Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 555-553: Undercurrents (4k)

The little wizards had a very pleasant evening.

Walking around the large pumpkin lantern, everyone was excitedly discussing Hogsmeade and the ghost show.

Every now and then, a wizard would pick up a magic mirror and exaggerate in front of it, making exaggerated gestures.

The pies were baked too soft, and Sheen found it difficult to let them just lie there melting on the long table.

So, for Sheen, today was another day of a hearty meal and a satisfying day.

But for others, especially for Lupin and Sirius, this night was filled with melancholy, like willow catkins fluttering in the air.

The headmaster's office was dimly lit, and on holidays, Headmaster Dumbledore always liked to linger a little longer in the Great Hall.

Lupin's brow remained furrowed as he gazed at Headmaster Dumbledore, occasionally sighing and closing his eyes.

The pumpkin lanterns lit up and then went out, the long table in the hall stood up and then deformed, and the little wizards would still have to sleep in the hall tonight.

Many of the young wizards were chattering away, after all, the experiences of the past few days had been quite novel, and they seemed to have endless things to say.

Sheehan followed Professor Snape and silenced the last pair of Slytherins with a "cold" gaze.

The auditorium then fell completely silent.

"Go and rest."

Snape said expressionlessly.

Sheen turned around and naturally saw five little wizards waving at him.

Looking at Professor Snape and the other professors in the main seat behind him, Sheehan noticed that Mr. Lupin was overly nervous.

On the last day before the operation began, he spent almost as much time looking at himself as he usually did in a whole week.

Sheen glanced back at Mr. Lupin silently before returning to his sleeping bag.

But then, as if remembering something, he slowly got up and walked into the darkness.

He had to go see Headmaster Dumbledore; Headmaster Dumbledore was obligated to know what was about to happen at Hogwarts.

Lupin, who had been watching him lie down, got up, slowly drank the last sip of pumpkin juice, and headed in the direction where Headmaster Dumbledore had just left.

Before he could even enter the principal's office, a kind yet slightly puzzled voice rang out:
“Remus, you seem to be looking for me.”

Dumbledore's tall figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

Lupin seemed to have anticipated this; his gaze was so intense and unwavering that it was impossible for him to go unnoticed.

"Professor Dumbledore, that is indeed the case."

Lupin said.

"Oh? That's a rare thing. I've been searching for you all these years..."

Dumbledore made a sarcastic remark.

He had always wanted to get in touch with Lupin; his goodwill remained, and he was always willing to offer any small assistance should Lupin accept it.

But the truth is, Lupin exiled himself for too long.

Over the years, they have had very little contact with each other.

"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, that incident was too much of a blow to me."

Lupin spoke slowly, his brows furrowed, his muscles tense, revealing his exhaustion.

"I'm so happy..."

A kind smile appeared on Dumbledore's face.
“I’m glad, Remus, after all these years, you’ve finally admitted it.”

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed with pleasure.

For someone who is extremely heartbroken, recalling those past events can wound their soul.

But these things are like thorns in their hearts.

They spend their entire lives learning how to live with suffering.

Dumbledore believed that acknowledging one's pain was the first step.

“You always are like this, Mr. Dumbledore.”

Lupin didn't look at Dumbledore, but the image of the kind old man holding his hand involuntarily came to mind.

A werewolf child with nowhere to go reached out and asked him if he wanted to go to Hogwarts to study.

He shook his head slightly, dismissing those thoughts from his mind.

“A long time ago, someone made a prophecy. I think it still exists at Hogwarts today, protected. Sir, to be honest, I always think about why the Dark Lord wanted to kill Harry when he was still an infant. What exactly did that prophecy say? And why did the Dark Lord know about it, and why do we know about it as well?”

Lupin stated this in a calm tone, and the smile on Dumbledore's face gradually faded.

"You are protecting a criminal."

Dumbledore stared coldly at Lupin.

“I believe you; you won’t help him get into the castle.”

"I will never help any criminal enter Hogwarts Castle."

Lupin's meek and submissive demeanor made Dumbledore ponder for a long time.

