Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

Inside the kitchen, everyone raised their glasses in celebration.

"To be honest, I never wore a prefect's badge or was a prefect when I was at school," Tonks revealed with a smile at the table. "The head of our house even said I lacked certain key qualities."

A Metamorphmagus's hair color changes with their mood.

Tonks's hair today was the color of ripe tomatoes, cascading brilliantly to her waist, and standing with Ginny, she looked almost like Ginny's older sister.

"What specifically were they referring to?" Ginny asked curiously, as she focused on selecting a golden-brown, soft potato.

"Oh, things like, always breaking school rules..." Tonks said casually.

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at this.

Hermione, on the other hand, seemed hesitant, unsure whether to laugh along or remain reserved. Ultimately, she chose a middle ground, raising her glass and taking a large gulp of butterbeer, only to choke on it because she was too hasty.

Jerry, seeing this, patted Hermione on the back.

"What about you, Sirius?"

Sirius, sitting next to Harry, recalled his time at Hogwarts and let out a slightly sharp laugh.

"Me? I didn't have the good fortune to be a prefect. James and I were always being punished together. Lupin, on the other hand, was a good boy and honorably earned the prefect's badge."

"I suspect Professor Dumbledore probably hoped I could exert some restraint on my friends," Lupin recalled with a smile. "But as for the result, well, it was clearly a failure."

The celebratory dinner was drawing to a close.

Hermione was discussing the issue of house-elf rights with Professor Lupin, believing that as a werewolf, he should be able to understand her ideas. However, it seemed they had reached a disagreement.

On the other side, Mrs. Weasley and Bill were once again embroiled in the same old topic—Bill's hairstyle, their argument a repeat of old times.

George and Fred were whispering with Mundungus Fletcher, having apparently commissioned him to bring some contraband goods.

Curious, Jerry leaned closer and saw a pile of objects resembling dried black bean pods, which, despite being still, emitted a faint rustling sound.

"These are seeds from Devil's Snare," George explained in a low voice to their major shareholder, Jerry. "They're crucial for our research into Skiving Snackboxes, but they're Class C prohibited trade items, so they're always hard to come by."

"Fred and I are considering buying them," George added.

"Buy them!" Jerry nodded, waving his hand to show he wasn't short of cash. "If you don't have enough funds, just let me know."

After some haggling, the twins finally purchased the rare seeds from Mundungus for ten Galleons.

"We'd better hide these things quickly." George and Fred hurriedly swallowed a few bites of food before quietly leaving the kitchen with a sly grin.

"Jerry, it seems like they haven't told Mrs. Weasley about their joke shop." Harry, watching the twins leave, felt a faint sense of worry in his heart.

"Don't worry, George and Fred will handle everything!" Jerry continued to enjoy his dinner, unconcerned by Harry's worries. Jerry only invested; as long as the twins could make him money, he didn't care about anything else.

Harry frowned, knowing that Mrs. Weasley did not approve of George and Fred's entrepreneurial plans, and that she would prefer them to join the Ministry of Magic like Mr. Weasley, and have a stable job.

Harry was worried that if the twins' activities were exposed, it would once again trigger a family conflict in the Weasley family, potentially leading to estrangement, like Percy. That was something he absolutely did not want to see.

"What are you two secretly discussing?" Hermione moved her stool closer, looking at Harry with a wary expression.

"Nothing, really nothing, Hermione," Harry replied somewhat flustered.

"Hmm?" Alarm bells rang in Hermione's mind. They're hiding something from me?

"Are you three alright?" At this moment, Moody took a swig from his unique curved hip flask, his blue magical eye glancing sideways at the three of them.

"Oh, that's right, I remembered, I have a photo here that you might find interesting." Moody said, taking a worn photo from the inside pocket of his robes.

"This is the original Order of the Phoenix." Moody's voice was low and solemn. "I accidentally found it last night while looking for a spare Invisibility Cloak. I thought about it and decided to introduce you to the members in the picture."

The three of them curiously moved closer to the magical photo, and saw a group of people in the photo looking up at them at the same time.

"This person is me." Moody pointed to the photo, in which his hair was not yet completely white and his nose was intact, a far cry from his current appearance.

