章 214: 0213 Guarantee
The storm that had been raging for days with thunder and lightning finally subsided, but the hazy moonlight was still barely visible through the thick stratus clouds that covered the night sky.
Perhaps it was because Bryan had subdued the Dementors guarding the entrance of Hogwarts with his powerful magic, the cold wind that roamed the schoolyard also carried a hint of freshness and relief.
The night was still young, and many young wizards who had not fallen asleep were still discussing the events that had happened during the day in the common room or dormitory, eagerly sharing their opinions and speculations. But the professors did not forget that Sirius Black, the notorious mass murderer and Voldemort's loyal follower, was still lurking in the shadows, eyeing a certain student in the school.
Before entering Dumbledore's office, Bryan had made preparations. He had arranged that tonight, Hagrid and Professor Flitwick would guard the school gate, and Filch and Professor Snape would patrol the castle, always on alert for any surprises.
"Yes, Harry must die-" Dumbledore's calm voice made Bryan's heart sink.
"So, you-" Bryan sneered, "You are raising Harry like a pig for slaughter. It's absurd, I thought you always hoped that Harry would defeat Voldemort someday. Do you want me to help you, I can rush into the hospital wing and end his life right now."
"Please don't misunderstand me-"
Bryan's attitude did not make Dumbledore feel intimidated, but rather he nodded and smiled, as if he was used to such accusations.
"I have some ideas. Of course, they are not very perfect, because there are still some key guarantees missing." He said, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses.
"Guarantees for what?" Bryan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Guarantees for Harry's 'safe' death." Dumbledore said, "Please forgive me for not being able to share my fanciful ideas with you, Bryan, but I can assure you that the premise of defeating Voldemort is not to sacrifice Harry."
'This is really a paradoxical thing. If everything Dumbledore said was true, Harry was indeed Voldemort's Horcrux, then, if he wanted to kill Voldemort completely, he would have to kill Harry first, but Dumbledore's statement-'
Bryan lowered his eyes, he stared at the cup of tea that was floating on the rippling water surface, already showing a stale brown color, even the tea leaves were old and bitter.
'This heartless old man.'
After a while, Bryan frowned and said, "So, there is actually a way to separate Voldemort's soul from Harry's soul, and this method is to let Harry be 'killed'?"
He tried to make sense of Dumbledore's words, but they seemed contradictory and illogical.
"Just let me keep a little mystery, Bryan." Dumbledore took a deep breath and refused to answer this question.
Since the incident on the Quidditch pitch was resolved during the day, the two of them had entered the headmaster's office, and it had been several hours, and they had been discussing those exhausting issues, so, whether it was Dumbledore or Bryan, they were both very tired.
Seeing Bryan put the bottle of sealed Dementors back into the dark bag, Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, but did not stop him, like all the teachers, he also detested the Ministry of Magic's arrangement of these dreadful creatures around the school.
"By the way, Bryan-" Bryan said goodbye and stood up to leave, but Dumbledore suddenly stopped him. "While I'm away from Hogwarts, if Black-"
"Don't worry, Headmaster Dumbledore, I won't let him harm anyone in this school, not even a rat." Bryan said, his voice cold and confident.
"Of course, I trust your ability, Bryan, but"
"But?" Bryan asked, sensing that Dumbledore had something else to say.
"It's like this, before we took Harry to the real Chamber of Secrets built by Slytherin, your words inspired me, Bryan, so-" Dumbledore hesitated and said, "So, I hope, if you find any trace of Black, in the matter of capturing Black, I hope you can let Harry and his friends participate to some extent of course, the premise is to ensure their safety."
Bryan raised his eyebrows, let the three kids participate in the capture of Black? But after a little thought, Bryan agreed, as long as it did not affect his own reward, it was not bad to have some fun with these little ones.
"I will take care of it, Headmaster Dumbledore." He said, nodding his head.
