When Dumbledore mentioned that some Death Eaters remained loyal to Voldemort until the very moment they were imprisoned in Azkaban, stubbornly unrepentant to the end, Sherlock couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"Interesting. It seems that noseless fellow has some charisma after all, not merely relying on violence and oppression to maintain his rule."
Though praising Voldemort, his tone was still full of mockery.
"Sherlock, Riddle wasn't always as arrogant as you know him to be. He had a handsome appearance, persuasive methods, and powerful abilities that gathered a large group of loyal followers. As for how he later became that way... I believe it's related to his study of dark magic and the splitting of his soul when creating Horcruxes."
"Got it. He played himself into becoming brain-damaged."
"...You could put it that way."
"Speaking of which, since Professor Trelawney said Voldemort's 'most loyal servant,' I don't think Peter Pettigrew fits that description."
"You mean—"
"I think Sirius was absolutely right. Peter Pettigrew is essentially an opportunist. Back at school, he followed Harry's father and Sirius because he thought they were leaders among the students. After graduation, seeing Voldemort's growing power, he switched sides to him with barely any hesitation. When Voldemort disappeared, he transformed into a rat and went into hiding. If it had been Bellatrix, whom you mentioned earlier, she probably would have gone after Harry years ago."
"So, you're saying the servant mentioned in the prophecy is someone else?"
"There's a good possibility. I suggest the Ministry of Magic check Azkaban to see if anyone has recently escaped."
"I'll raise this point with the Ministry. What about the ally?"
"That's even more likely."
When mentioning this, Sherlock frowned. "If we follow Professor Trelawney's prophecy, this ally should be the main force helping Voldemort return. So, for now, we can only ask the well-informed Headmaster to compile a list of people who fit the criteria. However, in my view, if it's an ally—then he's definitely not a Death Eater. Even so, this won't be an easy task."
After Sherlock finished speaking, the three people in the office fell into silence.
Harry's mind was in chaos. He heard noisy voices from somewhere beyond the office walls—probably students who had finally finished all their exams and were celebrating. It was hard to believe that people in the world were still laughing, unaware and unconcerned that Voldemort was about to return.
But he immediately felt this thought was completely unreasonable—how could people care about something they didn't even know about? And even if he told them, probably few would believe it.
Then there was Snape.
Although Dumbledore said he had always loved his mother and had been committed to protecting him, still... if it weren't for his informing, his parents wouldn't have died, and he wouldn't have become an orphan.
"I think there's one more thing I need to explain to you, Harry."
As if reading Harry's thoughts, Dumbledore said hesitantly, "I know you have issues with Severus. Actually, when he first came to me and confessed everything, I expressed my deep disdain for his actions.
I believed that he was selfish and self-serving, not considering anyone else's safety, only wanting your mother to survive. He agreed with my assessment and asked me to hide your entire family. It was at that moment he changed his allegiance. Do you remember what I said at Peter Pettigrew's trial?"
Seeing Harry nod, Dumbledore continued, "Before he came to me, he was indeed a Death Eater through and through. But for your mother's sake, he chose to repent completely and thoroughly became one of us. With his warning, if it hadn't been for Peter Pettigrew, your parents should have been safe. Of course, I'm not qualified to ask you to forgive him. But I hope that after knowing the facts, you can think more carefully about it."
Harry looked up and saw a tear run down Dumbledore's cheek and into his long silver beard.
The next day, the entire castle was empty. With the hot weather and exams finished, everyone third year and above had gone to Hogsmeade for a holiday. Harry had originally planned to go as well, but after learning the whole story in the headmaster's office last night, he changed his mind.
Since Harry entered Hogwarts, he had come to the headmaster's office many times, but last night's visit was undoubtedly the longest stay.
Harry was very grateful to Sherlock. It was because of his persistent insistence that Headmaster Dumbledore told him the complete story.
Professor Trelawney's prophecy over a decade ago represented the beginning of everything. Severus Snape's disgraceful past created a turning point. Dumbledore's protection kept him in the dark all along.
Harry didn't know when Dumbledore would have told him these things without Sherlock—fourth year? Fifth year? Or even after graduation? But definitely not now.
So, before his next meeting with Sirius, he needed to sort out his confused thoughts.
Sherlock had never been particularly interested in Hogsmeade and had decided early on not to go. Since Harry wasn't going either, they came to the empty grounds for a walk together.
The two sat by the lake, watching the giant squid lazily waving its tentacles on the water's surface. Harry looked at Sherlock and found him with that distant expression again. After hesitating for a moment, he began to speak,
"Sherlock, I—"
Before he could finish, a shadow fell over them. Harry looked up and blurted out, "Hermione, didn't you go to Hogsmeade?"
This trip to Hogsmeade village was the last chance for third years, and Hermione had always said she wanted to buy some local specialties for her parents. So, seeing the girl who should have been at Hogsmeade village standing before them, Harry was extremely surprised.
"I asked Ron to shop for me!" Hermione said, sitting naturally beside Sherlock. "I figured going there wasn't as good as comparing exam answers with Sherlock."
Compare answers?
Harry was startled at this.
"Hermione, I—"
Before he could finish, another shadow fell over him. Harry looked up and blurted out, "Ron, you're not going to Hogsmeade either?"
As soon as he said it, he realized he had just repeated himself.
"What do you mean 'either'?" Ron plopped down beside Harry. "If you're all not going, what's the point of me going alone?"
