Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 221 Over the past three years

Chapter 221 Twelve Years

As the sun was about to set, students who had gone out gradually returned to school.

As they passed through the imposing wrought-iron gates, they were surprised to find that the school's security had not been reduced.

Ministry of Magic employees remained at the school, and the West Tower was heavily guarded. Any student who appeared near that corridor was roughly driven away by the guards.

Clearly, Sirius Black is still being held in a room somewhere in the tower; he has not been taken back to the Ministry of Magic.

The students were puzzled. Since Sirius Black had been captured, why not bring him back to London for trial, or send him directly back to Azkaban? Why keep him at the school?

Many students are dissatisfied with the Ministry of Magic, unhappy that it does nothing during the day and that it leaves danger around the students.

At dinner time, the students were surprised again to find the Minister of Magic at the school.

Cornelius Fudge, still wearing his favorite pinstripe outfit with a black travel cloak over it, walked into the hall looking travel-worn.

The head wizard and the head professor huddled together, whispering amongst themselves about what they were looking at. Aside from the faculty and staff around them,

No one knows the content of the conversation between the principal and the minister.

Now, all the students were completely confused, unable to figure out what the school and the Ministry of Magic were up to.

They said the Ministry of Magic was irresponsible and inefficient, so the Minister of Magic personally went to Hogwarts because Sirius Black had been captured.

Despite the Ministry of Magic being described as responsible and efficient, Sirius Black remained at the school like a ticking time bomb, even though more than a dozen hours had passed since his arrest.

What if Sirius Black escapes again and goes on a killing spree at the school?

With many doubts and dissatisfaction, everyone returned to their respective common lounges after dinner, either chatting in small groups or returning to their dormitories early and climbing into their beds.

Sirius Black's name could be heard everywhere, in all four houses and in all four common rooms, whether it was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw high up in the towers or Hufflepuff and Slytherin in the castle's crypt.

As night deepened, the flames in the fireplace gradually died down, the number of people participating in the discussion dwindled, and more and more people drifted off to sleep with their doubts.

As midnight fell, the castle, which had stood for a thousand years, also fell into a deep sleep. There was not a single person to be seen on the stairs and in the corridors. The flames in the braziers emitted their last light and heat.

Even the Ministry of Magic employees responsible for guarding the West Tower were drowsy, their eyelids drooping, and they were all nodding off.

The castle guards seemed to have relaxed their guard.

In the pitch-black Muggle Studies classroom, Belvina sat by the window, tapping the back of her left hand lightly with her right index finger. She closed her eyes, letting the moonlight bathe her.

After an unknown amount of time, Belvina suddenly opened her eyes. Without any hesitation, she immediately put on the long black trench coat draped over the back of the chair, and walked out of the classroom while tying her long, loose hair into a bun.

The corridor was deserted late at night. Belvina tiptoed down the stairs and encountered Pippi the Ghost causing trouble at the fourth-floor landing.

Pipi Ghost hummed a vulgar and obscene tune as he smeared oil on the stair steps. He also saw Belvina standing at the top of the stairs.

Peeves rose into the air, squinted, and looked at Belvina with a wicked grin.

He said, "The vain Blake, the grumpy Blake, she's going to rescue another Blake."

Then, Pippi the Ghost muttered to himself, "I should go and report this to the professor. Maybe if he's in a good mood, he'll give the cannons and muskets back to me!"

"Peeves, do you want to spend every day with Barrow from now on?" Belvina threatened softly, ignoring the mischievous sprite Peeves and heading towards the corridor leading to the tower.

But Peeves wasn't about to let Belvina go. He floated around her and followed her forward.

"You're bragging, you vain Blake. You can't possibly order Lord Barrow around," Peeves said dismissively. "No one but Lady Grey."

"Want to try and see if I can get Barrow to do it? Guess how Barrow will deal with you this time?" Belvina said softly, her steps never faltering, and she quickly arrived near the corridor.

Pipi Ghost stopped following Belvina and floated cross-legged in mid-air, his evil black eyes darting around.

