Remus Lupin, the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, was suspected of being a werewolf. At the same time, he was a friend of James Potter and Lily Potter, and also a friend of Black.
Eda's question was not only out of confusion over why James hadn't chosen Lupin as the Secret Keeper; it was also a way of indirectly confirming her earlier guess, as well as the suspicion that had just arisen.
On Halloween night, Sirius Black had slipped into the school without anyone noticing, and afterward, he had evaded the professors' carpet-style search. Could someone who had been away from the school for many years and not in his sane mind after countless years in Azkaban still know it that well?
Or was it that Black had help on the inside?
This insider had assisted Black's actions and then covered his retreat during the subsequent manhunt. In that case, the difficulty of Black's operation would have been greatly reduced, and his uncanny appearances and disappearances would make sense.
Even before today, Eda had once put the label of "traitor" on Professor Lupin. Aside from the new students, he was the only one who had joined the school this year, and there were indeed suspicious aspects about him.
Now that she had confirmed from Dumbledore the relationship between Lupin and Black, the doubts surrounding him would naturally be magnified without limit. At school, Eda was not the first to have such suspicions; Snape felt the same.
It was just hard to say whether Snape truly suspected Lupin, or whether he wanted to use the chance for personal revenge. After all, those who knew the Potions professor understood exactly how petty he could be.
In fact, Eda quite liked Professor Lupin. As a teacher, he was absolutely qualified—calling him excellent would not be an exaggeration. As the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, he had given everyone the biggest surprise of the term.
Eda didn't want to speculate about him with such malice. Precisely because of that, she felt she had to make everything clear and sort out right from wrong.
Either clear Professor Lupin's name, or personally send him to Azkaban, completing her penta kill of Defence Against the Dark Arts professors.
"Remus—Remus is a good man, a true gentleman, gentle and refined," Dumbledore said with a smile. "When his friends were fooling around recklessly or going too far, he would always stop them in time and prevent them from making bigger mistakes. Between you and the two Mr. Weasleys, you lack someone like that."
There were many similarities between Eda's trio and James's group of four. They were all Gryffindors, mischievous, unwilling to follow the rules. The difference was that among Eda and the twins, there was no one in Lupin's brake-pad position.
Usually, either Eda or George would take turns acting as the brake to make sure Fred's pranks didn't go too far.
But in this respect George was obviously not as good as Professor Lupin. George's calmness was only relative to Fred; he himself was also a complete troublemaker.
When the George-brand brakes failed, Eda had to step in. Most of the time she really could stay objective and cool-headed, keep things on course, and prevent major trouble. But once Eda herself got fired up, things would become serious, and even the twins couldn't promise they could rein her in.
That was the irreplaceable role Remus Lupin played among the Marauders. And because of everything he had gone through, Lupin was also the gentlest and most tolerant of the four.
The gentleness in Remus Lupin was not the cheap sort of "gentle, paid for with one's life" that some people liked to shout about.
Only after experiencing the cruelty of the world would a person understand how precious gentleness was. As that Muggle singer had put it, people become gentle because they understand thoroughly.
"He could become the best friend in the world," Dumbledore said sorrowfully, "but he was not suitable to be the Secret Keeper of the Fidelius Charm."
Ever since returning from Nurmengard, Dumbledore had been very relaxed in front of Eda. He didn't hide his expressions, nor did he put on an unfathomable, aloof air. Though Dumbledore truly was unfathomable himself.
This was both Dumbledore's respect and trust for Eda, and a reflection of his ability to grasp human hearts.
He knew how sensitive and fragile Eda was. If he didn't take the first step himself, the rift between them would never be mended.
One was a man over a hundred years old, the other a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old minor. If it helped bring them closer, there was nothing wrong with the centenarian being the one to step forward first.
Hurting someone might feel good for a moment, but winning them back could be like a trip to the crematorium. It wasn't a perfect metaphor, but it meant roughly the same thing.
At this moment, Eda had not yet realized the seriousness of it. Her desire for the truth made her ignore the sadness of the old man, ignore the helplessness contained within it.
She pressed on, "Is it because of the furry little problem Professor Lupin has?"
"When did you find out?" Dumbledore wasn't surprised. He had known Eda would discover it sooner or later.
Paper could never wrap up fire; it was only a matter of time before Lupin's hidden secret was exposed. Dumbledore's answer—and his question—were tantamount to confirming Eda's guess. He didn't think Eda would discriminate against Lupin because he was a "werewolf."
"I only suspected. I wasn't certain."
When it came to selling someone out—especially selling out Snape—Eda never hesitated. The unscrupulous girl continued, "You should know that the unscrupulous Potions professor is always squeezing a minor girl for labor. This year, that girl's task just happens to be brewing the Wolfsbane Potion."
That answer nearly made Dumbledore topple headfirst off the sofa. He had been wondering where the leak had come from and how to plug it to stop more people from finding out. Who would have thought the problem was with the supply chain? There was actually a "traitor" in my ranks!
Well then—wasn't this just the big lazy one ordering the small lazy one around, leaving the small lazy one staring helplessly!
"And Professor Lupin's sick leave follows a pattern that's far too regular—always around the full moon," Eda continued, and even tossed in a complaint, "more regular than many girls…"
Whenever the full moon came, Lupin would fall ill and transform into a werewolf. There was nothing Dumbledore could do about that—after all, that was the illness Lupin had. The only thing Dumbledore could do was provide him with Wolfsbane so that the full moon would be a little easier to endure.
"Many times, I've wanted to open up that little head of yours and see how your brain is put together." Dumbledore looked at Eda with probing curiosity.
The pattern in Lupin's sick leave could not be hidden from someone observant—but the premise was that there had to be someone observant, someone interested in Lupin's illness or in him personally.
Moreover, the term had only begun a little over two months ago. With such a small sample size, Eda had already grown suspicious. That made Dumbledore very curious. He wanted to know what went on in Eda's head every day, and whether that brain of hers was behaving itself.
"My brain structure is perfectly normal. If it weren't, I wouldn't be at Hogwarts right now, would I?"
Eda shrank back a little and waved her hands. She hadn't expected that deep down Dumbledore was actually a mad scientist who wanted to slice her up. That absolutely would not do.
Everyone had something they feared; no one was exempt. What Eda feared most were hospitals, doctors, and mad scientists.
Seeing her reaction, Dumbledore remembered her earlier resistance to St. Mungo's. When he had first heard about it from Professor McGonagall, he had found it hard to believe.
Eda had already confirmed Lupin's identity as a werewolf, yet there was no disgust or discrimination on her face. She hadn't even thought about why Professor Lupin was a werewolf, because she had an even more important question that she needed Dumbledore to answer.
But before Eda could keep pressing for the truth, Dumbledore spoke first. "Would you like to hear a story?"
You've got to be kidding me, boss—again?
That was Eda's first thought. The last time someone had asked her a similar question, she had been tricked so badly she couldn't even find her bearings. Now Dumbledore was digging the pit himself—just how deep was this one going to be?
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel