Chapter 161: "My" Imagination and Experiments on Harry
After realizing that the new Charm he had developed differed from what he had expected, Professor Aisen fell into contemplation.
Only then did Professor Aisen discover something he had never understood before. That is, how exactly can a person represent himself?
Is it a person's soul? Or a person's memory?
For many people, such questions may have different answers. Even in different worlds, the answers vary.
Just like the world Professor Aisen is currently in, any Witch understands that the most fundamental aspect of a person is their soul.
The most direct example is Voldemort; he can split his soul and make it into horcruxes to ensure he won't be killed. With this, he conquers death.
However, if all of "my" memories are altered, then is "I" still "I"? This is definitely a question worth pondering.
After all, Professor Aisen himself transmigrated to this world. And his self-Cognition comes from the memories of his previous life.
Without those memories, Professor Aisen felt he would definitely become another person. Therefore, in ProfessorAisen's view, the memories of self-Cognition are absolutely crucial.
Thinking this, Professor Aisen suddenly realized that the Dream God Spell he had developed was definitely a perfect method achieved by chance.
Currently, Professor Aisen's understanding might be superficial, thinking that as long as memories are eternal, one can be "immortal."
Even if Professor Aisen were to get a new body and reincarnate into an animal or plant, with all his memories, Professor Aisen would still not feel that "I" would no longer be "I."
However, this world happens to have methods like Obliviate and Legilimency to alter memories. Clearly, this poses a challenge to Professor Aisen's self-Cognition .
Coincidentally, while his research on horcruxes yielded no results, Professor Aisen developed the Dream God Spellby starting from memory.
Even though initially, Professor Aisen's goal was to use this method to touch the soul for further research on horcruxes, he unexpectedly created a dream realm based on Professor Aisen himself.
And the dream realm is constructed around ProfessorAisen's Cognition and all his memories, making it extremely stable and able to exist for a long time. This means that Professor Aisen is now completely immune to Obliviate and Legilimency.
It must be said, this was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Of course, this also indicates that Professor Aisen's memories can exist not only by relying on the physical body but also by relying on the dream realm.
Upon closer inspection, Professor Aisen feels this resembles a minimalist version of a Horcrux. In fact, if the dream realm he created could exist without relying on a physical body, it would directly fall under the category of an alternative Horcrux!
Thinking this, the ecstatic joy in Professor Aisen's heart was momentarily irrepressible. However, it's understandable; he had originally intended to research a Horcrux without side effects, and unexpectedly, a chance action solved most of the problem.
Of course, Professor Aisen also vaguely felt that the reason he was able to develop such a Charm and create a dream realm might have a great connection with the golden finger he possesses.
Therefore, even though Professor Aisen has now created the prototype of an alternative Horcrux—the dream realm—he still needs to continue exploring the secrets of the soul. Perhaps one day, Professor Aisen will be able to discover the golden finger hidden deep within his soul.
However, this issue is still a bit distant for the current Professor Aisen, so he won't dwell on it for now.
On the morning of Halloween Eve, while Professor Aisenwas eating in the Great Hall, he noticed many Little Wizards excitedly discussing something.
From their words, he could hear terms like "Honeydukes" and "Zonko's Joke Shop," indicating they were discussing the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade.
Naturally, unlike the others' excitement, Harry's mood was particularly low.
Although Hermione said she would go to Honeydukesand bring back many candies for Harry, it still failed to cheer him up. However, Harry was still looking forward to the Halloween Feast.
This year's Halloween Feast should be great, but Harryfelt it would be even better if he could also go to Hogsmeade to play all day and then come back to attend the Halloween Feast with everyone.
After breakfast, the Little Wizards lined up in the entrance hall to check their names against the list of approved students for Hogsmeade with the caretaker Filch. Filch had to prevent those who shouldn't go from sneaking through.
This level of strictness made Professor Aisen quite surprised. Although Professor Aisen didn't understand why Hogwarts had such a rule, he didn't need to violate it.
Therefore, Professor Aisen had no intention of taking Harry to Hogsmeade. However, since he had developed the Dream God Spell, Professor Aisen decided to experiment with it on Harry.
After the Dream God Spell was developed, ProfessorAisen could freely enter and exit the dream realm he created. And each time he cast the Dream God Spell, he could reinforce his self-Cognition and memories, making the dream realm more stable.
After entering the dream realm, just as Professor Aisenhad tried before, he could achieve whatever he wanted in the dream realm at will.
This was an attempt at its effect on himself, and for attempts on others, Professor Aisen believed it should be possible to explore others' memories, or even souls.
Of course, Professor Aisen wasn't sure if he could explore souls. After all, he himself still hadn't touched his own soul. However, this didn't prevent Professor Aisen from experimenting on Harry.
Perhaps, he could even detect the fragment of Voldemort's soul on Harry!
However, when Professor Aisen changed his perspective to look for Harry, he found him in Professor Lupin's office, the two of them discussing something unknown.
In the evening, Professor Aisen came to the Gryffindor Common Room and saw Harry spacing out.
"Professor Aisen, is something the matter?" Seeing Professor Aisen enter through the portrait hole, Harrywas a little surprised.
"Yes, knowing you can't go to Hogsmeade, I came over to cast a Charm on you," Professor Aisen pulled up a chair and sat beside Harry, speaking slowly.
"What Charm? What does it do?" Harry's low mood lifted, and he instantly became interested.
"Hmm, I've invented a new Charm that can let you wander around Hogsmeade!" Professor Aisen's lips curved slightly, looking at Harry with interest.
"Really? That's great! Professor, when do we start!" Harryjumped up directly.
"That's right, we can start now. Okay, sit on the sofa and relax a bit," Professor Aisen took out his wand, and a light fell on Harry, calming his mind.
Then, Professor Aisen cast the Dream God Spell, directly pulling Harry's consciousness into the dream realm.
Before casting the Charm, Professor Aisen had expanded the dream realm, loading the entire Hogsmeade scene into it. Therefore, when Harry's consciousness was pulled into the dream realm, he was already on Hogsmeadestreet.
The objects in the memory scene were synchronized by Professor Aisen based on reality. The actions of the characters, on the other hand, were recreated based on Professor Aisen's memories.
Therefore, when Harry wandered around the Hogsmeadescene in the dream realm, it was much like wandering around the real Hogsmeade. Dervish and Banges, Honeydukes Sweetshop, The Three Broomsticks Bar, Zonko's Joke Shop, and so on.
Harry traveled through the Hogsmeade scene, chatting with virtual characters, and so on.
As Harry traveled through Hogsmeade in the dream realm, Harry's memories also unfolded within the dream realm. Professor Aisen was not interested in Harry's memories.
He flipped through Harry's memories, going directly back to the moment Voldemort was backfired upon:
Voldemort cast an Avada Kedavra at Harry's forehead, but the Charm rebounded and hit Voldemort himself. Voldemort's body was shattered, and soul fragments splashed onto Harry.
Concentrating fully, extending from Harry's consciousness to his physical body, he could faintly feel a trace of disharmony around his forehead. But he couldn't find the fragment of Voldemort's soul there no matter what.
After several attempts, Professor Aisen temporarily gave up. Clearly, the current Professor Aisen indeed couldn't touch souls, neither his own nor others'.
It could be said that this experiment attempted on Harryfailed. However, thankfully, this result was within Professor Aisen's expectations.
After all, directly solving the problem on Harry was not a simple matter.
With a thought, the flow of time in the dream realm sped up. Then, Professor Aisen withdrew the dream realm and cut off Harry's consciousness.
