Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

In the infirmary ward, Ron remained unconscious, while Neville sat by his bedside, eating the chocolate given to him by Madam Pomfrey.

“Harry, were you guys out just now?” Neville turned his head, looking at Jerry, Hermione, and Harry, casting an inquiring gaze.

“I’ll tell you later!” Harry gently waved his hand, signaling them to be patient. Jerry and Hermione also tacitly found a spot and sat down quietly in the ward. After a while, a series of rapid and heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor.

The door of the ward was suddenly pushed open, and Professor Snape's figure appeared in the doorway, his gaze as sharp as an eagle, sweeping across the faces of everyone in the ward.

Hermione and Harry seemed a little guilty, lowering their heads slightly, trying to avoid eye contact with Snape; Neville, facing the angry Snape, revealed a hint of fear, while Jerry appeared calm and composed, ignoring Snape's stern gaze.

“Potter, I truly underestimated you!” Professor Snape's gaze finally settled on Harry, his voice low and sinister, “Do you know what a great crime it is to release a prisoner of the Ministry of Magic without authorization? Do you want to go to Azkaban to accompany that dog?”

“S…Snape, Professor, I…I don’t know what you mean, I’ve been in the ward with Ron,” Harry swallowed, trying to make his voice sound more believable.

“You are not good at lying! Potter!” Professor Snape sneered, shaking his head contemptuously. He then turned to Jerry, his eyes full of scrutiny, “You helped him, didn’t you! After all, we all know Potter's capabilities, he doesn't have the ability to do this!”

Jerry shrugged lightly, remaining silent, neither admitting nor denying, letting Snape guess. Anyway, if you ask him, he just doesn't know. With Dumbledore around, Snape couldn't use Veritaserum or Legilimency on a student.

Immediately after, Dumbledore and Minister Fudge followed Snape into the ward. Hearing the commotion, Madam Pomfrey also quickly rushed to the ward from her office.

“What exactly is going on?” Madam Pomfrey looked surprised, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction, “So many of you gathered together will disturb the other patients!”

Professor Dumbledore reassured her, “Severus, please be reasonable. Harry and the others have been locked in the ward.” He pointed to the closed ward door, “Since I left, this door has been locked. Madam Pomfrey, can you confirm whether these students have left the ward during this time?”

“Of course not!” Madam Pomfrey's tone was unquestionable, “They have been here the whole time. If anyone had left without permission, it would have been impossible for me not to hear or see anything!”

Professor Dumbledore smiled slightly, turning his gaze to Snape, “You see, Severus. Unless you think these children have mastered the art of Apparition, otherwise, I don’t think we have any reason to continue disturbing them here.”

Snape glared at Dumbledore, then turned angrily, striding out of the ward, the hem of his robes making a whooshing sound with his rapid steps.

Minister Fudge watched Snape's departing figure, muttering in confusion, “What's wrong with Snape?”

“He's just a little disappointed.”

“It’s not just him!” Minister Fudge was somewhat annoyed, his voice revealing an unhidden sense of frustration, “The Daily Prophet has new material for reports again! We clearly caught Black, but we let him slip away right under our noses! If we add the fact that the Hippogriff escaped, I will completely become the laughingstock of the magical world! I must immediately notify the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic!”

Professor Dumbledore looked calmly at Fudge, asking a crucial question, “What about the Dementors? Whether Sirius is guilty is still debatable, and since he has escaped from Hogwarts, the Dementors should also be withdrawn, right?”

Fudge ruffled his hair irritably, replying, “Oh, alright, alright, I’ll notify the Dementors to leave.”

Professor Dumbledore smiled and nodded to Jerry and the others, then walked out of the ward with Minister Fudge. Madam Pomfrey followed closely behind, quickly relocking the ward door, muttering dissatisfied words, and returned to her office.

At the other end of the ward, Ron let out a low groan. He slowly sat up, rubbing his still aching head, and looked around at the unfamiliar environment.

“Huh, Harry, how did we get here?” Ron asked confusedly, “Where are Sirius and Professor Lupin? What happened after I fainted?”

Harry chuckled, reaching out and taking a piece of chocolate, putting it in his mouth, and began to tell Neville and Ron about their recent experiences…

The next day, in the afternoon, the castle seemed unusually deserted. Due to the hot weather and the end of exams, most of the older students chose to go to Hogsmeade to enjoy the leisure of the holidays. However, Jerry and Hermione chose to stay in the castle, sitting quietly on the grass by the lake, staring at the giant squid on the surface of the water, the huge creature lazily waving its tentacles, as if enjoying the afternoon tranquility.

“Neville? Why didn’t you go to Hogsmeade with Harry and the others?” Jerry and Hermione looked up, only to see Neville's figure emerge from the shade of the trees, standing beside them.

“I was planning to go,” Neville explained, “but on the way we ran into Hagrid.”

“He must be very happy now,” Hermione sat up, stretching her body, “Buckbeak has finally gained freedom!”

“That’s right,” Neville nodded, continuing, “Hagrid was indeed very happy. However, he also told us some bad news. Professor Snape has been spreading the word about Professor Lupin's werewolf identity since morning, and now this news has spread among the students. Under pressure from students and their parents, and to avoid embarrassing Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Lupin has chosen to resign, and he is packing his luggage, preparing to leave the school.

“Harry and the others have gone to see Professor Lupin too!”

“Oh no, Professor Lupin resigned!” Hermione said in surprise, “We finally had a reliable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!”

“I also think Professor Lupin is pretty good!” Neville nodded, “At least better than the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors from the previous two years!”

“I really don't know who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts next semester.” Hermione looked worried, “Hopefully it won’t be as bad as Lockhart or Quirrell.”

Jerry scratched his head. He remembered that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next semester seemed to be Barty Crouch Jr. disguised as Alastor Moody. Jerry didn't dare to say whether this guy was a qualified professor, but he really dared to teach curses, even including the three Unforgivable Curses.

After a while, Harry also walked to the lake, his expression slightly frustrated.

“Jerry, this is for you.” Harry handed the Marauder's Map to Jerry, “Professor Lupin gave this to me before leaving the school.”

“Professor Lupin has already left the school?” Jerry asked after taking the map.

Harry nodded heavily, sitting on the grass, his eyes gazing at the lake with melancholy.

“I feel so useless, Peter Pettigrew escaped, Sirius is still wanted by the Ministry of Magic, and now even Professor Lupin has left Hogwarts.” Harry's voice was full of self-blame.

“Harry, why would you think that?” Hermione softly comforted, “I think you should be proud of your brave actions last night.”

“That’s right,” Dumbledore appeared silently beside them, his voice calm and powerful, “Harry, you uncovered the truth, at least you no longer resent Sirius!”

“But I stopped them from killing Peter!” Harry's voice was a little worried, “If it really was Peter Pettigrew who helped Voldemort return, wouldn’t I become a sinner?”

Dumbledore reached out and gently patted Harry on the shoulder. Harry sighed, unable to imagine such a day.

“I know your father very well, whether it was at Hogwarts or after graduation,” Dumbledore said gently, his gaze seeming to be able to see into every corner of Harry's heart, “I believe that if James had been there at the time, he would have made the same choice as you.”

Then, Dumbledore turned to Jerry, who was lying on the grass leisurely, “I have something I want to talk to you about, don’t worry, it won’t take up too much of your time, just consider it as taking a walk with this old man!”