Where is your courage, Potter?
When Professor Brian spoke those words, Hermione let out a great sigh of relief, feeling as though she had shed a thousand pounds. She suddenly realized that Professor Brian was not going to kill the three of them; he was simply... 'educating' Harry in his own way.
Harry also understood this point, his dry and pale lips moved awkwardly, unable to say a word. He looked lost and confused.
Yes, where is my courage?
Harry asked himself, thinking that his hatred for Black would have made him willing to take a life without a second thought, but he realized that he wasn't as brave as he had thought. He didn't even have the courage to kill a fake Black!
"I'm sorry, Harry, I led you astray."
Professor Brian's words after he sat down and smiled at Harry made him stumble. He stared blankly at the strong and unresistant young professor in front of him, not understanding why he said that... Professor Brian wanted to give him a lesson, and he had done it...
"I guess, you're probably blaming yourself in your mind for being a cowardly little wizard, not daring to kill even a dummy made of matches."
The sharp gaze of Amos penetrated Harry's heart.
"But in fact, I misled you. Killing a person and taking away their life depends on courage, Harry."
At these words, Harry's emerald eyes flickered, regaining some of their spirit.
Amos's gaze swept over the three little wizards who looked somewhat stunned, speaking in a calm voice without a trace of emotion.
"The reason that stopped you from killing the dummy just now is not cowardice, but kindness, Harry, and Hermione and Ron, all three of you are such kind-hearted wizards. You don't want to deprive life from any living beings. I can bet that even a wizard like Black who is evil and has a deep grudge against you would only want to see him back in Azkaban for your innermost wishes."
"But what's wrong with that, Professor Brian?"
Hermione's thin body shook violently, her face as pale as a corpse.
"The followers of the Dark Lord... the wizards known as Death Eaters... each of them has harmed many people, but the Ministry has only imprisoned them in Azkaban... death sentences..."
Hermione felt her chest tighten and a bit choked up, but she still persevered and said,
"Legal punishment for death has been abolished... Professor, that was forbidden."
"Law?"
Amos sneered coldly, ready to say something, but considering that Harry and his friends were still children who had not yet come of age, their world was this fairy-tale castle in front of them. Amos shook his head.
"As an ungraduated young wizard, Potter, you must understand that the gap between you and a fully grown wizard with exceptional magical skills is unbridgeable..."
"I remember that I shared my thoughts with you three before - Power is power, it's a pure thing. Neither love nor hate, nor courage, can make your power suddenly increase in an unprecedented way. Therefore, the consequences of seeking revenge on Black personally would be that so many people who worried about your safety and well-being have worked hard in vain, including the sacrifices of your parents."
The ensuing long silence made Harry feel unbearable, and as Ron finally recovered, he sincerely comforted him.
"I've always felt, Harry, you don't have to become a murderer for such scum."
"Of course not, Harry wouldn't become a murderer, would he?"
Hermione also said nervously, she was afraid that Harry, who was single-minded, would say something to make Professor Brian blow his top again. So she leaned over and tightly held onto Harry's sweaty but cold hands.
"I will be careful, Professor Brian."
Finally, Harry, who had been tightly pursing his lips, spoke in a hoarse voice.
"So, can I assume?"
Professor Brian's voice suddenly became cheerful.
"I'll never see you wearing that enchanted invisibility cloak, sneakily sneaking into the Three Broomsticks pub to drink alcohol again?"
"Professor Brian, you really saw it!"
Hermione glared at Ron fiercely. Although her words were meant to express surprise, the tone was not like that. Clearly, the three of them had made related guesses in private.
"Oh, not stealing, Professor -"
Ron couldn't bear to look into Hermione's eyes, and said weakly, "I did pay for Harry's butterbeer..."
Harry also felt a bit embarrassed, because when they three discussed this issue in private, Harry's opinion was the same as Ron's. They both thought that the day at the Three Broomsticks pub was so noisy that it was highly unlikely that Professor Brian had even noticed Hermione and Ron, let alone him wearing the invisibility cloak.
"Professor Dumbledore seems to have told you--"
To prevent future occurrences, Amos added another sentence.
"The methods like the Invisibility spell and the Invisibility Cloak won't work against Dementors. You must have noticed that there are now Dementors on guard at the school gates again, but according to the discussions I've had with the Ministry of Magic, they have reduced the number of Dementors sent... So, you are absolutely not allowed to sneak out of school using an Invisibility Cloak!"
Upon hearing Professor Brian's words, Harry and his companions' expressions changed slightly, especially Hermione, whose face suddenly tightened as if she was trying to hide something.
Because Hermione and Ron both knew that Harry had not sneaked out from the school gates; he had used the magical map from Fred and George.
"You...
Even without using the spell to read minds, the changes in the three small guys' expressions couldn't be hidden from experienced Amos. He squinted his eyes and lowered his voice.
"It seems like you're hiding something important?"
As they were all still third-year students, their way of dealing with stress was too immature. Just by staring at each other for a moment, Ron and Harry lowered their heads, staring at the ground without moving. Only Hermione hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something.
"Professor--"
Under the relentless pressure from Professor Brian's gaze, Hermione took a deep breath after hesitating for a moment.
"Harry... he wasn't... "
Harry and Ron immediately looked up, tense and anxious, toward Hermione.
Don't mention the map thing!
Hermione understood through eye contact what Harry and Ron wanted to shout out.
It's for your own good, Harry--
Hermione also answered Harry with a firm look in her eyes.
"Honestly, Harry... He, well, accidentally discovered a secret passage when he was taking a walk in the castle himself. He out of curiosity climbed in and ended up finding his way to Hogsmeade..."
Hermione was evasive, concealing the truth... not to protect the magical map, but to keep Fred and George from getting involved.
Fortunately, Hermione didn't reveal everything, which let Harry and Ron breathe a sigh of relief. However, their faces weren't much better either because, as long as there was a secret passage out of Hogwarts, it could only be this one. Since Hermione had said it out, Professor Brian would definitely have to seal it to prevent Black.
"Secret passage?"
Amos's expression suddenly grew serious.
"Secret passage... but, according to Argus, the four secret passages in the school have all been sealed by him?"
"I believe--"
Under the intense gaze of the just-angry Professor Brian, Harry couldn't remain silent. He blurted out along with Hermione's lie, biting his tongue.
"I think... I should have accidentally discovered a secret passage that Filch doesn't know..."