Harry's eyelids twitched, and then he slowly opened his eyes.
Chapter 162: Hogsmeade Experiences and the Beginning
"How was it?" Professor Aisen asked with a smile, looking at Harry, whose eyes were wide open and whose face still showed uncontainable excitement.
"It was amazing!" Harry's gloomy mood vanished. "Professor Aisen, was all that real? I even ate some candy at Honeydukes, it tasted fantastic! And the Dervish and Banges shop, it had all sorts of Quidditch gear!"
"Well, in a way, none of that was real," Professor Aisensaid with a smile. "However, those were all things I experienced. I used magic to recreate them, so everything you saw can't be considered fake either!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Harry couldn't help but exclaim, "magic is truly incredible!"
"That's right, magic allows us to do things ordinary people can't," Professor Aisen nodded, understanding Harry's meaning perfectly.
A few minutes later, the Fat Lady's portrait hole opened, and some third-year Little Wizards returned from Hogsmeade.
The Little Wizards entered the Gryffindor Common Roomlaughing, clearly having had a great time. When Hermione saw Professor Aisen sitting in a chair, her eyes lit up and she walked over.
"Professor Aisen, you should try these—oh, and Harry, these are the candies I brought for you!" Hermione stuffed a large handful of candies into Professor Aisen's hands, then handed some to Harry.
"Thanks, Hermione!" Professor Aisen winked at Hermione, picked up a piece of fudge, and popped it into his mouth.
"Thanks!" Harry's face was full of smiles. He took a candy from a small bag of Pepper Imps, put it in his mouth, and chewed. "I saw these candies at Honeydukes, hmm—the taste is a little different, but this one is better!"
"You went to Hogsmeade?" Ron's face, red from the cold, showed a look of extreme surprise. Even Hermione beside him looked at Harry strangely.
"Ha! No," Harry shook his head, then nodded again. "But Professor Aisen cast a Charm on me just now, and then it was like I really entered Hogsmeade.
I went to Honeydukes, and I also went to the Three Broomsticks and Dervish and Banges. Oh, right, I also checked out the Owlery, there were so many flying brooms in there!"
Hermione and Ron were stunned. They had been eager to share their Hogsmeade experiences with Harry, but now they didn't know what to say. Professor Aisen, seeing this, was a little amused.
"Oh, right, Harry, have you finished your homework?" Hermione abruptly changed the subject.
"No—" Harry said. "After you went to Hogsmeade, I went to Professor Lupin's office, and he made me a cup of tea. Then Professor Snape came in too..."
After Harry's explanation, Hermione and Ron learned that Professor Lupin had actually drunk the Potion brewed by Professor Snape. Professor Aisen nodded thoughtfully, clearly understanding that Professor Snape had brewed the Werewolf Potion for Professor Lupin to prevent him from transforming on the full moon.
Ron looked horrified. "Is he crazy? Wasn't he afraid Professor Snape would give him poison?"
"Don't overthink it. Professor Lupin was invited by Professor Dumbledore to be the Professor of Dark Arts. Professor Snape understands this; he would never openly poison a Professor," Professor Aisen's mouth twitched slightly, then he stood up and waved to the few of them. "Come on, let's go downstairs quickly, the Halloween Feast is about to begin."
Walking through the corridor, and passing from the entrance hall into the Great Hall, Professor Aisen noticed that the entire Hall had been decorated.
Near the ceiling, there was a swarm of flying bats and many orange streamers that looked like fire. Of course, the most eye-catching were the giant pumpkin lanterns.
Professor Aisen noticed that perhaps because Fred and George had been pranked by Hagrid with pumpkin lanterns at last year's Halloween Feast, no one was playing inside the pumpkin lanterns this year.
Perhaps for this reason, the inner walls of all the pumpkin lanterns glowed with green and red light, echoing eerie and strange sounds, which amplified the effect of a terrifying atmosphere.
This, in turn, made many Little Wizards interested.
The Halloween food was exquisite. At the staff table, Professor Aisen tasted the delicious dishes. Professor Flitwick and Professor Lupin were discussing something, both in high spirits.
Professor Snape sat calmly to the side, his face devoid of any expression. This made Professor Aisen wonder if Professor Snape ever smiled? However, the occasional glances Professor Snape cast towards Professor Lupin, filled with disgust, showed that he was not a cold robot.
The feast went very smoothly. The tense, oppressive atmosphere that had built up since the start of the Hogwarts term seemed to be swept away. All the Little Wizards were laughing and talking.
At the end of the feast, the ghosts of Hogwarts provided entertainment. The ghosts appeared suddenly from the walls and tables, performing a show by gliding in formation.
Nearly Headless Nick of Gryffindor also made an appearance, performing the scene of his own beheading.
Everyone felt they had had a pleasant evening, but they couldn't have known that just ten minutes after the feast ended, the atmosphere would reverse.
Suddenly, the joy accumulated by the Little Wizards from a day in Hogsmeade and at the Halloween Feastvanished. Panic and an oppressive atmosphere once again permeated the Castle.
When the whole incident occurred, Professor Aisen was still discussing the Patronus Charm for dealing with Dementors with Professor Lupin.
In Professor Aisen's view, it was indeed confusing that Dementors could absorb happy emotions but could be repelled by the Patronus, which represents happy emotions. However, after their discussion, ProfessorAisen deeply understood that although the Patronus represents happiness and beauty, it is essentially a type of magic.
Therefore, the Patronus can resist and repel Dementors. By understanding the essence more deeply, ProfessorAisen felt that the power of his Charms would increase.
"Professor Dumbledore, I think you need to go take a look, something's happened on the eighth floor!" A Little Wizard stumbled over, his face showing panic.
Professor Dumbledore and the other Professors quickly headed to the eighth floor. Professor Aisen did not follow. With God's Perspective activated, he could clearly see many Little Wizards gathered around the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.
However, all the Little Wizards had panicked expressions. The Fat Lady had disappeared, and her portrait had been maliciously vandalized. Large pieces of canvas had been torn from the frame, and small scraps of canvas were scattered everywhere on the floor.
Clearly, if there were no surprises, this was done by Sirius Black.
Ten minutes later, Professor Dumbledore returned to the Great Hall. At the same time, students from all four Houses also returned to the Great Hall one after another. Except for the Gryffindor students, the others didn't understand what had happened.
After Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwickclosed all the doors of the Great Hall, Professor Dumbledore began to speak.
"The staff and I will be conducting a thorough search of the Castle," Professor Dumbledore scanned all the students. "For your own safety, I think you may have to spend the night here!
I require the Prefects to stand guard at the Great Hallentrance, and the Head Boy and Head Girl to remain in the Great Hall to supervise and report any problems to me immediately."
After giving instructions, Professor Dumbledore waved his wand, moving the four long dining tables against the walls. Then, waving his wand again, he conjured hundreds of sleeping bags.
After leaving the Great Hall doors, the Professors each received tasks from Professor Dumbledore to investigate different floors. Professor Aisen was assigned to investigate the Astronomy Tower, the West Tower, and the North Tower.
Professor Aisen had no objection to this. Standing at the top of the Astronomy Tower where classes were held, Professor Aisen could clearly see everything he wanted to with God's Perspective.
At three in the morning, Professor Aisen entered the Great Hall and saw Professor Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Professor Aisen said calmly. "There's nothing unusual anywhere!"
"What about Trelawney's room? The Owlery?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, I checked them all!" Professor Aisen nodded.
