Tense Professor Lupin

After leaving the underground classroom, Kyle didn't linger and went straight to the Entrance Hall.

Quite a few people have already returned from Hogsmeade, and they're gathered here exchanging candy and jokes, making it much more lively than when they arrived.

Kyle also saw two people standing next to the stairs.

Professor Lupin held a map in his hand, examining it carefully.

"A very creative design..." he said with a smile. "I had one when I was in school... I saw an interesting map that, like this, showed the secret passages inside the castle."

"Professor, you had maps like this when you were in school?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Better than that..." Professor Lupin murmured, a hint of reminiscence on his face.

But soon, this reminiscence turned into a serious one...

He looked at Harry and asked earnestly, "Maps like these... are there many in the castle?"

"There should only be this one," Harry said after a moment's thought.

He remembered Fred and George saying that they made this map out of interest and had no intention of selling it as a product, and that it was the only one of its kind.

Hearing Harry say that, Professor Lupin's expression softened somewhat.

"Professor, this is something I... found..." Harry didn't want to betray Fred and George, so he racked his brains to find a plausible excuse to explain the origin of the map.

"I don't want to know how you got this kind of thing, but I'm shocked that you didn't hand it over, especially after that student carelessly left the castle information lying around."

"I..." Harry wanted to explain, but he didn't know how to begin.

Fred and George had clearly told him that once he wrote down the location of the secret passage, he should destroy the map immediately, but he forgot about it.

So far, all he remembers is the secret passage with the hunchbacked witch statue.

"I can't give it back to you, Harry." Professor Lupin put the map away. "I have to..."

"Um?"

Suddenly, he twitched his nose, as if he smelled a very familiar scent.

Professor Lupin searched for a while and happened to see Kyle just entering the Entrance Hall.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Lupin." Kyle smiled and waved.

"Hello... Kyle." Professor Lupin asked in confusion, "What are you doing here? Why didn't you go to Hogsmeade?"

"I'm in solitary confinement, Professor." Kyle shrugged. "No time to go to Hogsmeade?"

"Confinement?!"

Professor Lupin was stunned. He never expected that Kyle, who had been first in his grade for four consecutive years, would be put in solitary confinement.

Harry, however, remained calm. He already knew about it when he met Kyle and Snape on the fourth floor that morning.

Snape? Nothing surprising about that.

"He must have put you in solitary confinement specifically because it's Hogsmeade Visiting Day," Harry said definitively.

"What did he ask you to do, deal with that caterpillar slime?"

"No," Kyle shook his head, "It's not that bad, I just helped him brew Potions for a few hours."

"Oh, that's alright," Harry said, still shaken. "After Snape put me in solitary confinement last time, I couldn't eat for days... By the way, what did you guys cook that took so long?"

"A very rare Potions ..." Kyle said, "Wolfsbane Potion."

A flicker of panic crossed Professor Lupin's eyes, but it vanished quickly. Although he tried to appear normal, his hands clenched tightly, as if afraid Kyle would call out his name at any moment.

This semester, he would take leave every full moon, and with the Wolfsbane Potion... he couldn't be sure Kyle hadn't discovered anything.

Fortunately, at that moment, a group of people walked into the Entrance Hall from outside.

Those were the people who went to visit Hogsmeade; they've all returned now.

Fred and George walked over and surrounded Kyle on either side.

You have no idea what you've missed...

"The Shrieking Shack wasn't as bad as we thought..." George said with a laugh. "Malfoy must have seen something inside that scared him so much that he ran all the way back to the castle."

"We heard him screaming all the Zonko's ..." Fred said regretfully, "But why didn't we see anything when we went there last time...?"

Harry kept his head down and didn't say anything.

In fact, Malfoy was scared away by him; he was wearing Invisibility Cloak and threw a lump of mud at the man's face.

However, due to excessive force, part of the Invisibility Cloak accidentally slipped off, revealing his head. He looked as if he were floating in mid-air, which scared Malfoy away.

It was for this reason that he was called to Snape's office.

After that, Kanna, Cho, and Cedric returned.

Kyle then took the opportunity to end the topic of confinement and went outside with them.

He figured if he stayed any longer, Professor Lupin would probably crush the map to pieces.

To be honest, the way he was so nervous, it was as if he had "I'm Werewolf" written all over his face.

Fortunately, it was Harry and Ron who were there; if it had been Hermione, she definitely would have noticed something was wrong.

Speaking of Hermione, we haven't seen her much lately, especially after the Christmas holidays ended, when the trio became a duo.

It was only during mealtimes that Hermione would be seen carrying a bulging bag, hurriedly shoveling down a few bites of food in the Great Hall.

Thinking this, Kyle followed Kanna to the outdoor area.

Qiu, who was standing next to him, handed him a bottle of Butterbeer, which Kyle accepted without a second thought.

The next second, Butterbeer transformed into a grumpy haddock and bit his arm.

The haddock is made of rubber; it doesn't hurt, but it's very strong. No matter how much Kyle shakes it, he can't get rid of it. Pulling hard only makes it longer.

Fred and George burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs; it was obviously their idea.

Watching the group laugh and joke as they walked out of the castle gates, Professor Lupin finally loosened his grip on their hands, and a little color returned to his face.

Kyle didn't seem to notice anything; perhaps he was just too nervous.

He was thinking this to himself...

Yes, who would have thought that the great Professor Dumbledore would hire a Werewolf as his professor, just as he had agreed to let me study here in the first place?

This kind of thing is impossible anywhere... only Dumbledore...

Professor Lupin took a deep breath, gave Harry a few brief instructions, and then hurriedly left.

Now is not the time to think about these things; there is something more important to do.

He needs to go to Filch to find something.