Chapter 232: Why Is There a Dead Person Next to Ron?!
"If only Sirius hadn't been so foolish..."
Dylan suddenly thought of Professor Trelawney's prophecy.
"Hmm, perhaps it was simply the power of fate."
Dylan didn't want to over-analyze things that had already happened. If Sirius hadn't chosen to trust Peter Pettigrew, how would the story have unfolded? Who knew, Voldemort might have unified the wizarding world by now.
However, things that had happened could be used as lessons for the future. The whole business with Sirius and the Fidelius Charm was a perfect example that your own secrets should be kept by yourself. If you try to share them with anyone else, you have to be prepared to be betrayed.
No matter how much you trust someone, their willingness to keep a secret doesn't mean they can actually guard it properly. You can never predict if the person you've entrusted a secret to might do something foolish, or if someone else might seize a weakness or hold they have over them.
When faced with their own critical interests, or even interests that outweigh their own lives, a secret naturally becomes insignificant. Take Xenophilius Lovegood, for instance, Luna's father. After Luna was captured, he was willing to stall Harry's group in order to save his daughter, which resulted in the arrival of the Death Eaters.
In fact, he knew that even if he stopped Harry, there was a chance his daughter still wouldn't be released. The final result was exactly that. After Harry escaped, his house was blown up, and he himself was captured. However, he was imprisoned with Luna, which was probably the only good news.
Or consider Cho Chang. Umbridge interrogated students to find the secret location where Dumbledore's Army was practicing defensive magic. She even used Veritaserum on Cho Chang, which caused her to reveal the secrets of the D.A. However, the original story explained that it was actually Cho Chang's friend, Marietta, who betrayed the D.A. Cho Chang had a fight with Harry and broke up with him because she was trying to protect her friend.
The process might be different, but the outcome is the same. You can never predict what weaknesses the person you trust might have.
"Even with the charm I created, which can prevent someone's thoughts from being read by others and make them forget the secret I've entrusted to them as much as possible, I still can't guarantee one hundred percent that they won't betray it."
Fortunately, the secrets he had shared with others—like the fact that he was raising a dragon—were nothing compared to his real secrets. Even if Hagrid or Ron accidentally told someone, Dylan didn't think it would have a huge impact on him.
All he would have to do is admit his mistake, beg Dumbledore for a favour, and get him to agree to let him keep the dragon. With Dumbledore's approval, the result would be as simple as when he asked Hagrid to get a feeding license for an Umbral.
Besides, it would be difficult for Hagrid and the others to even leak such a secret in the first place, because there would be no outside force trying to find out whether he was raising a dragon, or whether he was guarding a Horcrux, or whether he had captured Lockhart and was holding him captive, using all sorts of horrible spells on him for his experiments. Who would even think to ask about such things?
"What a shame that the only lesson wizards seem to learn from history is that they never learn from history." Dylan shrugged slightly.
This kind of thing didn't really have much to do with him anyway. In fact, he also had a weakness: his parents. Apart from that, he might also be moved if Professor Snape or others he cared about were in danger. But Dylan didn't think he would lose his mind with anger if someone close to him got hurt because of him.
Instead, he would use every cruel method he knew to torment anyone who dared to touch those connected to him. In short, he would get revenge for his friends and family.
"But to prevent such a thing from happening, I've taken a lot of precautions. If someone wants to lay a hand on my parents, they'll have to get past me first." And who could easily get past him?
"I never thought that this filthy, despicable, wretched traitor would betray Potter!"
At the table not far away, Hagrid's big hand slammed down on the table, making the plates and mugs rattle. A thunderous roar rolled out of his throat, his thick eyebrows twisted together, and his bushy beard quivered slightly with the shaking of his jaw.
The din of the entire pub instantly stopped. A dozen pairs of eyes all stared at the three-meter-tall giant. Hagrid was clutching his fists, pressing them against the tabletop, his face a mask of fury.
"Hagrid! Quiet down!" Professor McGonagall also frowned, speaking softly to Hagrid.
But Hagrid was still very agitated. "I saw him!"
"I think I must have been the last person to see him before he killed them!"
"After James and Lily were killed by that evil creature, I was the one who went crazy and rescued little Harry from the wrecked house—" Hagrid's rough palm rubbed against his stubbled face, his entire body heaving and breathing heavily from anger.
"He was wrapped in a blanket at the time, with a bloody mark on his forehead. The poor little thing, his parents were gone, and all that was left was that little tot trembling in my arms..."
Hagrid suddenly choked up. Just as Professor McGonagall and the others thought he was about to cry, he lowered his shoulders and blew a snotty, earth-shattering trumpet of a nose blow. Professor McGonagall subtly shifted to the side. Professor Flitwick was a little further away, but Fudge also reacted like McGonagall: "Hey, calm down..."
"And then, Black just showed up, on that tin can of a motorcycle—that motorcycle could fly!"
"I never expected him to show up at a time like that. Now I know what kind of dirty business he was involved in!"
"I even thought he had heard whispers that the Dark Lord had made his move and rushed over to help!"
"When I saw the lad, his face was as white as a boiled potato peel, all grey and bloodless."
At these words, Hagrid seemed to remember something and became even more agitated, his eyes as big as brass doorknobs.
"I was absolutely mad! I actually comforted that despicable traitor! After he had killed them, I actually comforted him!"