"Headmaster?" Professor Snape opened the Hall doors and walked in, then went straight to Professor Dumbledore. "The entire fourth floor has been searched, he's not there. Filch searched the main Castle building, he wasn't there either..."
"Clearly, Sirius Black is not lingering in the Castle..." Professor Dumbledore glanced at Professor Aisen and Professor Snape, then said slowly.
For a moment, the few of them fell silent.
Chapter 163: Spreading Panic and the Quidditch Match
"How did Sirius Black get in? Do you have any insights on this, Headmaster!" After a long pause, Snape asked.
"Professor Aisen, what do you think?" Dumbledorepondered for a moment, then turned to look at Aisen. Dumbledore's action made Snape also focus his attention on him.
"There are Dementors guarding the entrance, so it's unlikely he could get in. However, if there's a way to deceive Dementors, then it might not be impossible to sneak into Hogwarts—" Aisen was silent for a moment, then stated his "guess."
"You mean, through Polyjuice Potion?" Snape suddenly interjected.
"Oh! Yes, that's what I meant." Aisen's eyes narrowed slightly. Originally, Aisen was hinting at Animagus, but Snape's mention of Polyjuice Potion also seemed plausible for deceiving Dementors.
Just like Barty Crouch Jr., his mother used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him, successfully deceiving the Dementors guarding Azkaban and allowing Barty Crouch Jr. to escape Azkaban.
"If that's the case, then, Severus, I'll have to trouble you next—" A thoughtful look appeared in Dumbledore's eyes, and he nodded at Snape.
"Yes, Headmaster, I will brew some antidotes, but I must remind you that if Black has help from someone inside, entering Hogwarts Castle is also very easy—" Snapenodded, but his tone shifted as he brought up another matter: "Do you remember our conversation? Just before the start of the term—you appointed—"
"Severus, I believe no one in this Castle would be willing to help Black get in!" Dumbledore interrupted Snape.
Clearly, the person Snape suspected was Professor Lupin, the Professor of Dark Arts. However, in Aisen's opinion, it was normal for Snape to think this way. After all, he knew that Lupin and Black were connected.
"Alright, I must go to the Dementors. After we finish searching, we must inform them." Dumbledore said, turning and leaving the Great Hall.
After a moment of silence, Snape said nothing, his deep gaze making it impossible to discern what he was thinking. Then, Snape also turned and left.
In the following days, all the students at Hogwarts were talking about Sirius Black.
As for how Black entered Hogwarts, the rumors became increasingly unreliable.
A Ravenclaw student believed Black entered the Castlethrough stealth, appearing out of thin air. This idea gained a lot of support, but Hermione scoffed at it.
Because Hermione had read in *Hogwarts, A History* that Hogwarts Castle was protected not only by walls but also by various magical defenses, making it impossible to enter through stealth.
A Hufflepuff student thought Black might have entered through disguise. Dean Thomas from Gryffindor believed Black might have flown in.
But clearly, Hermione had valid reasons to refute both. Because whether he entered through disguise or flew in directly, the Dementors couldn't possibly have failed to detect him.
A more outrageous claim came from Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff, who believed Black could transform into a flowering bush, thus successfully sneaking into Hogwarts Castle. She even spent a long time telling this to everyone who was willing to listen.
The portrait at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room was taken down and replaced with Sir Cadogan and a fat pony. Afterwards, students from each House could return to their respective dormitories to rest.
However, this period was not easy for Harry. He was under close surveillance, and some Professors would always run into him in the corridor and find excuses to walk with him.
Even Aisen himself was "obligated" to escort Harryduring certain times.
On Saturday evening, during a practical class for the dueling club, after the Trio had an exciting duel, Harryfound Aisen in private.
"Professor Aisen, what do you think?" Harry looked at Aisen with wide eyes, full of anticipation.
"You mean you want me to supervise your Quidditchtraining?" Recalling what Harry had said, Aisen couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
"Yes, Professor McGonagall doesn't think it's a good idea for me to practice Quidditch in the evening. But the first match is only a week away, so I have to train with Woodand the others." Harry nodded vigorously. "Professor McGonagall thought a teacher should be present and planned to ask Madam Hooch to supervise us.
I told Professor McGonagall that it would be more appropriate for Professor Aisen to supervise us. Professor McGonagall agreed!"
Since Aisen had nothing else to do, he agreed.
Perhaps due to Aisen's supervision, the Gryffindor team's training became exceptionally diligent.
However, the oppressive atmosphere at Hogwartscontinued to spread, and the weather grew worse. This cast a shadow over all the Gryffindor players.
In the final training session before the match, the Gryffindor team captain, Oliver Wood, brought even worse news: they couldn't play against the Slytherinteam.
The reason was that the Slytherin team's Seeker, Malfoy, had used his injured arm as an excuse to cancel the upcoming match.
This meant the Gryffindor team's opponent was changed to the Hufflepuff team.
This was extremely bad news for the Gryffindors. They had been training specifically to counter Slytherin's style.
Not just the other players, Harry also felt this was terrible news. He knew Malfoy's arm had healed long ago and there was nothing wrong with it. But unfortunately, they couldn't prove it.
On the eve of the match, Harry encountered something even worse. He ran into Snape, that old bat, during Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. As a result, Snapefound an excuse to deduct ten points from Gryffindor.
Aisen didn't want to comment on the feud between Snape and Lupin. But undoubtedly, for the Little Wizardswho liked Professor Lupin, Snape's actions were like a nuclear bomb.
Early Saturday morning, after Aisen got up and ate breakfast, he followed the crowd to the Quidditch Pitch.
The wind howled across the pitch, and heavy rain poured down. Many Little Wizards' umbrellas were blown away by the wind. By the time the Gryffindor and Hufflepuffplayers reached the center of the pitch, they were staggering and almost falling over.
Amidst the roaring thunder, even the spectators in the stands cheering loudly could barely be heard by the players on the pitch.
"Professor Aisen, do you think Gryffindor will win today?" Hermione, sitting next to Aisen, looked at the situation on the pitch through her binoculars and asked.
"It's hard to say. Harry and the others have been training tactics specifically against Slytherin's style. If the opponent suddenly changes to Hufflepuff, it might have some impact." As Aisen spoke, his mind moved, and the invisible shield above his head expanded to cover Hermione as well.
As Madam Hooch blew the whistle, the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff officially began.
This match was a test for Harry. Due to the influence of the strong wind and heavy rain, in Harry's eyes, the figures of his teammates were blurred, let alone his target, the golden snitch.
As a result, in just five minutes, all the players, including Harry, were completely soaked.
Gryffindor was temporarily leading by fifty points, but at this moment, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, Wood, called a timeout.
"Professor, I'm going down!" Hermione seemed to have thought of something, and wrapped in her cloak, she hurried down from the stands.
His vision quickly zoomed in, and Aisen saw Hermione go to Harry's side, take out her wand, cast a spell on Harry's glasses, and then turn and run back towards the stands.
"You cast a spell on Harry's glasses?" Looking at Hermione as she sat down beside him, Aisen asked.
"Yes, I suddenly thought that Harry wearing glasses would be at a disadvantage playing in the rain, so I put a Waterproof Charm on his glasses." Hermione looked at Aisen, seemingly waiting for his praise.
"Good, you are very thoughtful. That is indeed a very practical spell." Aisen smiled slightly and nodded at Hermione.
Chapter 164: Dementor Attack
Hmm—
Professor Aisen suddenly frowned slightly. From God's Perspective, he had already seen a large Black dog appear in the highest empty row of the spectator stands. Obviously, it was Sirius Black.