He slowly observed the gentle middle-aged man, whose body always exuded a tenacious spirit.

“Professor Dumbledore, I simply want to know if there is anyone among us who can be trusted. I never tolerate evil forces, but I need to know if Mr. Green is safe. Only you can tell me that.”

Tell me about what happened in the past. How did the Dark Lord know that the child at the end of July would become his formidable enemy? Who... betrayed us?

Lupin looked straight at Dumbledore, his eyes filled with both apology and an unspeakable stubbornness.

Dumbledore remained silent.

Alarm bells rang in Lupin's mind; sometimes, silence is also a form of response.

"Perhaps he did go astray in the past, but I must tell you that was not his true nature. And now, he is one of us."

Dumbledore looked at Lupin and emphasized it again.

Looking at Lupin's expression, he realized that Lupin had clearly not accepted it, but that was alright.

Dumbledore thought he would understand.

Dumbledore's tall figure cast a large shadow in the corridor, and where the shadow twisted with the torchlight, a hairy head peeked out.

The black cat never expected to stumble upon Dumbledore and Professor Lupin's conversation here.

It lay on the back of the armor, watching Lupin breathe with difficulty, and staring at Headmaster Dumbledore.

It knew better than anyone how right Headmaster Dumbledore was.

For Professor Severus Snape, going astray is perhaps the most apt summary of his character.

Compared to any Death Eater, Professor Snape's pursuit of power did not stem from harming or dominating others. It was simply the obsessive thirst for power and status of an insecure, uneducated eleven-year-old boy with a fragile sense of self-esteem.

This obsession stemmed from his childhood; his father disliked wizards, thus creating the tragic circumstances for his mother and himself.

He had witnessed the power of wizards, his mother's weakness, and his father's anger, which led him to wonder, "Why can't wizards rebel against Muggles?" and he began to hate all Muggles, even weak wizards.

This is evident not only in his constant targeting of Hermione, but also in his intense dislike of Neville.

The black cat's furry ears twitched; it seemed to have overheard a conversation it shouldn't have.

And so it quietly disappeared, vanished into the darkness, vanished from Dumbledore's meaningful gaze.

The old wizard stared at the edge of the armor, his lips trembling.

Lupin thought it couldn't possibly be that he was trying to laugh.

Lupin left.

Filled with apprehension, and a mission that had to be accomplished.

Dumbledore also returned to the headmaster's office.

"The one capable of defeating the Dark Lord is approaching... born into a family that has resisted him three times, born at the end of July... The Dark Lord will mark him as his formidable rival, but he will possess power unknown to the Dark Lord... One of them must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live; only one can survive... The one capable of defeating the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July..."

It seemed like someone was muttering something, but if you listened carefully, you couldn't make out anything.

This is clearly unrealistic.

But it's still magical.

"The only person who has a chance to completely defeat Voldemort was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This boy's parents fought against Voldemort three times. He has one crucial characteristic... Voldemort himself will consider him a formidable foe... In the end... one of them must kill the other..."

The voice continued muttering.

Will it become a reality? And whose reality will it be?

The voice disappeared, as if it had never existed.

……

That morning.

A gentle breeze was blowing, making it cool and pleasant.

Sheen walked along the armor where he had been lying yesterday, with Ron beside him looking worried.

He was so engrossed in practicing Transfiguration that by the time he stepped out of the hut, the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class was almost starting.

“Sheen, aren’t you worried at all? We’re going to be late even if we ride flying brooms—I hope Professor Lupin will be as gentle with his students as usual when they make mistakes…”

Ron muttered to himself with a worried expression.

"And that cat, oh my god, I can't even imagine how many times Harry stopped it yesterday before I woke up."

Ron easily recalled the morning.

Still half-asleep, he watched Crookshan grab the pocket on his chest.

Harry said as he pulled it along:

“Let me tell you, I think Ron is right about you! There are a lot of rats around here, go catch them. Hurry up,”

As he spoke, he shoved Crookshan into the corner with his foot.
"Don't bother Banban."

Ron was angry again because Hermione had never taken Crookshanks' desire to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close eye on Crookshanks, and was now trying to claim it was just his nature.

