The Return to Hogwarts

She disdains to answer such questions.

That's so foolish. Why don't they use that time to read more books and make themselves better?

However, Harry's question did stir something within her.

Every little witch hopes her partner will be an excellent wizard, and Hermione is no exception. But the truth is, there aren't many outstanding wizards at Hogwarts right now. Gryffindor only has one, and that's Ron's brother, Percy Weasley.

Of course, she doesn't have the narrow-minded belief that only being good at studying makes one excellent, but at the very least, Hermione hopes that her partner is someone who has a thirst for knowledge.

Hermione's expression darkened slightly as she thought of something, then she took a deep breath and buried the question in her heart.

To conserve their energy and attract the attention of the wild beasts living in the Forbidden Forest, Harry and Hermione didn't talk much for the rest of the journey. But when they were exhausted and still half a mile from the battlefield, Greyback's werewolves were already locked in combat with Hagrid and his men.

"Put on the Invisibility Cloak quickly, Harry."

Hermione grabbed Harry, who was burying his head in his hands and rushed straight to the ground, and pulled him into the Invisibility Cloak.

The two of them crouched low and moved forward step by step, afraid of making any noise that might attract someone's attention.

On the battlefield, Remus kept throwing spells in an attempt to force Greyback back, Professor Snape unleashed his power, using the formidable Slicing Charm to slaughter wave after wave of werewolves, and Sirius Black, in his Animagus form, desperately sniped at the werewolves.

Even though they had experienced it firsthand, Harry and Hermione were still deeply moved by what they saw.

"We weren't able to help at all, were we?"

Harry, hiding behind a leafy maple tree, stared at himself on the field and said somewhat forlornly.

"We're just junior wizards, Harry. Even among adult wizards, not many can fight werewolves—"

Hermione's eyelashes fluttered as she looked at herself, who was standing with Ron, looking terrified and helpless.

"But Professor Blaine single-handedly defeated a powerful dark wizard in the Forbidden Forest when he was in fifth grade, and he even fought with Dumbledore."

Harry said this reluctantly, but he knew in his heart that it was a comparison that couldn't be made.

Just as Ron always envied her talent in Quidditch, Neville also admired Hermione's intelligence when she was in school. Everyone has their strengths, and Professor Blaine might be better at fighting.

"That green light."

Hermione muttered to herself, her gaze sweeping around before settling on one spot.

“If I remember correctly, it was shot from that direction. We need to move closer there, Harry, but be careful, the consequences could be dire if we are discovered.”

Harry nodded, and he and Hermione crawled forward on the ground.

The rustling sound of his body rubbing against the fallen leaves on the ground was completely hidden in the roar of the battlefield, and no one heard it.

They eventually stopped at a place with a relatively open view, and just then, the werewolf with the broken ear lunged at Harry. Sirius Black desperately shook off the werewolf that was harassing him and rushed up to finish off the werewolf with the broken ear.

“He loves you very much, Harry.”

Hermione muttered something under her breath.

Harry watched in silence as Sirius rushed back to his rescue, feeling a warm current rise in his chest, warming his heart. He then clenched his fist, looked away, and fixed his resolute gaze on the direction Hermione had indicated from which the green light was coming.

Chapter 308 Tracking in the Forest

2023-05-31

The events on the battlefield were just as he remembered: Sirius was surrounded by several werewolves who had locked his limbs and were preparing to tear his body apart!

Harry and Hermione, who were lurking in the open area, were trembling with tension. They held their breath and stared intently at a densely wooded area. Under such high tension, the roaring and howling sounds around Harry suddenly disappeared, and the Forbidden Forest became as quiet as the deep sea.

Saw!

Harry and Hermione both saw a wizard, about their height but a size larger than Neville, suddenly appear behind a tree as if he had sprouted from the ground.

By the sudden flash of green light, Harry was able to see the person's appearance clearly—sparse, dull hair that was messy, a bald patch on the top of his head, and an ugly face with a pointed nose and beady eyes that also had obvious rat-like features!

History has not changed.

Peter's Killing Curse was blocked by Snape, who looked stunned and seemed unable to accept his defeat.

Harry stood up abruptly, but Hermione quickly pressed his head down to prevent it from being exposed under the Invisibility Cloak.

"Wait a minute, Harry, we can't show our faces here!" Hermione said urgently.

Harry stared at the small figure in the woods, and before he knew it, a hint of bloodlust crept into his emerald eyes. He had never hated anyone as much as he did now since birth.

Leave here

Peter reacted quickly. While everyone was still in shock at who had used the Unforgivable Curse, Peter realized that he had no chance of finishing off Sirius tonight. He turned around, shrunk his body into a mouse, and darted into the pile of fallen leaves.

As he did this, Harry and Hermione immediately stood up, their invisibility cloaks on, their eyes fixed on the rustling of the fallen leaves, and they darted away like rabbits.

