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Chapter 428: Ivan: Malfoy, How Many People Did You Call?
Chapter 428: Ivan: Malfoy, How Many People Did You Call? (Combined 4000-word Chapter)
In fact, Sirius Black was indeed preparing to settle the score with Peter. The attempt of Peter to escape during the chaos had made him very angry.
Ivan suddenly remembered something and hurriedly looked at Severus Snape, asking, "By the way, Professor Snape, where is Malfoy? Didn't he come with you?"
Thanks to Ivan's reminder, Lupin and the others finally remembered that there was still one more problem to solve.
Sirius' attention was also drawn to this, temporarily setting aside his plan to punish Peter.
Severus Snape looked at everyone with a cold sneer but did not say a word.
"If you don't want me to use some special means, you'd better tell me the truth!" Sirius grabbed Snape's collar, pressing his wand against his forehead. He was looking for any reason to retaliate for Snape's earlier act of knocking him unconscious.
"Calm down, Sirius, we have enough trouble already", Lupin stopped Sirius' aggressive behavior and then said to Snape, "Severus, we really mean no harm. We just don't want the misunderstanding to escalate. If possible, please tell us what Malfoy told you and to whom he passed on the message."
"Don't be so hypocritical, Lupin!" Snape said sarcastically.
Although he had guessed from Ivan and the others' subsequent words that they might not be lying, he was not about to back down in front of his two archenemies!
Sirius was about to punch him, but Lupin stopped him again.
At this moment, Snape stared at Sirius, half warning and half sneering, "It doesn't matter if I tell you. When Malfoy came to inform me that Lupin's behavior was suspicious and he was about to leave, I guessed that Lupin would come to see you!
Just to be safe, I had Malfoy notify the other Professors to follow the marks I left and come here. By now, the others should have arrived!"
As soon as Snape finished speaking, a commotion was heard from outside.
Sirius and Lupin's faces immediately changed, and Ivan frowned.
Professors who could teach at Hogwarts usually had very high magical skills and were not easy to deal with, let alone all coming together at once!
If Snape started talking nonsense again, making it impossible for them to explain, they would likely have no choice but to fight!
The corners of Snape's mouth curled up, but he was hesitant about whether to remind Mcgonagall, Flitwick, and the others when they arrived.
However, as he looked at the open door, Snape's expression changed. Only one person, or rather, a Goblin, had burst in.
"Severus?!" Flitwick quickly surveyed the scene.
He saw Snape bound, Ron and Hermione cowering in a corner to avoid the fight, and the Ministry fugitive Black standing with Lupin, apparently preparing to do something to Snape.
Recalling what Malfoy had told him, Flitwick immediately realized he had arrived too late!
He had heard the sounds of Snape and Lupin, Sirius, and others talking from outside and rushed over as quickly as possible to support Snape.
However, he did not expect Snape to have already been defeated and bound.
With extensive dueling experience, Flitwick knew that in a situation of uneven strength, he must act first to reduce the number of enemies, and ideally, free Snape.
"Stupefy!" Flitwick mentally ran through several combat strategies and decisively took the first move, attacking Lupin and Black.
The beams of spells crisscrossed in the small room.
After a brief struggle, Flitwick was bound and tied up with Snape.
"So why did you come alone? Where are Mcgonagall and the others?" Snape looked at Flitwick with frustration, angry.
Flitwick looked very embarrassed. He had been confident in his own strength and worried that Snape might not be able to handle the situation alone, so he had come ahead.
"Don't worry too much, Severus! I've already sent Malfoy to notify the other Professors. They'll be here soon!" Flitwick said, trying to reassure him.
Snape's expression was peculiar. This sounded so familiar. He had said almost the same thing just a moment ago.
Ivan looked at the bound Flitwick, feeling quite helpless. What a mess!
It looks like we have another person who needs a thorough explanation.
More importantly, if the other Professors see this, the misunderstanding will only grow larger!
"Harry, you explain it to Professor Flitwick!" Ivan said to Harry, who had been standing to the side, somewhat at a loss.
It would be better for Harry, who was directly involved, to explain rather than for them, who were outsiders, to do so.
Professor Flitwick only now noticed that Harry was there and alive, and he began to suspect that there might be some misunderstanding. He turned to look at Severus Snape, but saw that Snape was meditating and not paying attention to him.
Harry nodded, but he felt a bit uneasy. They had actually tied up the Professors—was this really okay?
Ivan didn't pay much attention to this point. As long as the misunderstanding was cleared up, it would be fine. The Professors at Hogwarts weren't that petty.
After all, explaining while fighting was too troublesome, especially since they didn't know when the next Professor would arrive, and Snape's attitude was still uncertain.
It would be more convenient to disarm the opponent first while having a four-to-one advantage, and then let Harry explain slowly.
Based on this idea, within just ten minutes, the hurriedly arriving Professors were successively captured.
Hooch and Professor Trelawney even came together, but even so, they couldn't escape. Sirius Black had directly taken advantage of the Invisibility Cloak that Harry had brought, making the battle go extremely smoothly and requiring little effort to finish.
The captured Professors were finally gathered in a semicircle to listen to Harry's story.
"So, who can tell me what exactly happened?" Madam Hooch, who had just arrived, was completely confused.
She had just received a message from Malfoy, followed the clues left along the way, and found herself here, only to be quickly subdued by Ivan, Lupin, Black, and Dobby working together.
Seeing Severus Snape, Flitwick, and the others also captured, Hooch couldn't hide her shock, almost thinking that Hogwarts was about to be finished tomorrow.
But what was strange was that everyone seemed to be not very tense.
