Hagrid understood Professor Brain's suggestion that the broomstick he was holding might have been repaired on the outside but still broken inside. He could keep it as a memento, but using it again for Quidditch games was impossible unless he wanted to suffer more.
"Thank you, Professor. That's more than enough."
Harry took the Hogsmeade's enchanted broomstick he had to retire early, mumbling as he did so, his disappointment clearly evident in his tone.
Looking at Harry, whose face was almost similar to James, almost soulless, Plum's pale cheeks were crossed by a trace of gloom. He bit his lips for a moment, but thinking about his empty wallet, he still said nothing.
"Hmm..."
After a moment of hesitation, Amos turned and walked over to the trunk by the camp bed, opened it and began to search around inside. Finally, he pulled out a Nimbus 2001 broomstick and held it up in front of Harry's surprised gaze.
As an expert in Quidditch, Harry recognized the broomstick as a "Star Sweeper," though it appeared to have been through quite an ordeal. The handle was pockmarked and scuffed, and there was a small patch of sooty black on the tail, suggesting it had been scorched.
"Whatever the case,"
Amos handed Harry his broomstick, a little dazed.
"Having lost your favorite broom due to the Dementors, I feel somewhat responsible. Until you get a new one, you can use mine temporarily..."
I've modified this Star Sweeper; it can reach a hundred miles in less than nine seconds, and it has great endurance, capable of cruising at top speed for over two hours. Of course, to achieve these two points, I had to sacrifice some of the turning agility of the broom during high-speed flight, which means it may not be able to handle very precise maneuvers."
This was an unexpected surprise. Harry hadn't even considered the possibility of getting a broomstick to use as a last resort when he came here tonight.
Harry looked sorrowfully at the Nimbus 2000 he could never ride on the Quidditch pitch again, his eyes shifting to the broomstick of Professor Brain.
In the world of Quidditch, before the Nimbus series came along, the Star Sweeper series was undoubtedly the favorite on the pitch. Most of the players on Gryffindor's team used either a Star Sweeper or a Comet 260. Competing with this broom wouldn't hold Gryffindor back...
Just then, Professor Brain's casual attitude towards the broomstick was too much for me. The broomstick looked like it had never been properly maintained. If Wood knew that one of his team members was treating their racing broom so roughly, he would definitely be angry and hang it up on the hoop.
"The Dementors—Why, Professor,"
Suddenly, Harry, who had been rubbing the handle of the broom with his palm, looked up and hesitated between Professor Lupin and Professor Brain before finally turning to look at Professor Brain, who was lounging with his legs crossed behind the desk.
"Why? Why would they have such an effect on me... Before, on the train, and now again... Does that mean?"
"It has nothing to do with weakness, Harry."
Lupin's heart ached at the interruption, but he answered the question out of turn.
"The Dementors have a greater impact on you, Harry, because of fears you've had that others haven't experienced..."
Lupin was explaining the Dementors to Harry, and in the meantime, Amos's gaze fell again on the famous lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead, hidden by a strand of hair.
To be honest, before talking to Dumbledore, Amos had no particular interest in Harry's scar. Who could have imagined that the scar housed a precious soul of Voldemort?
It's the third Horcrux he's come across.
The crown was destroyed by Amos with fiery blasts, and the one from last semester, which was possibly the first Horcrux Voldemort ever made and not so perfect, was dismantled by Amos for future purposes, extracting certain key emotions from it.
As for Harry... Although he's not quite sure about Dumbledore's plan, Amos has a hunch that Dumbledore probably has some means in mind to make Voldemort destroy the Horcrux that he himself doesn't even know about.
Sighing inwardly, Amos found himself.
Long ago, when he first discovered that he had been transported to the HP magical world and first entered Hogwarts, he never thought of defeating the second Dark Lord as his life's goal or something he had to do unwillingly. However, because of various twists and turns, it seems that he is now forced to go all out against Voldemort.
Looking at Harry's innocent face across from him, Amos suddenly realized a problem.
Amos wasn't sure how Dumbledore had arranged for Harry to defeat Voldemort in the original story... It was probably through Dumbledore personally or indirectly guiding Harry to destroy each of Voldemort's Horcruxes one by one, and then making Voldemort destroy the part of Harry's soul that belonged to him.
It can be imagined that this must be a plan with every detail carefully designed and extremely dangerous. However, with Amos's position, Dumbledore actually had no need to take such risks.
Because Amos has an advantage over Voldemort in terms of age and potential that the latter cannot match.
With all the Horcruxes destroyed, Amos and Dumbledore, working together, even have the confidence to have Voldemort become a cellmate with Gellert Grindelwald in Nurmengard.
However, Dumbledore clearly had this in mind as well. He wouldn't have told him about Harry being a Horcrux if he hadn't intended for it. But... the future may not be as clear as we imagine.
"In this area, Harry, I'm not an expert. You could consult Professor Brain--"
Amos, who was contemplating the future possible face-off, was snapped back to reality by Remus calling his name. He glanced over and saw that both Harry and Remus were looking at him. After a moment of thought, he guessed what he had missed earlier.
"Do you want to learn the Patronus Charm?"
Amos raised an eyebrow and asked, not particularly surprised.
"Can you teach me, Professor?"
Harry's eyes shone brightly, firmly stating, "I hope to be able to show more courage in front of the Dementors."
"Just you, Remus--"
After thinking for a moment, Amos said to Lupin,
"My Patronus... you all know that there are some issues with it. Frequently using the Patronus Charm might make those problems worse. Before I fully understand the situation, I'd like to avoid using it if possible--of course, if there's any need for my help during the teaching process, I'm more than happy to assist."
"Then that's settled."
Lupin was not a wishy-washy wizard; he readily agreed to Harry's request. As a close friend of James, Lupin felt it was his duty to help James's son overcome the influence of the Dementors.
"But Harry, we need to wait a little longer--"
Lupin looked at Harry, who was now in high spirits, and said somberly, "it will take some time to teach you."
"Because of my illness, I've been backed up on a lot of work."
The two purposes of today's visit were both partially accomplished, and Harry's mood was much higher when he left.
"Patronus isn't a spell a young wizard can master easily. Do you think Harry can learn it?"
Standing at the doorway, gazing in the direction Harry had gone, Remus said with less confidence as he prepared to leave.
"I don't think it's a problem. The key to learning this spell is having a strong will. In this regard, Harry is not inferior to graduated wizards. Moreover..."
Amos said it in a careless tone, and then, after suddenly thinking of something, he inexplicably smiled and said something that left Remus puzzled.
"Where's there a protagonist who doesn't have an edge?"
