Chapter 304 Practical Class, Master of Transfiguration?
Aaron ate lunch distractedly, not even noticing who sat beside him.
"What did Professor Snape tell you?" Draco asked curiously.
"You'd probably be very excited if you knew," Aaron said with a wry smile. "By the way, what's the relationship between Sirius Black and Harry Potter's parents?"
"Huh?" Draco looked a little surprised. "You really don't know?"
"Should I know?" Aaron retorted. "Mr. Lucius might often share news of the Magical World with you, but my parents are often not home."
"I see!" Draco suddenly understood, then cautiously looked around. After confirming there was no one else, he lowered his voice and said, "The reason I know is because my mother is Sirius Black's cousin. When Sirius escaped from Azkabana while ago, my mother was quite shocked. That's when I found out what Sirius had really done."
"Killed thirteen Muggles, that's what everyone knows," Aaron said impatiently.
"That's not the point," Draco said gravely. "Harry Potter's parents were killed by Lord Voldemort because... Sirius Black revealed their location."
Aaron's pupils constricted. "So Sirius Black indirectly caused Harry's parents' deaths."
"You could say that," Draco shrugged. "Now Sirius Black is out of Azkaban and has appeared near Hogwarts. His target is obviously Harry Potter."
Hearing this, Aaron frowned.
He felt something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Draco, you can't tell Harry Potter about this," Aaron said, looking at him seriously.
"Why?"
"Because if he knows the truth, he might try everything to get revenge on Sirius."
"No way!" Draco laughed dismissively. "Is he that stupid? Sirius is much stronger than him; seeking revenge on him would be absolute suicide. Besides, Hogwarts has Dementorguards; he can't even leave the Castle."
"He is that stupid. If you ask him to find Lord Voldemort..."
"Don't say that name," Draco fidgeted.
"Alright! If you ask him to find You-Know-Who, he might not dare, but Sirius is different. If he knows the truth, he will definitely risk everything to fight Sirius, and it's not impossible for him to even use himself as bait."
Gollum!
Draco couldn't help but gulp, feeling a little scared himself.
His provocation in Potion Class earlier was entirely because he thought Harry Potter wouldn't dare, but if Harry Potterreally went to seek revenge on Sirius, he would have to bear some responsibility, at least the guilt would be unbearable.
"I understand, I promise not to tell him."
"I know you don't like him, but this matter is quite serious."
"I know what's important; I wouldn't joke about his life."
Aaron nodded, quite satisfied with Draco's attitude.
He looked at Crabbe and Goyle next to Draco and asked with a smile, "What about you two? Can you promise?"
The two exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
"Wait," Draco suddenly thought of something. "We can keep quiet, but what if he finds out through other means?"
"As long as your conscience is clear, why worry so much?" Aaron said indifferently. It was good enough if they could keep their mouths shut; if others wanted to court death, they couldn't stop them.
The afternoon sky seemed to have grown a little gloomy.
Aaron, with a heavy heart, entered the Potion Professor's office with his Defense Against the Dark Arts Classtextbook.
"You're very punctual," Snape said with satisfaction.
"Professor, I still hope you'll reconsider. After all, you're colleagues. If there were any misunderstandings in the past, couldn't you sit down and talk?"
"Aaron, you are still too young," Snape patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Later, you will find that some things are worth remembering for a lifetime, and I believe Lupinthinks so too."
Aaron's mouth twitched slightly. If it weren't for needing Snape to deflect Dumbledore's pressure, he would never do something so self-defeating.
"Follow me."
Snape led the way with high spirits, but he didn't go to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class classroom.
"Where are we going?"
"The Staff Room," Snape said mysteriously. "He only applied to the Principal yesterday."
The two arrived in the spacious room fifteen minutes early. Snape directly pulled up a chair and sat down. "Put away your textbook; we need to act naturally."
Aaron chuckled and shook his head, tossing his Defense Against the Dark Arts Class textbook to Abey. It skillfully stuffed the book into its pocket.
"See that cabinet?" Snape pointed to a wardrobe at the back of the room. "There's a Boggart inside. Lupin will probably use it for practical Class."
"Really?" Aaron became a little interested. "It seems this Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor is quite capable!"
"Hmph!" Snape snorted disdainfully. "Just grandstanding. If I were the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, I would never waste Class time like this."
