What is meant by "the tower near the water enjoys the moon first"? This is exactly what it is!
The wizarding folk are still uneasy after Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and disappeared, but Remus Lupin, who was close to Dumbledore, has already discovered the true purpose of Black's escape and is taking action!
"Hmm--"
Lupin held his breath, confusedly blinking his eyes, and a few seconds later, his brain in overdrive finally understood what Amorta Breene was trying to say.
"That's right, Amorta," Lupin said, his eyes flickering slightly as he pursed his lips.
"Cough...just like you said...the Ministry of Magic's five thousand Galleons reward, such a large sum of money...if I could get it, I might not have to worry about food for the rest of my life."
Amorta nodded approvingly. Unless he was extremely lucky, his annual 'output' was probably only a few thousand galleons, while five thousand... even after three or four years since graduation, he hadn't made that much money in total!
"By the way--"
Amorta gently tapped the desktop again, looking at the werewolf who was about to be admitted to the 'VIP ward' of St. Mungo's Hospital in a few minutes, his eyes shining brightly, and a wonderful idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Hey, Remus, how about we collaborate?"
"Cooperation? You mean--" Looking at the suddenly eager Amorta Breane, Remus Lupin suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Now, the person who was on high alert was him.
Amorta leaned closer to the table, as if afraid of revealing any crucial commercial secrets.
"We both know that Black escaped from Azkaban for revenge, and he will eventually go after Harry Potter..."
Oblivious to the excitement, Amorta didn't notice that the sentence he said made Remus Lupin's hand under the table shake a little.
"--It can be anticipated that he will do everything he can to get close to Harry Potter. Although Dumbledore is at Hogwarts, he is not omnipotent, just like last year's Slytherin's secret chamber, where Dumbledore was unable to prevent the conspiracy in time... What I mean is, since you can appear at Hogwarts openly, you can help keep an eye on Potter. You are very vigilant, Remus. If Black really tries to get close to Potter, you are sure to pick up on some clues. Then, you pass the information to me, and I'll track down Black. If we succeed, we can split the five thousand Galleons three ways!"
Remus Lupin maintained an eerie silence, not saying a word, and his attitude caused Amorta to misunderstand something.
"Do you think it's too little?" Amorta frowned, his tone turning hostile.
"You should know that Black is a very dangerous criminal. Even with your skills, you might not be able to handle him if you find him."
"No, I was just--"
Remus Lupin seemed to have something stuffed up his nose, forcing out words one by one.
"I'm just confused, Amorta. Albus admires you greatly, and you could easily write to him. He wouldn't stop you from returning to Hogwarts, but you--"
"I have my own reasons, Remus," Amorta apologetically said.
"I plan to stay in Hogmeade. If anything happens at the school, you can notify me at any time."
Remus Lupin fell silent again, and after a long time, he asked slowly in a very tired voice,
"If...you really catch Black, Amorta, what are you going to do with him?"
Amorta raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised by Remus's question.
"Of course, I'll hand him over to the Ministry of Magic for the reward, Remus. Isn't that the purpose of our cooperation?"
"Don't you intend to kill him?" Remus's expression darkened, "He is incredibly evil."
"It's the job of St. Mungo's Hospital to judge crimes, not mine," Amorta said indifferently, and then added.
"And the living are usually worth more."
Looking at the Amorta who had already decided to make a fortune, Remus Lupin suddenly felt a deep sense of sorrow. This sorrow was not for Amorta Breane or himself, but for his former good friend, Sirius Black.
Back then, he decided to betray friendship and justice, joining Voldemort and providing information about James and Lily. He must have thought that he could gain Voldemort's trust and be rewarded with unprecedented glory through this.
But had he ever considered that one day, he would be trapped in this predicament because of that sin, being viewed as prey by rising stars?
"I have a condition, Amorta. If you agree, then we will cooperate."
Remus's expression turned solemn, and he spoke in the coldest tone,
"If one day Sirius Black really falls into your hands, I hope you will hand him over to me."
Aware of Amorta's confusion, Remus took a deep breath and said, "He killed my three friends...very good friends. I have to kill him myself."
Silence, stillness.
Amorta deeply gazed at the weary-looking Remus and realized that his previous guess was wrong.... This werewolf suddenly agreed to become a professor at Hogwarts not for money, but for revenge.
"Okay, I agree with your request... If I catch Black, I will hand him over to you to kill him." Amorta nodded, "But after that, you can only take two-tenths of the reward."
Ultimately, Amorta and Lupin reached an agreement and signed a magical contract. Having been burned once before, Amorta stipulated in the contract that Remus Lupin must not disclose their cooperation to anyone else.
"I noticed something--" Lupin's tone was stable a lot, "The contract only binds me not to disclose the plan, but it doesn't bind you?"
Amorta stood up, stretched his arms and waved his wand to put away the contract.
"My mouth is tight, Remus, but I'm not sure if you'll turn around and tell Albus Dumbledore about this... after all, there's a precedent for that."
After the matter was settled, the two of them talked for several hours, discussing topics other than Black. It was about the group of young witches and wizards at Hogwarts.
Although joining Hogwarts as a professor was largely to catch Black, as Amorta said before, it was indeed a good opportunity for the werewolf to improve his negative image.
If he does well, then in the future, when his students enter the magical world and learn that their memorable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was a werewolf, perhaps they will no longer hold such resentment towards werewolves.
Time quietly passed, and in a blink of an eye, the day of the new term had arrived.
The Reading Pavilion