Hermione, however, was agitated and thought Ron was making a fuss over nothing, saying that Ron had held a grudge against Crookshanks ever since they hit him on the head in the Magical Animals Shop.

"We won't be late."

Sheen said calmly at that moment.

Ron nodded; he believed whatever Sheen said.

“Crook Hill, maybe it’s right, Ron.”

Sheen added.

He looked at Ron.

Ron paused, seemingly unable to believe what he had just heard.

"What did you say, Sheen?"

Ron asked.

"Yes, there are some things you need to know."

Sheen added,
"Now, we're going to a secret passage."

As she spoke, Sheen took out a large, square piece of parchment, badly worn and blank.

"What is this? There's nothing here."

Ron curiously came closer.

"Oh, really?"

Sheen said.

He drew his wand, tapped the parchment lightly, and said:
"I solemnly swear that I will not do good deeds."

In an instant, fine lines of ink, like a spiderweb, spread out from where the tip of Sheen's wand had touched, connecting and crisscrossing, extending to every corner of the parchment; then words appeared at the top, in large, green, cursive script:

Moon face, insect tail, large feet, and pointed fork.
Gentlemen, dedicated to assisting those who create magical pranks.

Introducing with great fanfare:

Marauder's Map

This map depicts all the details of Hogwarts Castle and the grounds, but what is most unusual is that there are many small black dots moving on the map, each labeled with its name in very small font.

Ron leaned down in surprise to take a closer look. A marked black dot in the upper left corner indicated that Professor Dumbledore was pacing around in his study; Mrs. Lorris, the caretaker's cat, was patrolling the third floor; and Peeves, the mischievous devil, was currently hopping around in the prize room.

Ron's gaze swept up and down the familiar corridors, and he suddenly noticed something new.

"There's someone in our room..."

He carefully examined the unfamiliar name, "Peter".

Sheen looked at him and thought his perception was extremely sharp.

"After class...now..."

Ron knew what Sheen was trying to say; he had already spotted a secret passage that connected directly to this place.

Maybe they really won't be late?!
A few minutes later, Sheen and Ron stopped outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, opened the door, and rushed inside.

"Thank goodness, I was almost late!"

Ron exclaimed, then quickly shut his mouth.

Because it wasn't Professor Lupin looking up at him from the podium, but Snape.

Then, another person rushed in.

Just after the school bell rang.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin, I—"

Harry was stunned when he saw Snape.

“This class started ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think Gryffindor should lose ten points. Sit down.”

Harry didn't move.

Where is Professor Lupin?

he asks.

He said he wasn't feeling well today and couldn't come to class.

Snape grinned maliciously.
"Did I ask you to sit down?"

But Harry remained where he was.

What's wrong with him?

Snape's dark eyes gleamed.

"There is no danger to your life."

He said that judging from his expression, it seemed as if he hoped his life would be in danger.

“Gryffindor, deduct five more points. If I have to tell you to sit down a third time, I’ll deduct fifty points.”

Harry slowly walked to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around at the whole class.

"Before Potter interrupted me, I mentioned something about what you've learned, and Professor Lupin didn't keep any notes—"

“Excuse me, sir, we learned Boggart, Red Hat, Kaba, and Greendylow,”

Hermione said swiftly,

"Just getting ready to start learning—"

"Quiet,"

Snape said coldly,
“I didn’t ask any questions. I was just criticizing Professor Lu Ping’s teaching for lacking structure.”

"He was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we ever had."

Dean Thomas boldly declared, and the other students quietly echoed his agreement.

Snape looked more menacing than ever.

“You’re too easily satisfied. Professor Lupin hasn’t burdened you at all—I believe first-year students should be capable of handling Red Hat and Grindelwald. Today we’re going to discuss—”

Harry watched him flip through the textbook, turning all the way to the last chapter, and he knew they definitely hadn't learned it yet.

"—Werewolf."

Snape said.

He glanced at Sheen.

　I went to the hospital for a follow-up check-up, and the recovery is going well. I'll be updating a little later, so readers can check back tomorrow morning.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)