Amosta stretched in mid-air, glanced into the distance to make sure the centaurs were on their way back, then chuckled softly and followed the two little ones.

At this moment, Harry regretted not bringing his Firebolt. If he had it, he could have caught up with Peter in the blink of an eye. But now, he had to rely on his two legs to leap through the complex terrain of the forest, while also keeping up with Hermione's speed.

About ten minutes later, apart from the sound of branches breaking and leaves rustling, there was no other sound. The ancient trees that had grown for centuries around them grew denser and denser, and the stars and moon overhead could no longer be seen. Harry was extremely grateful for his excellent eyesight; if it weren't for it, they might have lost Peter long ago.

"We are now... *puff*"

As Harry panted, he asked Hermione beside him.

"Phew, that's fine, Harry. I think this should be okay--"

Hermione was also fed up with running at high speed while wearing the Invisibility Cloak.

The moment he received permission, Harry pulled off his Invisibility Cloak and roared angrily, causing a stir among the dark creatures in the Forbidden Forest.

"Stop! You despicable traitor!!!"

Peter was desperately trying to escape, but in reality, he didn't know where he should go. He couldn't go back to the Weasleys' house, and he was now nominally dead. Next, he might become a criminal wanted by the Ministry of Magic. There was no place for him in the wizarding world, and hiding anywhere wouldn't be safe.

The plan was going perfectly, so why are there so many unexpected events happening all of a sudden?

Peter was filled with sorrow.

Sirius Black, Remus, and Dumbledore, who is about to learn the truth, will not give up searching for him. Compared to these people, his power is insignificant and he cannot protect himself at all.

But who can protect you then?

It is said that the Dark Lord is currently lying in wait in the forests of Albania, and I might be able to seek refuge with him. However, according to rumors, the Dark Lord has lost his great power and is now barely clinging to life. What use would it be to seek refuge with such a wizard?

As Peter ran for his life, he was filled with despair for his bleak future. Just then, a furious roar from behind startled him, causing him to lose his balance and lurch forward, rolling several times on the ground before crashing into a tree root with a thud to stop his momentum.

When he turned over and stood up, he saw Harry running towards him with his wand raised high, and his eyes suddenly widened in horror.

Chirp!

Peter jumped up in fright and instinctively tried to run away, but two beams of magical light that had anticipated his path blew up his way forward. His small body was thrown out by the expanding air and crashed heavily into a tree trunk.

Peter, who was dizzy and disoriented after falling to the ground, tried to shake his head, but before he could regain his senses, a gust of wind suddenly swept in, and Peter found himself suddenly lifted up, with a pair of green eyes that looked like they were about to spit fire staring at him, as if they wanted to devour him alive.

"We did it, Harry! It was easier than I thought!"

Hermione exclaimed in delight as she watched the mouse, which Harry held tightly in his hand like a thief.

But Harry felt no joy whatsoever. He stared at the mouse desperately pricking his hand with the needle, and said through gritted teeth,

"I need to speak to this traitor, Hermione, do you have a way?"

"Oh--"

Hermione called out awkwardly.

“Animagus magic is advanced; the restoration techniques I learned in Professor McGonagall's class are insufficient—”

Snapped!

Harry couldn't control his anger at the thought of his parents, who had died because of the betrayal of the people before him; his parents, who had spent twelve years in Azkaban; Sirius Black, who was severely injured in the normal timeline; and Professor Lupin, who was also severely injured and missing. He slammed the rat to the ground, stepped on its tail, and growled.

"Revert to your original form now, or I'll kill you right now!"

Peter, who had struggled to his feet, froze and dared not move again.

"Don't do this, Harry. He's not worth it, and your mom and dad wouldn't want you to kill someone—"

Hermione, holding Harry's arm, said sadly with tears in her eyes.

"what!"

Harry laughed angrily.

"I'll never know what my parents think, will I?"

Harry didn't give Hermione a chance to interrupt; he shoved his wand into Peter's mouth and threatened him again.

"Change back, you lowly beast, or I promise I'll kill you!"

Then, Harry felt a force repelling his trampling, and Peter rapidly grew hands, feet, and a head as if he had drunk a growth potion. In the blink of an eye, a dirty and ugly wizard appeared in front of them.

"Harry Harry"

Upon revealing his true form, Peter burst into tears, kneeling before Harry and Hermione, his body convulsing, wailing loudly.

“I…I didn’t want to do that, Harry, but I was so scared. Harry, you don’t know how powerful the Dark Lord is. He killed so many people, and everyone who opposed him met a bad end. I’ve been regretting it ever since.”

"quibble--"

Harry forced out the words through gritted teeth.

“You have never repented, and tonight you want to kill everyone.”

“I didn’t do that, Harry—”