Black looked in Harry's direction, clearly also watching the match. However, Professor Aisen noticed that Blackseemed to have discovered something and hurriedly left the stands.
This is—
Is the Dementor attack coming? As the thought crossed his mind, Professor Aisen had already seen everything from God's Perspective.
The Dementors stationed at the various entrances of Hogwarts seemed to be attracted by the fervent atmosphere on the Quidditch Pitch and were flying towards Professor Aisen.
In just a moment, a large group of Dementors had arrived at the Quidditch Pitch.
Immediately, the cold air condensed, the thunder paused, the wind was still strong but silent. The cheers from the entire Quidditch Pitch seemed to disappear all at once, and the whole world fell into silence.
Dementors wandered around the pitch, from the stands to the center of the field. Cedric of Hufflepuff caught the golden snitch, but Harry, surrounded by Dementors, fell from his broom.
"Professor Aisen, it's the Dementors—" Hermione stood up and grabbed Professor Aisen's arm, involuntarily screaming.
"It's alright, Professor Dumbledore has taken action, look—" Professor Aisen gently rubbed Hermione's head. A faint silver light appeared and reflected off the protective shield, dispelling the cold brought by the Dementors.
A silver Phoenix flew from the stands into the center of the pitch, emitting a brilliant light that directly drove all the Dementors away.
The entire world suddenly brightened considerably, even piercing through the storm. At this moment, Professor Dumbledore's Patronus was so dazzling.
Although Professor Aisen was confident he could achieve the same level, since Professor Dumbledore had acted, there was no need for him to show off.
After casting the Patronus Charm, Professor Dumbledorecast a Slowing Charm on Harry, allowing Harry to land safely. Unfortunately, Harry's broom was blown away by the wind.
"Let's go, let's go see how Harry is!" Seeing Hermionebreathe a sigh of relief, Professor Aisen still called her to go down from the stands with him.
Arriving at the Quidditch Pitch, Professor Aisen found that Harry had already fainted.
Professor Dumbledore conjured a stretcher with a grim face. After making Harry float on the stretcher, he instructed a few Gryffindor players to take Harry to the school hospital and then left in a hurry.
"Professor Aisen!" Fred and George saw Professor Aisenwalking over.
"Let's go, hurry and take Harry to the hospital—" Professor Aisen nodded, pulled out his wand and waved it. The invisible protective shield covering him expanded, covering the Gryffindor students.
After being shielded from the wind and rain, their speed increased significantly.
A few minutes later, Harry had been carried into the school hospital and was lying on a bed. Looking at the Gryffindor Quidditch team members, covered in mud and soaked, Professor Aisen used a Cleaning Charm to restore them to their normal appearance.
Just as Professor Aisen finished casting the spell on them, Professor Flitwick walked in from outside.
"Professor Flitwick, what is this?" Seeing Professor Flitwick come in with some Wood and broom tail fragments floating behind him, Professor Aisen was stunned.
"Unfortunately, Harry's broom was broken by the Whomping Willow!" Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and the Wood and broom tail fragments flew into a schoolbag, which then landed by Harry's bed.
"Uh, that is indeed a regrettable matter!" For a moment, Professor Aisen was also speechless.
After Professor Flitwick left, Professor Aisen looked at the schoolbag at his feet and shook his head. Everyone continued to stand around Harry's bed, looking worried.
"Professor Aisen, is Harry alright!" Hermione stood by Professor Aisen's side, looking at Ron, Fred, Alicia, and others gathered around Harry's bed, with a worried expression.
"Don't worry, Professor Dumbledore has checked on Harry's condition, he will definitely be fine." ProfessorAisen comforted her, then paused and pointed at Harry, "Look, isn't he waking up?"
Hermione turned her head to look and found that Harryhad already opened his eyes.
"Harry!" Fred leaned closer to Harry, "How do you feel?"
"What happened?" Harry seemed to remember something and suddenly sat up, startling everyone around the bed.
"Uh, you fell—" Fred hesitated, "About—um—fifty feet?"
"We thought you were dead?" Alicia's body trembled slightly, and the others also showed expressions of lingering fear.
"That match—what happened?" Harry turned to look at everyone, "Can we play again?"
Hearing Harry's question, everyone fell silent for a moment.
"We didn't—lose, did we?" Seemingly having anticipated the outcome, Harry's voice was much lower.
"Cedric caught the golden snitch," George explained, "He didn't understand what happened, and when he looked back and saw you fall to the ground, he wanted to stop the match and replay it. But they won fair and square, even Wood admitted that."
"Where is Wood?" Seeing everyone's somewhat downcast expressions, Harry suddenly asked as if remembering something.
"Uh, he's still standing in the rain. I think he's trying to drown himself!" Fred shrugged.
After hearing Fred's words, Harry couldn't help but bury his head in his knees, gripping his hair tightly with his hands, seemingly exceptionally frustrated.
"Alright, don't think so much, Harry, you always used to catch the golden snitch." Fred grabbed Harry's shoulders and shook him roughly a few times.
"That's right, everyone makes mistakes sometimes," George said, "Besides, the match isn't over yet!"
"Exactly, we lost one hundred points, right! So, if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw, and we beat Ravenclawand Slytherin, then Hufflepuff will lose two hundred points!" Fred tried every way to comfort Harry.
Ten minutes later, Madam Pomfrey came in and interrupted Fred and George, stating that Harry needed a period of quiet rest. The team members left one after another, leaving Harry lying in bed in a daze.
"Harry, are you alright!" Professor Aisen stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Professor Dumbledore knows about this, he will handle everything!"
Ron and Hermione stepped forward, looking at Harrywith worried expressions.
"I'm fine, Professor Aisen." Harry looked up at ProfessorAisen and changed the subject, "Did anyone get my Nimbus 2000?"
"Uh—when you fell, it was also blown away by the wind!" Hermione hesitated.
"And then?" Harry looked at Hermione.
"And then, it hit—it hit the Whomping Willow," Hermione said cautiously.
"And then?" Harry's breathing quickened.
"Uh—you know, that Whomping Willow doesn't like being hit, so—" Ron said with a difficult expression.
"Professor Flitwick just brought it over!" Professor Aisenpulled out his wand and pointed at the schoolbag on the ground. The schoolbag flew up and turned upside down, spilling the remnants of the broom next to Harry.
The news of Harry Potter being attacked by Dementors and falling from his broom quickly spread throughout Hogwarts. This was the second time Harry had been "scared" unconscious by Dementors.
Especially Malfoy from Slytherin, who once again pretended to be scared unconscious by Dementors in public to celebrate Harry's mistake.
The Little Wizards in Gryffindor House were very disappointed, while the Little Wizards in Slytherin House were exceptionally happy. Of course, many Little Wizardsremembered Professor Trelawney's prophecy about Harry and felt that Harry indeed carried misfortune.
At the same time, a rumor also began to circulate in the school at some point. The rumor said that the misfortune on Harry was very likely to be contagious to others.
Therefore, when Harry left the school hospital, he found that many Little Wizards had started avoiding him.
However, after Harry's broom was broken by the Whomping Willow and couldn't be repaired, he had been in a low mood. Therefore, he didn't pay attention to others' attitudes towards him.
On Monday, Harry returned to the already noisy and busy school life. Although he still had to endure Malfoy's ridicule, it finally brought him some relief.
While the school's Little Wizards were still discussing the Dementors, another explosive event quickly spread throughout Hogwarts.
Chapter 165: Dumbledore, the Man Behind the Scenes?
