Back to the office, Almastor still thinks about that called Luna Lovgood Ravenclaw the wizard outside the meeting.
Considering various aspects such as safety, ability, and time, Almastor decided to first include third and fourth-year wizards in his new course. However, Luna's appearance reminded Almastar that there were also many exceptionally talented children among the wizards of other grades, and he should also give them some opportunities for growth.
Almastor has taught the subject of Dark Magic Defense before, and apart from the new wizards who just started attending Hogwarts this academic year, he is relatively familiar with the children studying at this school.
Almastor sat quietly in his chair for two hours, lost in thought under the steady and bright candlelight, occasionally adding a name to the parchment before him. By the time the moon was almost at its zenith, the parchment was filled with names.
But the matter did not end there; his new course also required textbooks. Almastar had no intention of using the existing magical books available on the market as teaching materials. He decided to compile a new textbook and corresponding teaching plan, so that if one day he left Hogwarts, the course could continue to exist.
Tap, tap, tap.
Absorbed in his thoughts, Almastor was jolted awake by a sudden knock on the door. Looking up and noticing the visitor through the door, he sighed helplessly and smiled.
"Come in, three of you--"
There are many wizards who dare to wander around the castle outside of scheduled activities, but few have the nerve to knock on his office door. Not surprisingly, it was the Gryffindor gang.
Knocking on Professor Brian's office door in the dead of night was not without psychological pressure for Harry and his friends, but once inside, their unease was quickly replaced by shock. The three of them stood staring at the wall to the right of the door behind them, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Where did those surveillance feeds go?"
Almastor stuffed the parchment in front of him into the drawer, stood up to stretch his stiff muscles, and saw the three little guys' puzzled expressions. He chuckled and said.
Professor Brian's office was probably the simplest among all the professors, but everyone who walked into that office would remember to pay attention to the wall, which was always covered by a huge black curtain. Although Harry and his friends knew this was Professor Brian's means of monitoring the school, for most of the younger wizards, it remained a secret.
Almastor walked to the sofa and waved his wand, and three cups of steaming hot milk appeared on the coffee table.
"I'm not going to ruin your sleep in the latter half of the night, so I won't invite you to tea. How about some hot milk? I think you don't want to miss Professor Black's Dark Magic Defense course just because of an illness--"
"In fact, we think it would be quite good to have you teach us ourselves--"
Harry smiled with a grin.
The three of them sat on the sofa under Professor Brian's instructions, but Ron still couldn't help but look at the magical surveillance wall, always looking at the wall that had become ordinary again with a hesitant expression.
"Monitoring the school in that way is not legal; it's just a special response measure in emergencies. After Sirius Black was confirmed innocent, Headmaster Dumbledore immediately reminded me to dismantle it promptly, so you probably won't see it in this office again."
Almastor smiled and said.
"Oh, well," Ron shrugged his shoulders, "Frye and George will be disappointed. They've been interested in it for a long time."
Almastar knew about this. The Weasley twins had even been studying it privately. They couldn't produce an original, but with their own intelligence, they had managed to come up with similar alchemical gadgets, which Almastar had seen in Filch's office before.
Before the formal topic began, it was always necessary to have some small talk. Harry and his friends asked him about the progress of the investigation into the killer of Peter, which Almastor couldn't tell them the truth that Peter had been killed by him with the help of someone else.
"Hmm."
After a moment of thought, Almastar said slowly.
After thinking for a moment, Almastor said slowly.
"Insider?!"
This answer shocked the three young wizards, but Hermione quickly reacted.
"On the Prophet, it says that Gringotts dwarf star Peter died on his way to Azkaban prison. This means that there must be an insider providing information -"
"Oh!"
Ron said with a look of disgust.
Ron said with a look of disgust, "My dad always tells me that the Ministry is like a sieve and can't keep anything secret, but I never thought they would make a mistake like this. However, to be honest, this is exactly what he deserves, isn't it?"
Raising a convicted criminal as a pet for a few years was undoubtedly one of the most painful memories of Ron's life.
