Chapter 186: Old Gossips

Hermione's odd behaviour made Harry freeze for a moment, unable to maintain the expression on his face. He didn't know whether to keep his temper up, but it might seem like he is being unreasonable?

Ron took the opportunity to hug his shoulders, "Harry, we'll talk about it over dinner, Hermione was right about one thing - we are indeed going to be late."

Harry was distracted throughout Transfiguration class, still pondering where Hermione had got her information from, maybe Professor Hap? But their age doesn't match up.

He was thinking so deeply that he completely ignored the frequent glances he received from others.

In the previous class, divination professor Sybill Trelawney, while explaining the shape of tea leaves, gave an omen of death that made all young wizards cringe - the big black dog that roamed the graveyard like a ghost.

Her words deeply disturbed Harry, for he had seen the big black dog symbolizing death more than once - from the cover of the book "The Omen of Death" in the bookshop to what he saw in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent the day he left home.

After the divination class ended in a hurry, Hermione, in order to refute Trelawney's point of view, inadvertently said something to Harry, such as the fact that she already knew some information about his father, but kept quiet about it.

This is the reason for Harry's anger.

At noon, the wizards flocked to the great hall to eat, Harry took some sausage and fried tomatoes, but he didn't feel much appetite, as if he is filled with all kinds of worries.

Hermione pushed him a small dish for dipping, "Harry, you heard what Professor McGonagall said, Trelawney predicts the death of a student every year, it's her way of welcoming new classes."

But Ron said worriedly, "You didn't see a big black dog wandering around somewhere else, did you, Harry?"

Harry's stomach suddenly jerked, "No, I saw one," he said, "the night I left Dursley's."

Ron's fork dropped and he looked terrified.

But Harry is more concerned about other things, and he looked toward Hermione and asked in a stern tone, "You haven't told me about my father."

"Oh, uh ..." Hermione averted her eyes in some panic: "Okay." She took a deep breath, "Remember when we were detained by Professor Hap?"

"Sure, it happened last school year." Harry struggled to search his memory, "We were suspicious that Professor Hap had something to do with the chamber attack, and followed him into the Forbidden Forest, and we were discovered. And we got a ten-point deduction, plus a full weekend of detention." He added, "With Malfoy."

He wondered what this had to do with his father.

Hermione looked at him, "It was the content of our detention, Harry. Professor Hap had brought a stack of old files from Professor McGonagall at the time for us to transcribe - it was about the list of student violations and the corresponding punishments."

Harry recalled more details, and he remembered that Malfoy had been chattering beside him while transcribing the information.

But he quickly realized the point of Hermione's words and his eyes widened, "You saw my father's name on it!"

"More than that, Harry." Hermione said, "All four of them. I mean, the names I saw then were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew-" Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"That's why you looked so surprised when you heard the full name of Professor Lupin! So you knew it all along." Harry cleared up the confusion, which gave him a renewed appetite, and he stabbed a sausage and took a big bite. His eyes stayed fixed on Hermione, though.

"That's right." Hermione said, "In fact, it may be that the part I transcribed is the one from those years ... Anyway, I saw quite a lot of violations records."

Harry stammered, "You mean, my father he ..."

Hermione said softly, "Similar to the twins, but perhaps a little more active." She picked her words carefully, "Your father's name is often mixed with Sirius Black, with the occasional addition of two other people. That means-"

"They're friends! And, my father is obviously on better terms with Sirius Black!" Harry hammered the table violently.

He remembered the conversation he had overheard between the Weasleys on the eve of the school year. He hadn't really felt much fear when he had learned that Sirius Black's escaped from prison to target him.

The fugitive had killed thirteen people with one spell, and it seemed reasonable that he should indeed be afraid, but Hogwarts should be the safest place to be, with Headmaster Dumbledore inside and Professor Hap who had a good relationship with him.

The only thing that puzzled him is that Mr. Weasley had a private conversation with him before he got on the train the next day. In the conversation, Mr. Weasley made him swear that he would not actively seek out Black ...

Why would he go to a man who wanted to kill him?

But now it is all clear, that Black and his father were good friends, breaking the rules together, roaming the castle together, exploring the forbidden forest together ...

It is hard to imagine that such friends would become enemies.

'Also, he is a Death Eater, war will make people go crazy, considering Voldemort!' Harry thought to himself.

Ron stared blankly at the two, especially Hermione, almost ten months had passed since that detention! She simply ate the whole thing up and didn't let a single word out of her mouth.

Hermione looked at Harry approvingly: "I thought so too, and ..." she said under her breath: "And I saw Severus Snape's name too, and there are seven or eight records of them fighting with each other -- your father and Snape."

Harry looked dumbfounded, and he couldn't help but look over at the faculty table.

A quarter of an hour ago.

A similar thing was being talked about at the faculty table.

Snape slowly and methodically stabbed a piece of potato and passed it to his mouth to chew slowly, "Felix, the new professor is not trustworthy, in fact -- he and the criminal on the run are close friends, went to school together."

Felix looked up and said carelessly, "I'm not aware of that. Can you tell me more about that, Professor?"

Snape glared at him, "What do you want to know?"

"All you can say," Felix said.

Snape looked at him with a disgusted expression, "Nothing much to say, Potter, Black, Lupin, and that Peter, they were near inseparable at school, loitering and getting into trouble all day."

"Especially that Potter, arrogant and stupid, he trusted that traitor ... by mistake."

"You guys had a bad relationship in school?"

Snape's expression stiffened, and he said slowly, "You certainly do pry quite a bit."

Felix curled his mouth and said with a smile: "Just the obvious, after all, you and him are the best of that period. A lot of people can't forget about you guys, like the Three Broomsticks' boss lady.".

"Stop prying into my business, Felix. I'm warning you. ..."

"We're on the same team, aren't we, Head?" Felix changed his address, "But you always have to give me more information, and if it's personal, then all I can say is sorry."

After a long stare, Snape lifted his head slightly and said softly, "Personal grudge? When you see through Lupin's true colours, you'll be amazed, Felix. You can stay out of it, and I can capture Black all alone and enjoy the sweetness of revenge."

"They got you? Professor, you wouldn't have got your ass kicked, would you?" Felix inquired curiously.

Snape's eyes grew scary, and Felix mended the situation by saying, "Oh, of course not. At least it would have been equal, or else who did you experiment with that little vile jinx of yours, Professor?"

Snape stood up sharply, the chair rubbed the floor with an ear-splitting sound. He subconsciously glanced at the long Gryffindor table, at the same time, Harry is also looking over, their eyes met.

Harry's surprised face has not faded, and Snape's eyes were as deep as calm water in the lake.

Half a second later, he waved his sleeve and left.