That night, in his office, Aisen was immersed in a dream, experimenting with some of his ideas, when the Trio came knocking.
"Coming in such a hurry, is something wrong?" Seeing the panicked look on the Trio's faces, Aisen asked directly.
"Professor Aisen, look—" The Trio exchanged glances, then Harry walked up to Aisen and placed a newspaper on the desk.
Glancing at the Trio, Aisen calmly picked up The Daily Prophet, and the contents of the newspaper immediately came into his view.
"Recently, the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban has caused a huge stir. It is reported that the greatest Witch of our time, Dumbledore, is actually an ambitious schemer who took the opportunity to help the fraud Gilderoy Lockhart successfully escape from Azkaban...
Regarding this, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, specifically sought Dumbledore to handle the matter. Dumbledore firmly denied this accusation. However, the Ministry of Magic has extracted relevant memories from a Muggle as direct evidence...
The Ministry of Magic has reason to suspect that Dumbledore was also involved in Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban. Dumbledore vehemently denied this and counter-attacked, submitting evidence of the Dementors stationed at the entrance of Hogwarts attacking students, causing the Savior, Harry Potter, to fall unconscious...
Special report by our reporter, Rita Skeeter."
After reading the article, Aisen interrupted the Trio's attempt to speak, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.
"What is this? What's going on? Lockhart escaped, and Dumbledore helped him?" For a moment, Aisen's thoughts raced, unable to make sense of it.
After a while, Aisen opened his eyes, saw the Trio looking at him expectantly, took a deep breath, and asked directly, "Anything you want to say?"
"Professor Aisen, did Dumbledore really help Sirius Blackescape?" Ron was the first to speak.
"You should be very clear about what kind of reporter Rita Skeeter is; she loves to fabricate stories. Therefore, Dumbledore absolutely cannot be that kind of person!" Aisen frowned slightly and said in a firm tone.
"What about Dumbledore helping Lockhart escape from Azkaban?" Seeing Aisen look at her, Hermione's voice involuntarily became much softer. "I mean, the Ministry of Magic found memories from a Muggle as evidence—"
"Why would Dumbledore help Lockhart escape?" Aisenscanned the Trio and slowly said, "Don't forget, it was Dumbledore who gave an interview to The Daily Prophet, exposing Lockhart's true colors, which led to him being locked up in Azkaban."
Harry and Ron's faces showed sudden realization, thinking of the "evidence" they had found in Lockhart's office earlier.
However, Hermione's face still showed a conflicted expression.
"Alright, do you remember Lockhart's skill?" Seeing the conflicted look on Hermione's face, Aisen couldn't help but remind her.
"Professor Aisen, are you saying—Obliviate?" Hermionesaid, a thoughtful look appearing in her eyes.
"The Ministry of Magic said they extracted memories from a Muggle that could serve as evidence, but don't forget, memories can be altered. And Lockhart happens to be a master at manipulating memories. So—" Aisen nodded and stopped halfway through his sentence.
"So, what the Ministry of Magic said about Dumbledorehelping Lockhart escape might be false!" Hermione said eagerly, blurting out the answer.
Immediately, Harry and Ron also breathed a sigh of relief.
Is that really the case? Aisen, however, felt some doubt.
In the original story, Lockhart seemed to have permanently lost his memory and remained in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. As for what happened later, because he wasn't part of the Trio, there was no further news.
However, from some scattered words, it could be seen that even though Lockhart had lost his memory, his identity as a fraud had not been publicly revealed by Harry and Ron. This allowed him to still receive letters from some fans while he was at St. Mungo's.
But now, due to some unexpected events, although Lockhart was sent to St. Mungo's for treatment and then locked up in Azkaban, he did not lose his memory.
Given this, Aisen could actually understand if it caused some butterfly effects. However, what skill did Lockharthave to escape from Azkaban?
Was it really as the Ministry of Magic said, that Lockhartescaped with Dumbledore's help? But Dumbledoreclearly had no reason to do so.
If it wasn't Dumbledore who did it, then did Lockhartescape and then alter a Muggle's memory to frame Dumbledore? But there's another problem: what skill did Lockhart have to escape from Azkaban?
For a moment, Aisen couldn't figure out what was really going on.
"Alright, you can go back if there's nothing else. I'll talk to Dumbledore about this!" After a moment of silence, Aisenwaved his hand at the Trio.
"Oh, alright, goodbye Professor Aisen!" The Trio were all stunned for a moment, exchanged glances, then waved goodbye to Aisen and left.
After the Trio left, Aisen stood up and began pacing back and forth in the office. After glancing at the newspaper spread out on the desk, Aisen's brows furrowed slightly.
In his first and second years, Aisen was basically just going through the motions. At most, he made some moves in the shadows, but he still kept himself hidden.
What would happen next? He couldn't predict it at all.
As he paced back and forth, Aisen's steps paused, and a flat mirror appeared in his hand.
Looking into it, one would see two red lights shining in the mirror. One red light was the name Peter Pettigrew, and the other was the name Sirius Black.
"Cut the Gordian knot, let's just deal with the school matters first!" Aisen muttered, putting away the flat mirror, picking up the newspaper, and turning to leave the office.
A few minutes later, Aisen arrived at Dumbledore's office.
"I was right, you would indeed come to find me!" After welcoming Aisen into the office, Dumbledore looked at him with an 'I knew it' expression.
"You knew I would come to find you?" Looking at Dumbledore's expressionless face, Aisen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes, you see, you've come for this matter too, haven't you?" Dumbledore took the newspaper from Aisen's hand, glanced at its contents, threw it on the desk, and showed a hint of mockery on his face.
"Some time ago, you asked me to look for slytherin's locket. You said you had something to deal with yourself, was it this matter?" Aisen changed the subject and spoke his guess to himself.
"You are very clever!" Dumbledore paused, sat down behind his desk, and gestured to Aisen.
"So, Gilderoy Lockhart also escaped not long after Sirius Black escaped?" Aisen sat down on a nearby chair.
"If I wasn't so sure, I would think you were there!" Dumbledore said in an admiring tone.
"This matter wasn't publicized at the time, which means you had a good talk with Fudge, right?" Hearing Dumbledore's words, Aisen couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Yes, that is one of the reasons why I agreed to the Ministry of Magic stationing Dementors at Hogwarts." Dumbledore nodded.
"But this matter was suddenly publicized, and you were even labeled a schemer?" Aisen said without showing any unusual expression.
"I was very angry about the Dementors attacking the Quidditch match and Harry falling unconscious—" Dumbledore said with a sigh. "I don't think Dementors should be allowed to roam freely in the Castle anymore, so I went to find Fudge, but clearly—"
"Things didn't go well!" Aisen showed a look of understanding.
"Yes, now everyone knows that not only has Blackescaped from Azkaban, but Gilderoy has also escaped from Azkaban!" Dumbledore took off his glasses, his expression somewhat gloomy.
"So, how exactly did Lockhart escape from Azkaban?" Aisen reached out and picked up the newspaper. "It says that a Muggle's memory contains a memory of you helping him escape Azkaban!"
"I don't know!" Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, then answered solemnly.
Nodding, Aisen fell silent for a while.
Chapter 166: Unmasking the Identity
"Alright, Aisen, do you have anything else?" Professor Dumbledore suddenly spoke. "I knew you would come to find me, but you didn't come just to see how disappointed this old man is, did you?"
Aisen glanced at the newspaper, then took out the flat mirror and placed it on the desk. "Of course not, asking you about this matter was just a side thing!
