Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

"Then one day, Sirius Black betrayed your parents. He joined Voldemort and betrayed your parents' hiding place."

"You already know the result."

“This is the truth that’s not allowed to appear in the newspapers, and it’s the truth about Blake that you can find elsewhere,” Eric said, enunciating each word clearly. “At the same time, he’s also your godfather…”

"What are you talking about?" Harry's face turned deathly pale, and he couldn't help but ask...

Chapter 32 Month 1

9 month 1 day.

Before we knew it, it was time for the start of the new school term.

After a holiday, Harry finally met up with his two good friends Ron and Hermione again at the Leaky Cauldron yesterday.

The Weasleys and Hermione coincidentally arrived at Diagon Alley the day before school started, and they spent the last day before school began with Harry.

Harry was initially very excited about this.

However, after learning about Black's relationship with his parents, Harry really wasn't in the mood to listen to their holiday experiences. He only managed a few perfunctory replies, and Ron and Hermione, seeing Harry's preoccupied state, didn't say much more.

The next day, he hurriedly boarded the Hogwarts Express with the Weasleys and Hermione.

Harry had originally wanted to ask Eric to get in the car with him.

After that conversation, even though it contained things that made Harry unhappy, Harry had already come to regard Eric as a friend.

But to Harry's surprise, Eric's whereabouts were quite elusive, and even the time he appeared in the bar was unpredictable.

When he asked old Tom where Eric was, he only received the answer that Eric had already left the pub and had not left any message for Harry.

Harry could only force a smile and console himself that perhaps Eric didn't consider him a friend to travel with. He could only put the matter out of his mind and get on the train with Ron and Hermione.

On the first day of school, the entire Hogwarts Express is packed with people. They finally found a compartment that wasn't too crowded. There was only one person sitting in the compartment at the moment, and all the other seats were empty.

The man was wearing a patched, coarse cloth suit, with a hat covering his face and two weathered suitcases on his head.

The scene looked rather eerie, but the three of them exchanged glances and had no choice but to sit down.

At this point, it had been more than ten days since Harry first met Eric at the Leaky Cauldron.

Even today, Harry's heart is still not at peace.

The conversation with Eric at the Leaky Cauldron that day seemed like a nightmare lingering in Harry's mind. Even though almost half a month had passed, Harry could still hear Eric's voice from time to time.

Harry had never felt such intense regret.

If he had a choice, he would rather he had never stepped into the Leaky Cauldron that day.

That way, they wouldn't know that Sirius Black was the one who actually caused his parents' deaths.

This truth was far too shocking for Harry.

For a moment, he didn't know how to react.

Eric's expression as he recounted the story is still etched in Harry's mind, along with Eric's signature gentle smile.

Ron and Hermione helped Harry sit side-by-side in the carriage. Harry's mind went blank as he recalled the scene from that time—

After Harry instinctively asked a question, Eric's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, revealing a terrifying truth that he had never imagined.

"Sirius Black betrayed your parents, Harry."

"The Ministry of Magic has not allowed any newspapers to publish this news, mainly for your safety."

“Black has sided with Voldemort and revealed the location of your parents’ hiding place to the Death Eaters.”

"So that night, Voldemort himself came to your family of three."

"As you know, you were the only one who survived that room, and Voldemort paid the price for it. No one has seen him since. That's how it happened."

“Now that Blake has escaped from prison, your most direct connection with him is probably this.”

"But to others, it's obvious that he's coming for you."

"Of course, this is only what I know. I can't tell you whether it's true or false. You have to judge for yourself..."

“You…” After Eric finished speaking, Harry stared at the calm smile on Eric’s face, his mouth agape, his face turned pale, and his whole body began to tremble involuntarily. He was speechless for a long time.

No one wants to hear the cause of their parents' death under such circumstances.

This was especially true for Harry, who had longed for a family since childhood.

Harry couldn't remember much after that; he didn't remember how he said goodbye to Eric or how he got back to his room.

All he remembered was a sudden surge of hatred for Blake that filled his mind.

Although they had never met, Harry had only seen photos of each other in the newspaper.