Bryan pushed open the polished oak door of Dumbledore's office, feeling the smooth wood under his hand. He glanced at the two stone gargoyles that flanked the entrance, guarding the secrets of the headmaster. They were snoring softly, pretending to be asleep, but he knew they were watching him with their beady eyes. He ignored their fake attempts to open their eyes as he came out, knowing they would report his actions to Dumbledore later. He stepped out into the night, feeling the cool breeze that hit his face and cleared his somewhat muddled thoughts.
Bryan suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask Dumbledore about the knowledge of the 'soul perspective' he had mentioned, and the clue related to the Horcrux.
"Tsk, Voldemort's Horcrux, one worth eight thousand." Bryan turned and walked down the spiral staircase that led to the tower, sighing and thinking that if he encountered Voldemort's Horcrux again, he would sell it to Dumbledore at that price and if he could find a hundred or eighty of them.
'Tsk, retire on the spot, reach the peak of life, think about it, it really makes one a little excited!'
He chuckled to himself, shaking his head at his own greed.
Dumbledore's office was on a separate small tower, isolated from the rest of the castle. It was the highest point of Hogwarts, and from there, one could see the whole grounds, the lake, the forest, and the mountains. Walking down the spiral staircase, Bryan walked to the hall, ready to return to his post.
He had installed many surveillance alchemy tools in his office, which allowed him to monitor the movements and activities of anyone within the castle and its surroundings. He was especially vigilant these days, because if Sirius Black was still lurking near the castle, then he would have noticed that the Dementors guarding the gate had disappeared. He knew that normal people would not think that Hogwarts had lost its protection, but for a madman who had been tormented by the Dementors in Azkaban for twelve years, maybe he would consider tonight as a golden opportunity to act.
"Liar!"
Bryan was pondering his own thoughts, when he heard a furious roar from the hall, far away. It echoed through the empty corridors, breaking the silence of the night. Listening to the voice, it was Bryan's only decent subordinate Argus Filch,… Hagrid was Dumbledore's loyal "Hawk".
Bryan wondered what had riled him up so much, and decided to go and check.
"What's the matter, Argus?" Bryan walked into the light from the shadows and asked.
He saw Filch standing in the hall, holding a lantern in one hand and a large sack in the other. He looked angry and excited, his face red and his hair disheveled. Next to him, there was another figure, dressed in black robes and a cloak. It was Professor Snape with a mocking expression on his face. When he saw Bryan suddenly appear, the gloom that surrounded him dissipated a bit. He seemed to be glad to see him, or rather, to have a witness for what he was about to say.
"We have here the pitiful spectacle of Longbottom, a dim-witted excuse for a wizard, who thought he could defy the school regulations and sneak out of the castle. We caught him red-handed, Bryan. Do you want to hear his pathetic and laughable attempt at justification?"
Snape's lip curled in a sneer as he looked down at the hapless Neville, who was sitting on the floor, looking terrified and miserable.
"Professor Watson!" Filch said happily. "I think the reason why this little wizard wanted to leave the castle might be because he wanted to secretly inform Black. You know, the Dementors have been locked up by you, and the criminal might take advantage of tonight to break into the castle and kill people."
'Are you guys just looking for trouble?'
Bryan rolled his eyes, looking at Filch and Snape and said to Longbottom who was trembling all over. "So, what is your explanation, Mr. Longbottom?"
"He lied that he lost his wand." Snape scrutinized Bryan from head to toe, and stared at his eyes for a while. Then, he relaxed imperceptibly, and said lazily.
"I didn't, professor-" Neville looked like he was surrounded by two hungry wolves, his lips trembled, and he replied with a desperate face.
"That, that's my dad's wand. If I lose it, my grandma will kill me."
"No wizard would be foolish enough to toss his wand around. Professor Watson, look at this little liar. He is still trying to wriggle out of it!"
Filch's voice was very harsh and loud in the empty castle. He looked at Bryan eagerly and said. "My office has torture tools, Professor Watson. If you need them, I can go and get them now. Of course, you can also interrogate him in my office!"
"Lost his own wand?" Bryan sighed and rubbed his forehead. He looked at Neville with pity and disbelief. This little guy was really scatterbrained in his daily life.
