Chapter 697: An Old Friend
Chapter 697: An Old Friend
Harry was intrigued by Albert's words. He never expected that Professor Lupin was a good friend of his father's, and even Hagrid knew about it.
Why hadn't they ever mentioned this to him?
Harry hesitated for a few days before finally deciding to ask Hagrid about Professor Lupin.
"Hagrid, was Professor Lupin really a good friend of my father's?"
Hagrid paused as he poured tea, then looked up and asked, "Who told you that?"
"Albert," Hermione answered for Harry. She noticed that Hagrid seemed reluctant to discuss the topic.
"Lupin and James were indeed very close friends during their school days," Hagrid spoke slowly, "but..."
"Did they have a falling out?" Harry asked tentatively.
"No, not at all," Hagrid placed the three cups of strong tea in front of them and recalled, "They were always very close, inseparable, just like the three of you."
"Then why hasn't Professor Lupin ever come to see me since I was young?" Harry was perplexed. He felt that if Professor Lupin was truly his father's good friend, he wouldn't have ignored their only son after his friend's death.
At least, that's what Harry believed he would do in that situation.
"Professor Lupin hasn't been doing too well these years, and I don't know much else. If you have any questions, I suggest you ask him directly," Hagrid passed Harry's question back to Lupin and felt pleased with his own cleverness.
There were some things that Hagrid indeed found difficult to tell Harry, and he saw no benefit in revealing them now; it would only make matters worse.
"Alright!"
Realizing that he wouldn't get any more information from Hagrid, Harry gave up. He thought he could either ask Albert for information or approach Professor Lupin directly.
"Hagrid, what did Albert want with you?" Hermione changed the subject.
They had just run into Albert when they arrived.
"He came to seek my guidance on magical creatures," Hagrid felt a bit proud mentioning this, as Albert's inquiry acknowledged his expertise in the field of magical creatures.
However, as a newly appointed teacher, he knew he still had a lot to improve on.
"Guidance on magical creatures?" Ron's voice rose a few notches, his tone tinged with strangeness. Even Harry and Hermione's expressions turned unnatural. They couldn't help it, as Hagrid's class on magical creatures had been terrible.
"Ahem." Hagrid also noticed the looks on their faces and cleared his throat, "Albert is going to participate in... let me remember, it's called the 'Wizarding Schools Potions Championship.' So, he came to me to learn about the habits of magical beasts, to understand what to be cautious about in the forest, and where to find them."
"But how does that relate to potions...?"
"The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship," Hermione corrected.
"Yeah, how is that related to the Potions Championship?" Ron asked, confused.
"Apparently, the participants have to collect their own ingredients within a specified time in the magical gardens," Hagrid explained.
"I've never heard of this before."
"Hagrid, tell us more about the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship." Hermione was very interested in this topic.
"It's said to be a potions competition among the eleven wizarding schools in the magical world, and Hogwarts hasn't won the championship in a long time," Hagrid was also happy to shift the topic to Albert, "But this year, Hogwarts has a great chance of winning. As you know, Albert is extremely talented."
"After all, he's a genius!" Ron said sourly, "There's hardly anything that can stump him."
"He truly is a genius, excellent in everything he does," Hermione murmured.
"You don't know how much Fred and George admire Albert, and they always believe what he says," Hagrid added.
"That's because Albert can do Divination!" Hermione reminded him.
"Albert is indeed remarkable!" Harry agreed.
At the very least, Albert had mastered the advanced Patronus Charm very early on, and despite practicing for a whole week, Harry's Patronus was still incredibly weak.
"No, you don't know the whole story. I once overheard Fred and George talking about how Albert has his eyes on Sirius Black's hefty bounty. He predicted that Black would show up at Hogwarts, and he intends to capture him and turn him in to the Ministry for that reward money, which he plans to use for their joke shop," Ron recalled a conversation he had accidentally overheard between the twins shortly after they returned from Egypt.
"In that case, I should thank him. If he needs bait, I can help, and he can just remember to give me a cut of the reward," Harry said half-jokingly.
"Harry, that's not the point. The point is that Albert believes Sirius Black will show up at Hogwarts," Hermione frowned, and although she was reluctant to admit it, Albert's predictions were usually accurate. If he said that Sirius Black would appear at Hogwarts, then Harry needed to be cautious.
"Maybe we can ask Albert to help us divine when Sirius Black will appear, and then we can ambush him together!" Ron suggested excitedly. The reward of one thousand galleons for Black was very tempting, and if possible, he wanted a share of that reward, even if it was just a few galleons.
"Don't get your hopes up. Black isn't that easy to capture; otherwise, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't still be looking for him," Hagrid was startled by their boldness and quickly said, "I asked Albert about it, and he said the possibility is low... and the time isn't right yet."
"The right time?"
"Don't ask me, I don't know. Diviners are always so mysterious," Hagrid recalled Albert's demeanor when he spoke about this and shook his head, "I remember you all chose to take Divination as an elective."
"Don't bring that up. Professor Trelawney is a charlatan who loves to play coy," Hermione began to tell Hagrid about how Professor Trelawney had predicted Harry's death on the first class of the semester.
"I'm not very familiar with Professor Trelawney, but I've heard many students call her 'Old Fraud' behind her back," Hagrid turned to look out the window and stood up, "Well, I'll walk you back to the castle."
"No need, Hagrid, we can make our own way ba-"
"I insist, Harry. You should be mindful of your safety now," Hagrid stood up, ready to escort the trio back to the castle.
"Hogwarts is very safe, and there are a bunch of Dementors surrounding the school."
"Albert doesn't trust Dementors, and I think he's right. If Sirius Black could escape from Azkaban, he must have a way to hide from the Dementors," Hagrid was now more inclined to believe Albert's judgment, especially after the incident in the first class. He regretted not heeding Albert's advice back then.
"Harry, promise me you won't wander around after dark, okay?"
(End of Chapter)
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