Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 114 Whoever has the suspicion must prove it.

Chapter 114 Whoever has the suspicion must prove it.

Harry heard all the gossip and accusations at school, and he also saw the behavior of some students who tried to avoid him.

Harry was panicked, fearing he would be expelled; Harry was angry, wondering why they accused him of being an attacker; Harry was also wronged, as he knew nothing about his family background.

For more than a month, Harry thought about many things, but he never thought about crying, and he didn't shed a single tear.

But in this small, warm office, feeling the warmth emanating from Professor Black, and listening to those two seemingly random words from him, Harry actually felt an urge to cry.

No, I mustn't cry, I absolutely mustn't cry. Crying will become a habit, and a habit will become a weakness!

Harry forced back his increasingly sore eyes and nose, stuffed all the tangerines into his mouth, chewed them with all his might, and swallowed them with all his might. These tangerines were so sweet.

Unaware of what was happening, Ron was still popping food into his mouth. Hermione looked left and right, as if she were back on the day she first boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Belvina continued peeling the tangerine, her slender, fair hands carefully peeling away the skin and removing the pith, before handing the peeled tangerine to Harry.

This time, Harry reached out and took the tangerine, mumbling a "thank you" indistinctly.

Belvina then stopped feeding the Savior, and peeled two oranges for Ron and Hermione, one for each of them.

Ron, equally clueless, mumbled his thanks, his mouth full of cookies and cake. Hermione's face remained flushed, whether from being too close to the fireplace or for some other reason, was unclear.

Belvina wasn't in a hurry to ask, or even to find out today. She had already waited for over a month, so a little more time wouldn't make a difference.

After Harry swallowed all the mandarin oranges in his mouth and suppressed the urge to cry, he spoke again, confiding his secret to Professor Black, whom he both knew and didn't know.

"People at school say I'm the heir to Slytherin." Harry's voice sounded unconvinced. He didn't know much about his family background, and the Sorting Hat had said he was suited for Slytherin. "Do you think you are?" Belvina asked, her tone relaxed, as if she were talking about something trivial.

Harry thought for a moment and said, "I don't know. I know nothing about my dad's family—"

The Dursleys always forbade Harry from asking anything about his parents, and he knew nothing about them.

Belvina didn't answer immediately. She thought for a moment before saying, "I can't give you a definite answer either. As far as I know, the Potter family is a very ancient wizarding family, wealthy and prestigious."

She was neither a historian specializing in the history of magic nor a genealogist specializing in other people's family trees. Her knowledge of the Potter family was very limited, far less than her knowledge of pure-blood wizarding families.

"What I can tell you is that the Potter family has always had a good reputation in the wizarding world, and has produced many famous figures, such as Potions Masters, Wizengamots, and so on."

Belvina continued, "If I remember correctly, your great-grandfather Henry was a member of the Wizengamot, and your grandfather Fremont invented the Quick Smooth Hair Treatment, the hair potion you all know."

This was the first time Harry had ever heard anyone mention his grandfather and great-grandfather, and it was a strange feeling.

Harry tried to recall the family members he saw in the Mirror of Erised, attempting to figure out which one was Henry and which one was Fremont.

"Harry—I mean the Potter family, is it possible that they're related to Slytherin?" Hermione asked with concern. If Harry were really a great-great-great-great-grandson of Slytherin or something, he would definitely be cursed to death by everyone at school!

"I don't know," Belvina shrugged. "You all seem to have missed the point. The point has never been the Slytherin heir; the point is who opened the Chamber of Secrets, isn't it?"

Harry, who had been stuck in a dead end, suddenly had a breakthrough, but Hermione, who was usually very clever, didn't realize it at this moment.

Belvina patiently explained, "There may be many heirs to Slytherin; those who inherit his bloodline are the heirs."

Those who carry on his will can also be considered his successors; the key lies in who opened the secret room.

Belvina looked at Harry and asked seriously, "So, Mr. Harry Potter, did you open the Chamber of Secrets, release the monster inside, and attack Mrs. Norris and Mr. Colin Creevey?"

"Of course not, Harry!" Hermione interjected. "If Harry had opened the Chamber of Secrets, wouldn't I be the first one to suffer?"

"It wasn't me, I didn't open the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said, shaking his head. "I've never even heard of the Chamber of Secrets before!"

