The Evil Thoughts of Hogwarts and the Genie

Chapter 78 Breaking the Ice

For the genie, different identities are like different records. When he plays "Edmund Soman," he is no longer "Cain."

In this light, Edmund was clearly more tolerant than in his previous roles. He watched the farce unfold before him, and the smug James and Sirius, without feeling annoyed; rather, he was genuinely amused by the duo.

Edmund even had the leisure to glance at the murderous Narcissa and exclaim, "That expression is indeed terrifying! Compared to her, Lucius is much more amusing."

Mr. Malfoy had never been so reserved in Edmund's presence; he sat very obediently beside Narcissa, his demeanor quite docile.

Edmund's lips curled into a smile as he grabbed a bouncing candy from the candy bowl and bit into it.

Meanwhile, on the faculty side, Dumbledore continued telling jokes, seemingly hoping to win Professor McGonagall's forgiveness. Clearly, the Head of Gryffindor was still debating whether or not to deduct points.

Thinking about it that way, it's even funnier. The person at all of Hogwarts who could empathize with Narcissa the most was Professor McGonagall.

I wonder if the former, upon realizing this, would become even angrier, her pretty face turning even redder than before. However,

Edmund wasn't about to bring it up. To be honest, he was somewhat worried that Narcissa might do something impulsive that would put him in a difficult position.

After all, Edmund still hadn't figured out how to explain to the witnesses that he hadn't died despite being hit by the Killing Curse.

This doesn't sound like something that can be explained by "my father bought me a lot of life-saving gadgets." Perhaps at least one would have to come up with an excuse like "my mother triggered an ancient spell, so she deflected the spell back for me."

The best solution is to prevent more people from figuring out his special constitution. Edmund stopped smiling, and just then, Dumbledore also made Professor McGonagall relax, no longer pursing her lips sternly.

Dumbledore stretched out his hands like a sack:

"The banquet is over!" Those blue eyes squinted merrily behind the half-moon spectacles. "Children, little wizards! Don't forget to take the sphere, the vertical line, the bad temper, and the fragment!"

Edmund doubted that anyone could understand what Dumbledore was saying, because it was pure nonsense.

"Go to sleep! May you all drift off to sweet dreams—but if anyone finds an extra chocolate frog in their sock, please let me know, because I lost it!"

Edmund sighed inwardly. He sincerely hoped that old Mr. Soman could also see this scene. He wanted to see how this old man, who had been practicing Zen for over a decade, was making such a foolish mistake, and to see this sense of relaxation that Edmund himself lacked.

But upon closer reflection, he didn't actually want old Mr. Soman to emulate Dumbledore—if he truly possessed Dumbledore's mindset, there could only be one explanation:

The old man has gone mad.

Edmund's spirits soared as he silently cursed his biological father countless times. He slept soundly, without even pondering why Remus Lupin's behavior was so unusually different from others.

Edmund kept this a surprise, intending to reveal the rather obvious truth when the other party made more mistakes.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened after that. However, after James displayed his imaginative abilities in Transfiguration through a prank, Professor McGonagall seemed to become a little harsher on him, as if she had other expectations.

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. James is clearly the kind of person who is driven by interest, and when faced with the more stern Professor McGonagall, his reaction is more like being completely bewildered.

The two weeks flew by. On November 13th, the day before the full moon, Edmund found an opportunity to ambush Remus Lupin, who was alone in the corridor, carrying a lot of reference books.

Aside from their first encounter in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Edmund and Lupin only exchanged nodding acquaintances afterward. But based on his usual impressions, Lupin seemed more like Ravenclaw than Gryffindor.

Here are some examples: He was always in the library, either previewing his textbooks or working on his papers; sometimes he would even tutor the short Pediru, and he got along well with the Gryffindor girls.

After exchanging greetings, Edmund casually brought up a topic—Lily and Snape had made another "masterpiece" in Potions class last Thursday, much to Professor Slughorn's delight, earning him 5 extra points for both houses.

Edmund raised a point: even he, a Slytherin, felt that the professor was too biased.

To be fair, Professor Slughorn's teaching level is quite good, and he is far from being careless.

Anyone who saw his attitude towards Lily and Snape would probably gasp in astonishment. His favoritism was simply unreasonable, even subtly overshadowing his "bet" on Black and the Soman family.

