The Return to Hogwarts

Snape still pointed his wand at Black's forehead, but he suddenly turned his head, his expression so terrifying that even Harry didn't have the courage to object. However, Hermione bit her lip and continued speaking tremulously.

"If--if it's true--"

“Shut up, you stupid girl!” Snape roared, suddenly seeming to go berserk. “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand!”

Severus--

Lupin, lying on the ground, stopped struggling and said with a sorrowful expression, "You understand what the truth is, Severus, you just don't want to face it."

"Shut up, werewolf!"

Sparks flew from the tip of Snape's wand. Sirius instinctively tried to dodge, but Snape grabbed him by the collar and roared.

"Whether that's the truth or not, Blake, you deserve to die!"

Upon hearing this, Sirius Black, who had been so arrogant, suddenly paused, then his face darkened. He turned to look at Harry, and the guilty expression on his face made it impossible for Harry not to believe that what Professor Lupin had just said was true.

Ron was still shaking his head and muttering absurdity; clearly, the fact that Scabbers was a murderer had hit him hard.

"Whether true or false, Severus—"

At this moment, Hagrid was the first to come to his senses. He frowned and looked at Professor Snape, saying...

"It should all be Professor Dumbledore's decision, Severus. In the current situation, I think it's indeed wise to let Black live a little longer—"

Snape remained unmoved, still glaring at Black with eyes full of hatred.

"You want me dead? I have no problem with that, you snotty-nosed devil—"

After taking a deep breath, Sirius withdrew his gaze from Harry's face, which bore a striking resemblance to James's, and said calmly,

"But Peter shouldn't have gone far. If we don't catch him tonight, he might just disappear!"

Snape's cheek twitched, but he didn't loosen his grip on Sirius's collar.

Severus--

Lupin knelt on one knee and said wearily,

"You don't have to believe us, but you should believe Amosta, right?"

Amosta?

Snape's eyes flickered. Of all the things Lupin had said, none of them involved Amosta. What did this have to do with him?

"--You came out too early; I hadn't finished explaining what happened next,"

He looked up into Snape's eyes and said,

"In fact, Amosta captured Sirius before Christmas. He examined Sirius's memories and confirmed that Peter was indeed the one who killed James and Lily. In order not to disturb Peter, who was lurking in the shadows, he decided not to make a big deal out of it. Before that, you should have seen a black cat named Lenny next to Amosta; that was Sirius—"

In the darkness, Harry quietly opened his mouth. He looked blankly at Hermione, only to find that Hermione had almost the same expression as him. Even Ron, instead of grumbling in defense of Scabbers, looked as if he had been petrified.

This is a lie.

Snape's lowered gaze became unfocused, a result of his Occlumency technique, which sealed off his inner world.

"You know Dumbledore and Amosta have both left the school, and you want to help this scum escape, don't you? I see right through you, Lupin."

“If you really see through it, Severus.”

Lupin didn't avoid his gaze, and he said firmly, "Then you should know that every word I said is true."

Chapter 297 Wolves

2023-05-19

Amosta stood high in the air with his arms crossed.

The raging wind tousled his hair, a few strands of gray hair blocking his view, but they couldn't obscure the deep gaze he fixed on Professor Snape.

Amosta knew the extent of the man's inner turmoil. He lived for hatred and for protection, but now, half of the reason that sustained him was crumbling, which was extremely cruel for him.

Amos Tower had already foreseen the possibility that Snape would learn the truth, but he still allowed Professor Snape to witness it all firsthand, as it was something he had to face, and only in this way was it fair to him.

Looking up at the night sky, Amosta saw the moon, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, radiating a hazy, blood-red glow. The moon was nearly full.

Peter, who was hiding in a tree hole two hundred feet away, was trembling all over after learning that Amosta had known all along that Sirius was innocent. He could wait no longer; the situation was completely out of his control, and he had to escape now.

Just before he poked his head out of the tree hole, a sharp, short gust of wind blew, followed by a rustling sound. Peter quickly hid his head again, not wanting to be exposed to the moonlight.

Tonight, Harry, Ron, and Hermione appeared in the Forbidden Forest. Who warned them?

Remus Lupin caught up with them, carrying a copy of the Marauder's Map. This was strange; Peter didn't recall making two copies back then.

And then there's Severus Snape. They all seemed to have made a pact to run into the Forbidden Forest, completely outside his plans, and now they all know the truth of what happened back then.

