bacchusnovels Chapter 289 Remus Lupin
Chapter 289 Remus Lupin
Chapter 289 Remus Lupin (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)
Arthur was frowning as he read the front page of the Daily Prophet, his eyes occasionally glancing at the unsettling news items. Molly, meanwhile, was chatting and laughing with Ginny, talking about an aphrodisiac she had made in her youth, the two of them laughing heartily.
"I have something to tell you," Harry mumbled to Ron as he ate breakfast.
Before he could finish speaking, George and Fred burst in from the stairs, interrupting him.
"Congratulations, Ron," George said with a smile, patting his brother on the shoulder. "I heard you've managed to annoy Percy again."
“That’s hilarious,” Fred chimed in. “His face turned bright red, like he’d been cursed with a color-changing spell.”
Ron sighed helplessly, but couldn't help laughing. After George and Fred walked away, laughing and joking,
Ron turned to Harry, looking puzzled, and asked, "What were you trying to say?"
"We'll talk about it later," Harry said in a low voice. Just then, Percy stormed into the dining room.
Percy, who had been wearing an unhappy expression, was clearly still bothered by George and Fred's joke earlier.
However, when he saw Sean sitting at the dining table, he immediately suppressed all his emotions and quickly regained his usual seriousness and restraint.
A qualified student council president must show sufficient courtesy even when interacting with professors off-campus—this is Percy's life motto.
"Professor," Percy stood at attention and asked respectfully, "will you be traveling with us to King's Cross Station later?"
Sean looked up, put down his knife and fork, and nodded slightly: "Yes, Percy, I'll go with you."
Percy nodded in satisfaction, as if he had accomplished a very important task. Then, he nodded to everyone at the table, appearing dignified and composed, as if his anger had never existed.
Harry watched this scene and couldn't help but secretly cast a helpless glance at Ron.
Ron shrugged and said in a low voice, "He's really becoming more and more like an adult."
The scene before departure was chaotic, and Harry didn't have a chance to speak to Ron or Hermione.
They busied themselves carrying all the luggage down the narrow stairs of the Leaky Cauldron and piling it at the entrance. Hedwig and Hermes's cage—Percy's long-eared owl—was placed on top of the luggage, next to a small wicker basket from which loud purring could be heard.
"Don't worry, Crookshanks," Hermione whispered reassuringly through the basket. "I'll let you out as soon as we get on the train."
"No way!" Ron objected loudly. "What about poor Scabbers?"
As he spoke, he pointed to his chest, where a bulging bulge revealed that Banban was curled up in his pocket.
"It's okay, Scabbers should be fine in your pocket," Harry reassured him, as he followed Arthur toward the dark green car parked outside.
Two old cars sat there quietly, their bodies gleaming with a faint, dark green light.
Mr. Arthur led Sean, along with the twins George and Fred, to the first car.
The car door creaked open automatically, revealing a bright green velvet interior that felt both luxurious and quirky. A faint scent of lavender wafted through the air.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Percy were put in the second car. The interior didn't seem very big, but once they were all seated, they found that the interior was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside, comfortably accommodating everyone's luggage and pets.
"Wow, this car is amazing!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing to the few faintly glowing crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
"The Ministry of Magic's vehicles always have some strange details." Ron patted his bulging chest lightly, and only after confirming that Scabbers was safe and sound did he lean back in his seat.
Outside the car window, the views of Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley gradually faded into the distance.
Dark green cars weave through the busy streets of London, and despite the heavy traffic, they can freely pass between the cars.
"It's strange, it feels like these cars aren't even touching the road," Harry remarked, looking out the window.
Hermione nodded. "It's probably a levitation charm; the cars are gliding through the air. The Ministry of Magic certainly wouldn't want them to run like ordinary Muggle cars."
Before long, the car arrived at King's Cross Station without incident.
They got off the bus one by one, and Arthur said to the others, "There are too many of us, let's go in twos. Harry and I will go first."
After saying that, he pushed Harry's stroller slowly toward the partition between platforms 9 and 10, pretending to be very interested in the Intercity Train 125 that had just stopped at platform 9.
He then gave Harry a meaningful look and casually leaned against the wall. Harry blinked back, and they passed through the sturdy metal wall to Platform 9. They looked up and saw the Hogwarts Express—a bright red steam locomotive puffing out smoke—and the platform was crowded with wizards, men and women seeing their children off.
Percy and Ginny suddenly appeared behind Harry.
They were panting, clearly having run through the partition wall.
