Chapter 259: Gradually Clearing Up
Chapter 259: Gradually Clearing Up
“I have a question,” Felix interrupted, “Why didn’t I receive an alarm from the Scrying Mirror?”
The three, who had been excitedly talking, suddenly fell silent. The air was thick with an unspoken tension. After a few seconds, Harry, with a look of shame, said, “I forgot to bring it, Professor. I changed into new clothes.”
“It seems that a period of calm has made you complacent.”
Felix said calmly, though he didn’t appear angry, Harry felt even more guilty, his face burning.
Dumbledore looked at the three of them, “So, you failed to detect Sirius Black in advance because you forgot to bring the Scrying Mirror. What happened next? Why did you identify him as an Animagus?”
Harry raised his head, “We were coming back from Hagrid’s place, because of Buckbeak’s case...” He paused, “As we passed by the Whomping Willow, a large black dog suddenly jumped out and attacked Ron, trying to drag him away.”
Felix noticed a flash of doubt in Dumbledore’s eyes, a doubt that mirrored his own. Black was supposed to be after Harry, so why would he abandon such a golden opportunity to attack Harry’s companion?
Was it to make Harry feel the pain of losing someone close? That didn’t make sense either.
“At that moment, my mind went blank, and I instinctively used the Disarming Charm. The spell hit the black dog and sent him flying. That’s when—” Harry’s eyes widened, “I saw the dog’s head flicker and turn into Black’s face. I’ve seen his wanted poster many times; I couldn’t be wrong.”
“The black dog rolled on the ground a couple of times, and Hagrid suddenly ran out of his house, shouting in our direction. Black turned and fled.”
Harry didn’t mention that the black dog’s eyes had looked at him strangely, filled with a mix of anger and relief. Was he seeing things? How could he think that?
He continued, “Hagrid carried Ron to the Hospital Wing and then left, saying he was going to search the entire Forbidden Forest.”
It sounded like a heat-of-the-moment statement... The Forbidden Forest wasn’t just the small area adjacent to Hogwarts. It could house Acromantulas, Centaurs, Unicorns, trolls, and werewolves, and certainly couldn’t be described as small.
In fact, Hagrid’s anger was even more exaggerated than Harry described. The look on his face suggested he wanted to tear Black apart.
Dumbledore said softly, “I see.” He closed his eyes and sat quietly for a moment. Flitwick couldn’t help but ask, “Felix, can your Scrying Mirror detect an Animagus form?”
Felix nodded, “Theoretically, yes. When I designed it, I targeted names, bloodlines, and magic.” He hesitated for a moment and looked at Professor Mcgonagall, “Of course, I am not an Animagus myself...”
“If that’s the case...” Professor Mcgonagall mused, “Then it should be able to detect an Animagus. An Animagus transformation isn’t the same as a regular animal transformation; wizards retain their magical abilities and human consciousness.”
“Moreover, we don’t know what form Black took when he tried to break into the castle last time. If it was his Animagus form, that would be significant, Albus—”
Dumbledore agreed, “I share your view, Minerva. What I was wondering is why Black was so fixated on Mr. Weasley,” he looked at Ron, “Is there any special reason?”
Ron, looking uneasy, said, “I, I don’t know, sir. I don’t have anything on me...” He looked down at himself and suddenly realized, “Scabbers is gone!”
“Your pet rat?”
“Yes, he was here just a moment ago. He must have been scared and hid somewhere.”
Felix glanced at Ron, then drew his wand and quickly shouted, “Accio Scabbers!” But there was no response, “He’s not nearby—”
Black’s inexplicable fixation on Ron, the sudden revelation of the Animagus form, and if Ron himself wasn’t the issue, then what was...
He looked at Dumbledore and said in a serious tone, “Headmaster, things may not be as we think.”
Dumbledore did not make judgments easily: "There is someone who can tell us the answer... Minerva, is Remus still in his office?"
"He's been there all along. He hasn't been doing well these past few days", Professor Mcgonagall said vaguely.
Hermione exclaimed, "Headmaster Dumbledore, you know that Professor Lupin is—"
"Yes, I know", Dumbledore said, his tone indicating that the matter was closed. "Remus has been in his office dealing with some old issues. He hasn't had the energy to focus on other things. However, I need to have a deeper conversation with him. He might provide some information we don't know."
Dumbledore stood up, his gaze falling on Harry from over his high nose. "For the next few days, I want you to stay in the castle and not go out. Also, carry the Scrying Mirror with you at all times."
The Professors left, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other. Just as they were about to speak, Madam Pomfrey entered and reapplied a white ointment to Ron's wound, causing him to wince in pain. However, the pain soon subsided, and the wound began to itch as it healed rapidly.
"This boy needs time to recover. Don't stay too long", Madam Pomfrey warned, her lips pursed and her expression stern. "Why do you always get yourselves into such a mess?"
Harry said gloomily, "I'd like to know the answer to that myself."
When the hospital wing was left with only the three of them, the room was quiet, with only Ron's intermittent gasps of pain and itchiness. His wound seemed to be healing at an accelerated rate.
Hermione suddenly spoke up, "Harry, have you ever considered that Black's target was never you?"
Harry opened his mouth to protest but found himself at a loss for words. He realized there was a possibility, which made him feel both embarrassed and annoyed. It seemed that all his long-term preparations might have been a joke.
But what did this have to do with Ron?
Hermione rummaged through her beaded purse and pulled out a chestnut wood memory disk. "We can try to piece together the memories and combine what we've seen."
A moment later—
"Look here, isn't it obvious? Black's target was clear—it was Ron. But Ron, that doesn't make sense. Black was just a baby when he was locked up."
Hermione said hesitantly, "Is there anyone in your family who has a grudge against Black?"
"Or maybe the Dementors messed with his brain", Ron said glumly.
"Do you remember the information we overheard at the Three Broomsticks? Minister Fudge said Black was very coherent and even asked for a newspaper. That doesn't sound like the actions of a madman."
"What does that prove? Isn't there a rumor that the Dark Lord secretly met with the Dementors? Those cloaked creatures might have gone easy on him out of respect for their master."
"Ron, use your brain, it's about to rust", Hermione said angrily.
Harry, however, hit on the key point. "The newspaper, you mean he saw something in the newspaper... and then escaped a few days later. The newspaper is the key. Ron, remember the letter you sent me during the holidays? It included a clipping of your family winning the Daily Prophet's annual award."
Ron looked surprised, "So Black saw the news about our family winning the award and suddenly went mad with jealousy, coming here to kill me? For heaven's sake, it was only seven hundred Galleons! And we've almost spent it all..."
He then said with disgust, "Why would Fudge carry a newspaper around? Has his brain been flattened by Buckbeak?"
Hermione said, "That can't be the reason, Harry. I still don't understand, but we need to find the newspaper from that time and see if there's any missing information."
Harry added, "And Professor Lupin. I bet he knows something. Just look at Dumbledore's attitude."
Hermione looked hesitant, "Oh, Harry—maybe we should wait a couple of days until the professors confirm everything is fine before we visit..."
On the other side, Felix had parted ways with Dumbledore. Dumbledore didn't want anyone to interrupt his conversation with Lupin.
For Felix, however, some clues were already in front of him. He just needed to reorganize the information at hand and identify the most likely possibilities.
(End of Chapter)
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