https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-140-Snape-s-Grudge-and-Resentment/13457159/
Chapter 139: Before Christmas
Chapter 139: Before Christmas
"You answered a bit too directly, didn't you? I thought you'd at least deny it a couple of times."
Sherlock looked at him in surprise.
Lupin's gaze met Sherlock's. Despite his simple clothing, emaciated figure, and pale face, his eyes were exceptionally bright.
"I'm not one for beating around the bush either. I suspected that Snape's hints wouldn't be noticed by the students, but they would definitely raise your suspicions. Honestly, I didn't expect you to come straight to me and ask."
Sherlock cut into the steak on his plate.
"Sometimes, it's better to ask directly rather than guess. I didn't think Dumbledore would really hire a werewolf, but now that I think about it, it fits his character."
Lupin, feeling at ease after clarifying things, finished the last of his porridge.
"What do you plan to do next? Are you going to tell the entire school about my identity?"
Sherlock chewed on his steak and blinked.
"Why would I do that? Even Snape, who hates you so much, only hinted at your identity in subtle ways. Why should I do something so drastic?"
"I just wanted to ask because I was curious. Since Dumbledore knows your identity and still hired you, it shows he trusts you. We've worked together for three months, and you seem like a decent person."
Lupin's face broke into a wry smile.
"I've always felt I don't deserve Dumbledore's trust. He brought me to Hogwarts when he knew I was destitute and struggling to feed myself, but I am a werewolf."
Sherlock waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, mate. I remember there's already a wizard who has concocted the Wolfsbane Potion, which allows werewolves to remain conscious during their transformations. Snape is the one who brews it for you at the school."
"You figured that out too?" Lupin looked at him in surprise.
"Don't flatter me. My Divination grades were so poor that I stopped taking the class after sixth year. Harry told me he saw you drink the potion Snape prepared, and he was worried it might be poisoned."
"Harry has a bias against Snape."
"To be honest, what I find more interesting is that Dumbledore actually let Snape brew the Wolfsbane Potion for you. Given how much Snape wants to expose your identity, it's clear he has a deep grudge against you. Dumbledore letting him brew a potion for his enemy is quite devious."
Lupin's face was bitter.
"Snape is the only one in Hogwarts who can brew the Wolfsbane Potion."
"Since he hasn't laced it with any slow-acting poison, it shows he still has some limits."
"Yes, for that, I am grateful."
Sherlock swallowed the last bite of his steak, patted his hands, and stood up from his chair.
"Well, now that I know what I wanted to know, we're on the same page."
After confirming Lupin's identity, Sherlock had no plans to do anything further.
He had always been a bit suspicious of Lupin's good-natured character and his popularity with students, especially since in the original story, he only stayed for one year.
Now it was clear: his identity as a werewolf meant he couldn't stay at Hogwarts for long.
Even with the Wolfsbane Potion, the danger posed by werewolves meant that once Lupin's identity was exposed, he wouldn't be able to remain at Hogwarts.
Especially with Snape subtly working against him, it was questionable whether Lupin could last a full year.
However, having someone to share the professorial duties made Sherlock's life easier. He hoped Lupin could stay at Hogwarts longer.
The week passed quickly.
On Saturday evening, Harry arrived at Sherlock's office as agreed, after dinner.
Sherlock was studying a letter and didn't hide it when Harry came in.
"Who wrote you the letter, Professor?" Harry asked, scratching his head.
Sherlock didn't hide it from him.
"Fleur."
"Miss Delacour? What did she say?"
"Not much, just asking if I'm teaching at Hogwarts and what she's been up to at school. It seems like she wrote it out of boredom."
Sherlock shook his head, put the letter aside, and began to seriously guide Harry through the Patronus Charm.
"Tell me what you know about this spell."
Harry recalled and said in response to Sherlock's question.
"I saw Professor Lupin use it on the train. It seems to emit a bright silver light from the wand, and Dementors are terrified of it; they won't come near it."
"Also, during the Quidditch match, when I fell from the sky. Ron and Hermione told me a silver bird flew out and gathered all the Dementors together. It was more powerful than just the silver light. That bird must have been the Patronus Charm, right?"