"It's like this, Madam Hooch. The Sirius Black who is wanted by the Ministry of Magic is actually innocent. This story starts thirteen years ago", Harry began, though he had forgotten how many times he had told this story. But to help clear Sirius's name, he forced himself to endure the tedium.
"Potter! I suggest you skip the preliminaries and get straight to the point! I've heard this story several times already. You can't start from the beginning every time someone arrives!" Flitwick couldn't help but interrupt Harry, sounding quite unhappy.
The beginning of this story had already become tiresome for Flitwick, but he still hadn't completely understood what had happened back then.
Because every time Harry started to explain, just as he got to the crucial part and piqued his interest, someone would suddenly burst in, be captured within seconds, and then Harry would have to start over again.
Harry had no objections, but the other Professors clearly didn't feel the same way.
"Filch, you can't just think of yourself! I just arrived and need to understand what's happening!" Madam Hooch countered Flitwick, then asked curiously, "By the way, who told Malfoy to notify us?"
"It was me who told Malfoy to notify you, but I didn't ask you to come in batches!" Severus Snape couldn't contain the rising anger in his heart. This was nothing like what he had expected!
At this moment, Professor Trelawney, who had been silent, suddenly spoke in a mysterious tone.
"Shh~ Quiet everyone. Why don't we guess who will be the next to come in? I saw a premonition through the cracks in the wall. Our savior will be the fourth person to cross the threshold."
"Then why didn't you foresee that you would be captured?" Severus Snape mocked.
Professor Trelawney was momentarily speechless. She glared for a while before muttering, "How do you know I didn't foresee it? Being captured might be a sign of destiny."
Ivan watched the Professors chatting together and sighed. He suspected that Malfoy had invited all the Professors he could find.
By his count, most of the Professors from the school were here.
Thinking about it, Ivan even wondered if Malfoy was the legendary guide, and if he and Sirius Black really had ill intentions, they could have captured all of Hogwarts at once.
But it made sense. Two elite members of the Order of the Phoenix, a House-Elf who was different from Wizards, a Deathly Hallow, and himself—such a lineup, with their plans, would leave few in the magical world who could escape.
On the other side, Harry was talking non-stop, already recounting the time when Sirius Black had a sudden idea to change the Secret-Keeper to confuse Voldemort.
Hooch and Professor Trelawney were completely engrossed in the story when someone else burst into the Shrieking Shack. Flitwick was exasperated, knowing he would have to listen to the whole thing again!
Everyone turned to look, and this time it was Pomona Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff, who had just entered. Before she could do anything, she was confronted by Sirius Black, who was hiding in the shadows under an Invisibility Cloak, with his wand pointed at her neck.
"Relax, don't even think about resisting. I won't hurt you."
Sirius Black skillfully confiscated Sprout's wand and didn't tie her up. Instead, he gestured for the now weaponless Sprout to join Severus Snape and the others to listen to Harry's explanation.
Flitwick sighed and moved over to make space for her.
Sprout was momentarily confused, but seeing that Snape and the others had been disarmed, she felt a chill of fear.
Click
Sirius Black, who was well-practiced, put on the Invisibility Cloak again, preparing to wait for the next visitor. However, some noise came from outside at that moment.
"Is there anyone else?" Sirius Black suddenly looked at Sprout and asked.
Sprout pursed her lips, trying to shake her head, but the panicked voice of Malfoy sounded from not far outside the door.
Sprout suddenly turned around and shouted loudly.
"Malfoy! Run! Go get Professor Dumbledore!"
She had realized that there might be others hiding in the Shrieking Shack, and Malfoy, who had come with her, was definitely discovered.
However, Malfoy didn't manage to escape. He was quickly brought in by Dobby.
"Dobby, you dare to lay a hand on me? I should have let my father kill you back then!" Malfoy cursed as he stepped over the threshold, pushed by Dobby into the room.
But seeing the circle of Professors around the room, Malfoy was stunned.
Severus Snape, Flitwick, Hooch, and the others all stared at Malfoy. If it weren't for the information he had provided, they wouldn't have gathered here today.
"You've notified everyone, right, Malfoy? How many people did you bring?" Ivan asked, exasperated, seeing that they had finally caught the main culprit.
"I... I also notified people from the Ministry of Magic. A large number of Aurors will be here soon. You'd better release us right away!" Malfoy's eyes darted around as he said this sternly.
"Tell me the truth! Or are you tired of living?" Ivan drew his wand and deliberately conjured a dark, ominous glow to scare him.
Malfoy, mistaking this for a dark curse, was so frightened that he forgot everything and shook his head repeatedly. "No, no one else, they're all here!"
Ivan forcibly questioned him a few more times, confirming that Malfoy was likely telling the truth, before putting away his wand and gestured for him to go over and listen to the story.
"Looks like it's finally over!" Lupin listened to the conversation between Ivan and Malfoy, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Taking action against his colleagues at Hogwarts had put a lot of pressure on Lupin, especially because he was very worried that Malfoy would spread the word about his Werewolf identity, making it common knowledge.
Fortunately, things weren't that bad. Apart from Malfoy, only the various Professors knew about it.
"Yes, now we just need to wait for Harry to explain everything to the Professors, and it should be fine!"
Ivan nodded, feeling relieved after all the commotion.
"You might also need to explain yourself, Hals!"
The voice from behind startled Ivan, and he instinctively cast a Stunning Spell.
The newcomer raised his wand and with a light tap, the red beam of light dissipated.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Ivan finally saw the person clearly and said with some excitement, then worried that his instinctive attack might cause a misunderstanding.
After a long time, the old man still looked the same, wearing a purple robe casually, his white beard untidy.
He stepped over the threshold, and even when he saw the disarmed Professors and the escaped Sirius Black, he showed no reaction, as if none of this was worth his attention.
(End of Chapter)
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