Chapter 188: Time of Reckoning_A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 188: Time of Reckoning

 Hermione''s peculiar behavior caught Harry off guard, erasing the angry expression from his face.

 He wasn''t sure whether to continue being mad or if that would just make him seem unreasonable. Ron took the opportunity to put an arm around his shoulder. "Harry, let''s talk about thister during dinner. Hermione''s got a point— we''re really runningte."

 During Transfiguration ss, Harry was absentminded the whole time, his thoughts still upied by where Hermione could have learned that information. Perhaps Professor Snape? But the ages didn''t match up.

 He pondered so deeply that hepletely ignored the many nces cast his way.

 In the previous ss, during Divination, Professor Sybill Trwney had interpreted the shapes of his tea leaves, revealing a death omen that sent shivers down every young wizard''s spine—a ghostly ck dog roaming in a graveyard.

 Her words unsettled Harry deeply, as he had seen the ominous ck dog, a symbol of death, not just once. From the cover of the book "Death Omens" in the bookstore to the suspicious dark figure he had glimpsed on the night he left the Dursleys on Magnolia Crescent.

 After the rushed Divination ss, Hermione unintentionally let slip some things to Harry in her attempt to counter Trwney''s viewpoint. She revealed that she had known certain things about his father for a while but had kept them to herself.

 That was the real reason for Harry''s anger.

 At lunch, the young wizards flooded into the Great Hall, buzzing with chatter. Harry grabbed some sausages and fried tomatoes, but his appetite seemed diminished, as if he had already been fed up with all sorts of worries.

 Hermione pushed a small dish of dip toward him. "Harry, you heard Professor McGonagall''s words too. Trwney predicts a student''s death every year. It''s her way of weing the new ss."

 However, Ron said with genuine concern, "You haven''t seen a roaming ck dog anywhere else, have you, Harry?"

 Harry''s stomach clenched suddenly. "No, but I have seen one," he said, "on the night I left the Dursleys."

 Ron dropped his fork, visibly anxious.

 But Harry was more concerned about something else. He looked at Hermione and said with a stern tone, "You still haven''t told me about my father."

 "Well, um..." Hermione shifted ufortably, avoiding his gaze, "okay." She took a deep breath. "Remember the time Professor Snape gave us detention?"

 "Of course, it wasst school year." Harry ransacked his memory. "We suspected Professor Snape was involved with the attacks connected to the Chamber of Secrets. We followed him into the Forbidden Forest and got caught. We lost ten points each for our Houses, and had a full weekend detention. And it was with Malfoy."

 He had no idea how this connected to his father.

 Hermione looked at him and said, "It was the content of that detention, Harry. Professor Snape had us copy a stack of old records from Professor McGonagall. They were about students'' breaches of rules and the corresponding punishments."

 Harry recalled more details. He remembered Malfoy chattering away beside him while copying the records.

 But he soon realized the crux of Hermione''s words. His eyes widened. "You saw my father''s name on those records!"

 "More than that, Harry." Hermione said, "All four of their names were there. I mean, I saw James Potter, Sirius ck, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew—"

 "So, when you heard the full name ''Remus Lupin,'' that''s why you looked so surprised! You knew about it all along." Harry cleared up a confusion and regained his appetite, skewering a sausage and taking a big bite. But his gaze remained fixed on Hermione.

 "Exactly." Hermione nodded. "In fact, the portion I copied covered those years... well, I saw quite a few records of rule vitions."

 Harry stammered, "So, you mean my father...?"

 Hermione murmured softly, "Simr to being twins, but maybe even more mischievous." She carefully chose her words, "Your father''s name was often mentioned together with Sirius ck, asionally with two other people. This suggests—"

 "They were friends! And my father clearly had a better rtionship with Sirius ck!" Harry pounded the table suddenly.

 He recalled the conversation he had overheard between the Weasley couple on the eve of the new school year. When he found out that Sirius ck''s escape target was him, he didn''t actually feel much fear.

 That fugitive had used a curse to kill thirteen people. Logically, he should have been terrified, but Hogwarts was the safest ce, with Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor Harp, with whom he had a good rapport.

 The only thing that puzzled him was the private conversation Mr. Weasley had with him the day before, just before they boarded the train. In that conversation, Mr. Weasley made him promise, swear not to actively seek out ck...

 Why would he go after someone who wanted to kill him?

 But now it all made sense. That ck and his father were good friends, breaking rules together, roaming the castle together, adventuring in the Forbidden Forest together...

 It was hard to imagine that two people like that could be enemies.

 "Right, he''s a Death Eater after all. War can drive people mad. Just think of Voldemort!" Harry told himself.

 Ron stared in amazement at the two, especially Hermione. It had been almost ten months since that detention, and she had kept the secret so well, not letting a hint slip.

 Hermione looked at Harry with agreement. "I thought the same thing, and...," she continued in one breath, "I even saw Severus Snape''s name. They have seven or eight records of altercations between them—your father and Snape."

 Harry was dumbfounded. His gaze involuntarily shifted to the teachers'' table.

 A quarter of an hour ago.

 Simr conversations were happening at the teachers'' table.

 Severus Snape leisurely speared a potato and put it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Felix, the new professor isn''t trustworthy. In fact— he''s best friends with that fugitive. They were like-minded troublemakers during school."

 Felix looked up, casual. "I wasn''t aware of that. Could you borate, Professor?"

 Snape red at him. "What do you want to know?"

 "Everything you can tell me."

 Snape looked at him with a disdainful expression. "There''s not much to say. Potter, ck, Lupin, and that one, Pettigrew. They were practically inseparable during school, always causing trouble."

 "Especially Potter, arrogant and full of himself, unbelievably foolish to trust that traitor..."

 "Did you have a bad rtionship during school?" Felix inquired.

 Snape''s expression stiffened, and he said slowly, "You''ve managed to unearth quite a bit."

 Felix smirked, "All of it was out in the open. After all, you and him were the shining stars of that era. Many people haven''t forgotten about you two, like thendy of the Three Broomsticks."

 "Stop prying into my affairs, Felix. I warn you—"

 "We''re on the same side, aren''t we, Headmaster?" Felix shifted the address. "But you''ll have to give me more information. If it''s a personal grudge, then I''m sorry, I won''t help you deal with Professor Lupin."

 After a long gaze, Snape tilted his head slightly and whispered, "Personal grudge? You''ll be surprised when you see through Lupin''s true nature, Felix. You can stay out of it, and I can handle ck alone, savor the sweetness of revenge."

 "Did they ever gang up on you? Professor, you weren''t beaten up badly during school, were you?" Felix inquired curiously.

 Snape''s gaze turned menacing, and Felix tried to salvage the situation. "Oh, of course not. At the very least, it was a level ying field. Otherwise, who do you think Professor used to test his curses on?"

 Snape stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor with an ear-piercing sound. He cast a quick nce at the Gryffindor table, just as Harry was looking over. Their gazes met.

 The surprise on Harry''s face had yet to fade, while Snape''s eyes were as calm and still as deep springs.

 After a while, he left, swishing his robes.

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Chapter 188: Time of Reckoning