Chapter 436: Dumbledore's Surprise
Chapter 436: Dumbledore's Surprise
The Dementor slowly drifted away, disappearing into the darkness.
Kyle turned around and noticed everyone staring at him with peculiar expressions.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Kyle, weren't you scared at all just now?" Harry exclaimed.
Due to the distance and the presence of the Patronus, Harry couldn't hear the previous conversation, but he vaguely saw Kyle seemingly making some sort of agreement with the Dementor.
But that was a Dementor! Just being near it made one feel an icy chill to the bone, yet Kyle had stood before it for so long...
"Why should I be afraid? This is Hogwarts," Kyle replied.
"Is it over now?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"It's fine," Kyle assured her. "I told the Dementors that Sirius wasn't here, and they left."
Hermione nodded, relieved.
After encountering a werewolf and then hundreds of Dementors, she felt her legs turn weak, longing to return to the dormitory for a good night's sleep.
But they couldn't; they 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 him with us? We can't just leave him here."
"Don't worry, we don't need to worry about that anymore." Kyle glanced towards the direction of the castle.
Perhaps the commotion caused by the Dementors was too great, for in the sky, a fiery red bird was swiftly flying towards them.
It was the Phoenix.
It folded its wings and landed on Kyle's shoulder, tilting its head as if asking what had happened.
"We have something to discuss with Professor Dumbledore," Kyle pointed at the werewolf wrapped like a dumpling and said softly, "Can you please take him there first?"
The Phoenix nodded and flew over to grab the werewolf's head with its claws, then flew back towards the castle.
"Oh my, was that a Phoenix just now?" Hermione exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. "I've read about them in books, and the Phoenix I saw in the illustration looked exactly like this one."
"It's a Phoenix," Harry confirmed. "I've seen it in the Headmaster's Office, and I think its name is... Phoenix?"
"I'm more concerned about Professor Lupin..." Ron said, his mouth agape. "Did you notice that he was carried away by the head? Is that really okay?"
"It's fine if he's in his werewolf state. Their bodies are much sturdier than a wizard's," Kyle explained. "Let's hurry back as well. Professor Dumbledore is probably waiting for us."
The group quickly made their way towards the castle.
Meanwhile, Sirius remained in his large dog form, not daring to transform back.
Upon their return to the castle, they neither encountered Filch nor any patrolling professors, smoothly making their way to the eighth floor.
Perhaps they had been informed in advance, for when they arrived, the gargoyle guarding the entrance immediately jumped aside, revealing the passage behind it.
Harry couldn't help but quicken his pace, entering first, with Sirius closely behind. However, his hind legs were trembling, indicating his nervousness.
The oak door at the top of the stairs was also open, and Professor Dumbledore stood behind the desk, dressed in a pink strawberry velvet pajamas.
"I imagine many interesting things must have happened tonight to bring all of you here, breaking the school rules."
He smiled and asked, "Before you tell me these stories, would you like some pumpkin juice?"
"No, thank you, Professor," the three people in front shook their heads.
Harry wasn't in the mood, while Ron and Hermione shook their heads subconsciously due to their nervousness.
"Could I have a glass of lemonade?" Kyle asked.
"With sugar?" Professor Dumbledore inquired.
"No sugar, please."
As soon as Kyle finished speaking, a glass of fresh lemonade appeared on the table beside them.
Kyle took a sip, the sour taste also helping to clear his mind.
Kyle hadn't even finished drinking when Harry couldn't help but speak up, "Professor, Sirius Black was wrongfully accused. The real traitor is Peter Pettigrew!"
"Oh!"
Professor Dumbledore looked at him with some surprise.
"Although I expected tonight's story to be exciting, I didn't expect your first words to surprise me."
"So, how did you find out?" he asked, "According to me, Peter Pettigrew has been dead for twelve years and has been awarded the First Class of the Order of Merlin."
"That's a lie, he's still alive!" Harry raised the tightly-held cage, "This is Peter!"
"He turned into a rat and hid in my house for twelve years," Ron added, his face grim as if Blinky's true identity was an insult to his character.
Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes turned to Blinky.
The error-free version is available at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar, the first release of this novel.
Kyle also took out the Marauder's Map in a timely manner... In the Headmaster's Office, the name of Peter Pettigrew was clearly displayed.
"Oh, how nostalgic," Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "I remember the last time I saw this map was fifteen years ago... Strange, shouldn't it be in Filch's Office? Did I remember it wrong?"
Kyle took another sip of lemonade without saying a word.
Fortunately, Professor Dumbledore didn't dwell on this matter, but instead signaled Harry to continue.
"So, how did you discover Peter with this magical map?"
"Not entirely..." Harry shook his head and then began to recount the story from when Professor Lupin went to the Gryffindor Common Room.
During this time, Professor Dumbledore didn't ask any questions, but just listened quietly.
Harry spoke quickly, finishing in about ten minutes.
"So, is it Sirius Black?" Professor Dumbledore looked at the large black dog sitting on the floor, "Animagus... I see, no wonder no one could find you."
The black dog barked and sat up straight.
"He was also forced into it, Professor," Harry quickly said, "We all saw it, Blinky... Peter kept banging his head against the wand. This couldn't be a normal pet, right?"
Professor Dumbledore didn't answer his question, but instead asked meaningfully, "Harry, you seem to trust Sirius Black's words a lot. Have you ever thought that maybe he's deceiving you?"
"I don't think he's deceiving me," Harry said without hesitation, "I can feel that what he said is true... And if he's lying, he wouldn't dare to come here with us, right?"
"First, I must thank you for your trust in me, Harry."
Professor Dumbledore said calmly, "But it's already late, and after experiencing so many thrilling events, you should go back to your dormitory, have a cup of hot cocoa, and get a good night's sleep."
"Then, Professor, what about Sirius Black..."
"Leave it to me, Harry," Professor Dumbledore smiled, "If he's innocent, I promise to give you a satisfactory answer."
"Then... alright..."
In fact, Harry had a lot more to say, this was related to whether he could leave the Dursleys and go to a place where he didn't have to hide his magic books under the floor.
But since Professor Dumbledore had already spoken, he could only nod and walk towards the door with Ron and Hermione.
"Good night, Professor..."
The three of them left the Headmaster's Office one after another.
Kyle was originally following them, but just as he turned, he heard Professor Dumbledore say, "Kyle, can you wait for a moment?"
(End of Chapter)
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