Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 558, Section 556: The Injustice Rectified (5k)

The willow branches, which had been whipping around, crashed to the ground, raising clouds of dust.

“Harry… wait…”

Sheen seemed to be giving a reminder.

But Harry had already walked into the grove of branches, without looking back.

Then he was slapped away.

It flew very far, even though Sheen had cast a shock-absorbing spell.

Meanwhile, in the faculty lounge.

Lupin gazed out the window.

It was a moon that was not full.

But he still took leave and even borrowed a piece of parchment without any writing from the young wizard.

He examined the parchment carefully, his expression relaxed and nostalgic.

"I solemnly swear that I will not do good deeds."

He said.

Various black dots quickly appeared on the parchment.

Lupin calmly surveyed each section, making sure no one would disturb their plans at this time.

Not far from the castle, where a bunch of little names overlapped, he saw the name he wanted to see.

So he got up, closed the door, and placed a bottle of medicine, along with the map in his hand.

From the moment he learned of that news, Lupin vowed never to drink those potions again.

His brows furrowed slowly, and his figure disappeared down the corridor.

The candlelight flickered as he passed by.

But it also revealed another figure that had come.

His cold eyes stared in the direction Lu Ping had left before he turned and entered the faculty lounge.

On this day, the wind howled and the rain poured down harder than ever before.

The corridors and classrooms were too dark, so more torches and lanterns were lit.

The wind howled outside, whipping through the treetops of the Forbidden Forest. The Whomping Willow whipped Harry wildly, and Harry frantically dodged left and right.

Seeing that Professor Lupin was not coming, Sheehan had no choice but to raise his wand.

He didn't know which scar on the willow tree to press; it was an old tree with more than one knot.

"Whispering".

Sheen raised his wand.

[You practiced the whispered spell to master standards, proficiency +300]

An invisible magic enveloped a small area; this was a power that Sheen possessed after reaching the Master level with his Whispering Charm.

"Based on rock, where vegetation thrives—guarded by vines and stones."

[You practiced the whisper spell to expert standards, Master-level proficiency +300]

Sheen’s eyes suddenly sharpened, and even with the silencing spell cast, the surroundings still trembled.

In Harry's bewildered gaze, the earth cracked open.

The vines, like living snakes, coiled around the branches of the willow.

A hand, as large as a small hill and made of vines wrapped around rocks, burst from the ground and instantly gripped the entire area where Harry was.

Dust flew everywhere, and rocks bounced around.

The massive, half-clenched hand enveloped Harry tightly, forming a path that led directly into the trunk of the Whomping Willow.

"Fluorescent flashing".

Harry raised the spell, his face turning red.

Even inside, he could feel the sheer size of the giant hand; after all, even the corridors at Hogwarts weren't this spacious.

He increasingly felt that the gap between wizards was sometimes as large as the gap between a wizard and a Muggle.

From the outside, the exposed giant hand is even more terrifying.

With a diameter of over thirty meters, it stands outside Hogwarts Castle like an ancient ruin.

“Find a scar, Harry, until the tree stops.”

Sheen said.

His voice was outside, but Harry could hear it clearly.

Just as Harry was wondering what kind of magic this was, he saw Sheen's calm face in the magic mirror.

A few seconds later, the willow tree suddenly stopped moving, as if it had turned into stone, and even its leaves stopped trembling.

The two walked to the tree trunk and found the hole among the roots.

Sheen went straight in, and Harry took a deep breath and followed him into the hole.

They slid down the earthen slope into the bottom of a very low tunnel.

The two moved forward as quickly as possible, bending low to the ground.

The tunnel continued to extend forward, seemingly at least as long as the one leading to Honeydukes... After a while, the tunnel began to slope upwards, turned a corner, and they saw a glimmer of light—a small exit.

The lit-up wands revealed the shapes of the surrounding objects.

Clearly, this is a room, a messy, gray room.