I also have to thank you for your gift. Recently, my Alchemy level has improved rapidly, so combining the characteristics of the sneakoscope, I made a new Alchemy item. However, after the item was completed, I suddenly discovered this—"
The contents of the flat mirror were displayed before Dumbledore. Aisen noticed that the moment Dumbledoresaw a few names, his expression immediately became serious.
"Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew!" Dumbledore held the flat mirror in his hand, sensing something carefully. "This is impossible—Peter Pettigrew died a long time ago!"
Aisen spread his hands, offering no opinion.
"Detection Charm, Tracking Charm, Revealing Charm—" Dumbledore rubbed the flat mirror, his expression growing more solemn.
Aisen leaned forward and glanced at the flat mirror. "From what's shown, Sirius Black is hiding in the Shrieking Shack, and Peter Pettigrew is hiding in the Gryffindor Common Room. We'll know if it's true by going to see!"
"This is astonishing." Dumbledore took a deep breath, looked at Aisen, and continued, "But you're right, we must go and see!"
Afterwards, Dumbledore vanished from the office in a flash.
Did he use Apparition Without A Trace? Aisen was startled, his vision quickly shifted, and he saw Dumbledore's figure in the Gryffindor Common Room.
He saw Dumbledore holding the flat mirror, his gaze fixed on the Trio, but a look of confusion on his face. With a flash of his figure, Aisen appeared directly beside Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Aisen, are there any arrangements?" Seeing Dumbledore and Aisen together, Percy, the Head Boy, proactively came forward.
"Percy, arrange for the other students to return to their respective dormitories to rest!" Dumbledore glanced at the flat mirror and directly instructed Percy.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore!" Seeing Dumbledore's arrangements, Percy didn't ask further and turned to arrange the other students.
"What is Professor Dumbledore here for?"
"Did something happen?"
"I don't know—could it be the matter mentioned in the newspaper?"
"The mastermind behind Sirius Black's escape? That's too terrifying—"
"Stop overthinking, hurry back to sleep!"
The Little Wizards whispered among themselves, looking back as they returned to their dormitories, seemingly wanting to know what had happened.
"Hermione, Harry, and Ron, come here—" Seeing that the Trio were also planning to leave, Aisen directly beckoned to them.
Seeing this, the three walked over with bewildered looks.
Perhaps having heard some of the Little Wizards talking, as the Trio walked over, they couldn't help but swallow, seemingly worried about something.
"Ron, put down your bag!" Aisen glanced at the flat mirror in Dumbledore's hand and noticed that Peter Pettigrew's name moved with Ron's steps, so he directly motioned to Ron.
Hearing Aisen's words, Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, as if he had thought of something, and stared intently at the bag on Ron's back.
"Ah—this—" Ron opened his mouth, but seeing how serious Professor Aisen and Professor Dumbledore were, he didn't say anything more. He put down his bag and walked over.
"Professor Aisen, did something happen?" Coming to Aisen's side, Hermione saw that Dumbledore was still staring at Ron's bag and couldn't help but tug on Aisen's sleeve, asking in a low voice.
"Don't talk, just watch—" Reaching out and gently tapping Hermione's head, Aisen focused his attention on Dumbledore.
Harry and Ron, who was a step behind, also saw Dumbledore's strange attitude at this moment and became curious.
Squeak—
A rat crawled out of Ron's bag and ran towards Ron.
"Scabbers—" A smile appeared on Ron's face, and he happily called out, extending his hands.
Dumbledore's eyes swept over the flat mirror, seeing Peter Pettigrew's name rapidly approaching Ron. His eyes immediately flashed with understanding, as if he had figured something out.
Dumbledore didn't seem to take out his wand, but with just a finger, the rat Scabbers, who was scurrying towards Ron, was directly covered by a glass dome that appeared out of thin air.
Squeak—
Perhaps because he had been enchanted, the rat Scabbers couldn't break the glass dome at all. Trapped inside the dome and unable to escape, Scabberssqueaked and shrieked anxiously.
"Professor Dumbledore, that's my pet Scabbers—" Seeing his pet bumping against the glass dome, Ronanxiously explained to Dumbledore, his face showing a look of anxiety.
"That is not your pet Scabbers—" Dumbledore's expression was very serious. After glancing at Ron, his gaze returned to the dome.
"Does this matter have something to do with Ron's pet?" Seeing Dumbledore's solemn expression, Hermione, who was nearby, was startled.
"But he's just a rat!" Harry couldn't help but say.
"No, that's not a rat, that's a Witch." Aisen said calmly, his eyes glancing at the Trio.
"Yes, an Animagus, his name is Peter Pettigrew." Dumbledore had already confirmed his suspicion when he saw that the rat was missing a toe.
"But didn't Peter Pettigrew already die?" Harry was instantly bewildered. Looking at the serious expressions of Professor Dumbledore and Professor Aisen, he couldn't help but continue, "He was killed by Sirius Blacktwelve years ago."
"He's not Peter Pettigrew, he's Scabbers—" Ron's face was very pale, and he still couldn't help but insist.
"Oh, yes, Ron has always kept him as a pet." Aisennodded slightly, then looked at Ron. "So, Ron, do you remember how long Scabbers has lived in your home?"
"You said on the train that Scabbers used to be Percy's pet, and then he gave him to you!" Harry seemed to remember something, looking at Ron with his mouth open.
"Is there a problem with that?" Ron's face suddenly turned pale.
"Rats usually live for only one to two years, but most rats don't live past one year. Your pet Scabbers has lived in your home for over a decade, hasn't he?" Aisen explained.
"This means he's not an ordinary rat." Hermione showed an expression of disbelief.
"Didn't witnesses see Peter Pettigrew die?" Harry said. "Witnesses from a whole street."
"Yes, I also testified to the Ministry of Magic at the time." Dumbledore said slowly. "But clearly, we were all deceived by Peter Pettigrew. We only saw what we thought we saw."
"But if Peter Pettigrew is an Animagus, wouldn't everyone know?" Hermione suddenly thought of a question. "I mean, we all learned in Professor McGonagall's class that the Ministry of Magic supervises wizards and witches who can turn into animals.
There are records to ascertain what animals they turn into. I checked Professor McGonagall's records, and there are only seven Animagi this century. Peter Pettigrew's name is not on it."
"You are right, Hermione!" Dumbledore gave Hermionean approving look, and then offered an explanation. "But clearly, Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus!"
Squeak—
The rat Scabbers struggled desperately in the glass dome, but he had no way to escape Dumbledore's methods.
But at this moment, when the Trio looked at the rat Scabbers again, they all showed strange expressions. Harry and Hermione were slightly better, but Ron, thinking about sleeping with Scabbers for so many years, turned pale.
"Professor Aisen, I think you can take them to the Great Hall. I will notify the faculty members to gather there." After a moment of thought, Dumbledore gestured to Aisen, then vanished from the spot.
Nodding, Aisen waved his hand, and a metal cage wrapped around the entire glass dome, then it floated up. Immediately after, he beckoned the Trio and they left the Gryffindor Common Room together.
Chapter 167: Peter Pettigrew
In the Great Hall, the four long dining tables had been moved against the walls.
In the middle, on the spacious clear ground, a raised stone platform appeared, and the glass case was placed directly in the center. Aisen had already retracted the metal cage, but Peter Pettigrew, who had transformed into a mouse, still couldn't escape the confines of the glass case.
The Trio stood beside Aisen, staring blankly at the mouse struggling in the glass case, unsure of what to say for a moment.
A few minutes passed, and Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Lupinall arrived in the Great Hall.
