Novel: Hogwarts: This Professor is Too Muggle | Author: Strange Fennel Bean
In the boundless space, the campfire burned quietly on the terrace, its warm glow turning the young wizards' faces a rosy red. The exhausted adult wizards were also slowly recovering. As their depleted magic returned, color began to creep back into their pale cheeks.
Peter squatted just outside the firelight, soaking up its warmth and dutifully gnawing on a piece of bread.
Ron was tending the fire. He was muttering "Fiendfyre Unleashed" under his breath, waving his wand and pretending to command cursed flames, though all he did was add a few wisps of ordinary fire to the logs.
Melvin put a stop to the Q&A session. He sipped his Butterbeer and surveyed the strange space. No one else felt like talking for the moment, leaving only the crackle of the fire and the fizz of beer bubbles to fill the silence under the open sky.
Surrounded by endless mist, the circle around the campfire fell quiet. Sirius watched the sparks fly upward, then looked at Harry. He felt like he was in a dream.
He didn't know how long this beautiful dream would last, or if he would be dragged back to that lonely island in the North Sea when he woke up.
"I never thought I'd get to talk to you again, Harry," Sirius murmured.
Harry was silent for a few seconds as complex emotions welled up. "I never thought so either."
"Twelve years in Azkaban... the memories are all muddled, foggier than a dream. Sometimes I can hardly remember how I survived."
Sirius slowed his speech. "When things got unbearable, I would transform in my cell. I became a dog... I haven't lost my mind yet, perhaps because I had no happy thoughts in my head. It was all regret and hatred, so the Dementors couldn't suck out my soul. It let me keep a clear head, remember who I was, and unconsciously store up magic.
"I thought I'd stay in that half-dream state, wasting away until I died in Azkaban to join James and Lily and beg for their forgiveness. But then I saw the newspaper... I saw the rat hiding right next to you."
Ron, who was poking the fire, suddenly froze. Peter paused mid-chew. Snape shot them a sideways glance.
"You don't need to blame yourself, Sirius. You didn't kill them," Harry whispered, trying to console him.
Sirius continued his reminiscence. "It was lucky I was so thin back then. Thin enough to slip through the bars. As a dog, I swam across the North Sea to the mainland. I wandered all the way back to London. I even went to Privet Drive. I heard a lot about you in Diagon Alley. When I heard you ran away from home after defending your parents, I was so happy."
A look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes. "I even watched you play Quidditch. You fly just as well as your father, Harry."
Images of the black dog flashed through Harry's mind, warming his heart. "I saw you lots of times. Honestly, it scared me a bit. Trelawney said you were the Grim."
A few chuckles broke out around the fire, lightening the mood.
"After coming to Hogwarts, I've been hiding in the Shrieking Shack and the Forbidden Forest. When I'm alone, I can't help but think about everything that's happened."
Sirius took a bite of bread, crumbs falling into his beard. "The truth is, I'm not a proper Gryffindor. I only have false courage. I was afraid to take real responsibility. Faced with parents who preached pure-blood supremacy, I didn't dare argue with them, so I ran away from the Black family..."
"Faced with the heavy burden of being Secret Keeper, I was afraid to shoulder your family's safety, so I passed it to Peter and chose to evade it."
"After that night, I was afraid to face Dumbledore, afraid to face you as a baby, so I went after Peter alone."
"After the Aurors caught me, I was afraid to face their judgment, afraid to face a trial, so I gave up my right to appeal and used atonement as an excuse to hide in Azkaban."
"Sometimes I wonder if I've just been too cowardly to face James and Lily, so I've dragged out this miserable existence, unwilling to die."
Snape and Lupin lowered their heads, watching the fire burn silently.
Guilt, evasion, fear of confrontation—perhaps Sirius wasn't the only one suffering from these.
Harry looked into Sirius's iron-gray eyes. The man's face was unshaven, haggard, and utterly wretched—a stray dog in every sense. Harry's voice was strained. "Don't say that..."
Sirius stuffed the rest of the bread into his mouth, chewed it whole, swallowed, and wiped his mouth. "Snape, I've thought it through. When we get back to reality, take Peter and me away. Hand us over to Dumbledore or the Aurors, it doesn't matter. I have no complaints. This is what I deserve!"