The wallpaper was peeling off, the floor was covered in stains, the furniture was all broken, as if it had been smashed, and the windows were boarded up.

"We are in..."

Harry tried hard to recall the route he had taken.

"Scream Shed".

Sheen answered his question.

He glanced at the cage; Peter was still fast asleep.

A mirror was visible in his robes.

"He's here?"

Harry suppressed his trembling and asked.

"Ah."

Sheen nodded.

"Come out! You coward! Come out!"

Harry's eyes reddened instantly.

In the darkness, something flashed by, and Harry's wand suddenly flew out of his hand and into the air.

A hand reached out and caught the wand. Then came a figure, grinning maliciously, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

It's Sirius Black.

A surge of hatred rose in Harry's chest, pushing out the fear.

He was about to take back the wand, not for self-defense for the first time in his life, but to attack... to kill.

He instinctively rushed forward, forgetting the magic, forgetting that he was thin and small at only fourteen years old, while Blake was a tall adult.

Harry was focused on inflicting a heavy blow on Black, regardless of the extent of his own injury—perhaps surprised by Harry's foolish move, Black didn't raise his wand in time.

Harry grabbed Black's thin wrist with one hand, forcing the tip of his cane to point elsewhere, while simultaneously punching Black in the side of the head. The two fell backward together, crashing into the wall.

In a dazzling flash, sparks flew from Black's two wands, nearly hitting Harry in the face.

Harry felt the shrunken arm struggling wildly under his fingers, but he held on tightly, while his other hand pounded into every part of Black he could reach.

The outcome was unexpected for Harry; Black actually seemed to have been subdued by him.

He was being ridden on by Harry, but his eyes remained bright and alert.

“If this makes you feel any better, Harry, this is what I owe you.”

He said.

"Of course you owe me!"

Harry roared.

"Are you going to kill me, Harry?"

He asked in a low voice.

Harry stopped in front of him, looked down at him, took his wand, and pointed it at his chest.

Blake had a bruise around his left eye and his nose was bleeding.

"You killed my mom and dad."

Harry said, his voice trembling slightly, but his hand holding the wand was firm.

Blake stared at him with his deep-set eyes.

“I don’t deny it,”

His voice was very soft.
"But if you knew the whole story—"

"The whole process?"

Harry felt hot blood pounding in his ears.
"You betrayed them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

“I did not betray them, and I would rather die than do so.”

Blake laughed bitterly.

"If you're going to kill me, at least wait until I've finished those difficult missions, okay?"

Harry wondered if he had misheard. A murderer was pleading for his life, hoping to be spared so he could complete his so-called missions.

What kind of task is it?

It's probably another mission assigned to him by the Dark Lord, one that will destroy families and cause death!

"Whose mission are you going to complete? Huh?!"

Harry said, his voice trembling even more.

"The same task as yours."

"Blake said, his eyes lowered."

Harry's head was spinning; he simply couldn't understand what had gotten into the criminal in front of him.

For a long few seconds, Harry remained frozen there, wand in hand, while Black stared at him in silence.

Then a new sound came—dull footsteps came up through the cracks in the floorboards; someone was walking downstairs.

The door slammed open, and red sparks flew everywhere.

Harry turned around quickly, and Professor Lupin rushed in, wand in hand.

“He’s telling the truth,”

Professor Lupin said, then turned to Sheehan,

"Good evening, Mr. Green."

"what?"

Harry watched Lupin warily and quietly moved behind Sheehan.

Only then did he realize how courageous he had just been.

He actually managed to subdue such a vicious criminal.

"The one who betrayed your parents is someone else, Harry, not Sirius."

Sheen said.

The next second, Harry froze as if he had been frozen in place.

Everyone knows one thing: Mr. Green never lies.

Even those who dislike him the most (assuming such people exist) would be willing to believe him.

Explanation is not a difficult task.

Especially after Sheen cast a spell on Peter.

