The Return to Hogwarts

“Of course, I can’t be completely sure that this broom wasn’t a gift from Professor Blaine. I’ll ask him when he gets back. But, Harry, I don’t think you should use it until we know where it came from—”

Harry immediately looked disappointed. Of course, he had unexpectedly acquired the world's best flying broomstick, but he couldn't ride it and could only watch.

"Even if it really comes from some ill-intentioned wizard, Harry, Professor Blaine has ways to deal with any traps that might be on the broom, so don't worry about losing it--"

Seeing Harry's disappointment, Lupin offered another word of comfort, but at that moment, Lenny, who was in his arms, suddenly bit him lightly. Lupin looked down in surprise and saw a pair of eyes rolled upwards.

Since Professor Blaine wasn't there, Harry and the others chatted with Professor Lupin for a few minutes before preparing to say goodbye, as they could all see the undisguised fatigue on Professor Lupin's face.

Lupin placed Lenny on his desk, as her weight was a bit too much for him at the moment. Then, he saw the three little guys out the door. The moment the door opened, the people standing in the hallway surprised everyone in the office.

It was Filch, the castle keeper.

Filch took off his usual brown coat and put on an old, moldy-looking tailcoat, which looked like it was specially prepared for the Christmas lunch.

Filch, who was usually stern with young wizards in the castle, was now cowering, his double chin etched with anxiety. He also showed some surprise when he saw Lupin, Harry, and the other two emerge from the office.

"Are you here to see Professor Blaine, Filch?"

Lupin stepped out from behind Harry and his two companions and spoke gently.

"Oh, yes, that's right--"

Filch hesitated, hunching over and stealing glances over Lupin's shoulder into the office.

Seeing Filch, who was usually so domineering, now silent and trembling, Ron chuckled, but then Hermione punched him hard in the ribs.

“It seems Professor McGonagall didn’t tell you, Filch,” Professor Lupin said, turning slightly to give Filch a better view of the room.

"Professor Blaine left the school last night and will probably not be back for more than a week."

Upon hearing this, Filch showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, he immediately straightened up and let out a heavy sigh of relief, as if a mountain that had been pressing down on his back had disappeared.

"Oh, okay, sorry to bother you."

Filch wiped the sweat from his brow, gave Professor Lupin a slight bow, and then turned and left. Lupin and Harry were completely bewildered, unable to figure out what Filch was up to.

However, after taking only a few steps, Filch suddenly stopped. He hesitated for a few seconds, then turned back to Lupin and said...

"There's something I need to ask you to convey to Mr. Blaine—"

“Of course, no problem, Filch.” Professor Lupin nodded with a smile.

“Well, Mr. Blaine came to me looking for that parchment—” Filch added, afraid Lupin wouldn’t understand, “Mr. Blaine said he had a blank parchment that I’d collected from some students over a decade ago, and he wanted me to find it. I’ve searched the entire office, my living quarters, and the storage room these past few days.”

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, standing behind Lupin, exchanged a discreet glance, immediately understanding what Filch meant. Lupin, upon hearing Filch's words, suddenly trembled, narrowed his eyes, stared at Filch, and asked in a soft, almost murmured voice...

"Amosta is demanding a parchment from you that he confiscated from a student more than a decade ago, is that right?"

Chapter 253 Exposure (Part 2)

"When did this happen, Filch?"

For some reason, Lupin's face darkened, and he stared into Filch's eyes.

Two weeks ago--

Lupin's heart sank. This was after Amosta had finished searching the secret passage under the Beating Willow.

Filch's hands were clasped together, and his uneasy expression suggested he was afraid of being targeted for failing to complete the task assigned by Mr. Blaine. He rambled on about how hard he had tried to find the parchment, but to no avail. He claimed that he had been very careful in guarding the contraband confiscated from the students, and that the reason he couldn't find it was probably because some troublemaker had sneaked into his office.

"It must be Mischievous Ghost!"

Filch said indignantly,

"Could you please speak to Mr. Blaine, Professor Lupin? He must have a way to get rid of that crazy ghost from Hogwarts."

Harry and Ron unconsciously lowered their heads, feeling sorry for Peeves who had inexplicably taken the blame for Fred and George. Hermione, however, looked at their guilty expressions with a disgruntled snort. She hesitated and looked at Professor Lupin, seemingly wanting to reveal the truth, but after a series of intense and complex internal struggles, she still said nothing.

Surprisingly, Professor Lupin did not respond to Filch's words, maintaining a suffocating silence that lasted so long that Harry had to call his name softly several times before he came to his senses.

"Oh, I'm fine, Harry—"

Lupin turned his head and gave Harry an apologetic smile, a rather unpleasant one, and as he turned his head back, he glanced at Lenny, who was squatting on the desk looking somewhat agitated.

“I will convey this to Professor Blaine—”

Lupin nodded at Filch, took a breath, and suddenly asked, "Albus has left again, hasn't he?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Lupin clenched his fist, which was hidden in his sleeve. He turned around, looked at Harry and his two companions, and spoke in a rare tone that brooked no refusal.