Harry's feelings about Peter's death were very complicated. This guy not only made him an orphan but also incurred an unjustified accusation against Sirius Black. From the point of view of his actions, his fate was entirely deserved, but would his father have wanted to see Peter suffer so cruelly in the end?
While Harry was pondering this question, the door to the office rang again.
The sudden "assailant" made the three young wizards tense up.
Except them, only another professor would visit Professor Brian at this point. If it was Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore, Harry and Hermione would still be in detention for following the professor!
"Don't worry--"
Watching the startled trio, Almastar said with a smile,
"It's Professor Black, I think he's retained some bad habits from his student days, like visiting people at all hours of the night."
"I'm sorry for disturbing you so late, Almastar--"
After a series of events, Sirius Black had become more polite than before. He knew that it was impolite to barge into someone else's office at such an hour, and as soon as he stepped through the door, he immediately apologized.
"I was just reading the materials left by Remus for me in his office, including the learning progress of each grade. I have to finish digesting those materials tonight before starting classes tomorrow."
"If that's the case --"
Almastar glanced at the birdcage in Sirius Black's hand.
"Why did you not read the materials in your own office quietly, but instead brought a birdcage and disturbed me at this hour?"
Sirius was about to explain when he suddenly saw three awkwardly looking small wizards standing next to the sofa. He froze for a moment, and then smiled.
"Oh, it's you three why are you here at this hour in Almastar's office? Does that mean,"
Sirius blinked his eyes and walked over to Harry, patting him on the shoulder.
"You were on an adventure and then were caught by Filch and sent here to Almastar?"
"You should have confidence in your pupils' night-hopping skills, Sirius."
The sofa was full of people, so Almastar had to sit back in his own seat.
"Regarding this owl--" Once he was seated, Sirius immediately stated his purpose, "Since the three of you are here, then things will be simple. It's a gift from me to you, Ron--"
"Gift for me?"
Ron widened his eyes, staring at the cat owl that was cooing in the cage for a few seconds before looking at Professor Black's face again.
"Yes, I reserved it a few days ago. Today, the post office directly sent it into my office. Maybe it's because of the new environment that it looks very excited, and now I happen to need a quiet environment---"
Sirius smiled at the somewhat flustered Ron and said.
"Even as a compensation for you, Ron. I learned from Kreclus that you value the rat called Scabbers very much, but because of my fault, you lost it."
Ron's cheeks puffed out in surprise, and though he didn't say anything, it was clear to everyone that he was thrilled.
The Weasley family is in financial distress, and they can only share a single cat owl among the whole family. None of his brothers and Ginny have their own pets.
"Quickly accept it, Ron, Hedwig will be very happy to have a new friend!"
Harry said with enthusiasm.
"Alright--"
Ron hesitated awkwardly with his face reddening, but in the end, he reluctantly nodded his head at Harry and Hermione's encouraging gazes.
Now, it was Harry and the three of them' turn to state their business.
"Oh, actually it's like this--"
Harry avoided Sirius and Professor Brian's gazes, stammering, "We wanted to ask you about the Black family --"
"We came here to ask you about something, Professor Brian --"
"Hmmm--"
Almastar leans back in his chair and sniffs to indicate that he is listening.
"Well, well," Almastar leaned back in his chair, a snort indicating that he was listening. "There have been rumors about the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and the curses experienced by the professors who taught it—Cilvor, Gilderoy Lockhart, and Professor Lupin all proved that. But there is an exception."
Harry looked at Professor Brian with a hesitant gaze, while Hermione seemed to be disdainful of these baseless rumors, only looking down at her toes.
Almastar's expression suddenly changed to enlightenment, and Sirius was stunned in silence after Harry stated his intention. He stared deeply into Harry's face that looked like James', pursed his lips, and the light flashed in his pale gray eyes.
The unnatural atmosphere in the air made Harry feel suffocated. He awkwardly lowered his head but still insisted on asking his question.
"We want to know how you managed to avoid such misfortune."
"Harry--" Sirius's voice was soft,
"You don't need to worry about this. I've thought about it, and I was just helping Dumbledore temporarily; it was only for less than half a school year. Even if the rumors are true, I believe it wouldn't be fatal--"
(This chapter is completed.)
