The Headmaster Is Rather Slow on His Feet (3000+) / Lupin's Identity Must Be Kept Secret to the Grave

"You're really willing to help me, that's wonderful!" Hearing Harry's words, Astora quickly stood up to thank him. "I'll come back to bother you after Christmas, thank you so much!"

Upon hearing that Harry had helped her, Astoria Greengrass's expression softened considerably. She gave everyone a polite smile, set down her plate, and took her leave.

"A paranormal event? What could it be?" Hermione murmured to herself, watching the other person's departing figure.

"It must be someone we've all dealt with before," Harry thought, having already guessed the reason.

Astoria Greengrass's request is likely related to her father's ghost.

Harry had seen Greengrass's ghost on the Marauder's Map before; it's now hiding inside Hogwarts!

(P. S. I'll try to write two 3000+ word articles today, I'm not feeling quite right...)

Chapter 345 The Headmaster is rather lacking in quick wit (3000+ words)

After the Christmas party, Harry and the others saw Corvus and Tonks off.

Corvus was mainly there to be the coachman for the Flamel couple, and now he has not only successfully delivered the passengers, but also left the carriage there, making it a truly light-load return journey.

Before leaving, he gave Luna Lovegood a special instruction... that if it was convenient, she should carry the family badge he had given her with her, or it would be fine to have Nicolas Flamel modify it a little.

Harry understood Corvus's implication and naturally agreed on Luna Lovegood's behalf.

Corvus wasn't trying to forcefully sell his family's symbol of status to Luna Lovegood; Harry had checked it before, and the badge he gave her was actually a special magical item.

Although the specific effects of that thing are still unclear, it is likely a force related to the Lestrange Family.

One fact is that Voldemort's most loyal and vicious Death Eater were all from the Lestrange Family in Britain.

A crow won't peck at another crow's eye...

If the badge really did serve the purpose of Harry's guess, then Corvus truly gave Luna Lovegood a great gift.

As for Tonks, she seemed very reluctant to leave, but it was unclear whether she was reluctant to part with everyone there, or just with a particular person...

Harry had assumed Sirius would leave with his niece, but she ended up staying at Hogwarts quite unceremoniously... This kind of personality, like Tonks', completely lacking any awareness of being a bad guest, is definitely Black family trait.

However, although Sirius claimed to have come to play with Harry, he spent most of the days after Christmas with Lupin, and they didn't stay at Hogwarts.

After roughly calculating the timeline, Harry learned the real reason Sirius had come to Hogwarts.

About a week after Christmas, on the night of the most recent full moon, Sirius was clearly there to keep Lupin.

It must be said that their friendship is truly admirable.

Sirius, in particular, despite his carefree and irresponsible nature, acting like a spoiled brat every day, remembered everything about Lupin and his role as his son perfectly...

"That's probably the only redeeming quality that stupid dog has left." On the night of the full moon after Christmas, when Harry was brewing a potion in the Headmaster's office at Slytherin House, the Potions Professor gave such an assessment of someone.

"Severus Snape, you two didn't actually have a blood feud back then, did you?" Harry asked curiously as he stirred the potion with his wand.

"You want to know?" Snape's tone gradually darkened.

"I'm just a little curious, because it seems like you and Uncle Lupin are just quite estranged, but you and my godfather seem to want to strangle each other."

Harry nodded at first, but then shook his head. "But... it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. It's all in the past now. I was just curious."

"Yes, it's all in the past now, so I might as well tell you," Snape said calmly. "I overheard a secret of those four Marauders and wanted to use it to find out the truth they were hiding. But your father and your godfather used that to play a very dangerous joke on me. It was a day like today, when your godfather lured me through the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow ... to find Remus."

"What did you say? He actually did that kind of thing?!" Harry was shocked to hear this.

On a day like today, which is clearly also a full moon night, if Sirius were to lead Snape to Lupin at that crucial moment, they would definitely run into a Werewolf in the process of transforming!

Even if Harry knew that Sirius was the type to play around and gouge out eyes, his actions were still clearly premeditated murder!

"Fortunately, your saintly father backed out at the last minute. Just as I was about to reach the end of the secret passage, he rushed over and pulled me back, disregarding the danger. However, what he did wasn't exactly brave; he saved himself and me. After all... if their joke had gone through, it wouldn't have been as simple as just being expelled."

Harry could hear the undiminished resentment in Snape's words; he also sensed Harry's belief that his father, James, was the true mastermind...

"I'm sorry, Severus Snape... I cannot comment on this matter."

But just as Harry said, even though he understood these things, he had absolutely no idea what to say about them.

Should one then condemn their deceased father and try to resolve the hatred of the living?