"Hmph..." Snape made a faint, noncommittal sound.
Harry was startled. He turned to look at Snape. The sallow face remained expressionless, his eyes devoid of any ripple of emotion. Harry felt a sudden surge of worry.
"Siri—"
"Listen! Harry..."
Sirius interrupted sharply. He stared straight into Harry's green eyes, as if trying to etch them into his brain, or perhaps looking through them to see his parents.
"I know he looks hostile towards us. He should be. He has his reasons. But he is trustworthy."
"Let me explain..."
Lupin took over, speaking calmly. "Sirius once played a trick on him that nearly cost him his life. Back in school, Severus was in our year. He always noticed my odd behavior. Starting from our third year, he became very interested in where I went every month."
"One evening during a full moon, Snape saw Madam Pomfrey walking me across the grounds. She was taking me to the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius told Severus how to get into the tunnel under the Willow, tricking him into going in. And he did..."
Sirius scratched his head and looked at Snape, meeting those deep, dark tunnel-like eyes, then silently looked away.
"It was extremely dangerous. I had already lost my mind. If he had reached the shack, he would have met a fully transformed werewolf. Thankfully, James stopped him and risked his life to pull him back."
Lupin paused briefly. "This is what Dumbledore once told you: Severus owed a life debt. He must repay it. That is why he will protect you. He will protect you with his life."
Finally, a slight ripple of emotion stirred in Snape's eyes.
Sirius licked a bit of cream from his lip. He had actually wanted to mention the Patronus. He didn't know why Remus had hidden the fact that Snape's Patronus was a doe—the same as Lily's.
He hesitated, then decided not to bring it up. "Anyway, you can trust Professor Snape, just as you trust Dumbledore."
Harry and the others focused their gaze on Snape. The Potions Master kept his eyelids lowered, revealing no emotion.
Peter stole a few glances at Melvin, afraid to make a sound, looking every bit the shifty rat.
"Alright, Hermione, take out the Time-Turner. It's time to go back."
The conversation ended abruptly. Hermione confusedly took off the necklace and handed it over. "But Professor... we don't know how many turns to make?"
"No need for that trouble..."
Melvin took the Time-Turner, had everyone hold onto a section of the chain, and then whispered:
"Point Me."
---
Twilight, Astronomy Tower
Snape stood on the wind-swept, snowy terrace, glancing at the two men behind him, then looked down at the black scorch mark left by a campfire on the stone floor.
Flanking him were two Marauders—one tall and thin, one short and stout. Sirius still looked wretched, gazing somewhat dazedly at the Forbidden Forest and the Black Lake in the distance. Peter Pettigrew hung his head in silence, his thoughts unknown.
Former Death Eater, escaped convict, traitor... Returning to reality gave Snape a moment of disorientation too.
When he had drunk the Polyjuice Potion and left the castle on a broom that afternoon, his eyes had burned with the fire of vengeance. His mind had been filled with thoughts of catching Sirius, torturing his soul, making him wish for death. After all this running around, perhaps his rage had burned out along with the Fiendfyre. Facing Peter now, he couldn't even summon the energy to torture him.
Thinking about it carefully... Voldemort was the one who killed Lily. But the accomplices were many.
Sirius Black transferred the Secret Keeper role. Peter Pettigrew leaked the secret... But at the root of it all, it was he, Severus Snape, who had delivered the prophecy that put Voldemort on their trail.
When confronted by Lily in the space between times, he had used Occlumency to evade her questions. Boggarts were easy to block, but he couldn't block his own heart.
Covered in sin himself, what right did he have to torture others on Lily's behalf?
"I just remembered something," Sirius said beside him.
having explained everything to Harry, Sirius felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He was much more relaxed, his tone lighter, no longer the bitter, vengeful man he had been.
Regardless of the Ministry's verdict, at least his godson wouldn't hate him anymore. His old friend wouldn't misunderstand him. The stain of betrayal had been washed away.
As for what other wizards thought?
Whatever. It didn't matter.
"Speak," Snape said, his tone still indifferent.
"The broom didn't break, did it? The Firebolt I bought—did you give it back to Harry?" Sirius asked seriously.
Snape couldn't be bothered to answer and started walking downstairs.
