Douglas Holmes launched into his explanation with practiced calm, while Sirius Black sat silently at his side.
Naturally, Douglas kept the existence of the Marauder's Map to himself. He simply claimed to have noticed Scabbers—then still Percy Weasley's pet—behaving suspiciously. What truly caught his attention, he said, was seeing the so-called "hero" Peter Pettigrew grinning like a man in the newspaper.
A great hero, content to live as a rat? That was just too strange to ignore.
Douglas, ever the responsible former student, took the initiative to apologize to Dumbledore for his reckless use of memory charms and Legilimency during his school days.
What could Dumbledore do but forgive him?
Sirius did his best to keep a straight face. If the Marauder's Map weren't at stake, he'd never have gone along with Douglas's performance. That map was his and James Potter's pride and joy—he wasn't about to see it locked away because of a treacherous rat.
Sirius then recounted how they'd switched Secret-Keepers for the Fidelius Charm, and how he'd recognized Peter's Animagus form in the newspaper.
His emotions were steadier these days, and for once, he could recount the past without losing control.
But when it came to Wormtail, his voice still vibrated with barely contained fury.
At last, Dumbledore surveyed them both, then nodded—a tacit acceptance of their story.
Of course, whether he truly believed Douglas would only be clear after he'd conducted his own investigation. But based on Douglas's past actions—and what he knew of Sirius—he was inclined to trust them.
Douglas, however, firmly vetoed Dumbledore's idea of capturing Peter Pettigrew outright.
Red-eyed, Sirius growled that he wanted to see the traitor squirm in terror for another year.
After hearing Douglas's student development plan, Dumbledore's expression softened with genuine approval.
But he raised a gentle question:
"Why are you so intent on nurturing a spirit of truth-seeking in all students, rather than focusing on Harry alone?"
Douglas sighed and gazed off at a forty-five degree angle, quoting with mock solemnity,
"Though I may die, my children remain. My children have children, and their children have children, on and on without end. Yet the mountains do not grow taller—so why should we despair of leveling them?"
Dumbledore and Sirius exchanged bewildered glances. Sirius rubbed his temple.
"Could you say that in English?"
Douglas shot them a look of disdain, then explained,
"Haven't you noticed? Complacency is the norm in the wizarding world now. Hardly anyone cares to seek the truth anymore.
People just muddle through—look at Sirius, Hagrid, the warning letter Harry got last year, even the business with Voldemort…
If you add a single drop of water to ink, even the purest drop, it makes little difference. But what if we add a lot of water?
The magical world needs change. But no one person can do it alone. What if we start with the children, and build a movement?
Of course, you eat a meal one bite at a time. My plan is to use Sirius's case as a catalyst—to let the kids uncover the truth of this world for themselves.
That's my teaching goal for the new term…"
Finishing, Douglas felt his soul had ascended—surely, in the Muggle world, he'd win an Outstanding Teacher award for this.
But Dumbledore's voice was calm:
"Douglas, do you truly believe war will come again?"
Douglas froze, then looked at Dumbledore with feigned confusion.
Dumbledore shook his head,
"You never do anything without reason—especially not when it doesn't concern you. Sometimes I wonder if you have Seer blood."
Sirius eyed Douglas too. He'd asked Douglas more than once how he'd guessed Sirius would show up in Surrey, and Douglas would always brush it off with, "I'm Harry's godfather." But now, it seemed there was more to it.
Douglas blinked innocently.
"Professor, are you sure I don't have Seer blood?"
Dumbledore coughed awkwardly, thinking Douglas was still sore about his background checks.
Suddenly, Douglas seemed to remember something. He turned to Dumbledore,
"Professor, forgive me for asking, but—you haven't already found a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, have you?"
Dumbledore hesitated, then nodded.
Sirius, who had been quietly enjoying Douglas's rare moment of discomfort, burst out laughing. For days, Douglas had seemed in control of everything—so he could be caught off guard too!
Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and explained,
"I was worried about unexpected circumstances, so I lined up a professor willing to step in… You know how these things go; it's happened so many times before. If I can find someone, I always try to have a backup…"
Douglas put on a look of polite curiosity.
"Professor, who did you choose this time?"
Dumbledore glanced at Sirius.
"Remus Lupin."
Sirius, who'd been laughing, suddenly went rigid.
Douglas offered a suggestion,
"Professor, I understand your concerns. Here's a thought: why not appoint him as the supervising professor for the Magical Practice Study Room first?
If—for any reason—I really can't take up my post, he could naturally transition into the Defence Against the Dark Arts position.
Besides, that role really does need a professor-level wizard overseeing it. If you think he's up to the Defence job, he'll do fine there as well."
Sirius looked at Douglas, puzzled. He'd heard Harry and that little witch Hermione talk about the Magical Practice Study Room before. He'd always assumed it was Douglas's private club—after all, most Hogwarts professors had one. But from Douglas's tone, it didn't sound like that at all.
Dumbledore regarded Douglas, then broke into a wry smile.
"I said it before—nearly everything you do has a backup plan. It seems you'd already decided, when you first proposed this, that you'd need someone exceptional for the post.
Luckily, I only told Remus that if you didn't show up at the start of term, he'd need to serve as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for a year. He's not doing well these days—he really needs the work…
So let's do as you suggest: have him start as the Magical Practice Study Room supervisor. Any other suggestions for the school's arrangements?"
Sirius opened his mouth as if to speak, but fell silent.
Douglas frowned slightly. He couldn't shake the feeling that Dumbledore's real reason for bringing Lupin back to Hogwarts wasn't just his financial troubles.
After all, the Defence Against the Dark Arts position had been cursed for years—why now, specifically? Douglas suspected Lupin's return was meant to counter Sirius.
Given what Dumbledore had previously believed—that Sirius was after Harry's life for the sake of his old master—Lupin, who knew Sirius best, was the only logical choice for the job.
It was the only explanation for why, after years of wandering, Lupin was finally being brought back into Hogwarts's fold.
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