“I’ve thought about it carefully, and the origin of this broom is indeed very suspicious. Harry, since Professor Blaine isn’t at Hogwarts, I suggest you take it to Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. They are experienced wizards, and if there’s really something wrong with the broom, they should be able to spot something amiss—”

Professor Lupin's words left Harry, Meghan, and Harry all looking confused, but before they could figure it out, Professor Lupin, with a grim face, almost roughly shoved them from behind toward Filch.

"Please escort these three children to the auditorium, Filch, and hurry—"

Even Hermione was puzzled by Lupin's reaction, but Professor Lupin didn't give them time to ask. He kept urging them on and watched them go down the stairs in the middle of the corridor before turning his gaze away.

call--

Remus took a deep breath, turned around and went back inside, slamming the office door shut.

Although he knew that Amosta had set up a complete defensive spell for his office, Remus still took out his wand and cast all the sealing spells he knew on the patina-covered doorknob. These spells could only be dispelled if he died.

Remus kept his head down and faced the door, so no one could see his expression.

Lenny, sitting on the desk, saw Remus's every move clearly. It glanced at the window, then at the fireplace, and finally, its gray eyes fixed on Remus by the door, and it sighed softly.

The fireplace crackled and popped, and every now and then, the remaining moisture in the dry wood was rapidly turned into expanding steam by the intense heat. The bursting flames sprayed brilliant sparks towards the world outside the fireplace, embracing the world with immense heat, but soon losing their light and heat, leaving only soulless ashes drifting in the office.

A deep blue light swept across the entire office, enveloping Lenny who floated slowly in mid-air. Then came a dazzling flash, like a tree growing in fast motion, and a slightly fleshy, withered head sprouted, followed by a body and limbs. Moments later, a man wearing an old wizard's robe and with messy, tangled hair appeared in the office.

Remus and Little Blue Star's eyes met in mid-air. They looked at each other. One was a criminal desperately trying to evade capture, and the other was a werewolf who had endured many hardships and finally found a temporary place to stay.

My once spirited and close friends have, twelve years later, all become withered and decaying trees.

Without pleasantries or angry rebukes, after a long silence, Remus, his face ashen, slowly raised his wand towards Sirius, and simply said...

"Amosta's clothes don't quite fit you, Sirius—"

In that instant, all the anxiety, frustration, and resentment vanished from Sirius's heart; the only thing remaining was exhaustion.

"Yes -- this is Blaine's old robe, he's a little taller than me."

Sirius nodded, pursed his lips, and gave a smile that could only be described as a wry one. "You're still so observant, Remus. You discovered my identity with just a tiny flaw."

Remus's wand trembled slightly, and the rush of blood to his brain made him feel a little dizzy, but he tried his best to stay awake by regulating his breathing.

This is no easy feat, especially for someone who is currently in the weakened phase of his transformation.

“Things are not what they used to be—” Remus’s gaze hardened. “Otherwise, I would have realized something was wrong sooner. Luckily, I did realize it. Yes, Mr. Filch did me a great favor. Besides you, who else knows where the Marauder’s Map ended up? I mean, among the survivors.”

Sirius's body swayed slightly, but Remus, with his mind highly focused, immediately interpreted this as an attempt to resist. His attitude hardened instantly, and he extended his wand forward, sharply shouting to stop him.

"Don't move, Sirius, put your hands up where I can see them!"

There were no other options left for Sirius.

"Don't get agitated, Remus—"

Sirius didn't raise his hand; he looked resentful.

“If you’re still willing to listen to me for a couple more minutes, Remus, I can explain it to you, although it’s not what I originally intended.”

"I would indeed like to hear your explanation, Sirius—"

Remus approached Black step by step, standing in the middle of the office. He pointed his wand into his former best friend's eyes and said...

"In my opinion, how about we start with what's been happening lately? — Right, let's start with how you convinced Amosta Blaine to cover for you. Oh, let me think... yeah, I almost forgot, you come from the noble, pure-blooded Black family and are very wealthy, while Golden Viper... Phew, I must admit I misjudged him again; he really is a scumbag who would abandon his principles for money!"

Who is Golden Viper?

Sirius felt a little confused, but at this moment, this confusion was obviously insignificant.

"Actually, Amosta Blaine is a bit more noble than you think, Remus—"

Sirius said with a stern face, "I did try to use Galon to get him to let me go, but he refused!"

“I’m truly astonished—” Remus smiled sardonicly, a smile rarely seen on his face, “So what did you ultimately use to bribe him?”

"Yes--"

Sirius was about to answer instinctively, but he immediately realized that Remus had misunderstood, so he said angrily,

"It's not what you think, Remus. Don't get agitated, Moonface. Either listen to my explanation quietly, or write a letter to Blaine and tell him to come back. He knows everything, and he can vouch for me!"

"Don't say that name, Blake, you don't deserve it!"

Remus suddenly roared, took two steps in front of Sirius, grabbed him by the collar, and pressed his wand hard against Sirius's forehead.

"You want to bring Blaine back!"

Hmm? For what?

Oh, right, you know how powerful he is, you know I'm no match for him, you want him to kill me, don't you, Blake!

Chapter 254 Proof

"I just praised you for being clever, Remus!"