"Ronald, what about the things I asked you to get?"
"I gave the list to Neville and Dean—don't worry, Hermione, they can handle small things like that."
Hermione snorted, then pulled Sherlock over to start comparing answers. Ron, meanwhile, began questioning Harry about what happened in the headmaster's office last night.
Actually, Harry had already told the story once during breakfast this morning, but now Ron was asking in more detail, so he could only avoid the parts he couldn't mention and go through the events again.
"I can't believe it! You really won't tell us what Dumbledore said." Ron said indignantly, "I thought we were friends!"
"Listen—"
Kind-hearted Harry wasn't good at handling such situations and instinctively looked toward Sherlock for help.
Sherlock wouldn't indulge Ron. After receiving Harry's plea for help, he said directly and bluntly, "Ron, whether or not to tell you this has no necessary connection to whether we're friends."
"What are you saying?" Ron's eyes widened in complete disbelief.
"There's no need for such a surprised expression." Sherlock said calmly, "In this world, even the closest people cannot be completely open and have no secrets—spouses, parents, children, siblings—all are like this. Friends are no exception."
"But—"
Ron tried to argue but was ruthlessly interrupted by Sherlock: "If you think someone isn't your friend just because they won't tell you something, then such friendship isn't worth having."
Hearing this, Ron immediately deflated, "I didn't mean it that way—"
As the owner of a Time-Turner, Hermione understood Sherlock and Harry's approach very well. So, she said seriously to Ron, "Sherlock and Harry promised Headmaster Dumbledore not to tell anyone, Ron. Don't put them in a difficult position. Besides, if you hadn't reminded Professor Dumbledore last night, he might not have even remembered!"
"I understand." Hearing Hermione bring this up; Ron immediately lowered his head. Why did he feel like a clown?
Hermione turned to look at Harry, noticing his blank stare at the giant squid. Thinking he was worried about Professor Trelawney's prophecy, she quickly said, "Oh, cheer up, Harry!"
"I'm fine!" Harry was indeed somewhat dejected, but not because of the prophecy—it was because of Snape. So, he quickly said, "I was just thinking about the holidays."
"Haha, me too!" Hearing this, Ron immediately perked up. He said with a laugh, "Harry, you must come stay at my house. I'll talk to Mum and Dad, and we'll let you know. Oh, and I finally learned how to use the Tel-Eh-phone—"
"It's telephone, not Tel-Eh-phone Hermione corrected, "Seriously, Ron, you should take Muggle Studies next year."
Hearing this, Ron stopped paying attention to her and continued speaking to Harry, "There's the Quidditch World Cup during the summer holidays! How about it, Harry? Come stay with us and we'll go watch it together! Dad usually gets tickets."
This suggestion immediately lifted Harry's spirits considerably from his earlier dejection about Snape, and he began discussing it enthusiastically with Ron.
Hermione, meanwhile, continued pulling Sherlock along to compare answers.
Time slipped away unnoticed like this.
For the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts, the period from the end of exams until the holidays was always the most relaxed time each year. This year was no exception.
The rumor that Professor Lupin was actually a woman still persisted—because he had recently taken another leave of absence, with Professor Snape substituting for him in Defense Against the Dark Arts classes again.
Every time Harry saw Snape, his feelings were complex. The words Dumbledore had said while crying kept circling in his mind: "I'm not qualified to ask you to forgive him, but I hope that after knowing the facts, you can think more about it."
Harry took Dumbledore's words to heart. In fact, since that day, he had been thinking about this issue repeatedly.
It was clearly because of Snape's informing that led to his parents being killed by Voldemort, making him an orphan. But after discovering this, Snape did everything in his power to make amends, risking great danger to switch sides and become a spy.
Thinking carefully, his parents' deaths were actually caused by multiple factors.
Voldemort was undoubtedly the primary culprit. After hearing the prophecy, he was determined to kill him.
Next was Peter Pettigrew. Knowing that Voldemort was targeting them, he still revealed their address—he was an unquestionable accomplice. From Harry's perspective, Peter Pettigrew was even more hateful than Voldemort.
Because Voldemort's position from the start was opposed to theirs—he was the enemy. But Peter Pettigrew was a friend, his parents', Sirius's, and Lupin's most trusted friend.
As Professor McGonagall had said before, "We suspected many people at the time—Fenwick, Dearborn, Meadowes, Vance—but we never suspected him! Lily and James, Peter, how could you do this, how could you bear to—!"
Betrayal by close friends and loved ones hurt more than harm from enemies.
Besides Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew, others responsible for James and Lily's deaths made unintentional mistakes: Snape, who told Voldemort the news; Sirius, who at the last moment suggested that James and Lily change the Secret-Keeper from himself to Peter; and... James and Lily themselves.
Harry grew up in the Muggle world and knew almost nothing about his parents. The only information came from others' descriptions and scattered memories. After entering the magical world, whether it was Hagrid, Dumbledore, the Weasleys, or other elders, they all described James as a brave, intelligent, well-liked wizard, a hero who fought against Voldemort, even a Hogwarts legend.
These descriptions made Harry develop a strong admiration for his father. He saw his father as the embodiment of perfection; someone he wanted to become.
But as Harry entered Hogwarts and learned more details about James, especially after growing a brain under Sherlock's influence, Harry gradually discovered a fact—one he was somewhat unwilling to accept.
James Potter might not be the idealized legendary father in his mind.
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