But his mind was suddenly filled with the name Blake, leaving no room for anything else.

Harry didn't even need to ask anyone else to confirm whether what Eric said was true.

Just yesterday, when he met the Weasleys and Hermione, he overheard the Weasleys discussing Black in the middle of the night, even though they thought no one was around.

And the Weasleys once again proved Eric's statement true.

Blake was indeed his kinsman.

……

"Harry! Harry!"

On the train, Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of terror in each other's eyes. Harry's expression at that moment seemed particularly frightening to them.

Harry's expression was contorted, his eyes were fixed straight ahead, his fists were clenched tightly, his shoulders were tense, and he ignored their calls.

Ron thought for a moment, then slapped Harry across the face.

"Snapped!"

Harry winced in pain, cried out, and instantly snapped back to reality. He covered his face and glared at Ron, yelling, "Why did you hit me?!"

“Harry! What’s wrong with you?” Ron shouted, his face full of anxiety.

Harry was taken aback, and seeing the same look on Hermione's face, he realized that he hadn't heard what the two of them were saying at all.

“…I’m fine.” Harry rubbed his face a few times, slowly lowered his hands, and sat up straight again.

Hermione shrieked, "What's wrong with you? Tell us!"

“Okay, it’s Blake…”

Harry hesitated for a moment, looking at his only two good friends at school, but he couldn't help but repeat what he had heard from Eric about Black.

Chapter 33 Remus Lupin

"Oh my god..."

Harry spilled the beans, telling everyone about Sirius Black and all the information he'd overheard from the Weasleys the night before.

After hearing what Harry said, Ron and Hermione both turned pale.

Hermione covered her mouth, staring at Harry in disbelief.

“You mean, Blake’s betrayal more than a decade ago ultimately led to your parents being killed by a mysterious man?” Ron murmured. “It’s so unfair, Dad didn’t even tell me…”

“Ron!” Hermione interrupted Ron’s mutterings. “That’s not the point. The point is they clearly don’t want Harry to know about this!”

Ron blushed, unsure how to respond, and could only nod silently.

Hermione glared at Ron and asked Harry, "Who else knows about this besides us?"

Harry said, "Everyone present knew at the time, but I felt like I was the only one kept in the dark from beginning to end."

"They all clearly knew about it, but not one of them told me!"

Harry's voice gradually became shrill with anger.

"...That's not right, Harry. Eric has only just met you. Why would he tell you all this?"

Upon hearing this, Hermione was the first to react and retorted.

Hermione's question stumped Harry.

In fact, Harry had thought about this question before, but when Eric brought it up in front of Fudge in the pub, it had a huge impact on Harry's mental state.

After that, Eric did not do anything to harm him, and the reactions of those around him tacitly accepted Eric's statement, which led Harry to believe that Eric was not lying to him.

Fudge's attitude and the Weasleys' and others' protection of Harry actually corroborated Eric's statement.

Now that Hermione has brought this up, Harry is forced to think about it.

“Just like you said, Harry, Eric is just a student you met at the Leaky Cauldron, even younger than us. How would he know about things from over a decade ago?”

Hermione continued.

Ron said instinctively, "Maybe that's what his parents told him."

“That’s impossible!” Hermione said firmly after a moment’s thought.

"Why?" Ron asked, puzzled.

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Because his name is Eric Gallagher."

"So what?"

"Have either of you heard of the name Gallagher before this?"

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

“That’s right. Anyway, as far as I know, there isn’t a single well-known family in the wizarding world with the surname Gallagher.”

“I’ve seen the ‘20th Century Wizarding Family Directory’ in the school library, but I don’t recognize this surname.”

"This means that Eric is either like me, whose parents don't know magic, or he is simply an imposter using an alias."

"Even disregarding his name and family, the fact that he could use a spell in front of Harry is amazing enough, isn't it?"

"You two should think back to how you were in first grade. Forget about magic, you probably couldn't even hold a wand properly."

"This kind of person, of unknown origin, knows inside information that the adults are trying so hard to hide, and that Blake is your godfather..."

As she finished speaking, Hermione's pace quickened involuntarily, but her voice suddenly stopped abruptly at one point.