Professor McGonagall frowned and reminded him again, "Hagrid! How many people do you want to know about this? Please! Stop shouting!"
But it was no use.
Perhaps it was because Hagrid had had a couple of drinks and was reliving the past. His emotions were running high. No matter what Professor McGonagall said to him, he ignored her and continued to do as he pleased, slapping the table one moment and thumping it the next, loudly recounting the past.
His voice was so loud that not only could the other guests in the pub hear him, but Dylan also had a feeling that Cedric, who was on a date with a girl at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, could probably hear what Hagrid was shouting about.
Fortunately, the young wizards who had been drinking alcohol-free butterbeer in the pub had, after seeing Professor McGonagall and the others enter, quickly finished their drinks and left.
This meant that the pub was now mostly filled with a few scattered adult wizards. And at this time, any wizards who were still drinking were probably quite idle. They listened to Hagrid's story with great interest.
Dylan and Harry heard everything clearly. Hagrid not only told them everything he knew about what happened that year, but also how he had personally delivered Harry to his aunt's house under Dumbledore's orders, and how he had gotten the flying motorcycle from Black. Hagrid told every detail clearly and thoroughly.
In the end, Professor McGonagall gave up. She simply cast a Silencing Charm around their table.
"Why is it quiet over there?" Harry peeked out from under the cloak, his brows furrowed.
Dylan blinked. Because they're about to talk about something important, of course.
"Dylan, is there any way for us to keep listening to the professors?" Harry asked, his expression urgent. This was about his parents. He wanted to know more.
Dylan blinked again. "If you're so determined... why don't you just walk over there and listen with the Invisibility Cloak on?"
Harry was stunned at this suggestion, but then he realised it was actually a pretty good idea. "Make way, please." Harry squeezed out from their table.
Dylan lightly raised his wand, casting a Silencing Charm on Harry's feet so his footsteps wouldn't be noticed. "Thanks!"
Harry hurried over. Ron, on the other hand, looked impatient.
"What? They were just talking, why did they suddenly stop letting us listen?"
Dylan rolled his eyes. "What did you expect?"
Hermione gently ruffled her hair but didn't say a word. Harry had already gone over, and he would surely tell them what he heard when he got back.
Harry carefully slipped past the Silencing Charm boundary that Professor McGonagall had set up, arriving a short distance from them. Just then, Professor McGonagall and the others began talking about how Black was finally captured. He also heard a name that made his head spin: Peter Pettigrew?!
"Peter's death was truly heroic." Fudge sighed slightly, his voice full of regret. "The Muggles who witnessed the whole thing said that it was Peter who successfully intercepted Black, who was trying to escape."
"He was crying and shouting, asking how Sirius could do it. It was James and Lily!"
Professor McGonagall's nose was a little red. "Sirius finally drew his wand and, before Peter could make a move, blasted him into pieces!" She felt a pang of self-reproach. Why had she been so strict with Peter back then? But she also felt a different kind of remorse—for not being more strict with Peter. If Peter had been more powerful than Sirius, would he have been spared a gruesome death at Black's hands?
"What a foolish boy. He knew he couldn't win a duel against Black... why didn't he just leave it to the Ministry?"
Professor Flitwick also sighed. "To avenge James and Lily's deaths, he risked his life to single-handedly pursue the murderer. He was truly Potter's best friend—I think Potter should have chosen him as the Secret-Keeper. Maybe the outcome would have been better."
Listening to the professors' story, Harry felt a chill run down his spine. Peter... Pettigrew? After hearing such a moving story from the professors, he felt like he should be touched that his parents had such a loyal friend. But...
"What about that name I saw on the Marauder's Map yesterday? Was it just a coincidence? The name of a person who just happened to be in the same place?"
No! He had seen that name almost on top of Ron's! Although there were other names all around, the memory still made Harry's back crawl with fear.
"There's a person next to Ron who died more than a decade ago?"
Was it a ghost? For a moment, Harry's mind was reeling. He didn't know if the so-called "truth" the professors were talking about was real or fake. His parents had died from the betrayal of their best friend. But the person who revealed the secret, Peter Pettigrew, was supposedly blown to pieces by the murderer's curse. So why was he now next to Ron?
Harry wanted to take off the Invisibility Cloak and charge over to ask Professor McGonagall for the truth, but he held back. There were too many questions. And he didn't know if what the professors were saying was true.
The professors and Fudge seemed to have gathered for the holidays just to chat. They left after they were done. Of course, Dylan knew that they had gathered for more than just to reveal information to Harry. Professor McGonagall was likely acting on Dumbledore's instructions to sound out Fudge about the Dementors.
"So? What did you hear?"
After the professors left, Harry returned to Dylan's table. Ron asked him impatiently.
"..." Harry's brows were tightly knit, and he looked dazed. He couldn't quite hear what Ron was saying; he just saw his mouth moving. His mind was filled with a buzzing static.
"I think we should go back, too." Dylan had almost finished his butterbeer. Ron and Hermione were also done. Only Harry had half a mug left, but he clearly had no intention of drinking any more. Dylan suggested they all leave.
"Er, I think so too." Seeing that Harry was completely ignoring him, Ron gave an awkward smile and didn't dare to ask any more questions. He and Hermione exchanged a look. Since even Dylan didn't seem to want to ask, Hermione certainly wouldn't press Harry for information at that moment.
.....
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