No... Only naive and selfish children would think that everyone around them should be harmonious with each other.

Once Harry learned of the deep-seated animosity between Sirius and Snape, he completely abandoned any thought of mediating between them.

Because it's simply impossible to resolve.

Would you forgive someone who intentionally tried to kill you?

And further still, what right do you have to expect someone who was nearly murdered to forgive someone who premeditatedly tried to kill them?

If such a person really exists, Harry should stay far away from him, otherwise he might easily get caught in the crossfire during a thunderstorm.

In short, Harry learned the extent of the feud between his parents' generation, but that was all he knew.

He wouldn't cause any trouble, nor would he need to mediate between his godfather and the Severus Snape; he might as well just let things take their course.

In the end, everything that happened back then could only be left as a "let it go".

Just like the Severus Snape today, the fact that he is willing to tell Harry about this past shows that he may have gradually come to terms with it. Whether it is sadness or hatred, he is no longer as obsessed as before.

However, there was one more thing Harry was curious about.

"Severus Snape ...I'd like to know, did you tell the Headmaster about this later?" Harry pressed Snape.

"I did tell you." Harry got the answer he wanted from Snape's emotionless tone.

Clearly, that matter was dropped.

That's right. If what happened back then were seriously investigated, it would definitely become a huge news story that would shake most of the Wizarding World.

Father James and godfather Sirius are likely to be expelled for premeditatedly murdering a classmate;

Furthermore, the fact that Dumbledore, and indeed the entire Hogwarts, protected a Werewolf's enrollment could also be exposed.

In addition, the illegal Animagus of three Marauders will also be made public at that time.

On one side are four (actually three) promising Gryffindor students, the reputation of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the futures of most of the faculty, including Dumbledore; on the other side is the emotions of just one student, Snape...

If Harry were Dumbledore, he might also choose to suppress the matter.

"Headmaster, you must have had a real headache back then," Harry sighed softly after reviewing the whole incident. "After all, it almost resulted in a death..."

"That's why I revealed Remus's identity to you." Snape's next sentence made Harry's expression tighten. "Granger, you've been dealing with Dumbledore since you were ten years old. Have you noticed that Dumbledore has one glaring weakness?"

"Dumbledore's weakness...?"

Harry tilted his head and pondered for a moment, especially after recalling his several encounters with Dumbledore. He seemed to see in his mind... the most obvious flaw in Dumbledore's personal abilities!

"I think I understand... Although Dumbledore powerful, intelligent, and extremely good at planning and strategizing, he does lack a very important ability."

Looking confidently into Snape's eyes, Harry stated his answer with certainty, "Dumbledore lacks is... quick wit!"

That's right, when Harry was ten years old, he ran away from the Dursley family and outmaneuvered a group of Auror, even outmaneuvering Dumbledore.

When Harry was twelve, he suddenly launched an attack after the Sorcerer's Stone incident, causing Dumbledore to suffer another defeat at his hands;

And recently, whether it was Fudge's purge of the Ministry of Magic or Nicolas Flamel's sudden tirade, Dumbledore's on-the-spot responses could only be described as 'a beat too slow'.

The same applies to the premeditated murder case back then. He failed to notice in time that the conflict between the students had escalated to the point of mortal enmity, so he could only choose to forcibly suppress it by using his status when the situation was rapidly deteriorating.

The consequence of this was that he did manage to quell the incident, but the feud between Severus Snape and his father's generation could never be resolved.

"Absolutely right!" Hearing Harry's assessment, Snape nodded approvingly. "Granger, your mind certainly doesn't disappoint. Our headmaster often fails to respond appropriately to unexpected situations that are clearly beyond his expectations. For example, regarding Remus, although everything seems calm now, the seeds of trouble have already been sown."

"A hidden danger?" Harry frowned slightly, not immediately understanding what Snape meant.

"Granger, think carefully... who exactly knew Remus was Werewolf back then? And among these people, who were his, or rather, who were your, enemies?"

"You mean... Peter Pettigrew Peter?!" Harry's eyes widened involuntarily after Snape's reminder.

Yes, the Peter Pettigrew, now on the run, could indeed become a major hidden danger!

Although only a very few people knew that he was impersonating Peter Pettigrew, this incident has surely made Peter Pettigrew, who is on the run, aware of it now.

He might also be inspired by his own actions to actually contact Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius has now helped Fudge successfully deal with the entire Ministry of Magic, and his next target will undoubtedly be Hogwarts.

If he really learns from Peter Pettigrew Lupin is Werewolf... or even worse, if Peter Pettigrew makes it public, then Hogwarts will inevitably become the target of the entire Wizarding World!