"So, you think you dropped your wand on the Quidditch pitch?" Bryan asked, trying to sound calm and reasonable.
"Well-" Looking at the dark night and Neville who had been scratched by his own hinkypunks, Bryan thought for a while and said. "Wait until tomorrow morning. You can go to the pitch with Mr. Argus to look for your wand. But now, Mr. Longbottom, I think you'd better go back to your four-poster bed and rest well."
Filch looked as if the young wizards had just heard that the Christmas feast was cancelled, with a gloomy and ridiculous expression. He opened his mouth, wanting to voice his true thoughts, to complain. But before he could say anything, he heard Bryan's voice again, in a firm and authoritative tone.
"Argus, please take Mr. Longbottom back to his dormitory safely."
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章 215: 0214 Troubles
Professor Flitwick and Hagrid were guarding the gate, while Professor Snape and Filch were assigned to patrol all night. Bryan, who was in charge of the safety of all teachers and students at Hogwarts, couldn't go back to his office and sleep. After sending away Filch and the bewildered Neville, Bryan walked with his Head of the house in the courtyard.
Under the gradually cooling moonlight, they could see the undulating forest and the snow-covered mountains in the distance. The white on the snow was spreading to the world, as if heralding the arrival of winter.
The wind wandering on the lawn also brought the chill of the season. It seemed that the first snow of 1993 was approaching. Bryan shivered slightly and pulled his cloak tighter around him.
"So, it seems that Dumbledore has solved your problem?" Snape turned his head slightly and looked at Bryan, who was standing still, gazing at the snowy peaks. He asked in a low voice.
"I'm afraid the headmaster can't solve my troubles–" Bryan yawned and stretched, trying to hide his fatigue. "My situation is complicated, I'm afraid. No one else can help me much, except for myself."
Snape understood what Bryan meant. His favorite student was implying that he was also helpless about his problems. Problems that Snape had no idea about, but suspected were related to the Soul.
"When did you get yourself into this trouble?" Snape snapped angrily, "I warned you so many times, Bryan. The outside world is not as simple as Hogwarts. It's not enough to make everyone cheer by throwing two spells that can blow up a big hole in the ground. But you-, you still like to do dangerous things for those worthless galleons!"
"My trouble was not caused after I left school, my Dear Professor Snape." Bryan smiled gently.
"Then what–" Snape was stunned by this answer. His long hooked nose twitched, and his eyebrows shot up. "Could it be, at Hogwarts?!"
"Who knows?" Bryan put his hands on his back, squinted his eyes and looked into the distance, letting the midnight cold wind blow over his hair. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, or maybe hiding something.
"Maybe, it's a trouble I made before I was born." He said cryptically, making Snape even more curious and frustrated.
Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the weekend. He didn't argue or complain, but he refused to let her throw away the wreckage of the Nimbus 2000. He knew he was being silly, and he knew the Nimbus 2000 couldn't be fixed, but Harry couldn't help but have some attachment as this was not just a broom, but also his best friend. The broom had given him so many happy memories, and made him feel free and alive.
Hagrid, Ginny, and all the members of the Gryffindor team visited him in an endless stream during the weekend. Everyone tried their best to cheer him up, hoping that he could recover from the terrible defeat yesterday. But to be honest, Harry didn't feel his mood had improved, but rather more exhausted. He felt like he had let everyone down, especially himself. He wished they would leave him alone, but he didn't have the heart to say it.
Except for leaving at lunchtime, Ron and Hermione hardly left during the day. They had found a common goal - to cheer him up. Hermione and Ron looked like they had completely reconciled. They bickered and argued, telling him the news they heard in the hall at noon, trying to make Harry feel better. But neither of them noticed the cloth bag with the Nimbus wreckage hidden under Harry's quilt.
"The last time was when Mrs. Norris was attacked and Professor Binns told me about the Chamber of Secrets in class!"
Sitting on his bed and peeling an orange for him, Hermione said indignantly. She had a stack of books beside her, all about advanced magic related to Patronus and its history.