Harry could see a beam of blue light shoot out of Sheen's wand, and in an instant, Scabbers the rat stopped in mid-air, its small gray body writhing wildly before falling to the ground.

Another dazzling flash, and then—like a fast-forwarded shot of a tree growing—a head emerged, followed by limbs.

A moment later, a man stood where Banban had been, cowering and wringing his hands.

This was a very short man, not much taller than Harry.

His sparse, dull hair was messy, and he had a large bald patch on top. He looked wrinkled, like a fat man who had lost a lot of weight in a short time;
Its skin was very dirty, almost like its mottled fur, and its pointed nose and watery, beady eyes still bore some characteristics of a rat.

He scanned the crowd, breathing rapidly, and Harry noticed his eyes darting towards the door.

Hello, Peter.

Lupin said cheerfully, as if mice were constantly turning into old classmates in front of him.
"haven't seen you for a long time."

"You don't believe him, do you, Remus?"

Clearly, he had heard their explanation.

"Oh, well, who told him to find the strongest guarantor?"

Lupin looked at Sheehan with pleasure, his eyes filled with genuine respect, and a fleeting hint of worry.

"He only wants to kill me! Harry—"

Peter immediately turned to Harry.

"I believe in Sheen, and you disgust me!"

Harry forced himself not to look at him.

Harry's body was still trembling.

The secret agent was changed, Peter was a traitor, Sirius was framed...

One message after another exploded in Harry's mind, and he couldn't control the buzzing in his head.

Sirius Black was his godfather...

At the same time, this sound was louder than any other sound.

"Hurry up."

Sheen said.

Sirius understood, and he and Lupin grabbed Peter and forced him to drink the truth serum.

His cunning eyes immediately cleared, and he burst into tears, looking rather terrifying, like a bald baby cowering on the ground.

"Sirius, Sirius, what can I do?"

The Dark Lord…you don’t know…he has weapons you can’t even imagine…I’m scared, Sirius, I’ve never been as brave as you, Remus, or James.

I never intended for this to happen... It was that person, whose name I can't even mention, who forced me to—"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Blake roared,
"You had been feeding him intelligence for a year before Lily and James were killed! You are his spy!"

"He—he's in power everywhere!"

Little Pettigrew cried out.
"What good would it do to disobey him?"

What are the benefits of fighting against the world's most evil wizard?

Blake's face was contorted with terrifying rage.
"It's all to save some innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't know!"

Little Pettigrew cried out in despair.
"He'll kill me, Sirius!"

"Then you should die!"

Blake roared,

"We'd rather die than betray our friends! We'd do the same for you!"

As Sirius roared, a mirror floated up, and Sheen's face appeared in the mirror.

"Minister, you heard everything."

Sheen said softly.

"Of course, of course. You've been a great help, Mr. Grimm. You've saved us a lot of trouble. The Ministry of Magic must consider your medal now, considering all your many contributions..."

A smooth voice came from the other side of the mirror.

The sound was very quiet and didn't disturb them at all.

“Would you like to take him to the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Grimm? We’ll leave him in Azkaban until the time is right… oh, until he’s ashes.”

The smooth voice continued to discuss.

Sheen nodded almost imperceptibly, and the sound disappeared completely.

"We're going to send it to the Ministry of Magic for trial, Harry. Do you accept that?"

Lupin asked Harry with a hint of concern.

"Would this clear Sirius's name?"

Harry blurted it out.

Sheen saw Sirius's pupils dilate immediately.

“I’m not worth this, Harry…”

Sirius covered his face.

Harry didn't speak, the word "godfather" still lingering in his mind.

“Harry, you’ll have to go back by yourself. We’ll take it to Wizengamot.”

Lu Ping said with satisfaction.

Harry nodded, then looked at Sheehan, who was clearly going to come along.

In fact, Harry was well aware that Sheehan was the backbone of everyone here, even though he was so young.

He was the one who found Sirius Black, and he also captured Peter effortlessly.