Two beams of light, even more intense than darkness itself, shone from the tree hollow that was completely submerged in darkness. It was now impossible for him to return to the Weasley boy's side. Now, he could see how effective his preparations would be.

Snape pointed his wand at Sirius's forehead, but his trembling wrist betrayed his inner struggle.

Time seemed to stand still. After Lupin uttered Amostella's name, he said nothing more, and Harry and his two companions seemed to have become complete bystanders, unable to get involved at all.

Sirius and Snape's eyes met under the night sky. The hatred in their eyes had faded, but the gazes of the two middle-aged men, both over thirty, held a hint of bewilderment.

What is right and what is wrong?

At this moment, they were all thinking about this question.

"It's time to end this, Severus—"

Lupin said, “Let’s go back to the castle together and call Albus and Amostella back. We’ll explain things clearly.”

Is it time to end this?

Harry looked dejected. He opened his mouth as if to ask what to do about Peter, but in the end, he said nothing.

"You take Draco with you, Hagrid—"

Snape's voice sounded hoarse, like he'd had a high fever for a week. His face had returned to its usual sallow complexion, but the murderous intent in his eyes, fixed on Sirius, showed that it hadn't completely dissipated; he was simply trying to control it.

Hagrid glanced at Harry, let out a heavy sigh, and walked over to Lupin. He easily tore the ropes binding Lupin's hands and feet, which meant that he now believed Sirius was innocent. However, he still spoke harshly to Sirius.

"You still have a lot to explain, kid!"

After saying this, Hagrid bent down, his large hands passing through Draco's unconscious neck and waist, and easily lifted him up. At that moment, something suddenly fell out of Draco's pocket and slowly floated to the ground, attracting everyone's attention.

It's a Marauder's Map!

Lupin, who was standing right next to him, froze. He stared at the map on the ground for a few seconds, then suddenly put his hand into the pocket of his wizard's robe and took out a map as well.

"How could this be—"

Sirius noticed this unusual event and asked a question instinctively, but the ensuing anomaly interrupted him.

Suddenly, the map in Remus's hand detached and floated into the air, while the map on the ground did the same. To everyone's astonishment and confusion, the two maps began to spin rapidly around a central point, like two supernovae approaching each other.

The phantom's spinning speed gradually increased, and surrounded by a strange, swirling breeze, after only a few seconds, all that could be seen was a vortex!

A burst of golden-red light suddenly erupted, illuminating the Forbidden Forest in a fleeting moment of brilliance, accompanied by a violent storm stirred up by the raging incantation.

Lupin and Sirius, who were nearby, were thrown into the air. Hagrid shielded his eyes with his arm and staggered back several steps, while Snape reacted quickly and erected a barrier in front of him to avoid being hurt.

Only Harry and his two companions in the distance were not in such a sorry state. As the dazzling light gradually faded, only one Marauder's Map remained of the original two.

High above, Amosta's eyes widened in surprise. How many maps were combined into one? Two, or three? Would this strange sight also occur if a wizard encountered the original body during time travel?

Well!

A suppressed cry of pain suddenly came from the hidden forest.

Fearing that Sirius would take the opportunity to escape, Snape immediately froze, stopped in his tracks, and pointed his wand in that direction.

Apart from him, the others were still processing the damage from the magic burst that had just occurred in the Marauder's Map.

"Are you alright, Ron? Hermione?"

Harry scrambled to his feet and then immediately went to help his two friends up.

"Ouch, my butt's really badly hurt!" Ron grumbled, rubbing his backside. "Can anyone tell me what happened, Harry? Did you know there are actually two Marauder's Maps?"

"Fred and George didn't mention this to me."

Harry stared at the parchment at Snape's feet, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Don't be silly, you two."

Hermione bit her lower lip to suppress her voice. She was also looking at the parchment, her expression bewildered. When no one was looking, she patted her chest. When she touched the small funnel hidden under her blouse, her expression became even more serious.

Sirius and Lupin got up one after the other and limped back. They noticed Snape's wary posture and, while puzzled, squinted as they peered outwards.

These were all experienced wizards who had lived through the war years. They had been distracted by other things, but now there was no reason for them not to notice the chilling aura creeping in from all directions like silk and mist.

Severus--

Lupin removed a damp, withered leaf from his face, then reached out to Snape.

"I need to get my wand back, and I'm sure you don't have any objections, right?"

"You guys, come here right now!"

Hagrid yelled at Harry and his two friends, who were completely bewildered.

"Now is not the time to be leisurely!"

"What's going on, Hagrid?"