Chapter 436: Dumbledore's Surprise
Chapter 436: Dumbledore's Surprise
The Dementors swayed slightly before drifting away into the darkness.
Kyle turned back and found the others staring at him with strange expressions.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Kyle, weren't you scared at all?" Harry exclaimed.
Due to the distance and the Patronus standing in the way, Harry hadn't heard the conversation, but he could vaguely make out that Kyle seemed to have come to an agreement with the Dementors.
But those were Dementors! Just being close to them sent a bone-chilling cold through his body, yet Kyle dared to stand before them and stay for so long...
"Why should I be afraid? We're in Hogwarts," Kyle replied.
"Is it over now?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"It's fine now," Kyle assured her. "I told the Dementors that Sirius isn't here, and they left."
Hermione nodded, relieved. After encountering a werewolf and then hundreds of Dementors, she felt her legs turn weak, and all she wanted was to return to the dormitory and sleep.
However, they still had to find Professor Dumbledore first.
Hermione turned to look at the werewolf entangled in the Devil's Snare. "How are we going to take it with us? We can't just leave it here."
"Don't worry, we don't have to worry about that anymore," Kyle said, turning to glance at the castle.
Perhaps the commotion had been too loud, as a large fire-red bird was flying swiftly towards them.
It was Fawkes.
The phoenix folded its wings and landed on Kyle's shoulder, tilting its head as if inquiring about what had happened.
"We need to see Professor Dumbledore about something," Kyle said, pointing to the werewolf wrapped up like a zongzi. "Can you take him there first?"
Fawkes nodded and flew over to grab the werewolf by the head, flying back towards the castle.
"Oh my, was that just now a phoenix?" Hermione exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. "I've read about them in books, and it looked exactly the same!"
"It's a phoenix," Harry confirmed. "I've seen it in the Headmaster's office. I think its name is... Fawkes?"
"I'm more concerned about Professor Lupin..." Ron said with his mouth agape. "Did you notice that he was carried away by the neck? Is he really going to be okay like that?"
"It's fine if he's in his werewolf state. Their bodies are much tougher than a wizard's," Kyle explained. "Let's head back too. Professor Dumbledore is probably waiting for us."
The group quickly made their way back to the castle.
Sirius kept his appearance as a large dog, not daring to transform back.
As they returned to the castle, the group did not encounter Filch or any patrolling professors, and they made it to the eighth floor without incident.
Apparently having been informed beforehand, the gargoyle statue guarding the entrance moved aside, revealing the passage behind it.
Harry couldn't help but quicken his pace, becoming the first to enter, with Sirius close behind. However, it was noticeable that Sirius's back legs were trembling, indicating his nervousness.
The oak door at the end of the stairs was also open, and Professor Dumbledore stood behind his desk, wearing pink strawberry velvet pajamas.
"I imagine a lot of interesting things must have happened tonight to bring all of you here in violation of the school rules," he said with a smile. "But before you tell me your stories, would you like some pumpkin juice?"
"No, thank you, Professor," the three in front shook their heads. Harry wasn't in the mood, and Ron and Hermione were too nervous to think about it.
"Could I have some lemon water, please?" Kyle asked.
"Would you like some sugar with that?" Professor Dumbledore inquired.
"Just a little bit, please."
Before he could finish his drink, Harry blurted out, "Professor, Sirius Black was framed. Pettigrew is the real traitor!"
"Oh!"
Professor Dumbledore looked at him in surprise.
"While I expected an interesting tale tonight, I didn't anticipate that your first sentence would catch me so off guard."
"So, how did you figure it out?" he asked. "As far as I know, Peter Pettigrew has been dead for twelve years and was even awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class."
"That was a ruse; he's alive!" Harry exclaimed, holding up the cage he clutched tightly. "This is Peter!"
"He turned into a rat and hid in my house for twelve years," Ron added from beside him, his face grim as if Pettigrew's true identity was a personal insult.
Dumbledore's blue eyes shifted to the rat.
Kyle also took out the Marauder's Map, which clearly displayed Peter Pettigrew's name within the Headmaster's office.
"Oh, how nostalgic." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled. "I remember the last time I saw this map was fifteen years ago... Strange, I thought it would be in Filch's office. Did I misremember?"
Kyle took another sip of his lemonade, remaining silent.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't press the issue and instead gestured for Harry to continue.
"So, you discovered Pettigrew using this marvelous map?"
"Not entirely..." Harry shook his head and then recounted the events, starting from Professor Lupin's visit to the Gryffindor common room.
During this narration, Dumbledore asked no questions but listened quietly.
Harry spoke quickly, finishing the tale in about fifteen minutes.
"So, this is Sirius Black?" Dumbledore looked at the large black dog sitting on the floor. "An Animagus... I see. No wonder no one could find you."
The black dog barked once and sat up straighter.
"He was forced into it, Professor," Harry quickly added. "We all saw it; Pettigrew... I mean, Peter was constantly banging his head against the wand. He couldn't be a normal pet, right?"
Dumbledore didn't answer his question but asked thoughtfully, "Harry, do you think Sirius might be deceiving you? Have you considered that possibility?"
"I don't think he's lying," Harry said without hesitation. "I can feel that he's telling the truth... And if he were deceiving us, he wouldn't dare come here with us, would he?"
"First, I must thank you for your trust in me, Harry."
Dumbledore said calmly, "But it's getting late, and after such an eventful night, I suggest you return to your dormitory for some hot cocoa and a good night's rest."
"But Professor, what about Sirius Black..."
"Leave it to me, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. "If he is innocent, I promise you a satisfactory resolution."
"Alright... I guess."
In truth, Harry had much more he wanted to say. This situation impacted whether he could leave the Dursleys and find a place where he didn't have to hide his magic books under the floorboards.
But since Dumbledore had spoken, he could only nod and start walking toward the door with Ron and Hermione.
"Good night, Professor..."
The three of them left the office one after the other.
Kyle had turned to follow them when he heard Dumbledore say, "Kyle, could you stay back for a moment, please?"
(End of Chapter)
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