A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

A Few Minutes Ago -contemporary romance

The atmosphere inside the office of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was tense.

Severus Snape's wand was pointed directly at Remus Lupin, his eyes gleaming with an eerie light as he whispered, "What are you hiding?"

Next to a desk, Lupin also held a wand, sighing, "You startled me by appearing out of nowhere."

"Is that so...?" Snape's gaze fell to a palm-sized knight's armor at Lupin's feet, its crimson eyes fixed on him. Considering his earlier suspicions, he had a strong desire to crush it since it was too distracting.

"Armor, attack!" Snape pointed his wand at it, but in the next moment, Lupin swiftly interrupted his spell, "I can't let you do that, Severus."

Snape's eyes filled with danger as he took a few steps to the side, and Lupin mirrored his movement. The two faced each other squarely.

"I've already informed Dumbledore," Snape slowly said, "There's a traitor at Hogwarts."

Lupin urgently replied, "Think, Severus. Things aren't as you imagine. Why don't you go ask Professor Harp and clear things up?"

"Hand him over to me!"

"I don't think so," Lupin said. Suddenly, a thick snake-like rope shot out from Snape's wand, but Lupin precisely hit one section of the rope with his own wand, causing it to snap into five or six pieces.

"He's likely innocent. Think about it. I can accompany you to investigate."

Severus Snape grew increasingly hostile, saying, "You want to prove his innocence? Hand him over to me, and I will personally—"

"Severus, you're under the influence of dark magic. There are things you don't know. We believe—Dumbledore also knows—that a boy named Ron has a problem with his pet rat."

Lupin dodged a spell, and bottles in the office shattered.

"Time to tell a story, Lupin? We don't have much time, you need to hurry." Snape conjured a cloud of black mist that rapidly transformed into a dozen chittering birds. With a sword-like swing of his arm, these dark birds flew at Lupin.

"You've incorporated dark magic into regular spells?" Lupin said in surprise. He was more familiar with these dark spells than the average person, but not for learning, rather for understanding how to defend against them.

He waved his wand, and the rolls of parchment on the desk flew up, forming a solid barrier in front of him. The black birds clung to it, flapping their wings furiously, turning into wisps of black smoke.

These wisps coalesced into a large serpent with its head rearing up to the ceiling, then suddenly lunged down.

The giant snake broke through Lupin's defense. He grabbed the "knight" and threw it out of the office window. "Go find Professor Harp!" He dodged the snake.

"Buzz."

The entire office trembled, and the furniture inside jumped.

"Blacks fly—"

"Phew!"

A red beam grazed Snape's cheek and struck the cabinet behind him. Lupin stood up from the dusty floor. "Can't let you do that, fool. I've been wanting to duel you for a long time."

Snape smiled, but no one would mistake it for a friendly expression. "Is that so? No longer pretending to be the nice guy? A tamed werewolf?"

"I've never pretended—Armor, protect me!" Lupin blocked a suspicious blue spell. Reason was out of the question at this point. He waved his wand, sending a continuous stream of red beams. Snape waved his wand repeatedly, deflecting each spell one by one. He took a step back, then thrust his wand forward.

"Shadowless Divine Blade!"

"Swoosh!"

A row of wooden boxes was sliced neatly. Lupin quickly evaded. A minor cut appeared on his cheek. "This spell... quite memorable!"

He flicked his wand, and Snape hastily raised an invisible barrier, redirecting the spell toward a locked chest.

"Don't!" Lupin cried.

A redhead woman walked out. "Severus, why—"

Snape's eyes widened, and he stumbled backward, dropping his wand. His body shrunk away. "No, no..."

"Why..." Lupin anxiously stood in front of Snape, the illusion before his eyes vanished, replaced by a full moon. He sighed with complex emotions, then raised his wand, "Ephemeral Glidewards—"

"Boom!"

The full moon exploded abruptly, shattering into pieces. Lupin turned around in shock and saw Snape, emotionlessly holding his wand.

"Remus Lupin!" Snape gritted his teeth.

"Severus, that was an accident. Bogart was there to help Harry practice the Patronus Charm." Lupin stepped back cautiously; Snape was not acting rationally.

"Swoosh!"

Intense flames ignited the office, consuming everything. Snape wildly swung his wand, and Lupin struggled to maintain his footing. He could only defend himself and use a Stupefy spell during Snape's brief pauses.

"What's happening here? Oh, dear!"

A cheerful female voice appeared at the door. Lupin saw someone with bubblegum-pink hair, but she was soon hit by a Stunning Spell and disappeared from his view.

"Severus, stop! Someone's hurt!"

But Snape, unusually unhinged, ignored Lupin's shouts. He continued to cast increasingly powerful spells, using dark magic recklessly. His face emitted a black aura.

Lupin began to falter, and Snape's expression remained cold as he wielded his wand.

Just then, a clear chirping sound suddenly rang out, and a silver swallow materialized in mid-air, dividing the battlefield in two.

"Severus, Professor Lupin, please stop..."

A black spell shot towards them. The silver swallow's wings fluttered slightly, evading the attack. "Severus, you—"

"Get lost!"

Lupin hastily said, "Snape hit the box where I kept Pettigrew, and he came out."