What's even more interesting is that Slughorn is much closer to Lily than Snape, who is more respectful and well-behaved towards him. This contradicts Edmund's initial assessment and makes him find it rather intriguing.

"He's snobbish, but when he's with Lily Evans, he becomes quite reasonable," Edmund shrugged helplessly, handing the words to Lupin.

"His attitude was no different from that of a doting grandfather—it's ridiculous, heaven knows what he's up to."

Actually, there probably wasn't any real intention behind it.

Edmund belatedly realized that Professor Slughorn valued the intense sense of accomplishment more than the benefits of teaching "talented and productive" students.

I thought he was just an old walrus who only cared about profit, but I never expected that he was actually so blinded by the sense of superiority that came from being a teacher—a genius teacher.

Remus Lupin listened to his "question" for a moment, then gave a wry smile that was meant to reassure him.

Then, the boy gave a flawless answer. Lupin emphasized that he believed "there could never be a bad person among the professors at Hogwarts." Therefore, even Professor Slughorn, whose moral character was somewhat lacking, would not possibly want to harm his students.

"He must have been doing it for Evans's own good."

Edmund didn't like listening to this perfunctory nonsense.

"For her own good? She's like a sitting duck right now—Snape knows better than her, he wouldn't joke around with our Dean so casually."

"Imagine this, Remus. If you were a Slytherin, and your own headmaster wouldn't even give you a second glance, yet he's so fond of a girl from another house, is that really a good thing?"

Remus Lupin remained silent for a long while after hearing this.

"Are you trying to make me anxious?"

Edmund smiled.

"Everyone can see it, Remus. Just like I'm an outcast in our college. You and Lily are 'outcasts' in your college too, can you honestly say you aren't?"

Remus Lupin's face was mostly obscured by the shadows of the corridor, so Edmund couldn't see his expression, but he heard Lupin chuckle in a dry voice.

"Perhaps. Perhaps Professor Slughorn's favor will bring some criticism to Evans—but if you ask me, Edmund," Ramston paused. "I think it's better than ignoring him."

Edmund fell silent. He really didn't have much to say—Remus Lupin seemed like a good man.

What is the definition of a "good person"? It is roughly someone who clearly knows what they are doing and saying, "sees themselves clearly," yet strives not to harm the interests of others, and tries their best to think the best of others.

However, for some reason, Edmund felt there was something off about Lupin. "Perhaps. But ignoring Lily Evans in Potions class would probably be quite difficult."

Remus Lupin smiled obligingly. Edmund, however, rolled his eyes and changed the subject.

"Is this why you're so concerned about Peter Pediru?" Edmund asked, intrigued. "Now I know why you're a Gryffindor and not a Ravenclaw, Remus. You want to be a hero, don't you?"

Remus Lupin shook his head somewhat embarrassedly upon hearing this:

"That's ridiculous." He gave a wry smile. "I...I helped Peter simply because he felt he needed help."

Remus shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm quite surprised you'd pay attention to students from other colleges, Edmund. You're more enthusiastic than you seem—and Peter, I've already talked to him about it. He's not as 'untalented' as he thinks. He just lacks confidence."

Edmund had no interest in Peter Pedilú. The only reason he spoke to Remus Lupin about it was to ascertain the other man's true motives for helping this unassuming little man.

He assumed that Remus was using this to satisfy himself, perhaps by gaining a sense of superiority in the process—which was quite normal.

But upon closer listening, Edmund realized that Lupin was indeed consistent in his words and actions. Just as he had said before, he really didn't want to see anyone being ignored.

Peter Pedilhod was indeed a student perfectly suited to be a background character. He was academically weak, unattractive, from an ordinary family, and not even particularly large. Had it not been for the tall and brilliant Lupin's unwavering support, Edmund would hardly have remembered that Gryffindor existed.

That's really interesting.

"You have a good personality," Edmund commented casually. "Although I still feel there's something odd about you."

But that's how it is.

Remus paused for a moment upon hearing this, his expression turning strange.

"Hmm, Edmund, sometimes I really think you and Sirius are quite alike."

"Oh? He said something similar to me?"

Remus smiled and nodded.

"However, I'll be more willing to tell the truth when it comes to you—do you want to know how I view your evaluations?"