Later, Sean arrived with Hermione, the twins, and others. The group made their way through the crowded carriages.
Finally, they found a fairly empty carriage at the back of the train.
They loaded the suitcases into the car, placed Hedwig and Crookshank on the luggage rack, and then got out of the car to say goodbye to the Weasleys.
Molly kissed each of her children, first Hermione, and finally Harry. She hugged Harry a little longer, and although Harry felt a little embarrassed, he felt warm and comforted.
"Take care of yourself, Harry, you know?" Molly said, straightening up, a strange light flashing in her eyes.
She opened the enormous handbag. "I made sandwiches for all of you. Ron, this is for you—no, not corned beef—Fred? Where's Fred? Here, darling, take this—"
Arthur moved closer to Harry and whispered, "Harry, come here for a second, I need to tell you something."
He nodded toward a pillar, and Harry followed him behind it. The others were still gathered around Molly, packing their belongings.
"Before you leave, there's something I must tell you—" Arthur seemed a little nervous.
“It’s alright, Arthur,” Harry interrupted. “I already know.”
"You found out? How did you find out?"
"I—well—I overheard your conversation with Molly last night. I couldn't help but eavesdrop," Harry quickly added, "I'm sorry—"
Arthur frowned, looking somewhat helpless: "I really didn't want you to find out this way."
"It's really nothing," Harry said quickly. "That way, you haven't broken your promise to Fudge, and I understand what happened."
Although the two were not on the same wavelength, they unexpectedly found common ground.
"Harry, you must be terrified—"
"No," Harry said seriously. "I'm not trying to be brave, but honestly, Black couldn't possibly be more terrifying than Voldemort, right?"
Upon hearing Voldemort's name, Arthur instinctively flinched, but he did not refute it.
“Harry, I know you’re much braver than Fudge thinks, and I’m certainly glad to see you weren’t scared. But—" Arthur!” Molly called out, already urging the other children to get on the train. “Arthur, what are you doing? The train’s leaving!”
"Coming right away, Molly!" Arthur replied, then turned to Harry again, his voice lower and more urgent: "Listen, Harry, I need you to promise me—"
"You promise to stay in the castle and not leave?" Harry asked impatiently.
"Not entirely." Arthur's expression was more serious than ever. "Harry, you must promise me you will never go to Black."
Harry stared at him in surprise. "What?"
A train whistle sounded, and the station guards began closing the train doors.
"Promise me, Harry," Arthur's voice grew increasingly urgent, "that whatever you hear—"
"Why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"I swear, no matter what you hear, you won't go to him—"
"Arthur, hurry up!" Molly urged anxiously.
Steam billowed from the locomotive, and the train slowly started moving.
Harry ran quickly to the carriage door, and Ron opened it just in time, allowing him to jump onto the train. They rushed to the window and waved to the Weasleys on the platform until the train rounded the bend and the Weasleys disappeared from sight completely.
Meanwhile, Sean was sitting in the back compartment of the car, observing the sleeping man in front of him.
The man wore a tattered wizard's robe, patched in several places. He looked sickly and weak. Although he looked young, his light brown hair was already turning gray.
Without a doubt, this person was none other than Remus Lupin, the new professor Dumbledore had recruited for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Sean sighed softly, breaking the silence in the cubicle: "Professor Lupin, hello."
Lupin stirred slightly, opened one eye, and looked around somewhat bewilderedly before a faint smile appeared on his face. "Oh, Professor Phillips, hello."
"I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest," Sean said, his gaze still fixed on Lupin's face. "You look exhausted. Was the journey too tiring?"
Lupin slowly straightened up and gently shook his head: "No, I'm already used to this—it's nothing."
"The students will be very lucky to have you teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year."
Lupin smiled, a hint of humility and bitterness in his eyes: "I hope so. But I'm worried they'll be scared away by my classes."
The two exchanged aimless pleasantries when the door to the cubicle was gently pushed open. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in the doorway, seemingly hesitant to come in.
"Excuse me, Professor, I'm sorry to bother you," Harry said somewhat apologetically, "we see the cubicles are quite empty, may we come in?"
Sean nodded slightly, giving a kind smile: "Of course, come in."
Harry and the others smiled gratefully, quickly went inside, and put their luggage away. As soon as they were seated, Ron eagerly asked, "Harry, what was that thing you just told me about?"
Harry was about to speak, but seeing Sean and Lupin sitting nearby, he swallowed his words and changed the subject, "I was going to talk about Hogsmeade..."