What did Rimes really encounter?
As Remus Lupin left the owlery, his figure disappearing around the corner of the narrow corridor at the other end, Spots remained perched on Malfoy's shoulder, gazing out of the door, with his dark, little eyes reflecting contemplation.
He knew himself well enough to know that this was a man of careful, if not overly persnickety, character.
Christmas Day is a day for family to come together, and it's not the kind of day when Remus would write an urgent letter in such a festive spirit.
Clab raised the roasted lamb chop to Malfoy's shoulder, and Spots hopped onto the swollen palm, gnawing at the chop while contemplating the question.
In keeping with his usual habits, he would have preferred not to interfere in the dangerous moment where one misstep could lead him to fall into a deep abyss. However, he couldn't deny that he couldn't feign indifference to this issue now that he was at Hogwarts, as there was nothing else that could make Remus act impulsively.
It could only be related to Sirius Black!
Could it be that Remus has already made contact with Black and completed the 'intelligence reconciliation'?
Crack!
Spots' heart suddenly accelerated, and in a daze, he bit into a hard piece of lamb bone, nearly dislodging his front teeth.
In the stinking owlery, a series of painful "chirping" cries echoed...
However, this doesn't make sense.
After a while, calmed down, Spots fell into deep thought again. If Remus really knew that it was he who betrayed the whereabouts of James and Lily years ago, the first person he would notify would undoubtedly be Dumbledore, and there was no doubt about that. Spots knew what Dumbledore meant to Remus.
But whatever the case may be, there must have been something important happening at the school, and he knew nothing about it.
This is not acceptable!
Spots rubbed his swollen gums with a claw that was missing a finger, this thought occurring to him.
Since he had already left the little boy from the Weasley family, but still lurking around the school, he had previously been able to erase the memories of the unlucky three Slytherins, but yet he chose to enslave them, risking discovery by Dumbledore and Brewer.
Spots wasn't doing this just to make it easier to steal food, he had to ensure that he could obtain firsthand information. Having walked through the brutal war years, Spots was well aware of the importance of intelligence.
Dumbledore seems to still be absent, and Remus' act of writing letters suggests that Amortia Brewer is also not at the school. In this situation, the danger of coming out seems not so high.
After swallowing the roasted lamb in his mouth, Spots stared through the window hole at the tranquil white world for a long time before finally making up his mind...
The grand hall, adorned with festive decorations, had all the dining tables of the houses moved to the walls, and a large table that could seat a dozen or more was placed in the center of the hall.
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned the eye-catching Nimbus 2001 to their dormitory and went back to the hall, most of the seats were already filled with students who had remained in the school.
"Come on, Potter!"
Professor McGonagall stood up and waved at them three, her tone much gentler than usual in class.
"Dumbledore specifically asked me to create some festive atmosphere for the students here before he left!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat side by side at the end of the table, but it was clear that their atmosphere wasn't particularly harmonious, as they had just erupted in an argument again in the common room. The topic of their argument, without a doubt, was the Nimbus 2001 that had descended from above.
Hermione believed that since Professor Lupin had given an order, Harry should comply and first take the broomstick to be checked by Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick before Professor Brewer returns to school.
Ron immediately replied, "Well, that's not entirely true."
"Suggestion, that's just suggestion, don't you understand, Hermione? Lupin didn't tell Harry to do it that way. We can keep the Nimbus 2001 in our hands and send it to Brewer when he returns. In the meantime, we don't have to use it at all!"
"You're dodging the issue, Ron!"
Hermione's face was slightly flushed as she huffed, "You know very well what I mean, Ron!"
Both options are clear in their pros and cons.
Harry didn't give it much thought before making the choice that was more in line with his desires – after all, it was the Nimbus 2001, a broomstick that even an ordinary wizard would never get to touch its perfect streamlined handle. Even if there was something suspicious about this broom, Harry was willing to keep it a few more days.
"Then--"
Professor McGonagall smiled as she watched the three Gryffindor students sit down, her gaze sweeping the room before she realized that all the students were waiting for her to speak.
"I have nothing much to say, everyone... oh, just one thing, make haste with your meals!"
The hall was filled with the sound of clinking forks and knives, Harry bent down to grab a roasted potato, and suddenly, the footsteps from the entrance hall caught everyone's attention.
It was Malfoy -
He seemed to have been running for a long time, his hair damp, and sweat glistened on his pale cheeks.
Harry and Ron exchanged a subtle glance, which seemed strange to them, but the next second, Snape spoke on their behalf, voicing their curiosity.
"What's wrong with you, Draco?"
Professor Snape looked at Malfoy with a suspicious gaze and said,
"Where are Clab and Gollum?"
"Professor, they were full, so they didn't come," Malfoy answered in a dry voice.
Hiccup!
Ron suddenly burst into laughter.
Clab and Gollum have ever had a time when they are full? This is almost an odd news in Hogwarts.
Harry immediately elbowed Ron, because the old bat, Professor Snape, was staring at him with a cold gaze.
Ron could easily see that this was complete nonsense. Snape should have known better. He raised his chin, narrowing his eyes slightly, his dark gaze filled with an unseen worry and frustration.
The only seats left at the table were between Snape and Professor McGonagall, so Malfoy had no choice but to reluctantly sit in between them.
"Professor Lupin, as far as I know, he should still be at the school. Why isn't he here?"
The ripples caused by the cold joke just started to subside, and Malfoy's random question once again disrupted the rhythm of people eating their Christmas dinner.
That's very strange!
Harry and Ron immediately directed their gaze at Malfoy, and even Hermione, who was hesitating whether to privately communicate with Professor McGonagall, blinked towards Malfoy.
Malfoy actually cares whether Professor Lupin came to eat?
"Really astonishing, Draco?" Snape looked at Malfoy with suspicion, "I thought you didn't care much for him."
"Hmm--"
Malfoy seemed to realize how abrupt his question was, he pursed his lips, and quickly said, "It's just that--"
"Just that I just sent a letter to my father from the owlery, and Professor Lupin also came by to send a letter--"
"Professor Snape, I'm afraid I must ask you to let the matter drop."
"Professor Snape, I must ask you to respect this place as the venue for Christmas dinner. It is not a courtroom of the Ministry of Magic."
After saying this, Professor McGonagall turned back to Malfoy, her eyes softening with a sense of relief.
"I'm afraid he's ill again, Professor Lupin told me earlier that he had no appetite, but I must say, if he knew you were concerned about him, Mr. Malfoy, he wouldn't mind coming down to have a seat."
Apart from the commotion caused at the beginning, Malfoy performed relatively normally during the two-hour Christmas feast, which lost Harry's interest in watching him. Instead, Harry began to whisper with Ron and Hermione about the information Malfoy had just revealed at the table.
"What do you think--"
Harry chewed on the juicy steak, using the candlestick to hide his view from the professors, and whispered, "How about if we call up his father right now?"
"Malfoy mentioned seeing Professor Lupin posting a letter; could he have been asking about the Nimbus 2001 I borrowed?"
Hermione, who was sipping small amounts of pumpkin soup and rolling her eyes silently, said,
"In my opinion, Professor Lupin cares more about the 'parchment' than the mysterious Nimbus 2001 broomstick!"
............
"Reading Room"