"I don't believe you. I'm still going to see the professor, that vain Blake! That grumpy Blake! That ugly Blake!"

The mischievous ghost stuck out its tongue and made a face, then soared into the air and quickly disappeared.

Belvina shook her head. Apart from Barrow the Bloodhound from Slytherin House, Peeves wasn't afraid of anyone.

Back in the day, Pippi the Ghost would take on the entire school with a muzzle-loading gun and a cannon, and would even shoot students indiscriminately for his own amusement.

Professor Euprasia Moore, the then headmistress of Hogwarts, had to sign an agreement with Peeves in exchange for him handing over his weapons and receiving more privileges from the school.

Before long, Belvina arrived at the corridor leading to the West Tower. The wooden door, which should have been tightly closed, was ajar. The guards standing on either side of the door were dozing off against the wall behind them, having some sweet dream.

Ignoring the two negligent individuals, Belvina gently pushed open the wooden door and entered the base of the tower, ascending the narrow spiral staircase.

Her steps were very light, and her movements were like those of a thief breaking into a wealthy household.

Soon, as Belvina climbed the steps, she saw two figures sitting on the ground.

These two men were the last guards at the door of the cell where Sirius was being held. They sat on the floor with their backs against the wall, not asleep.

Instead, he was knocked unconscious.

Belvina frowned, stepped over the two unconscious people, and pressed her ear against the door to carefully discern the sounds coming from inside the room.

"We meet again, old friend." It was Sirius's voice. "Did you come to see me, or to kill me?"

The only response to Sirius was the squeaking of a mouse.

"Stop pretending. Others may not know you're an Animagus, but don't you think I know?" Sirius continued. "I've seen you transform many times, and—your claws."

A strange, high-pitched voice echoed in the room, sounding somewhat timid.

The man said, "Little Sirius, it's been a long time. Twelve years, no, it's been more than twelve years."

"I really underestimated you. You actually dared to come all the way here to find me," Sirius said. "When did you get so bold?"

"No—no, that's not it. I've always been a coward, don't you know me?" Peter Pettigrew said. "I was so scared of you that I hid. Luckily, you were caught by the Ministry of Magic."

"That's why you dared to come to me, because you were scared. You were afraid I would tell you everything that happened back then."

"Yes, that's right. I thought the Dementors would find you, but they left the school. I thought you would be sent straight back to Azkaban, but instead I saw Fudge, the Minister of Magic."

Peter Pettigrew's voice suddenly became urgent. He continued, "I'm scared, Sirius! I'm scared Fudge will meet with you. He might not believe your nonsense, and what if your damn sister gets involved?"

"Twelve years, Peter, twelve years!" Sirius said slowly. "In these twelve years, have you ever dreamed of James? Have you ever regretted betraying James, even just once?"

Peter Pettigrew's voice didn't ring out immediately; an eerie silence fell over the room.

After a while, Peter's voice reappeared. He said, "Sirius, you won't blame me, will you? James will understand me too. I've always been a coward; how could I dare to defy the Dark Lord!"

"You're lying, Peter," Sirius said coldly. "Before betraying James and Lily, you were already secretly passing information to Voldemort. Besides James and Lily, who else did you betray?"

"That's the Dark Lord! He's powerful and influential everywhere he goes. Why would I want to offend him?"

Peter's voice disappeared again, and only Sirius's heavy breathing came from the room.

After a while, Peter Pettigrew said, "I'm not here to kill you; killing you would cause a lot of trouble. Just a little alteration of your memories will be all it takes. You go back to your Azkaban, and I'll continue being my mouse. We—"

We can all continue to live.

"Who says you're 'us'?!" Sirius roared. "I'll kill you with my own hands!"

"Don't shout, you'll attract the guards!" Peter Pettigrew seemed frightened. "It's just memory modification, it won't hurt."

At that moment, Belvina outside the room waved her wand, and the two guards who had been knocked unconscious slowly woke up.

Before the two guards could regain consciousness, Belvina blasted the door to pieces again and burst into the room.

At the same time, two chanting voices rang out in the room.

"Forget everything, and all is emptiness!"

"Avada Kedavra!"