The Return to Hogwarts

“We can go ask him, Ron. We just happen to need to give him the sweater Mrs. Weasley knitted.”

Harry suddenly said that he didn't want this suddenly bright Christmas morning to be overshadowed by the gloom of Ron and Hermione's argument.

Chapter 251 Empty Run

About half an hour later, the three people gathered in the common lounge.

Harry took the Firebolt that had fallen from the sky and the Seven Sweepers that Professor Blaine had lent him. If the broom really was a gift from Professor Blaine, he should at least return the Seven Sweepers to him. Ron also took the sweater his mother had knitted.

“I’d trade my commemorative coin for this broom, Harry,” Ron sighed as he passed through the Fat Lady’s doorway, his excitement worn off.

“In terms of value, the two things are about the same, Ron,” Hermione said, displeased with Ron’s complaint.

To be honest, after thinking about it for a while, Hermione also felt that the broom was probably a gift from Professor Blaine.

Think about it, her favorite thing is books, so Professor Blaine gave her a precious and practical magic book with detailed annotations by himself. As for Ron, both she and Harry knew that Ron had a strong obsession with money. Of course, they both knew that this was not Ron's fault, because he had only ever used his brothers' secondhand items since he was a child.

Professor Blaine clearly knew Ron, so he gifted Ron a valuable commemorative coin, which was issued to celebrate the centenary of the Wizarding Secrets Act.

Ron's father works in a related field, and Professor Blaine clearly hopes that Ron will put aside his impetuousness and take seriously those seemingly ordinary but actually very meaningful tasks.

And Harry, without a doubt, his favorite thing is Quidditch.

But Harry already had a Nimbus 2000, so giving him a Nimbus 2001 wouldn't make much sense. That's why Professor Blaine said he would give Harry a gift, but it would have to be in the future—he was waiting for a better broom to appear.

This way of thinking is reasonable to some extent, but Hermione still can't let go of her worries.

Firebolts were already on sale during the summer holidays. At that time, Professor Blaine and Harry happened to be staying at the Leaky Cauldron. If he really wanted to give Harry a good broom, why did he have to wait until Christmas?

Throughout the journey, Harry and Ron kept their eyes glued to the fire bolt, engaging in a heated discussion of a whole host of technical terms, something Hermione rarely showed any interest in.

"I think you should handle this broom of unknown origin with caution!"

Hermione followed behind Harry and Ron, watching the two excited boys, and finally couldn't help but remind them.

“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten, Harry. Quirrell practically made you fall off your flying broomstick, and it’s only been less than two months since your last accident. If anyone wanted to kill you, giving you a cursed flying broomstick would be the easiest way!”

Harry and Ron stopped abruptly, their cheerful expressions freezing on their faces. Harry, in particular, kept glancing between the serious-looking Hermione and the broom in his hand, his expression quite comical.

“You think—” Harry’s eyes widened in disbelief, “this broom…it’s Black!”

Ron was also shocked by Hermione's words, but he reacted quickly, shouting as soon as Harry finished speaking.

"Come on, Hermione!"

Ron waved the sweater he'd brought for Professor Blaine, somewhat annoyed by Hermione's wild ideas. "Black is a fugitive, wanted all over the country. I'd like to see how he walks into Gringotts, takes out hundreds of gold coins, and then walks into a Quidditch boutique packed with customers!"

Harry immediately turned his gaze to Hermione, hoping she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.

“Perhaps—” Hermione frowned deeply, “he asked a friend?”

“His friends are all in Azkaban, Hermione,” Ron said dismissively, giving Harry a look that indicated she was being paranoid again.

"I think I heard you arguing?"

Suddenly, a head popped out from one of the rooms in the corridor. It was Professor Lu Ping. He had a smile on his face, but he looked sickly. His robe, which usually fit him well, was a size too big, and it looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

Harry, his two friends, and their companions looked at each other in astonishment, then simultaneously glanced around.

"Hehe, you haven't come to the wrong place."

Lupin said with a smile, "This is right outside Professor Blaine's office. I suppose you're here to see him, aren't you?"

Harry and Professor Lupin were quite close. To deal with the Dementors, Harry had been learning a very difficult spell from Professor Lupin for some time. However, Harry still felt a little awkward running into Professor Lupin here, because Ron was holding a gift that Mrs. Weasley had given to Professor Blaine.

Professor Lupin glanced quickly at the two brooms in Harry's hands and the sweater draped over Ron's arm, and a gust of cold wind whistled past, making him shiver.

“Then come inside and talk, you three. There’s no reason for us to talk in this chilly hallway.”

Lupin beckoned to Hermione again, alone.

“Come in quickly, Hermione, Crookshanks will be very happy to see you.”

Harry, his two friends, and Lupin followed Professor Blaine into Professor Blaine's office. The office was very warm because of the roaring fireplace, and Harry felt as if he had jumped into a large bathtub filled with hot water.

Professor Blaine may no longer be at Hogwarts—the moment Harry saw Professor Lupin, he suddenly remembered that it was Christmas Day and Professor Blaine had most likely returned to the orphanage that had raised him.

"Oh, Crookshanks, are you alright?"