"Do you know what a Boggart is?"
"The book mentioned it. Some say it's the most powerful master of Transfiguration."
"That's not wrong. It will turn into whatever you fear most, so you'd best be prepared."
Aaron raised an eyebrow, silently thinking about what he was afraid of.
But after a moment of thought, he was surprised to find that he couldn't seem to come up with an answer.
Lord Voldemort, excluded. He had killed Lord Voldemortseveral times.
Parents, excluded. He had never been afraid of them.
A packed schedule, not quite. He wasn't happy with such arrangements, but it concerned future development, so he wouldn't refuse.
"I'm actually quite curious now."
"Your curiosity will soon be satisfied," Snape said solemnly. "Don't disappoint me, otherwise Dumbledore..."
"Professor, since when do you like threatening people?" Aaron rolled his eyes speechlessly. "Also, I don't like dealing with the Principal, but it's not because I'm afraid; it's because I feel like I'll be at a disadvantage, and that feeling is particularly real. But what I didn't expect is that now you're making me feel that way too."
Snape's face twitched slightly. He dared not meet Aaron's gaze with a hint of guilt, but quickly composed himself. "Sometimes feelings can be deceiving."
Just then, the door to the Staff Room suddenly opened, and the third Class Gryffindors filed in.
Professor Snape subtly shifted into a comfortable yet casual sitting posture, but the mockery in his eyes was almost undisguised.
Professor Lupin was the last to enter the Staff Room. He wasn't surprised to see Snape and calmly closed the door behind him.
"Lupin," Snape sneered, standing up. "This is your first Class. You don't mind if I observe, do you?"
"Of course not, watch if you like!" Lupin said indifferently. "My Defense Against the Dark Arts Class is quite exciting."
Lupin emphasized 'my Defense Against the Dark Arts Class.' He seemed to be well aware that this was a position Snapehad applied for many times but never secured.
"I hope to see you again this time next year," Snape retorted, unwilling to be outdone. The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor seemed to be cursed; Professors would leave for various reasons before completing a year.
"A clash of swords!" Aaron secretly sighed to himself. The animosity between Snape and Lupin seemed deeper than he had imagined. Their words contained no vulgarities, yet were full of provocation and curses.
"You don't need to worry about that," Lupin turned to face the Gryffindors and led them to the old wardrobe.
Sensing someone approaching, the wardrobe suddenly shook, startling the students in the front row, who retreated backward.
"Don't worry, there's a Boggart inside," Professor Lupin said in a gentle tone, but the students still didn't feel much safer.
Because last year, when Lockhart released the pixies, he acted even more confident than this, but the result... was hard to describe, even chaotic.
"Who can tell me what a Boggart looks like?"
"No one knows," Hermione spoke up. "A Boggart is a shape-shifter; it takes the form of whatever the person seeing it fears most, so they are so..."
"So terrifying," Professor Lupin finished. "Very correct, five points to Gryffindor. Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. Wardrobes, cupboards, and even under beds are their hiding places. Its ability is too incredible; if you can't deal with it, it will be very troublesome. Moving might not even help. The Boggart in the cabinet currently has no specific shape, but once I let it out, it will turn into what we fear most. However, we have a huge advantage that can throw it off balance. Harry, do you know what this advantage is?"
Harry froze for a moment, not understanding why Professor Lupin called on him to answer a question.
But he could vaguely guess the answer and said, somewhat uncertainly, "Because there are many of us, and it doesn't know what to turn into."
"Exactly, five points to Gryffindor," Lupin raised an eyebrow at Snape and continued, "This is one way to deal with a Boggart: go in pairs, because it can't deal with two people at once."
"Tch!" Snape scoffed dismissively.
"What's wrong, Professor?" Aaron asked, puzzled. "Is there a problem with what Professor Lupin said?"
"No problem, but too many points were awarded. If it were me, one point would be enough."
Pfft!
Aaron pursed his lips, trying his best to suppress the urge to laugh.
One point? That would truly be an ultimate luxury.
In his impression, Professor Snape had never given Harry Potter even half a point; instead, for certain reasons, he constantly found fault with him, deducting points in various ways.
If it weren't for Hermione Granger earning points back in other Classes, Gryffindor's scores at the end of each term would definitely be dismal.