Professor Lupin quickly composed himself and asked, " Malfoy, you're only a fourth-year student. Isn't it a bit too early for you to say such things?"
"Whether it's early or not depends on what we're doing. Professor, you'll soon understand that some preparations are best started now," Draco said calmly.
Professor Lupin looked at him, then suddenly wanted to ask, "When you say 'below,' are you referring to the Malfoy family, or... yourself?"
Draco didn't mince words. "It's me. Not the family, not my father, it's me."
The corridor was so quiet that only Draco's breathing could be heard.
Professor Lupin and Hermione both held their breath. Hermione's heart was pounding softly. For the first time, she had seen in Draco a composure and strategic thinking far beyond his years.
Lupin gave him a deep look, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.
But he still sighed softly and said self-deprecatingly:
"What can I, a professor who can't even keep a stable job, do for you? Besides... I have some troubles that I can't let anyone know about."
He was hinting at his own instability.
"I know you're in trouble. I don't need your agreement right now; I just want to tell you one thing."
"I can offer you safety, stability, and dignity, and I can protect the secrets you want to keep. Remember to come find me when you have to leave Hogwarts."
Lupin's eyes widened as he stared at Draco, a look of shock crossing his face. He suddenly realized...
The boy seemed to see through everything he was desperately trying to hide, but he didn't show the slightest contempt for him.
After a long silence, Professor Lupin let out a soft breath and looked at Draco with a complex expression:
"... I will remember that."
Only after Professor Lupin left did Hermione gently tug at Draco's sleeve and whisper, "Why... why did you say those things to Professor Lupin just now?"
"Want to know?" Draco asked mischievously.
"Of course I want to," Hermione replied immediately.
"Then why don't you do something?" Draco demanded.
Hermione blushed instantly. She quickly glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention.
Draco was delighted, thinking she was going to give him some kind of reward, but the next second, he felt a slightly grumpy twisting motion on his side.
"Hiss--"
Draco instantly stiffened, but dared not shout, and could only plead in a low voice, "Hey, hey, honey, I was wrong, I'll tell you, I'll tell you right now!"
"Now you realize your place? Speak properly." Hermione released her grip, saying with a hint of smugness.
"Wife, you can't do this to me." Draco rubbed his back with a pained expression and muttered softly, "If you want someone to tell the truth, you have to give them something in return, right?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and said righteously:
"Didn't you say before that you wanted to be a stay-at-home dad? Then naturally I'll be in charge of things at home."
"Even stay-at-home dads need a voice," Draco said, sounding aggrieved. "If one person has all the power, things won't last long..."
"Stop talking nonsense."
Hermione made a pinching motion with her hand.
Draco immediately backed down, speaking rapidly like a torrent of beans, "I confess! I confess! Actually... Professor Lupin is Werewolf."
Hermione was utterly shocked. Countless images flashed through her mind: why Professor Lupin had taken leave, the reason for his pale face, Snape's deliberate mention of the differences between Werewolf in class, and the assignment of the paper on identifying and killing Werewolf...
All the clues came together.
"Then... did Professor Snape know as well?"
"Wife, how are you so smart?"
" Snape and Professor Lupin... have a grudge?"
Hermione pressed for an answer.
Draco nodded slightly.
"It's a grudge from the previous generation, a conflict they had back in their student days, it has nothing to do with us."
Hermione frowned and asked worriedly,
"But Professor Snape has been hinting in class... is he trying to drive Professor Lupin away?"
Even if Snape didn't deliberately pressure him, Professor Lupin's identity would be exposed sooner or later. Rather than waiting until he was discovered and had nowhere to go, it was better for him to leave on his own.
"I know you're right..." Hermione was still reluctant to part with such a good professor... Who knows what the next Dark Magic Defence Class teacher will be like?
Draco gently rubbed Hermione's furrowed brow and said indulgently, "It's alright, don't look so gloomy."
"I'll poach Professor Lupin and have him work for me. I'll cover the Wolfsbane Potion."
"We can also find him a stable place to stay. Once he's settled, we can make him your private tutor, and he can learn Defence Against Dark Magic whenever he wants."
Hermione paused, her reluctance and worry instantly dissipating, her cheeks flushing red. She playfully poked his arm.
"You've thought of everything so thoroughly, even arranging a private tutor... But will he be willing to teach him?"
"Don't worry, he has no reason to refuse the conditions I've set. With me here, you won't encounter any bad professors, and Professor Lupin won't be left without a place to go."
"Okay." Hermione looked at the seriousness in his eyes, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Without saying anything more, the two moved with the flow of people into the brightly lit Great Hall.
When Snape substituted for the students, they suffered terribly, and the conversations in the Great Hall invariably revolved around Snape.
"Do you guys think Professor Snape's Potions Class isn't tiring enough? Substituting for Defence Against Dark Magic is one thing, but he always focuses on Werewolf, just repeating the same old thing about identification and hunting. It's driving me crazy," Seamus complained impatiently, munching on a chicken leg.
"More than that, the way he looked at us was like he was looking at a failing Potions cauldron, and the way he spoke about Werewolf always seemed strange, like he was implying something," Parvati chimed in.
Hermione paused, her hand holding the fork still, and looked at Draco beside her. She saw that he was calm and slowly cutting the steak on his plate.
In the following days, Snape's targeting became increasingly severe. Whenever it was his turn to teach, the entire class would revolve around Werewolf.
Many of the more perceptive students in the class sensed something was amiss, and their speculations grew increasingly widespread.
Draco saw all of this and knew that if things continued like this, Snape would eventually break off all ties and expose Professor Lupin's secret in public.
He didn't mention it to Hermione.
After class one day, I avoided everyone and found Professor Lupin, who was organizing his lesson plans, all by myself.
"Professor, you should be able to see that Snape's targeting is becoming increasingly obvious." Draco leaned against the doorway.
"His repeated lectures on Werewolf knowledge weren't really a lesson; they were a series of tests, laying the groundwork for everyone, just waiting for an opportunity to expose you."
Lupin paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face, and sighed helplessly.
"I know, but I have no other choice but to try to avoid him and pretend I know nothing."
"Running away won't solve the problem," Draco suggested. "You should talk to Snape privately and tell him clearly that you'll leave Hogwarts after this school year and never appear before him again."
"Will doing this really make him stop?"
"Yes," Draco said confidently.
"His targeting of you stems from his resentment that you stayed at Hogwarts and that you lived a peaceful life."
"You've taken the initiative to say you're leaving completely, which is in accordance with his wishes. There's no need for him to risk offending Headmaster Dumbledore and making a scene."
"As long as he stops deliberately targeting you and stops making insinuations, you can finish teaching this year peacefully and leave with dignity."
Lupin stared blankly at the young man before him, who was so composed despite his young age. He was moved for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll find an opportunity to talk to him."