"I got up early today, just to go to the library and borrow two books related to the Patronus, but Madam Pince told me that all the books on this topic were taken away by someone yesterday. Oh, why can't they be nice and leave me some!"
She huffed, her bushy hair flying around her face.
Under Hermione's angry gaze, Ron rudely snatched the orange she had prepared for Harry from her hand, stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it with juice splashing.
"You don't want to learn that magic, do you, Hermione?" Ron looked at Hermione incredulously, his mouth full of orange. He swallowed and continued, "It's too hard and boring. Besides, what's the point? It's not like we're going to face any Dementors anytime soon." He said, unaware of the irony of his words.
Harry listened silently to Ron and Hermione arguing about whether the young wizards could possibly learn the method of dealing with the Dementors, those ugly creatures that sucked the happiness out of people and made them relive their worst memories. He suddenly had an idea in his mind, but he kept it to himself for now.
Hermione believed that Ron's biggest problem, like his own, was that they lacked motivation to study. She had been working hard to encourage them both, but the effect seemed to be very minimal.
Although he appreciated Hermione's kindness, Harry was not very interested in Hermione's attempt in this regard. He thought she couldn't expect others to excel in the field she was a master of, just like he never asked Hermione to ride a flying broomstick and perform a high-angle dive for everyone.
Hermione finally gave up on persuading Ron to have a stronger desire for knowledge. She turned her head away and ignored them both, just staring out the window, where the sun was setting.
The red glow of the setting sun spilled into the hospital wing, bathing Ron's cheeks in glory. Then Ron shared some new news with Harry, "Neville got himself into trouble again."
"Oh, what happened?" Harry frowned, thinking of Neville, who fought side by side with him in Professor Watson's Defense Against the Dark Arts class and won the victory for Gryffindor. He admired his bravery, even though he was clumsy and forgetful.
"It wasn't Malfoy and his gang, was it?" Harry asked, remembering how they had tormented Neville in the past, calling him names and other things.
"It had nothing to do with Malfoy this time, Harry," Ron rubbed his grumbling stomach and said sympathetically, "It's the old problem. Neville lost something again, and this time, what he lost was his wand. It's really puzzling. Why is Neville worse than those two stupid trolls behind Malfoy's butt when it comes to taking care of his own things?"
Although Ron's words about Neville were not very friendly, Harry agreed that Neville was too good at losing things. He had lost his toad, his remembrall, his passwords, and even his own clothes. He was always looking for something, and often ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"–Neville thought his wand had fallen on the Quidditch pitch, and last night, he foolishly wanted to rush out of the castle to look for his wand. But unfortunately, he ran into Filch and Snape, that old bat." Ron said, shaking his head.
Hearing Ron say that, Harry couldn't help sighing for Neville. It was bad enough to lose his wand, but he also ran into the two people he was most afraid of meeting at school.
"What happened then?" Harry asked, slightly curious about this topic.
"Neville said that Filch was ready to torture him, and Snape seemed to want to use him as an experiment material for the potions class. But luckily, Professor Watson, who was passing by, saved his life. He ordered Filch to help him find his wand on the pitch early this morning,"
Ron shrugged and said, "But unfortunately, his wand may not have fallen on the pitch. They searched for hours, but they couldn't find it anywhere."
"Poor Neville–" Hermione said worriedly, "Without a wand, how can he go to class?"
She knew how important a wand was for a wizard, and how difficult it was to perform magic without one. She felt sorry for Neville, who was already struggling with his studies.
Ron didn't care about Hermione's worries. He thought Neville's wand was like the toad he often couldn't find. It would show up sooner or later, and if not, he could always buy a new one. He didn't think it was a big deal, and he changed the subject.
Knowing that Neville was not bullied by Malfoy and his gang, Harry was not too worried about this. In fact, he suddenly thought of something when he calmed down again– Professor Watson.
'Hmm, he seemed to be very good at fixing things. Last year, he made Ron's wand, which looked completely hopeless, last for a while. And he also seemed to be very good at dealing with Dementors.'
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