"Shut! Up! Lupin!" Snape angrily interrupted, brewing a terrible magic that made the room tremble, corroding the ground around him.

The Patronus, a swift, suddenly expanded and radiated a bright light, creating a giant ripple. Snape's unformed magic produced a sizzling sound, and a dark red electric light burst out at the boundary. On one side was corrosion and darkness, on the other, warmth and light.

The Patronus spoke gently, "Severus, calm down."

Lupin quickly explained, "Severus, we found new clues. Pettigrew didn't die; he's alive and orchestrated everything."

Severus seemed to regain his senses, he voluntarily dispelled the magic. The Patronus's light washed over him, cleansing the darkness on his face. He leaned against the wall and sat down slowly.

After a moment, Felix appeared in the office. Most of the room was destroyed, some furniture was corroded, and a small fire was still burning. A row of wooden boxes was neatly cut, with smooth incisions.

Felix frowned; it seemed that real fire was used. Was it because of Sirius Black? He looked around but didn't see Sirius in the Knight's Armor. Had he been eliminated?

Severus showed no intention of communicating with anyone. Felix could only approach Professor Lupin. "What happened here?"

Lupin said with a bitter smile, "It was all an accident, a series of accidents."

Felix looked at Tonks on the sofa, "Why is she here?"

"I don't know; it seems she suddenly rushed in, maybe to stop the fight? But she was hit by my Stunning Spell."

"Just a Stunning Spell?" Felix looked at Tonks's face; she showed no sign of awakening.

"She's fine," Lupin explained, "I didn't remove the spell. Given the current situation, it's not appropriate... I can't take her to the infirmary."

If he dispelled the Stunning Spell, he might reveal the ongoing conflict between Professors Snape and Dumbledore. It was best to leave her be for now.

"I see," Felix added another Stunning Spell to Tonks, "I'll take her to the infirmary later. No need to say anything."

Felix took a chair with a cut-off backrest and sat down. He gave a glance to Lupin and increased his voice, "Professor Lupin, please explain. What really happened? Haven't you told Severus that Peter Pettigrew is the true culprit?"

He mouthed the words and gestured for Lupin to point to Peter Pettigrew.

Lupin understood and provided a detailed account, "On the day we returned to school after the Christmas holidays, in the staff lounge near the Great Hall, Dumbledore and I speculated that there were significant discrepancies in the murder of James and Lily Potter. Sirius had a perfect opportunity to kill Harry but didn't. His target was Ron Weasley, Harry's friend."

"I don't recall," Felix said.

"Let me explain. Sirius Black is an Animagus, he can transform into a big black dog. James, on the other hand, could become a stag, and Peter Pettigrew, a rat. I'll mock myself; they were there to accompany me during my transformations as a werewolf."

"In that case, Sirius escaped from Azkaban for a reason, but why did he attack Ron Weasley?" Felix continued, and Snape's eyes flickered in the background.

"Ron had a pet rat, or rather, it was their family's pet rat. This rat suddenly appeared at the Weasley's house and stayed there for a full twelve years until Sirius attacked during the holidays, causing it to disappear. But we saw its image, and it looked exactly like Peter Pettigrew's Animagus form!"

"So, he didn't die? Peter Pettigrew, recipient of the Order of Merlin, a war hero, didn't die but chose to hide in a wizarding family as a pet?" Lupin self-mockingly said, "They kept him for twelve years without realizing it."

"Didn't you ask him?" Felix questioned.

"No, I didn't get the chance."

"Alright," Felix thought it was a good opportunity to clarify the situation. And Snape needed to hear this too, "Because they changed Secret Keepers, Sirius thought he was too conspicuous and secretly switched the Secret Keeper to the inconspicuous Peter Pettigrew."

"I see," Lupin muttered, "Back then, the Order of the Phoenix's operations frequently leaked information. Everyone suspected a traitor, and there was much unrest."

"Does this mean..." Snape stood up, "Peter Pettigrew was Voldemort's true spy?"

Lupin looked at Snape in surprise, and his previous suspicion vanished. Dumbledore had strongly defended Severus back then, and this was quite shocking.

Severus said coldly, "Changing the Secret Keeper? Foolish!"

"Severus..." But he ignored Lupin and left the office, saying, "What do I need to do about Peter Pettigrew? Let Felix tell me."

Lupin opened his mouth but didn't say anything and watched him leave.

"Leave him alone for now," Felix suggested, surveying the room, which was utterly destroyed. Apart from Tonks lying on the couch, there was nowhere to stand.

"Ah, it was all accidents," Lupin sighed. He had sighed too many times today.

"This office can't be used anymore. Talk to Dumbledore and get a new one," Felix advised.

"It seems we have no choice." Lupin said. Fortunately, a few days ago, he had released some magical creatures he used for teaching, or not many would have survived. The only living thing, Bogart, was blown to pieces, not leaving a trace.

"By the way, where did you hide Sirius Black?" Felix asked.

Lupin was startled, as he had forgotten about that, "During the fight, I threw him out of the window... I told him to find you."

"Alright," Felix shrugged, "Let's hope some young wizard doesn't pick him up."

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