"Professor Aisen, did Headmaster Dumbledore say why he asked us to come?" Lupin wanted to inquire about the situation from Aisen.
"Let's wait until the Headmaster arrives before we discuss it!" Aisen said calmly.
"Potter, Granger, Weasley, why aren't you in bed?" Snape's low voice sounded, his eyes fixed on the Trio.
"There are some things Dumbledore intends for them to know—" Aisen said lightly.
Creak—
The large doors were opened, and Dumbledore walked in, followed by a large Black dog.
Gasp—
Suddenly seeing the ominous sign, the Trio all gasped, involuntarily stepping back a few steps. Looking at everyone standing in the Great Hall, Dumbledore turned and nodded at the large dog.
Immediately after, under everyone's gaze, the large dog quickly began to change. In the blink of an eye, it had turned into a wizard.
He looked extremely emaciated, his waxy skin stretched tightly over his bones, making him look like a skeleton. The hair on his head was tangled and hung down to his elbows, both messy and dirty.
His eyes were hidden in deep, dark sockets, yet they shone with an unusually striking brilliance. Upon seeing everyone, especially Snape and Lupin, he grinned, showing his yellow teeth.
"Sirius Black—" Harry exclaimed, and the atmosphere in the entire Great Hall became oppressive.
"Headmaster, you've caught Sirius?" Snape's eyes seemed to burn with fire. "I think he needs to be punished!"
After Snape finished speaking, he pulled out his wand and pointed it directly at Black. An invisible sharp edge faintly flickered, about to cut him in half.
Even Harry, standing nearby, couldn't help but pull out his wand and point it at Black.
"Harry, you're so brave, just like your father!" Black made no move, but smiled and spotted Harry at first glance.
"Alright, everyone stop!" Dumbledore waved his hand, stopping their actions.
"But he killed my mom and dad!" Harry shouted, his hand holding the wand trembling constantly.
"Yes, Harry—I'm as good as the one who harmed them!" Black stopped smiling, his sunken eyes looking at Harry. "I persuaded Lily and James to switch me out for Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use Peter as the Secret-Keeper instead of me…
It's all my fault. On the night they died, I went to see Peter, but when I reached the place where he could hide, he was already gone. There were no signs of a struggle. I felt something was wrong, so I went to where your parents lived. When I saw their house, it was already destroyed. I also saw their bodies—
I knew Peter must have done something terrible. I knew I had made a very serious mistake."
"This is utter nonsense. Everyone knows that Peter Pettigrew was killed by you, and that was twelve years ago." Snape's face turned gloomy.
"Look at this—" Dumbledore sighed and turned the flat mirror over for everyone to see. Sirius Black's name had returned to normal, but Peter Pettigrew's name was still flashing red.
Suddenly, Snape, Lupin, and the others present all fixed their gaze on the mouse struggling in the glass case.
Seeing Peter Pettigrew transformed into a mouse, Blackgrinned menacingly, pulled out his wand, and was about to attack him.
"Don't be hasty, Black, you need to tell everything!" Dumbledore stopped Sirius Black.
Black's movement paused, then he grinned: "Heh heh, after Lily and James died, I went mad looking for Peter. I cornered him, and he yelled loud enough for everyone on the street to hear, saying that I had betrayed James and Lily. Then, before I could curse him, he used the wand hidden behind his back to cast a spell that blew up the entire street.
Then, Peter, like the other rats, hid in the sewer—"
As he spoke, Black also took out a crumpled piece of paper from his robes. After he smoothed the paper, its contents were revealed.
It was a photo of Ron's family, taken last summer when Mr. Weasley won the lottery and took his family on a trip to Egypt, which was published in The Daily Prophet.
"See? That's Peter!" Black pointed at Scabbers, the pet on Ron's shoulder in the photo. "I recognized him immediately. How many times have I seen him transform? The caption below the photo said this boy was returning to Hogwarts for school, to where Harry is—"
"Good heavens, look at its front paw!" Lupin looked at the photo in the newspaper, then at Scabbers trapped in the glass case, and let out a gentle exclamation.
"So—so what?" Ron couldn't help but speak up.
"It's missing a toe!" Black's cheek twitched.
"That's right, the largest piece of Peter's remains people found was his finger." Dumbledore spoke.
"Does this mean we were all fooled?" Professor McGonagall's expression of surprise hadn't faded.
"So, Black didn't escape from Azkaban to kill Harry, but to find Peter Pettigrew hiding beside Ron?" Hermionewhispered.
"Exactly. Stop talking about these things. There's a way to prove what really happened in the past." Black stepped towards the glass case.
Squeak—
The mouse struggled, seemingly wanting to make an effort. But in front of so many people, it was absolutely impossible for him to escape.
"Force him to transform back!" Lupin said, glancing at Dumbledore. He looked ashamed, perhaps thinking of something.
Dumbledore walked straight over and tapped with his wand, and the glass case instantly vanished without a trace. Then, a brilliant blue-white light shot out from the tip of his wand, hitting Scabbers, who was trying to escape.
Subsequently, Scabbers's small Black body hovered in mid-air, and then began to twist wildly.
Her sleeve tightened; Hermione grabbed Aisen's arm. Harry looked quite nervous, and Ron's face was pale as he watched everything unfolding. If not for the presence of all the Professors, the Trio would probably have screamed.
After the mouse fell to the ground, there was a blinding flash, and then a head appeared out of thin air on the ground, and limbs extended. In the blink of an eye, a wizard appeared where the mouse had been.
This was a very short wizard, not much taller than Hermione. His appearance was like that of a very fat person who had lost a lot of weight in a short time. His light-colored hair was messy, and there was a large bald spot on top.
What made Aisen feel speechless was that his pointed nose and small eyes were very characteristic of a mouse.
After being forced back into his true form, Peter Pettigrew's eyes darted around, scanning towards the large doors, then quickly turned back.
Facing the crowd, especially seeing Dumbledore present, Peter Pettigrew's breathing became ragged.
"Peter Pettigrew, long time no see—" Black's eyes blazed with hatred.
"Si—Sirius, Lu—Lupin, I—I—" Peter Pettigrew's eyes darted around, but he stammered, unable to say anything.
"I made a terrible mistake!" Black glared fiercely at Peter. "It was because of my suggestion that James and Lilymade you their Secret-Keeper. I thought it was the perfect plan—Voldemort would surely come after me, never thinking they'd use someone as weak and foolish as you as the Secret-Keeper.
But you told Voldemort that you could give him their secret. That moment must have been the most triumphant moment in your pathetic life."
"Harry, believe me!" Black turned to look at Harry and said hoarsely, "I never betrayed James and Lily. I would rather die than betray them."
Harry nodded blankly, saying nothing. From his gaze, he seemed to be in a daze.
"Peter, was it you who betrayed Lily?" Snape held his wand, looking at Peter Pettigrew, his eyes somewhat hollow.
"No—it wasn't me, it was Sirius the spy!" Peter Pettigrewclasped his hands together, as if praying.
"How dare you say that about me, you're the spy—you've always liked to hang around people stronger and more influential than you, haven't you? Before it was us—me, Lupin, James, and later it was Voldemort—" Black roared.
"I—" Peter wiped the sweat from his face, seemingly not knowing how to refute.
"Crucio—" Snape suddenly erupted, directly casting the Cruciatus Curse at Peter Pettigrew.
"Ah—" Peter Pettigrew immediately lay on the ground, howling. As he howled and rolled, it was clear he was in extreme pain.
Everyone looked at Snape with surprised expressions, but Snape's face was devoid of any emotion, his eyes hollow and revealing only coldness.
