bioinnovel Chapter 183 Mutual Accusations
Chapter 183 Mutual Accusations
Chapter 183 Mutual Accusations
The ghost of Gryffindor didn't keep Belvina waiting long; the headmaster soon reappeared in the foyer.
Belvina, who was pacing back and forth at the entrance of the Great Hall, immediately went to greet him. She glanced at Lupin first, and then looked at Dumbledore.
"Professor, do you remember what Cornelius said?" Belvina asked bluntly. "He said it was at Hogwarts."
Belvina's straightforwardness startled Bassheda again, who feared that Belvina might blurt out everything she was thinking in her excitement.
Dumbledore's expression was somewhat complicated. He said, "I remember. That's what Black often talked about in his sleep in prison. Tell me, why did you call me back in such a hurry?"
“To do what Sirius Black wanted to do but couldn’t, Professor,” Belvina said. “He wanted to get into the Gryffindor common room, didn’t he?”
Belvina's idea was simple, and it could be said to involve a lot of gambling. She was betting that the "thing" Sirius was looking for was still in the Gryffindor Tower. Tonight, Sirius managed to sneak into Hogwarts and head straight for the Gryffindor common room, which is enough to show that the Gryffindor Tower had a great attraction for him, even to the point of disregarding his own safety.
At the time, all the teachers and students were attending the Halloween Eve dinner, and Gryffindor Tower was empty, which means that Sirius Black was not attracted by the students, let alone Harry.
Don't spout nonsense like Sirius Black had a confused sense of time while he was away from home. Muggles in the villages and towns around Hogwarts don't celebrate Halloween.
Even though Sirius Black is hiding and not associating with Muggles, the festive decorations of Hogsmeade Village and the pumpkin scent that permeates Hogwarts Castle all remind people that tonight is Halloween Eve.
That's why Belvina wanted to enter the Gryffindor Tower; she wanted to see it for herself.
To find out why the Azkaban prisoner risked his life to sneak into Hogwarts, we need to retrace his steps.
Dumbledore looked at Belvina, thought for a moment, and slowly said, "I think I understand what you mean. Let's go, I'll take you to the Gryffindor tower. However, we need more people present."
With that, Dumbledore waved his wand, and two wisps of silvery-white mist shot out from the tip of the wand, which then drifted away.
After using the Patronus Charm to deliver the message, Dumbledore went first up the marble staircase, followed closely by Belvina and Basilda, with Lupin bringing up the rear.
As Lupin climbed the steps, he stared blankly at the back of Belvina's head. He still felt that the two siblings were very similar in some ways, and sometimes even their thoughts were very similar. They were indeed born of the same mother.
As Lupin walked, he pondered what Gryffindor Tower might hold that would make the Black siblings want to visit it.
First, we can rule out the students, since they were all attending a banquet at the time. That leaves only the students' luggage. Lu Ping suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face showing undisguised surprise, his pupils dart around, and his lips tremble.
At this moment, Lupin and Belvina were on the same wavelength. They thought of the same almost impossible possibility: Peter Pediru might still be alive, or even hiding in the Gryffindor Tower!
Lupin was deeply shocked. If Peter Pettigrew was still alive, how did he manage to hide in the school undetected? Had he become a student's pet?
At this moment, Dumbledore and the other two who were walking ahead also stopped and turned to look at the shocked Lupin.
Belvina remained calm; she didn't care what others thought, nor did she care if some people treated her like a crazy girl.
One reason for not revealing everything was to consider Lu Ping's feelings.
Bassheda looked puzzled. She didn't know what Lupin had suddenly thought of, but it must be related to Sirius. If it was related to Sirius, it meant it was related to Belvina. Bassheda couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Standing at the corner of the stairs, Dumbledore scrutinized the dumbfounded Lupin, his wise blue eyes then falling on Belvina.
With his keen intuition and rich life experience, Dumbledore immediately sensed something amiss between the two: Belvina and Lupin shared a secret.