Sherlock drew out his Wand and began to wave it gently.
"Expecto Patronus."
Bright silver light particles shot out from the tip of the Wand, quickly forming a bright silver bird in front of Sherlock. It then spread its wings and landed on Harry's shoulder.
"This is the bird, my Patronus Charm."
Harry looked in amazement at the bird on his shoulder, reaching out his hands. Sherlock's Guardian Spirit naturally jumped onto his palm.
He felt a slight coolness in his palm, but there was no sensation of holding a heavy object.
"So this is the Professor's Guardian Spirit! The Gryffindor students have been guessing who summoned it."
Harry observed the silver bird for a long time, finally realizing its species in surprise.
"It's a crow."
After the initial surprise, he was surprised by his own surprise.
Professor Forrest's Guardian Spirit could only be a crow, couldn't it?
The crow hopped a few times on Harry's hand and then flew back to Sherlock's shoulder, silently staring at him.
Sherlock guided Harry, teaching him the wand movements for the Patronus Charm and correcting his pronunciation. Then he had Harry attempt it in front of him.
"Expecto Patronus."
Harry followed Sherlock's instructions, waving his Wand.
But nothing happened; not even a silver thread appeared from the tip of his Wand.
"The final movement of the Wand should be an upward flick. It doesn't need to be too obvious, just a slight motion", Sherlock corrected his casting technique, adding, "Before you cast the spell, you need to find the right feeling. This is a spell that requires a lot of positive emotion. The more positive you feel, the more likely you are to succeed. So, before casting, think of happy, joyful things."
Although Harry was learning very seriously and indeed had a high aptitude for Defense Against the Dark Arts, mastering such an advanced spell was not that simple.
Right up until curfew, Harry failed to produce even a single silver thread from his Wand.
He was disappointed, but Sherlock had anticipated this outcome.
If Harry could learn this spell in such a short time, Sherlock would have to question whether his own talent was severely lacking. It had taken him nearly a year of research to finally summon a Guardian Spirit.
For the rest of the time until Christmas, Hogwarts enjoyed a period of calm.
Black did not break into the castle again, and after the Dementors' rampage during the Quidditch match, Dumbledore must have issued some warning to them, as none of them dared to enter Hogwarts territory again.
Silke had been back in Germany for over a month, and there had been no news. If Sherlock didn't know that she was not an irresponsible person, he might have thought she had crossed the bridge and burned it behind her.
However, during this time, the Pendant Box he wore around his neck showed no signs of abnormality. Apart from the fact that he couldn't take it off, which made bathing and sleeping a bit troublesome, it was no different from an ordinary piece of jewelry.
At the end of the first semester at Hogwarts, the last week before Christmas break was a Hogsmeade weekend.
Two weeks earlier, the area where Hogwarts was located had experienced several days of continuous snowfall, covering the entire castle in a thick layer of snow. The weather had only recently started to clear up.
Except for Harry, all the students in their third year and above were very excited.
Hermione was planning to buy some Fizzing Whizbees from Honeydukes to give to her parents as Christmas gifts; her parents loved the taste of these candies.
Harry was frustrated about being the only one staying at school again, but the excitement of successfully casting the Patronus Charm under Sherlock's guidance the previous weekend had somewhat offset the disappointment of not going to Hogsmeade.
He decided to borrow a copy of "Quidditch Through the Ages" from Wood and spend the day learning about different broomsticks, preparing to buy a new one.
Since Harry's Nimbus 2000 had been destroyed by the Whomping Willow, he had tried using the school broomsticks for practice. However, those old Shooting Star brooms were slow and unstable, and for Harry, who was not short of money in the wizarding world, buying a new broom was a natural choice.
On the Saturday morning when everyone could go to Hogsmeade village, Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione at the school gates and headed back to Gryffindor Tower alone, climbing the marble staircase.
Snowflakes were falling outside the window, and the castle was very quiet.
As he turned the corner on the fourth-floor corridor, he saw Fred and George peeking at him from behind a one-eyed, humpbacked witch statue.
"Hey, Harry, come over here!"
(End of Chapter)
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