"Severus—" Dumbledore spoke.
Peter Pettigrew was still rolling on the ground. In just a moment, sweat had soaked the floor.
"Hmph—" Snape glanced at Dumbledore, let out a cold snort, and then withdrew his wand. After that, he paid no mind to anything else and turned directly to leave the Great Hall.
Seeing Snape's reaction like this, Aisen somewhat understood the reason behind it. However, for Snape to cast the Cruciatus Curse so openly, wasn't he worried about being sent to Azkaban?
Looking again at Peter Pettigrew, who was relieved on the ground, Aisen could only say 'serves him right'.
Chapter 168: Handling
Aisen was also quite emotional about what happened between Snape and Lily.
The two were childhood sweethearts, but ended up like strangers. Aisen didn't want to dwell on the rights and wrongs of it, only feeling that Snape was a bit pitiful.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione said timidly, "C-can I say a few words?"
"Oh, of course, Hermione!" Dumbledore replied calmly.
"Um—Scabbers—I mean, he slept in Harry's dormitory for three whole years. If he was working for He Who Must Not Be Named, why did he never try to hurt Harry?" Hermione asked. Clearly, she still knew too little about Peter Pettigrew.
"That's right!" Peter shrieked, stopping his struggles, then pointed a fingerless hand at Hermione, "Thank you! See, Lupin, Dumbledore! I never harmed a hair on Harry's head, why would I hurt him?"
"I'll tell you why," Black said with a look of disdain. "Because you wouldn't do anything for anyone unless it benefited you. Voldemort has been hiding for twelve years, and it's said he's completely dead.
Of course, you wouldn't kill someone under Dumbledore's nose for someone who has completely fallen, would you? You'd definitely hide until you were sure he was still the most powerful person, wouldn't you? Otherwise, why would you hide in a wizarding family for twelve years?"
Peter Pettigrew stammered, completely speechless.
"So, Black, are you going to kill Peter?" Dumbledorelooked at Sirius Black.
"Of course, I've waited twelve years, I don't want to wait another moment!" Black smiled, pointing his wand at Peter.
"No—" Peter Pettigrew gasped, turning to look at Lupin, "Lupin, you don't believe him... Didn't Sirius tell you their plan changed?"
"If he thought I was the spy, he certainly wouldn't tell me the whole plan, Peter," Lupin said calmly, though his eyes were a little red. Then he looked at Black, "I suppose that's why you didn't tell me, isn't it? Sirius?"
"Forgive me, Lupin!" Black stared intently at Peter Pettigrew without turning his head.
"It's alright, old friend," Lupin drew his wand. "Conversely, I once thought you were the spy, you'll forgive me too, won't you?"
"Of course." Black's face broke into a wild grin. "Will you kill him?"
"Yes, I was thinking the same thing, of course," Lupin said grimly.
"No, you won't... you won't..." Seemingly regaining some strength, Peter Pettigrew gasped and crawled towards Ron.
"Ron—haven't I always been your good friend... your good pet? You won't let them kill me, will you, you're on my side, aren't you?"
Ugh—
Ron stared at Peter with extreme disgust and revulsion, then remembered something and couldn't help but gag.
"He used to sleep in the same bed as me!" Ron looked up and stated a tragic fact.
"Kind boy—kind master—" Peter Pettigrew groveled, continuing to crawl towards Ron, "You won't let them do it, I'm your rat, I'm a good pet—"
"If you're better as a rat than a human, that's nothing to boast about, Peter," Black said through clenched teeth, a flash of anger on his face.
Ron quickly backed away, hiding to the side so Peter Pettigrew couldn't touch him. Then, Peter Pettigrewturned towards Aisen and looked at Hermione.
"Good girl... smart girl, you—you won't let them do this—help me!" Peter Pettigrew was clearly close to breaking down.
Hermione moved her feet and hid behind Aisen. Looking at Peter Pettigrew's miserable state, Aisen showed no emotion.
"Harry—Harry—you look so much like your dad, just like him—" Peter Pettigrew turned to Harry, seeming to grasp at a straw.
"How dare you even face him? How dare you mention James in front of him?" Black roared angrily.
"Harry, James wouldn't let me be killed, he would understand me," Peter Pettigrew whispered, his eyes fixed on Harry.
"You betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort, and you still want to say something?" Black stepped forward and kicked Peter Pettigrew hard, then pointed his wand at him.
"Peter, you should understand, we're going to kill you, goodbye!" Lupin stepped forward and also pointed his wand at Peter Pettigrew.
"No, you can't kill him!" Harry seemed to suddenly remember something and shouted, stepping in front of the two.
"Harry, this villain caused you to lose your parents!" Blackcouldn't help but roar, while Lupin beside him also looked at Harry in shock. They couldn't quite understand why Harry would protect this real murderer.
"I understand, but we can lock him up in Azkaban, just don't kill him!" Harry panted, stating his purpose.
Aisen noticed that Dumbledore, standing nearby, showed approval after Harry made his decision.
"Harry!" Peter Pettigrew gasped and knelt up, "You—thank you, you're showing me mercy? Thank you—"
"I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this simply because my dad wouldn't want his best friends to kill someone, especially someone like you!" Harry said with contempt and scorn.
"You're the only one with the right to make such a decision, Harry!" Black took a deep breath. "But, think about it, think about everything he's done?"
"He'll be locked up in Azkaban," Harry looked at Black. "If anyone belongs in there, it's him!"
"I think Harry is right!" Aisen suddenly spoke up at this moment. Seeing everyone look at him, he continued, "There are Dementors stationed at all the entrances to Hogwarts, and everyone knows why!
Because Black escaped from Azkaban. However, Blackwas put in Azkaban because Peter Pettigrew framed him, betrayed Harry's parents, and blew up a street killing Peter.
But now that Peter Pettigrew has been caught, it means Black was actually innocent. If Peter Pettigrew is killed, then Black's innocence can't be cleared—"
"Professor Aisen is right," Dumbledore said. With a wave of his wand, Peter Pettigrew fell unconscious. Then he looked at Black, "Sirius, you are Harry's godfather. I think, once your innocence is cleared, you'll be very happy to live with Harry with a new identity!"
"Sirius Black is my godfather?" Harry was momentarily stunned.
"Headmaster Dumbledore is right, Black, you are now not just Sirius Black, you are Harry's family," Lupin nodded and then looked at Black.
"If Peter Pettigrew is handed over to the Ministry of Magic, it means Black will regain his freedom. If he clears his name, then, Harry, you can consider living with him!" Aisen winked at Harry.
"Leave the Dursleys?" A light suddenly flashed in Harry's eyes.
"Yes, I know, you probably wouldn't want to—" Black's eyes flickered.
"No, of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Do you have a house? When can I move in?" Harry's voice became hoarse.
"Are you really willing?" Black asked again.
"Of course!" Having a different home was a different feeling for Harry.
Seeing Harry's reply, Black smiled genuinely for the first time.
Hogwarts was quiet that night, but some people couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Dumbledore magically bound Peter Pettigrew and, at the same time, arranged for Sirius Black to stay in an abandoned classroom at Hogwarts.
Snape didn't sleep well that night knowing the real culprit who betrayed Lily, and Lupin didn't sleep well either having just discovered the truth. Harry knew the real culprit who betrayed his parents and also learned that Sirius Black was his godfather, a mix of emotions making it difficult to sleep.
And as for Ron, he felt utterly disgusted whenever he thought about sleeping in the same bed as an old man for years.