Harry was even certain that Dumbledore would never have thought of this!

Because he has always been protective of Marauders, and at the same time, he unconsciously overlooks Peter Pettigrew, the most inconspicuous Marauders!

It is conceivable that if trouble were to break out again, Dumbledore would likely be unable to control the situation.

"Granger, now that you know about this, you should start making plans." Under the soft glow of the full moon, Snape calmly gazed into Harry's eyes...

"If... you want to protect all of this right now!"

(P. S. I'm not feeling well today, so I haven't put much thought into the content. Please forgive me.)

Chapter 346 Lupin's identity must be kept secret until the very end.

After the full moon, even though Snape explained the seriousness of the situation to Harry impulsively ran to Lupin to discuss it without saying a word.

After Werewolf transforms, it will be in a period of weakness. Lupin must be in a lot of pain during this time, not to mention that even if you look for him, it won't make any difference.

If Snape's fears are true, then the enemy will attack 'Hogwarts hired a Werewolf as a professor,' rather than directly attacking a down-on -Wolfsbane Potion protected by Werewolf and who would never harm others when transformed.

Of course, some might ask, wouldn't simply expelling Lupin from school solve the problem?

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Perhaps it would have been possible in the past, when Fudge and the Malfoy family were not yet completely in cahoots, and the Ministry of Magic was not so dominant in the Britain Wizarding World that it could control all media outlets.

Therefore, even if Lupin's identity is revealed, as long as he doesn't kill anyone while disguised as Werewolf, Dumbledore can easily quell the situation with a dismissal letter.

But things are different now. Apart from Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic has almost unified the Britain Wizarding World, and their next target is clearly Hogwarts... Therefore, even if Dumbledore' expels' Lupin from the school, Lucius and other scheming people will still seize on this and make a big fuss about it.

'Hogwarts once sheltered a Werewolf to enroll,' ' Dumbledore once hired Werewolf as a Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, but dismissed him at the last minute for fear of being exposed'... Just wait and see, these reports will be everywhere, just like when Harry plotted against Lucius!

Once Lupin leaves Hogwarts, he will also lose the castle's protection. The Ministry of Magic could send a group of Auror to arrest him, and then on a full moon night, stage a 'live broadcast of Werewolf transformation,' providing all the solid evidence in the news.

If that were to actually happen, Hogwarts and Dumbledore would be in utter ruin.

Basically, Albus Dumbledore has squandered a winning hand this time.

It's like Harry has two kings and four 2s in his hand, but his teammate Albus Dumbledore insists that Harry throw out a four-of-a-kind with two extra cards, then immediately launches a four-of-a-kind... As a result, not only does he not escape himself, but he also gives Lucius, the landlord, a 3!

In any case, Lupin is definitely not going to leave Hogwarts now.

Moreover, his Werewolf identity must be kept strictly hidden and cannot be revealed under any circumstances.

Even if the outside world condemns him overwhelmingly, even if all the students in the school suspect that he is a Werewolf, he will absolutely grit his teeth and refuse to admit it to the death!

Because without solid evidence, rumors and slander can never become the truth.

Since the Werewolf transformation only occurs on the night of the full moon, as long as Lupin is hidden on that day, even if Lucius and the Ministry of Magic break into the school to investigate, they won't find any evidence!

Suitcases, the Room of Requirement, the Forbidden Forest, even beneath the Black Lake... Hogwarts Castle has plenty of places to hide people, go find them if you're really that good!

Of course... this method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

If the enemy really wanted to drag things out with Hogwarts, they could have searched for Lupin like mad dogs every full moon night, and eventually their weakness would have been exposed.

Lupin will disappear for a period of time on the night of the full moon, which is unavoidable. The overwhelming questioning he faces during that time could very well break down his mental defenses...

Therefore, the only way to solve this problem once and for all is to prevent Lupin from Transfiguration on the night of the full moon, or rather... to allow him to freely control his Transfiguration.

There's no other way, unless Harry can blow the moon to Kamehameha!

Coincidentally, Harry had been researching this for a while...

Of course, he wasn't referring to the Kamehameha, but rather the Human Restoration Spell.

Harry recently discovered that the spell he had previously seized from Lockhart, after removing a series of fancy syllables and adjectives, has an overall structure that is very similar to the spell that forcibly restores Animagus to human form.

However, this spell still has obvious flaws, and it also suffers from the same problem of only treating the symptoms, not the root cause... Even if Harry develops the complete spell, he can only wait until Lupin transforms on the night of each full moon and then use the spell to forcibly turn him back, which cannot solve Lupin's suffering once and for all.

Feral Wolf Syndrome...