"You all know Dumbledore, and next to him is Marlene McKinnon. Sadly, only two weeks after this photo was taken, she was brutally murdered by Death Eaters, and her whole family was taken away."

"This couple is the Longbottoms, Frank and Alice..."

"They... are Neville's parents?" Hermione's gaze fell on Alice's round and friendly face, feeling incredibly familiar, because Neville was practically a carbon copy of her.

"This is Emmeline Vance, you've already met her at the old house." Moody continued to introduce, "Next to her is Benjy Fenwick, he was also a victim. When we arrived, we only found some of his remains."

"Standing in the back is Edgar Bones, the Death Eaters took the lives of his entire family."

"And Caradoc Dearborn, who disappeared only six months after the photo was taken, and his whereabouts are still unknown."

As Moody introduced them one by one, some of the people in the photo were still alive, some had already died, and some couldn't even have their remains found.

Harry and Hermione's moods became exceptionally complex. For them, who had never directly faced the cruelty of death and war, the photo Moody showed undoubtedly cast a heavy shadow on their hearts.

Compared to Harry and Hermione's unease, Jerry seemed relatively calm. Although he was the same age as Harry and Hermione, Jerry had long been accustomed to life and death.

Last year and the year before, his bloody and cruel experiences in Knockturn Alley, whether actively capturing dangerous dark wizards for dark magic experiments, or casually cleaning up those ignorant dark wizards, the number was more than all the people in the photo combined.

Harry forced a smile, and was about to find an excuse to leave this depressing atmosphere, when Sirius's voice rang out in a timely manner, calling Moody away. Taking the opportunity, Harry also quietly left the kitchen.

Hermione sat silently in her seat, as if isolated from everything around her, until the faint sound of Mrs. Weasley's sobs came from outside the door, pulling her back from her thoughts.

"What happened?" Hermione suddenly grabbed Jerry's hand, asking with some sensitivity.

"I'll go take a look," Jerry said, standing up, and Hermione followed him out of the kitchen. They saw Mrs. Weasley crying helplessly, her emotions almost collapsing.

Mr. Weasley hurried forward to embrace Mrs. Weasley, while Lupin and Sirius Black rushed over, followed by Moody with his heavy gait.

Lupin glanced at Mrs. Weasley and then at the body that had suddenly appeared on the floor, instantly understanding everything. The Boggart must have transformed into the corpses of Weasley family members.

"Don't come near, Jerry! It's that Boggart!" Lupin warned.

He quickly drew his wand and, with a wave, dealt with the Boggart.

Mrs. Weasley sobbed, suddenly covering her face with her hands, tears streaming down like a torrent.

"I always dream of them... dream of them dead!" Mrs. Weasley said, sobbing against her husband's shoulder. "Constantly dreaming!"

"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm... I'm so sorry," Mrs. Weasley's voice trembled, filled with self-reproach. "I can't even handle a Boggart!"

"Don't say that," Harry managed a weak smile, trying to offer Mrs. Weasley some comfort.

"I'm just... just too worried," Mrs. Weasley continued, tears falling again. "Half the family is in the Order of the Phoenix, and so many people are bound to get hurt. Percy has already left home. If something really happens... we might never have a chance to reconcile with him..."

"If Arthur and I meet with misfortune, what will happen to Ron and Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley's words were filled with deep worry and helplessness.

"Molly, don't be like this," Mr. Weasley said gently, putting his arm around his wife. "This situation is very different from last time. The Order of the Phoenix is much better organized now."

"I'm sorry, Molly, we can't guarantee that everyone will come out unscathed. No one can promise that," Lupin said slowly, his voice steady and strong. "But believe me, we are in a much better position now than we were last time. You weren't in the Order of the Phoenix back then, so you might not realize that the Death Eaters outnumbered us by twenty to one!"

"As for Percy, don't worry. Everyone makes mistakes when they're young," Sirius Black interjected suddenly, thinking of his own brother. "He'll realize the truth. Voldemort will be exposed one day, and then the entire Ministry of Magic will apologize to us and beg for our forgiveness."

"And as for who will take care of Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur are unfortunately killed," Lupin said with a smile, his tone warm and reassuring, "do you think we'd let them starve?"

"I'm being so foolish," Mrs. Weasley said softly, reproaching herself as she gently dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Alright, children, the celebration is over. Go upstairs and get some rest. Don't forget you have to get up early tomorrow to catch the train!" Lupin turned and said gently to Jerry and the others.

