ProfessorBrian and ProfessorMoody's fight had happened in the foyer of the hall before dinner, many young wizards witnessed the fight and missing wonderful pictures of small wizards, but also heard about it at the discussion during dinner.
Students are no longer concerned with what exactly caused the conflict between the two professors; instead, they are fascinated by the battle itself. There is no doubt that Professor Brian emerged as the victor in this conflict, and no one would be surprised by this. Over the past two years, Professor Brian has already made so many impressive appearances that it would be incredible if he were to lose in a conflict with someone else.
ProfessorMoody's figure was not seen at the faculty dinner table, people would assume that he lost his duel with ProfessorBrian and felt embarrassed to appear, but breathless from running back and forth on the Quidditch pitch after training, Neville told everyone that ProfessorMoody was patrolling the campus.
"-No wonder Dad has such high praise for Professor Moody," Ron exclaimed to the people around him, "You get my drift, right!"
"No one would miss it, you silly," George kindly said.
Harry was deep in thought, staring at the pattern on the silver cup in front of him, his head down.
"What are you thinking about, Harry?" Hermione noticed that Harry was in a bad mood and asked quietly, "Is it because of Professor Brian helping Malfoy?"
"I don't understand--" Harry seemed to open his mouth and began to speak without stopping,
"Have you heard what the female reporter, Skitt, on the Daily Prophet said?" Harry asked, "The Ministry still believes that Bertha Jorkins is just missing, but how could that be? They have caught the woman named Clioona with the help of Professor Brian, right? If they have questioned her, they should know that Voldemort has killed her. And yet, they still claim that Clioona and the masked group are connected, even though they don't know each other. Even if they made a mistake in their investigation. But Professor Brian clearly knows everything. But -"
"Oh, shut up, Harry!"
Hermione had been patiently listening, but she suddenly interrupted Harry's confusion, looking tense and pointing towards the ceiling above the hall, "Professor Brian is here!"
"Alastor has fought evil all his life, and as you can see, he has suffered much persecution during this long struggle. Amortha--"
No one reported the incident that had occurred in the foyer earlier to Dumbledore, but as he descended from his office to the Great Hall, it was as if he had already been fully informed of everything. He patiently consoled Amortha.
"He tolerates certain behaviors very poorly, of course. The way he uses magic to punish young wizards is indeed not appropriate, but this does not mean that he lacks control over his emotions or is unstable."
"Haha, our beloved headmaster has always been very tolerant of people with special talents——"
Amortha did not speak, but Snape, who overheard these comments, sneered sarcastically beside him.
"But be careful, Amortha, that madman believes in Dumbledore and sees everyone as a dark wizard. Your good reputation means nothing to him. He might even ask to search your office and your luggage next——"
Amortha looked at Professor Snape in surprise.
"Is it? Professor Moody has made such a request to you?"
Snape pursed his thin lips and his face darkened. And Dumbledore obviously already knew about this matter, he didn't show much surprise, but looked at Professor Snape with a slightly apologetic expression.
"I have emphasized to Alastor that you are trustworthy, Severus."
"Oh, it's an honor to receive your trust, Professor Dumbledore."
Snape threw out a cold sentence.
Neither Amortha nor Professor Snape would change their personal opinions of Mad-Eye Moody because of a few words from him, and Dumbledore knew this. He sighed helplessly before not speaking anymore.
The atmosphere at the faculty dinner table was somewhat stiff, and Amortha disliked being in such an environment. After wiping his mouth with his napkin, he got up directly from the table.
He didn't return to his office but descended from the Great Hall and made his way to the Gryffindor table.
As he passed by, the sounds of the tables had been silenced as if by a silence spell, and the young wizards looked at him curiously.
"Can I have a word with you, Harry?"
Amortha stood behind Harry and said.
"Oh, of course, Professor Brian!" Harry quickly stood up and said.
"And you, Hermione, I have something to discuss with you as well. Come to my office--"
Amortha turned his gaze to Hermione, who was dipping roast potatoes in gravy while keeping her ears perked up.
Hermione and Harry both hurriedly stood up, following Professor Brian towards the foyer. Across the table, Ron felt disappointed that he didn't get a chance to greet them. He put down his utensils and looked at the three of them leaving with a pouted face.
Although it was still September, Hogwarts, located in the mountains and surrounded by black waters, had already begun to experience late autumn winds as soon as the night fell. The ancient castle was filled with the chilly breeze, sending goosebumps up Harry and Hermione's skin. However, for a wizard like Amortha with high magical power, the changing weather no longer posed any significant threat.
As they walked through the second-floor corridor, he paused there, his gaze directed towards the spacious grass field, and he squinted for a few seconds before continuing to walk away.
"Madam Pince--" Harry, discovering the limping figure on the playground under the light of Hagrid's hut, whispered to Hermione in surprise, "He's still patrolling?"
Professor Brian's office was already very familiar to Harry and Hermione, so they didn't need to be instructed. After entering, they walked directly towards the sofa. Professor Brian did not return to his desk but sat down beside them instead.
"This is the situation," Amortha said, looking at Harry, "This afternoon, I met up with Sirius Black in Hogsmeade."
Harry immediately widened his eyes, full of excitement.
Amortha's body sank into the soft sofa, smiling and saying,
"His visit had two main purposes. First, he wanted me to pass on his apologies for the argument you all had over the summer vacation."
"Why didn't he come himself?" Harry complained angrily.
"Ha ha, I didn't ask," he smiled, indicating at Harry who seemed to show some signs of rebelliousness in his youthful years, "Although, it's probably for the same reason you don't want to apologize to him."
Blushing to the point of redness, Harry pretended not to notice Hermione covering her mouth and laughing. He quickly changed the subject.
"What's the second thing, Professor Brian?"
"Secondly, it's not directly related to you, but since Sirius is your godfather, I think you have the right to know this--"
Amortha repressed his smile and said calmly,
"Sirius has decided to join the Ministry as an Auror, you know what an Auror is, Harry. Professor Moody was one before he retired."
Harry subconsciously nodded, but when he realized what he had heard, he immediately opened his mouth wide, astonished and breathless.
"Sirius becoming an Auror? How could that be? Why would he even think of doing that!"
"There's nothing strange about it, Sirius is a young and highly skilled adult wizard. And since he has cleared his name, it's only natural for him to find a job to demonstrate his worth. Think about Professor Dumbledore, who is over one hundred and ten years old and still dedicating himself to others."
"But—"
Harry closed his mouth, his emerald eyes sparkling with concern in the bright yellow light.
"The Aurors are a profession for combating dark wizards. The danger of this job is obvious from Professor Moody's experiences. Sirius isn't like Professor Brian or Professor Dumbledore, who can handle any situation. Like that night at the Quidditch World Cup, when those three masked wizards appeared in their enclosure, Sirius struggled to deal with them. If it weren't for Clioona's help that night, he might have faced great danger!"
A sudden urge rose in Harry's heart. He hurried back to his dormitory to write a letter to Sirius, urging him to reconsider, but then he thought that since Sirius had made up his mind, Harry should support him.
The two thoughts battled in Harry's mind, leaving him unable to decide for a moment.
Amortha didn't say anything else to Harry and instead turned directly towards Hermione.
"Hermione, I called you here to find out how everyone's training is progressing in class?"
(End of chapter)