"Then what do you have to care about!" Belvina suddenly clapped her hands, startling Ron. Belvina continued, "Life is just about laughing at others and being laughed at by others; it's no big deal."

Belvina stood up and walked toward the locker. She took out a silver tall plate, filled it with passion fruit and cake, and said, "Professor Dumbledore won't expel you just because of a student's baseless accusations, even though you were involved in both attacks to some extent."

The first time, Mrs. Lorris was petrified, and Harry was the first to discover it; the second time, Colin Crevy was attacked on his way to visit Harry.

Besides his incredible victory over Vader as an infant, Harry's close connection to the two attacks is also a reason why the students suspect him. The first eyewitness is often the first to be suspected and investigated.

Belvina placed the freshly filled silver saucer on the table and pushed it towards where Ron was sitting.

She continued, "For many people, once suspicion arises, the guilt is already established. So explaining to them is useless and will only ruin your good mood. Whoever has the suspicion must provide evidence; never fall into the trap of self-incrimination."

"What should I do?" Harry asked hastily. "Should I just ignore them completely?" He had been bothered by the students' gossip for a long time, and he desperately needed a solution.

Hermione also raised her little face to listen carefully. This was an adult's summary of life experience, and its importance was equal to the knowledge in books.

"It's simple. Just ask them directly, 'Do you have any evidence? If you have solid evidence, then produce it. If you have evidence, go and report them to the principal or the minister. If you don't have evidence, then shut your mouth.'" Belvina's tone suddenly became very fierce and aggressive.

Harry and Hermione silently memorized the sentence, noting the expression and tone of Belvina's voice. Why hadn't they thought of directly questioning her back? This was much better than keeping it bottled up inside.

"Professor Dumbledore probably doesn't want me to say this, but I'll say it anyway. You are Harry Potter, you defeated Voldemort—" Belvina paused, noticing that Ron had stopped swallowing and even Hermione was shrinking back.

Belvina quickly changed her tune, saying, "You defeated the Dark Lord and saved wizarding society. You can live an upright and kind life, and you should, but don't let your uprightness and kindness cause you to suffer. Otherwise, the Potters' sacrifice would be too tragic."

As the headmaster, Dumbledore couldn't possibly be unaware of the rumors circulating in the school. Even if he truly didn't know, someone would have told him these rumors in detail.

Belvina believed that Dumbledore's silence on these baseless rumors was a way to toughen Harry's mind, to strengthen his resolve and make his will unbreakable through these slanders.

While it's important to give Harry experience and level up, Harry is still a child, a poor child who has lost his parents. He needs someone to stand by his side and provide proper guidance, support, and strength when he's feeling down.

This is because Harry Potter is resilient; anyone else who went through such terrible things would have turned to the dark side and shown it to Dumbledore in no time.

The warm office suddenly became very quiet, with only the crackling of the fire in the fireplace. Even Ron stopped chewing and swallowing.

Hermione looked at Belvina, at her cheeks flushed red by the fireplace, and thought: Professor Black is really different. No one has ever said these things to Harry before, never.

Ron, having eaten and drunk his fill, scratched his chin. He felt he had missed a lot of crucial information, but the last sentence was really insightful: "Don't let honesty and kindness make you suffer. That's how it should be."

Harry looked up out the window. Thick, gray snowflakes were still falling outside, but the oppressive and gloomy feeling was gone. The worries and anxieties that had been weighing on his heart for days were relieved and released.

Harry had his own ideas on how to deal with those rumors and slanders. He would wait until the truth came out and the attackers were caught, then see what they would have to say!

"Professor, there's one more thing," Harry said, having made up his mind. "Something that happened to me, but I can't understand it."

Belvina's spirits lifted; she knew the main event was about to begin. She chuckled and teased, "So, I've passed your test now?"

"No—Professor—I didn't—" Harry panicked immediately. No matter how easy-going Professor Black was, she was still a professor.

"Alright, just kidding, have a seat," Belvina said. "You've ruined Ron's appetite."

Ron, caught in the crossfire, widened his eyes. He'd always had a good appetite; he was just full now. Hermione, standing nearby, rolled her eyes in exasperation, thinking to herself: Ronald Weasley, you glutton!

Harry awkwardly smoothed down the tuft of hair that always stood up on his head, but as soon as he put his hand down, the tuft of hair that had just been pressed down stood up again.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking, then said, "Professor, the fact that I can hear things others can't isn't a good sign, is it?"