Before leaving, Sirius suddenly said to Harry,

"Handing over Little Pettigrew, do you know what that means?"

"You are free."

Harry said.

"right……"

Sirius said
“But I still—I don’t know if anyone has told you—that I am your godfather.”

"Ok, I know."

Harry said.

"That's right... your parents appointed me as your guardian,"

Sirius said awkwardly
"What if something happens to them..."

Harry waited, wondering if Sirius meant what he thought.
"Of course, if you want to live with your aunt and uncle, I can understand,"

Sirius said
"But... um... think about it. Once I'm cleared of my name... if you want a... a different kind of home..."

Harry's heart swelled.

"What—living with you?"

He said that he accidentally bumped his head on a protruding rock in the tunnel.

"Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I don't think you'd be willing,"

Sirius immediately said...
"I understand, I just feel that I—"

Are you confused?

Harry said his voice was almost as hoarse as Sirius's.
"Of course I'd like to leave the Dursleys! Do you have a house? When can I move in?"

"You're willing?"

Sirius Black quickly turned to look at him and asked.

"Really?"

"Yes, I really would!"

Harry said.

For the first time, a genuine smile appeared on Sirius's haggard face, and the change it brought was astonishing, as if a person ten years younger than him had emerged from behind that withered mask.

In an instant, people could tell that he was the one who had laughed at Harry's parents' wedding.

“I will come to you, Harry.”

Sirius Black said this in closing.

Harry left with light, airy steps.

"Now what?"

When Sirius returned, his face was beaming with a happy smile.

Lupin was certainly happy for him, but the thought of Harry living only with Sirius made him less than happy.

"It's time."

Sheen silently took out an ancient contract.

"Perhaps you've heard of me?"

He looked at Peter with a “gentle” expression.

"Oh, your name is known to all."

Peter forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his limbs twisting and turning in a frantic manner.

If he could, this would be the last person he wanted to see.

Look at his titles:

The greatest wizard of the future, a wizard who will surpass Dumbledore, a legend destined for greatness...

Those young wizards didn't know, but he knew it all perfectly well.

This "deity" possesses more than just the ability to control dreams, connect life and death, and foresee the future...

Even if only one of these words appeared on the wizard, Pettigrew would avoid him, but now...

Little Pettigrew gave a deliberately ingratiating smile.

"I'm still useful, sir, aren't I?"

He cautiously probed.

Sheen also showed a gentle smile.

The process of signing the contract was faster than they had imagined, and as Little Pettigrew lay convulsing on the ground, Sheen was also satisfied to read his thoughts.

Unexpectedly, he seemed to have completely submitted, and Sheen could not detect even a trace of his rebellious intentions.

“A despicable, opportunistic fellow, ha—he always knows how to weigh the pros and cons, Mr. Green.”

Sirius could no longer understand what this guy was thinking.

Once, between Voldemort and them, he chose to side with Voldemort.

Now, he easily made his choice again between Voldemort and the more promising and powerful legendary wizard.

"It has actually made things more convenient for us."

Lupin said gently.

Sirius remained noncommittal.

Things went incredibly smoothly. Harry got a clean godfather, Sheehan got a "loyal" spy, and what about Lupin?

He had been a little awkward ever since Harry and Sirius had their conversation.

But he still opened the door with a smile.

A few seconds later, he raised his hands and stepped back from the doorway.

"Ah, you may be wondering, how did I know you were here?"
I went to your office, Lupin. I smelled potion; you don't need to drink any tonight…

I was lucky. There was a map next to the potion, it was very clear, I saw you coming along this path, and then you disappeared..."

A tall figure entered the house with a sinister smile.

"I have repeatedly convinced Dumbledore not to trust you, that you will help your old friend get into Hogwarts, and now this is proof..."

Green!

He seemed to have seen something unbelievable, and his voice cracked.

"How dare you?! How dare you take him hostage?!"

"Calm down, Severus—"

Lupin broke out in a cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)