“Your bravery? ”
As Professor Brenn's words left his mouth, Hermione heaved a great sigh of relief, feeling as if she had shed a thousand pounds. She came alive, finally understanding that Professor Brenn was not out to kill the three of them; rather, he was simply... 'educating' Harry in his own way!
Harry also came to understand this. His dry and pale lips moved, forming silent words, looking lost and confused.
Yes, my bravery?
Harry asked himself, "What happened to my courage? I thought my hatred for Black would make me willing to take a life at any cost, but it turns out I'm not as brave as I thought. Not even a fake Black, I didn't have the courage to kill!"
"Excuse me, Harry, I led you astray."
Professor Brenn sat down and smiled at Harry's words. Harry was dazed and watched the powerful young professor in front of him, who made him unable to resist. He didn't understand why Brenn professor said that... Brenn professor wanted to teach him a lesson, and he had already achieved it...
"I guess you're probably feeling resentment towards yourself right now, thinking of yourself as a cowardly young wizard, too scared to kill a dummy made of matches."
The sharp gaze of Amos penetrated Potter's heart.
"But in reality, I misled you. Killing a person, depriving them of their life, relies on courage alone, Harry."
At these words, Harry's emerald eyes flickered, regaining some of their spark.
Amos' gaze swept over the three confused little wizards, his voice calm without a trace of emotion.
"Your reason for not killing that dummy wasn't cowardice, but kindness, Harry, and Hermione and Ron, all of you are the type of very kind young wizards who don't want to deprive living things of their lives. I dare say that even a villainous wizard like Black, who harbors deep-seated enmity against you, would only wish to be back in Azkaban if he could be at your mercy."
"But is that not right, Professor Brenn?"
Hermione's thin body trembled, her face as pale as a corpse.
"The followers of the Dark Lord... those wizards known as Death Eaters. Each one has harmed many, but the Ministry only imprisons them in Azkaban... death penalty..."
Hermione felt a block in her chest, unable to continue speaking, but she still persevered.
"The law does not allow for the death penalty... Professor, that was abolished a long time ago..."
"Law?"
Amos sneered coldly and was about to say something, but he considered that Harry and the others were still children who hadn't come of age. Their world was nothing but the fairy-tale castle in front of them, Amos shook his head.
"As an underage wizard, Potter, you must understand that the gap between you and an adult wizard with outstanding magical skills is unbridgeable..."
"I remember I shared my views with you three before -- power is power, it is a pure thing. Love, hate, or courage can't make your strength leap overnight. Therefore, the result of seeking revenge on Black personally would be to waste the hard work of so many people who care about your life and health, including the sacrifice of your parents."
The ensuing prolonged silence made Harry feel unbearably suffering, and with his breath recovered, Ron sincerely comforted him.
"I've always thought, Harry, you don't have to become a murderer for such scum."
"Of course Harry wouldn't become a murderer, right?"
Hermione also spoke up in a nervous voice, she was afraid that Harry would say something again that would make Professor Brenn angry, so she leaned forward and grabbed Harry's sweaty but cold hand tightly.
"I will be cautious, Professor Brenn."
Finally, Harry, who had been tightly pressing his lips, spoke in a hoarse voice.
"So, may I assume?"
Professor Brenn's voice suddenly became cheerful.
"Would I ever see you sneak around in that enchanted invisibility cloak, secretly drinking alcohol in the Three Broomsticks Pub?"
"You did see, Professor Brenn!"
Hermione glared at Ron fiercely. Although her words were meant to express surprise, the tone was not one of such, clearly indicating that the three of them had already made related guesses in private.
"Oh, it's not stealing, professor--"
Ron, unable to meet Hermione's gaze, said weakly, "I paid for Harry's butter beer..."
Harry also looked a bit embarrassed, because when they three of them discussed this privately earlier, Harry's opinion was the same as Ron's. They both believed that on that day at the Three Broomsticks Pub, with all the commotion, it was very likely that Professor Brenn didn't even notice Hermione and Ron, let alone the invisible Harry.
"The headmaster Dumbledore has told you--"
Out of an abundance of caution, Amos added more.
"Incantation to make invisible, invisibility cloak and the like will not work in front of Dementors, you have already noticed that there are Dementors guarding the gate again, although according to the agreement between me and the Ministry of Magic, the number of Dementors sent has been reduced... Therefore, absolutely not allowed to use invisibility cloak secretly to sneak out of the school gate again!"
Upon hearing Professor Brenn's words, the three of them had a subtly different expression at the same time. Especially Hermione, her face suddenly stiffened, as if she was trying hard to hide something.
Because Hermione and Ron both knew that Harry wasn't sneaking out of the school gate, but rather came from a map of the magical world given by Fred and George...
"You..."
Even without the ability to read minds, the expressions of the three young wizards were not hidden from the seasoned Amos. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice,
"It seems there's something important being withheld?"
After all, they were still third-year students, and their response to pressure was too immature. They just looked at each other for a moment, then Ron and Harry lowered their heads, staring at the ground without looking up. Hermione, however, hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring herself to do so.
"Professor--"
Under the endless pressure from Professor Brenn's eyes, Hermione hesitated for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and speaking.
"Harry... he's not..."
Harry and Ron lifted their heads anxiously towards Hermione. The Reading Room.
Don't mention the map thing!
Through their eyes, Hermione knew what Harry and Ron wanted to shout out.
This is for your own good, Harry--
Hermione responded to Harry with a resolute look.
"Actually, Harry... er, he accidentally discovered a secret passage when walking around the castle by himself, and when he came out, he accidentally found Hogwarts Express..."
Hermione hedged her words, withholding the truth... not to protect that magical map, but to avoid implicating Fred and George.
Hermione finally didn't spill everything, which gave Harry and Ron a sigh of relief, but their faces were still far from good. Because now, with only this one secret passage that allows secret exits from Hogwarts, and since Hermione had mentioned it, Professor Brenn was bound to seal it up to prevent Black.
"Secret passage?"
Amos's expression turned serious.
"A secret passage... But, Professor Flitwick once told me that he had sealed off all four secret passages in the school?"
"I think--"
Under the fierce gaze of Professor Brenn, who had just demonstrated his power, Harry couldn't remain silent. He followed Hermione's lie and spoke up with a forced expression, "I... I discovered a secret passage while exploring the castle on my own."
"I think... I must have accidentally found a secret passage that Filch didn't know about..."
"..."
"..."
The Reading Room