Ah, that's right.

Generally speaking, being unyielding is a way of hiding one's sharpness; it seems Lu Ping still has a temper!

Edmund showed a very interested expression, and Lupin's tone was gentle and sincere:

"I think it's because you and Sirius are used to being perceptive, and you both want to be the ones observing others, rather than the ones being observed."

Edmund nodded, significantly raising his opinion of Lupin.

"Before I started school, I didn't have many friends, which is why I'm more used to observing other people's behavior. I think that's why you subconsciously regarded me as one of your own kind."

But like repels like.

"But in reality, my personality is different from yours, and my observations are not for making judgments." Lu Ping paused for a moment, without revealing any further bitterness.

His observation stemmed solely from the fact that he was not permitted to participate in any group activities before entering Hogwarts.

He was a werewolf. Before he was five years old, he was bitten and infected by Fenrir Greyback, who came to seek revenge on his father, and from then on, he lost the opportunity to play with his peers.

This does not mean that his parents stopped loving him. The Lupin family were very good and responsible people. His father was a wizard, and his mother was a Muggle. In order not to cause trouble for others, they were careful not to let others know Remus's werewolf identity, nor could they let their son be too unruly and accidentally scratch someone and cause a big disaster.

That's why Remus was able to ignore Sirius's rejection and questioning without taking it to heart. Sirius's puzzled face was far better than the worry on his parents' faces.

Moreover, Remus himself didn't know where he would be now if Dumbledore hadn't defied the opposition and accepted him, allowing him to become a wizard. Would he have become the next Fenrir Greyback, hating the whole world?

He didn't know, therefore, Remus simply cherished it very much.

—Even though this appreciation might bring him trouble later, at this moment, he truly didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"That's interesting." Edmund acknowledged his self-justification, nodding cheerfully. "I think I understand now. You're the kind of person who really loves life, aren't you?"

"To be precise, I do cherish this moment, and Hogwarts is definitely worth it, isn't it?" Remus said somewhat embarrassedly.

"However, okay, I admit that's a bit of an exaggeration. I just want to be myself, study hard, and treat people kindly. That's all."

"...So I'm quite surprised you suddenly became interested in me, Edmund. You know, in my eyes you're, cough, rather arrogant."

Edmund smiled.

It's because you've been pale and weak for two months in a row, right on the second day after the full moon; and you really dislike James's "fluffy little joke".

But he didn't say that. From that conversation, Edmund vaguely realized that if Remus Lupin really was a werewolf, he probably wouldn't have gotten into Hogwarts on his own.

—Dumbledore, that old man even recruited a werewolf.

That's really something. He really is a madman.

That said, Edmund chuckled twice: "So it seems Sirius Black is quite arrogant in your eyes too."

"I'd really like to hear you tell me bad things about him. Everyone in the school knows he's not someone to mess with—"

He deliberately dragged out his words and winked at Remus before Remus could refuse.

Lupin realized something and raised an eyebrow helplessly. This also revealed his Gryffindor side:

"Ahem, um, let me think about it."

Edmund seized the opportunity to lift a large book and smash it hard against the hedge at the edge of the corridor. The little wizards hiding there cried out "Ouch!" and tumbled out like wolves and foxes.

"I knew I should have brought an invisibility cloak!!"

James, who had been grazed on the forehead, roared loudly, while Sirius, who had been hit on the bridge of his nose, was in even worse shape, and tears welled up in his eyes from the pain.

"Travers told me that you wanted to ambush me."

Edmund chuckled and turned to look at his wand.

"Why didn't you just make a move? Is it really that nice of us to be 'cornering each other'? That's not exactly honorable."

Upon hearing this, James gave a disgusted look, clearly finding it hard to accept a Slytherin talking to him about "honesty".

But when the kid looked up and saw Remus, who was half embarrassed and half concerned, he immediately calmed down. Shan smiled and nudged Sirius, hoping he would break the ice.

After hearing Lupin's confession, Sirius's nameless resentment dissipated considerably. However, he would never apologize for the previous misunderstanding; the awkward fellow shrugged casually.

"Who said we're here to wait for you? Don't flatter yourself, Edmund."

"—We're here to ask Remus some questions. You know how well his papers are written."