much longer time scale.”

Dumbledore replied calmly, "To ensure the entire adventure remains a seamless loop, Severus cannot reveal too much information."

"So where are Sirius and Little Pettigrew now?"

“I’ve sealed the door to the underground potions classroom. Outside the walls is a frozen black lake with thick, solid ice. If Blake or Peter tries to break through the window to escape, even if they turn into black dogs and rats, they’ll only drown in the lake.”

Snape said it casually.

“That sounds cruel… if you ignore the fact that you left them two Christmas dinners,” Dumbledore said with a smile.

Snape immediately pursed his lips and fell silent.

The others present couldn't help but smile. Dumbledore slowly got up and took off the female wizard hat: "Let's go, let's go see our old friends from the Order of the Phoenix."

……

Late at night, in the underground classroom of Potions.

The walls, made of gray-black rocks, are actually a single piece of deformed mountain rock. The ceiling is arched and nearly 20 feet high, and the dim candlelight gives people an indescribable sense of oppression.

The classroom is filled with marble-carved workbenches, on which are placed crucibles of various materials and all kinds of medicinal herbs. After more than ten years, returning to this classroom, everything is still the same as before.

“Little Pettigrew, actually I didn’t want to play with you at first. You seem to lack courage and are very timid.”

Sirius lay sprawled on the podium, Snape's cauldron moved aside, and bottles and jars of raw materials piled on the floor.

The room was filled with the sweet aroma of pumpkin. Snape left two Christmas dinners as promised. They weren't lavish, but the portions were generous. The kitchen was not far away, and the pumpkin juice in the glasses would automatically refill when they were finished, as would the dishes on the silver plates.

Peter Pettigrew squatted on the floor at the other end of the classroom, having eaten and drunk his fill, holding a steaming bowl of pumpkin juice, without saying a word.

"Peter, when did Voldemort approach you?" Sirius asked.

"..."

"Why did Voldemort target you? I remember everyone took good care of you. Whenever there was a dangerous or difficult mission, James and Remus, and sometimes me, would take it on for you without you having to ask, so you wouldn't have to worry about it."

Sirius couldn't understand it no matter how hard he tried, so he sat up and said, "You've never appeared in public or participated in any direct combat, so Voldemort shouldn't have noticed you."

He frowned and stared intently at Peter: "You were the one who voluntarily sided with Voldemort, weren't you?"

“It was that person whose name I can’t even mention who forced me to…” Peter shrank into the corner, feeling a chill run down his spine from that look.

"Don't lie!" Sirius roared furiously. "For at least a year before Lily and James died, the Order of the Phoenix's missions kept failing, and you've been passing information to him ever since! You're his spy!"

“You don’t understand, Sirius. If I didn’t do that, he would have killed me…”

"Then die! So many people died during the Wizarding Wars, everyone was like that! Dying is better than betraying your friends!"

Do you think I don't want to persevere?

Peter instinctively refuted him, but seeing his furious face, he shrank back and muttered an excuse to himself: "But I don't have the courage. That black devil possesses evil magic you can't imagine, and he's far more cruel and ruthless than you think..."

"Then why didn't you tell us, instead of seeking Dumbledore's protection, when you had countless opportunities!"

"I've already said it, I'm not as brave as you guys."

Peter continued to defend himself, "The Sorting Hat sorted me into Gryffindor to help me find the courage buried deep within me, but you never gave me that chance. You just dragged me to skip classes, go out at night, and play around. After graduation, you always took it upon yourselves to do those glamorous tasks for me. Everyone looks down on me, including you... You were also involved in James and Lily's deaths."

"Still unrepentant to this day." Sirius laughed in anger. He stretched his shoulders and neck in the dimly lit classroom, ready to teach this stinking rat a lesson.

Just as Sirius was about to make his move, after slowly cornering Peter, he suddenly stopped.

"Boom..."

The heavy stone door in front of the classroom opened.

(End of this chapter)