Hermione spotted Crookshank at a glance, having slumped so low on the sofa that it left an irreparable dent. She rushed over, picked him up, and cuddled him affectionately, tears of guilt welling in her bright yellow eyes.

"You must have suffered a lot during this time—"

Hermione said, her voice choked with emotion.

After giving Crookshan a cold glare, Ron turned his head away. No matter what, he could not forgive the murderer who killed Spotted.

Looking at the clean and tidy room, for some reason, Harry suddenly thought of the name that had flashed by in this spot two weeks ago.

Sirius Black!

Harry had never told Ron and Hermione about it because, in his own opinion, he believed it was probably just his eyes playing tricks on him; otherwise, he couldn't understand how it could have happened.

Did Blake sneak into this room to deal with Professor Blaine?

God knows, if Black really had such thoughts, Harry would be laughing in his sleep.

To be honest, Harry wouldn't dare say he knew how capable Professor Blaine was, because so far, he had only seen Professor Blaine take action once, when he casually imprisoned the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. However, the calmness that Professor Blaine exuded towards everything made people feel his confidence, just like Dumbledore. Harry had never seen a look of panic on the face of this great headmaster of Hogwarts.

Meow--

A sudden meow pulled Harry out of his reverie. He instinctively looked at Hermione's shoulder and saw her staring at Crookshanks with a puzzled expression. After scanning the room, they finally spotted the source of the strange meow on the low cot at the far end of the office.

It was a large black cat, about the same size as Crookshanks.

As Harry turned his gaze over, the cat was looking away from the firebolt and toward its own face.

"This cat?"

Harry blinked and asked, puzzled.

"Ahem, you found it, Harry—"

Perhaps because he had caught a gust of cold wind while standing at the door, Professor Lu Ping coughed hoarsely. He gestured to the three children not to worry.

"Its name is Lenny, it comes from the wilderness, and it's a very clever little guy. Well, how should I put it, it's a Christmas present Professor Blaine gave me."

After Professor Lupin held Lenny in his arms, he turned around and leaned against the edge of his desk, smiling at the three of them as he spoke.

Chapter 252 Exposure (Part 1)

"Lenny--"

Hermione glanced at the black cat in Professor Lupin's arms, which was staring blankly at Harry, then lifted Crookshanks by its front legs and held it close to herself, saying cheerfully,

"Oh, so this is the good friend you made outside that Professor Blaine told me about, right, Crookshan?"

Crookshanks wasn't angry with Hermione for leaving it outside the castle. It ruffled Hermione's hair with its front paws and then rubbed its head against Hermione's cheek. Its sullen face was no longer so gloomy, and it seemed very happy to see its owner on Christmas Day.

This attitude brought Hermes immense joy. She hugged Crookshan tightly, ignoring Ron who was muttering curses under his breath.

"I'm sure you've already guessed it—"

Professor Lupin patted Lenny on the head and said regretfully,

"Professor Blaine needs to spend Christmas with his family and friends, and he asked me to keep an eye on the surveillance cameras in his office in case any young wizards who couldn't go home for the holidays need help—"

Having already guessed that this was the situation, Harry hesitated, unsure whether he should ask Professor Lupin about the broom.

"That sweater--"

Professor Lupin had already noticed the striking pattern embroidered on Ron's sweater.

"If you wish to give it to Professor Blaine, you can leave it here and I can pass it on for you. Of course, you can also give it to him in person, but I'm afraid it will take a few days; I'm afraid he won't be back for at least a week—"

“This was knitted by my mother, Professor Lupin,”

Ron hesitated for a moment before saying, "To thank Professor Blaine for saving Ginny and me last semester, I'd better hand it over to him in person."

"Oh, of course, that's what makes sense."

Professor Lupin nodded pleasingly, then turned his gaze to Harry, who was staring intently at Lenny. "So, Harry, you've come here to return Professor Blaine's broom, haven't you?"

“Well, Professor—” Harry snapped back to reality, hurriedly placing the Seven Stars Sweeper on his desk. “Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in team practice, and now I have a new broom—”

"Yes, I noticed that--"

Lupin glanced at the gold registration number at the top of the broom handle. His heavy eyeshadow, a result of lack of sleep, deepened, his expression darkened, and even his voice sounded somewhat serious.

"It's a very nice broom, Harry. It's called a Firebolt, right? I heard it's quite expensive. Is it a Christmas present for yourself?"

Harry took a moment to explain the situation, and after hearing the explanation, Lupin's expression immediately relaxed. Just now, he thought that Harry bought the ridiculously expensive broom out of vanity. Although he had no right to interfere with how Harry treated his father's inheritance, he would indeed be disappointed if Harry really emptied his vault with the broom.

"You think it was Amos Tower that Professor Blaine gave to Harry?"

Lu Pingan stroked Lenny, who was squirming in his arms, and said thoughtfully,

"Um, I'm sorry, I can't answer that question, because Professor Blaine hasn't mentioned this to me before, but based on my understanding of him..."

He saw Hermione immediately give Harry and Ron a 'provocative' look, while the two young wizards looked unconvinced. After a silent chuckle, Lupin stared at the Firebolt and said...