"It's fine." Professor Lupin shook his head, looking utterly exhausted.
"You're Harley's friend? There's plenty of room in here. Come sit down."
Only then did Hermione cautiously step into the compartment. She gently shut the sliding door and sat beside Harley.
Crookshanks happily jumped down from the trunk and climbed onto Sirius's back.
Sirius's fur was much more comfortable than Hermione's embrace—softer, at least. Hermione was much too bony for a cat.
As Hermione rubbed Sirius's head, Harley quietly explained Professor Lupin's identity.
The harmonious scene caught Professor Lupin's eye.
"Sirius is letting a little Witch rub his head without reacting at all. And he's lived in the same place as Harley for so long without doing anything unusual.
"On top of that, he somehow escaped from Azkaban after spending twelve years there.
"It's all very suspicious. Could his target be someone or something else, rather than Harley?"
As the brains of the Marauders, Professor Lupin quickly spotted several things that didn't add up.
After all, Sirius was acting far too strangely.
Whatever the case, Professor Lupin was at least much less worried about Harley's safety.
Harley had once killed a Basilisk all by herself... Professor Lupin could do that too, but it would take a lot of effort.
As for when he was in his second year, if he had faced a Basilisk alone, he would have had to pray he could somehow make it choke to death—at best, a mutual kill.
Professor Lupin gave up thinking. He yawned, feeling that he couldn't stay awake any longer.
Where had he slept last night? On a hard bed in Knockturn Alley, perhaps? That was nowhere near as soft as a train seat.
"Harley, and..." Professor Lupin looked up at the Witch across from him.
"Hermione Granger, Professor Lupin. You can