Douglas Holmes brushed aside his scattered thoughts and, picking up where Dumbledore had left off, offered a suggestion with his usual composure.
"You know, Headmaster, quite a few students have already gotten into the habit of morning runs around the Black Lake, using the early hours to study magic or memorize their lessons. So, I propose we formalize this into an official morning session—let's say, from six-thirty to seven-thirty.
Mr. Lupin and I could supervise together. What do you think?
Not only would this channel the students' energy into the day, it might also curb their enthusiasm for nighttime wanderings…
Of course, participation would be strictly voluntary—after all, not every student is lucky enough to get extra help from professors outside class."
Dumbledore frowned, giving Douglas a long, searching look. He'd only meant his previous comment as a casual aside, but Douglas had, as always, seized the opportunity—and clearly, he'd been planning this for some time.
After glancing at Sirius, Dumbledore finally replied,
"I'm afraid that won't work. This year, there will be some changes at Hogwarts. The Ministry will be stationing Dementors around the school during term…
Unless you're willing to abandon your plan, and we can clear Sirius's name before the start of term."
(Sirius is the official translation for 小天狼星; for clarity, this book uses the People's Literature Publishing House version: Sirius.)
At the mention of Dementors, Sirius let out a derisive snort.
Douglas replied, tone unwavering,
"Headmaster, you're the one in charge of Hogwarts. All student activities are within the castle grounds. With you there, I can't imagine a single Dementor would dare set foot on Hogwarts's hallowed soil."
Dumbledore nodded,
"Of course. I've already told Fudge—no Dementors inside Hogwarts.
I can agree to your proposal, but only if you're able to return and resume teaching as usual.
But that would mean some students getting up before six-thirty, and not finishing until the study room closes at eight in the evening… They'd be studying all day long."
Sirius stared at Douglas, wide-eyed. This was inhuman.
Back in his day, only a handful of overachievers kept such a schedule—and that was by sheer force of will. Now Douglas wanted to make it official?
He might have said it was voluntary, but after spending time with Douglas, Sirius doubted it would be that simple.
Douglas, putting on a wounded look, protested,
"It's not that extreme! Even without school requirements, they're busy enough as it is. When there's a lot of homework, some students are up until two in the morning…"
Dumbledore chuckled, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"About Remus—surely you've learned a few things from Peter's memories. Any thoughts?"
Sirius looked nervously between Douglas and Dumbledore, stumbling over his words,
"Remus is… He's a really good bloke… He was a prefect, you know. Kind, wouldn't hurt a soul…
And his dad—well, he knew how to handle Dark creatures…"
Douglas found Sirius's awkwardness odd. It was the first time he'd ever heard Sirius mention Lupin by name.
Until now, he'd assumed that, for Sirius, only Harry's father had been a true friend. But clearly, that wasn't the whole story.
What Douglas didn't know was that, lately, Sirius had been spending his days with Harry, listening to Harry and Hermione talk about their trio—and it had brought back memories of his own Hogwarts days.
Now that he'd calmed down, Sirius realized he hadn't been the only one who lost a close friend that night. Lupin had too.
Sure, he'd always been closest to James, but Remus had been their friend and brother-in-arms as well.
Sirius had once believed he suffered the most—haunted by guilt in Azkaban, blaming himself for James's death.
But now, he saw that Remus might have suffered even more. One friend, directly or indirectly, responsible for the deaths of the other two—what must that have done to someone as kind and lonely as Remus?
And more than anything, Sirius felt a stab of guilt for ever doubting Remus. James had been right: "It's shameful not to trust your friends."
(Besides, Sirius had never really considered Peter—Wormtail—an equal; just a hanger-on or a cheerleader in a fight.)
For all these reasons, hearing how hard Lupin's life had been, Sirius found himself defending him almost automatically.
Douglas understood the message from both Dumbledore and Sirius, and nodded.
"As for his condition, I've no objections. The Wolfsbane Potion has been available for some time now. With it, I don't think Mr. Lupin poses any real danger…"
Dumbledore glanced at Douglas, tempted to ask if he'd have time to brew Wolfsbane for Lupin. After all, Severus had often mentioned Douglas's talent for Potions—though he'd "gone astray."
But with Sirius present, and Douglas's own return to Hogwarts still uncertain, Dumbledore let the matter drop.
Sirius, catching the mention of Wolfsbane, blurted out,
"Headmaster, could you provide Wolfsbane for Remus? I read in a magazine that it's expensive. Charge it to me—please, help Remus out."
Dumbledore turned to Douglas,
"You don't mind if Remus knows about your plan?"
Douglas considered, then replied,
"I'd prefer to tell him myself…"
Dumbledore sighed inwardly. Why was this boy so stubborn? Why couldn't he just accept the reality of the curse?
Douglas changed the subject,
"By the way, Professor, what brings you here today? Surely you didn't come just to tell me about a staff change?"
Dumbledore shook his head,
"No, there's another matter. Do you remember our previous discussions about Voldemort?"
At this, Douglas glanced at Sirius.
Sirius bristled,
"What's that supposed to mean, boy? You still think I'm Voldemort's stooge?
We were fighting Voldemort while you were still in short trousers…"
Douglas looked back at Dumbledore, voice cool,
"Professor, there are some things he's not ready to know."
Dumbledore understood immediately—especially regarding the theory that Harry himself was a Horcrux.
He turned to Sirius,
"Sorry, Sirius. There are matters Douglas and I agreed on beforehand—things we can't share just yet.
It's not about you specifically. Until we have concrete answers, it wouldn't be right to talk about them…"
Sirius snorted,
"Fine! I'll go see if Harry's back yet."
With that, he transformed into his Animagus form right before their eyes.
Dumbledore applauded,
"Marvelous Animagus transformation. Hard to believe you managed that as a student."
Without a backward glance, Sirius trotted out the door.
Douglas thought, if it were Professor McGonagall here, she'd probably be dragging Sirius off to the Ministry for registration by now.
Once Sirius had gone, Dumbledore remarked,
"Seems Sirius hasn't read that article. If he had, he might have put some pieces together."
Douglas just smiled—there was no Quibbler in his house for Sirius to peruse.
Dumbledore's expression grew serious.
"Based on that article, I followed a few leads and found some clues.
I also owe thanks to Bob Ogden for sharing some of his memories. He worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement decades ago, but his health is failing. It took a lot of convincing to get those memories.
You don't have a Pensieve here, so I won't show you now. If you're interested, and you make it back to Hogwarts, you can use the Headmaster's Pensieve to view them…"
🔥 Want to read the next 20 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]