Harry moved with heavy steps, the images of the terrifying corpses the Boggart had conjured up constantly flashing through his mind. Suddenly, the scar on his forehead sent a sharp pain through his head.

"Harry, are you alright?" Jerry patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm fine," Harry said, forcing himself to appear calm, shaking his head. He gently rubbed the scar on his forehead, and after the pain subsided slightly, he hurried back to his room.

"You're going back to school tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want to go back and say goodbye to your mom and dad tonight? You probably won't see them again for another six months." Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a silvery glow on the floor. Jerry leaned against the doorframe, watching Hermione pack her bags. "Don't worry, I'll take you back and bring you back tomorrow morning. No one will notice."

"No," Hermione hesitated for a moment, then shook her head resolutely. "I'll write to my mom and dad and find a way to explain it to them."

"Jerry, we have to consider the safety of the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Too many people have already sacrificed themselves!"

"Alright! As long as Mr. Granger doesn't go to the police station and report that I've kidnapped his precious daughter!" Jerry ruffled Hermione's hair and said with a smile.

"Stop it!" Hermione was amused by his joke, her anxious and sensitive nerves slightly relaxed. Then, Hermione put her arms around Jerry's neck, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Jerry's lips lightly, like a dragonfly skimming the water. "Good night, Jerry!"

"Good night!"

...

Late at night, the moonlight etched crack-like shadows on the oak floor of the Black family's old house. Jerry's bedroom door was quietly pushed open, and a lithe figure darted in, quickly locking the door and nimbly slipping into Jerry's bed.

"Hermione? What are you doing here so late?" Jerry's voice was laced with surprise as he tightly embraced the soft body in his arms, his hand covering her trembling back. The familiar scent of her hair instantly filled his nostrils.

"I'm sorry, Jerry, for disturbing your rest," Hermione's voice was tinged with sadness and unease. "But every time I close my eyes, I think of those who sacrificed themselves in Mr. Moody's photo."

"Ever since Voldemort's resurrection, I've actually imagined countless possible scenarios. I thought I was ready to face them bravely. However, when the photos of those who sacrificed themselves were actually placed in front of me, I realized how naive my previous assumptions were." Hermione's fingertips unconsciously stroked Jerry's pajamas.

"I've never felt this way before. This afternoon, I was still happy that I had become a prefect, thinking about how to show off this honor to my parents."

And being wary of Harry... Hermione thought to herself.

"I suddenly feel that Professor Snape was right to scold me in the past. I'm just a silly girl who hasn't grown up."

"Don't listen to Snape's bullshit!" Jerry said, seeing Hermione's uneasy expression in the dim light. "You're not stupid at all! You're very strong and very brave!"

"Besides, everyone comes from childhood. We all have moments of confusion, fear, and anxiety, but it is these experiences that make us more mature and stronger."

"But... what about you? Jerry, what about you?" Hermione raised her head from Jerry's arms. She could feel that both she and Harry were more or less affected by the photos and Mrs. Weasley, but Jerry wasn't, not at all.

In the dim room, Jerry fell silent. Hermione didn't continue to ask, but waited for Jerry's answer.

"Do you know Knockturn Alley?" Jerry finally broke the silence.

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "I've heard other people talk about it."

"That's a place that Aurors are usually too lazy to go to," Jerry said. "The year before last and last year, during summer vacation, I would put on a mask, wear a cloak, and wander through Knockturn Alley alone."

"In the dark corners of Knockturn Alley, there are dark wizards fighting and dying every day. I've seen many evil dark wizards, I've seen many people die tragically..."

"Jerry, you..." Jerry's words shocked and pained Hermione. She had never thought that Jerry would go to such a dangerous place. However, being clever, she didn't continue to ask Jerry what exactly he did in Knockturn Alley, because she knew that it was better to be a little ignorant about some things.

"Are you scared?" Jerry asked suddenly, his fingertips tracing her wet eyes.

"Scared!"

After a moment of silence, Hermione suddenly bit Jerry's shoulder. The bite carried a kind of tempered determination, but her smile betrayed her true emotions.

"So, Mr. Adventurous Green, can you take your hand out from under the covers?"