Immediately afterwards, Dumbledore saw another scene: he saw Belvina openly giving Lupin a meaningful look.
It seems that there is more than one secret between Belvina and Lupin.
Lupin took a deep breath, walked up the steps, past Belvina and Bassheda, and stood directly in front of Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore, there is something I must tell you now," Lupin said solemnly. "James, Sirius, and Peter are all illegal Animagus."
Lupin understood the look Belvina was giving him; she was asking: "Should you say it yourself, or should I say it for you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore frowned, his already crooked nose became even more contorted, and a cryptic glint flashed in his eyes hidden behind his half-moon spectacles.
Bassheda opened her mouth wide in surprise, wide enough to fit an egg.
Animagus is a wizarding leader who can transform into a certain animal while retaining their magic and thoughts. Professor McGonagall is an Animagus.
To become an Animagus, talent, perseverance, and luck are all indispensable. Even if everything goes smoothly, it can take a year or even several years to become an Animagus.
Since the 20th century, only seven Animagus have been registered with the Ministry of Magic.
Sirius Black and others were not among these seven people, which means that the three of them were illegal Animagus.
"What animals can they become?" Dumbledore asked, his tone so calm that it was difficult to discern his true thoughts.
"James is a stag, Sirius is a big black dog, and Peter is a mouse," Lupin answered truthfully, essentially betraying Sirius completely.
The illegal Animagus is Sirius's biggest trump card at this stage; the Ministry of Magic is unaware of his shapeshifting ability.
Dumbledore looked at the silent Belvina and asked, "When did you find out?"
"About two weeks ago, all of this was just baseless speculation," Belvina said, without mentioning the chance encounter on Magnolia Crescent Street.
"I understand," said Dumbledore, his gaze immediately falling on Bassheda, whose mouth was agape.
Still processing the explosive news, Bassheda was stunned for a moment, then covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes tightly to show that she hadn't heard or seen anything.
Seeing this, Dumbledore didn't say anything more, and continued walking upstairs.
Before long, the four silent people arrived at the corridor leading to the Gryffindor Tower, where Professor McGonagall and Snape had been waiting for some time.
Professor McGonagall, one of the registered Animagus, approached and asked, "Has something happened again? Why the sudden search of the Gryffindor Tower?"
"Belvina reminded me that there are still some things we haven't confirmed," Dumbledore said, "very important things."
Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall looked at Belvina, the older catgirl with a hint of resentment in her eyes, clearly still angry about the Hogsmeade Permit.
At that moment, Snape's cold, sarcastic voice rang out in the corridor; his tone of voice was always so annoying, no matter when or where.
Snape said, "Excuse me, Headmaster. Have you ever wondered how Black got in here, Professor?"
"Severus!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed in surprise, Snape's hint was far too obvious.
The Potions Professor's intentions are obvious to everyone. This statement directly targets Belvina and Lupin, practically accusing them of being accomplices.
Lupin didn't offer an explanation, and even if he did, Snape wouldn't believe him.
Belvina narrowed her eyes slightly, her lips twitched, clearly wanting to berate Snape, but she forcibly held back in the end.
Bassheda stepped forward, blocking Belvina's view, trying to shield her from Snape's aggressive gaze and prevent the scene in the corridor from becoming uncontrollable.
"Many ideas, Severus, but none of them hold water," Dumbledore said, whether he didn't understand Snape's hint or pretended not to, the headmaster ignored it.
Snape stormed forward, his voice sounding light but clear enough to reach everyone's ears.
He said, "Do you remember that conversation we had, Principal, just before the start of the semester? I clearly expressed my concerns then that some people shouldn't be returning to school."
“Yes, some people really shouldn’t go back to school,” Belvina suddenly said. “Some people take pleasure in bullying students all day long. The parents of that bullied student are lying in St. Mungo’s, and they’ll probably never leave their hospital room for the rest of their lives.”
Belvina walked around Bassheda in front of her and continued, "Severus, does your arm hurt when it's cloudy and rainy? I'm curious."