Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

Deep within the Forbidden Forest, Jerry emerged from the dimly lit cave, stretching his body as if shedding all fatigue.

“Lumos!”

Jerry gently raised his wand, and a wisp of light instantly flickered from its tip. He took a deep breath and then tossed the torch he was holding back into the cave behind him, the firelight tracing a bright arc in the darkness. Immediately afterward, accompanied by a majestic and earth-shattering dragon's roar, a dragon composed of white-purple Fiendfyre, under Jerry's wand command, howled into the cave. The fire dragon raged within, incinerating everything within the cave, the flames blazing and illuminating the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

… …

“Granger, don't get lost. Tonight, the Forbidden Forest will surely be swarming with Dementors!” Snape, watching the terrifying figures flying overhead, turned back and solemnly warned Hermione.

“I understand, Professor. But I'm more worried about Jerry. We must find him as quickly as possible.” Hermione nodded, her tone resolute.

Suddenly, a low and terrifying roar shattered the silence of the night, interrupting their conversation.

“That was… a dragon's roar?” Hermione looked at Snape in surprise and doubt. “There shouldn't be any dragons in the Forbidden Forest, right?”

Snape's brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the direction from which the roar came, and he said in a deep voice, “Don't get distracted, keep up with me.”

At this moment, Jerry was standing on the top of a tall tree, his eyes piercing through the dense leaves, looking down at this strange combination. He saw Hermione following behind Snape in confusion, his mind filled with question marks.

“Professor Snape, Hermione, how did you two end up here?” Jerry nimbly jumped down from the tree and asked them in confusion.

“Jerry?” The sudden appearance of the figure startled Hermione, but then, the familiar voice came, like a spring breeze caressing her face, dispelling the worry and fear in her heart. She instantly rushed forward and hugged the figure tightly.

Hermione almost clung to Jerry entirely, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice trembling: “It's great, it's great, you're okay!”

Jerry smiled and patted Hermione on the back, gently comforting her. However, at this moment, Snape walked over expressionlessly and forcibly pulled the two apart.

“Pro… Professor?” Hermione looked at Snape, her eyes filled with confusion.

“The smell of blood on you is too strong!” Snape said coldly, his gaze falling on Jerry.

Hermione immediately looked Jerry over with concern: “Jerry, are you injured?”

“Who were the people who captured you? Do you know them? Where are they now?” Snape asked.

“Don't worry about them,” Jerry smiled easily. “They ran away. They probably shouldn't be in the Forbidden Forest anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Snape narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Jerry. With such a strong smell of blood, are you sure they escaped and didn't die?

“Granger, you and Jerry Green hurry back to the castle, I have other matters to attend to!” Snape turned and left in a hurry.

The outline of the castle gradually appeared in the night, the lights in the Great Hall like glittering stars. Dumbledore and Fudge stood in the crowd, and when Jerry and Hermione's figures appeared in sight, they immediately rushed forward.

“You really saw Sirius Black? And Peter Pettigrew turned into a rat? He's really still alive?” Fudge grabbed Jerry's clothes and asked anxiously.

Dumbledore glanced at Fudge, frowned slightly, and then interrupted his questioning with a steady voice: “Cornelius, take it easy. Once Snape returns, everything will come to light.”

Dumbledore turned and asked Jerry and Hermione with concern: “Are you two alright? Are you injured?” Seeing them both shake their heads to indicate they were unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why did only you two come back? Where are Harry, Professor Snape, and Professor Lupin?” Dumbledore continued to ask.

Under Dumbledore's questioning, Jerry briefly recounted their experiences in the Forbidden Forest, but he chose to conceal the secrets within the cave.

Before long, Snape walked in from outside the castle, his expression grave. Behind him followed a floating stretcher, on which lay a pale-faced Harry.

“Sirius has been captured by the Aurors and imprisoned,” Snape's voice was very calm. “Potter needs to be sent to the hospital wing immediately.”

As soon as his words fell, the crowd hurriedly followed the stretcher, rushing all the way to the hospital wing.

“The boy is fine, but it's lucky that he was able to survive surrounded by so many Dementors!” Madam Pomfrey exclaimed in shock after giving Harry a thorough examination.

“Severus, well done!” Cornelius Fudge praised gleefully. “Not only did you save the boy, but you also successfully apprehended Sirius Black!”

“I dare say, a Second Class Order of Merlin is definitely yours for the taking. If I help you push for it, a First Class Order isn't impossible!”

“Thank you very much, Minister.” Snape replied, but there was little joy to be heard in his voice.

Harry lay there with his eyes closed, his mind in a haze. It seemed to take a long time for sounds to travel from his ears to his brain. He felt his limbs as heavy as lead, and his eyelids so heavy he could barely lift them. He just wanted to lie on this comfortable bed forever and never wake up again.

“Wait, Minister!” Harry suddenly spoke, his voice weak but firm. “Sirius is innocent! Peter Pettigrew is still alive, he's the real culprit, including my parents' deaths!” Harry struggled against his discomfort, trying to make his voice reach the ears of everyone present.

“I also saw my dad, he saved us!”

“Don't be ridiculous, Harry, get a grip, your dad has been dead for over ten years!”

“You'd better have some chocolate now!” Madam Pomfrey, seeing Harry wake up, gently broke off a piece of chocolate and placed it on his bedside table.

“Harry, what you need now is rest and replenishment.” Fudge stepped forward, his tone concerned. “Have some chocolate and rest well, and leave the rest to the Ministry of Magic.”

However, Harry struggled to sit up, saying resolutely: “No, Professor Dumbledore, Minister, please listen to me! Sirius Black is innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his death and escaped back then! We saw him with our own eyes tonight! Professor Snape also saw Pettigrew, you can't let the Dementors treat Sirius like that, he's been wronged!”

Hermione also added urgently: “Minister, please believe us.” She looked directly into Fudge's eyes. “We all saw Pettigrew, he's Ron's rat, he's an Animagus!”

Fudge turned to Snape, asking: “Severus, did you see him too?”

After a brief silence, Snape slowly nodded.

“But the current situation still has many suspicious points, and there is no direct evidence to prove Sirius's innocence. Before finding Peter Pettigrew and clarifying the truth, in order to maintain the order and stability of the wizarding world, I suggest that Sirius Black be temporarily detained in Azkaban prison, after all, he escaped from there before.” Snape continued.

“But he's been wronged!” Harry glared, his eyes flashing with anger, staring straight at Snape. “You're prejudiced against Sirius!”

“He deserves it!” Snape responded coldly.

Fudge frowned, his gaze turning to Dumbledore, who had remained silent on the sidelines.

“Cornelius, you are the Minister for Magic!”

“Alright then, send Sirius back to Azkaban first! We'll talk about the rest after things are clarified!” Fudge said after a moment of silence, making a decision. After speaking, he turned and left the hospital wing, Snape following closely behind.