"You two will hide in the dungeon classroom for now. I'll have the house-elves bring two Christmas dinners down. Once they return to the correct anchor point and the feast ends—completing the time loop—I will bring Dumbledore to see you."
Sirius was persistent. "What about the Firebolt? Be clear. It cost thousands of Galleons. It's very expensive."
"..."
Peter kept his head down, daring not to make a sound as he followed cautiously. Although he wasn't bound and his magic had mostly recovered, he had absolutely no thought of escaping.
This Snape was a Death Eater in his youth and was now a lunatic master of the Dark Arts and Potions. Cruel, ruthless, cunning—like a venomous snake waiting to strike. He was capable of impersonating Harry just to set a trap. Who knew what the consequences of angering him would be?
And then there was Sirius, the manic dog. The last few times he broke into Hogwarts, he looked ready to tear Peter to shreds. Now he was willing to hand him over?
The time in Azkaban had definitely affected him.
"The most critical thing is that young Professor hasn't stated his position yet..."
Peter Pettigrew clutched his arm, muttering internally.
What does Mr. Levent want to do?
Is he really going to hand me over to clear Sirius's name?
He didn't believe it. Mr. Levent wasn't that kind of warm-hearted person. He was a master of Dark Magic, skilled at manipulating desires and controlling people's hearts—he had schemed to empty the Lestrange vault.
The Boggart's vision proved that Levent had surpassed Voldemort to become Peter's deepest fear. After witnessing that unbelievable display of magic with the twin serpents in the sky, Peter was utterly terrified. He would rather spend the rest of his miserable life in Azkaban than cross Levent.
Rats in the gutter knew best how to seek advantage and avoid harm. Even if it meant clinging to a wretched existence, living was better than dying.
At least there was a sumptuous Christmas dinner tonight.
Peter grinned, revealing a few shriveled yellow teeth, looking exactly like a rat that had stolen food.
---
"Professor, did you modify the spell? I can't believe the Point Me charm can locate a point in time!"
Hermione stood dumbfounded at the entrance to the tunnel under the Whomping Willow, clutching the restored Time-Turner. She hadn't recovered from the shock for a long time.
Regarding the taboo disasters of Time-Turners... the witch Eloise Mintumble suffered a tragic fate precisely because she couldn't accurately locate her time anchor. If she had known this, perhaps that poor witch wouldn't have blindly attempted to travel between past and future, eventually getting trapped for five centuries and aging to death.
But the young witch also knew that many of Professor Levent's spells were unique. The effects he produced were completely different from other wizards.
Like the Bubble-Head Charm, the Patronus Charm, the Fiendfyre Curse, and the blue flames that calmed animals...
"Professor, when did you come to find us?" Hermione asked.
"Eleven o'clock."
"Eleven!?" Hermione was startled.
"Yes. You returned to reality at the same time I did. This means your lives are missing an hour out of thin air. Add in the few hours you were trapped, and you've aged by about half a day," Melvin explained.
Harry and Ron looked at each other and grinned broadly. Thirteen-year-olds didn't care in the slightest about losing a few hours of lifespan. They even felt the adventure was worth it.
Lupin was used to it. He had aged prematurely anyway; despite being in his early thirties, he looked forty or fifty. A few hours meant nothing—a couple more gray hairs wouldn't even be noticed.
The group bade farewell to the Whomping Willow and headed back toward the castle.
The Bowtruckles waved their twiggy arms to see them off, and the Whomping Willow swayed its branches in farewell. The wizards' boots crunched on the snow, leaving a trail of footprints.
Hermione was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Melvin.
"Professor, I've decided. When I get back, I'm going to confess to Professor McGonagall and return the Time-Turner."
"Oh? What about your electives?"
Hermione had made up her mind; she had even thought through her schedule. "Muggle Studies is compulsory now, so there won't be conflicts. I'll drop Divination. If it's just Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures, I should be able to manage."
"I can help you communicate with the other elective professors to make appropriate adjustments. Perhaps you don't need to attend every class. We can waive the basic coursework—as long as you complete your essays on time and take the exams, you can still receive your certification."
Melvin smiled and said, "This is normal preferential treatment for top students in Muggle universities. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall shouldn't mind Hogwarts trying out some improvements."
"Professor!" Hermione cheered happily.
Harry was green with envy. He wanted to get out of homework too.
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