A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 291: Brewing

"Professor, are you planning to catch Sirius Black?" Fred asked.

Felix looked at him surprisingly, "Guessed, did you?"

Without hesitation, Fred said, "George, Lee Jordan, and I, we thought you must be up to something after that day... You know." He winked.

"There's been a lot of talk going around, quite unnerving," George chimed in, his face impressed. "Black appeared boldly in the open space in front of the castle, even disguised as a Muggle boy. Quite audacious!"

Felix wasn't quite sure how young wizards were viewing the attack. His weekend had been rather eventful, he hadn't gone to the Great Hall, so he was unaware of the latest gossip.

It seemed Dumbledore had no intention of refuting these speculations. This sort of public opinion would put Peter, who was hiding in the shadows, at ease. However, there were pros and cons; the Ministry of Magic had more than once tried to exploit this as an excuse to pry open a gap.

In times of peace, the Ministry represented authority, and its reputation was more powerful than its actual strength. But when war loomed and the Ministry faltered, personal power would overshadow everything. Its reputation would shine across the entire wizarding world, like a glorious sun.

Castle's Great Hall.

Harry speared a potato with force, smothering it in sauce, suddenly losing his appetite.

"They look at me as if I'm some sort of rare magical creature!"

"No, more like a lucky bloke," Ron said, cutting into his sausage on the plate and taking a big sip of the thick soup. He grinned mischievously. "In their eyes, you're the one who managed to escape the jaws of a three-headed dog."

Harry grinned, picturing the image of a shrunken three-headed dog while Ron went on a furiously petting spree.

Hermione gave them both a sidelong glance. "Speaking of magical creatures, we can meet Hagrid in Care of Magical Creatures class and ask about the progress on the Buckbeak case."

"Didn't they already pay the fine?" Ron asked, evaluating objectively. "That's the best outcome they could hope for, Hermione."

Harry agreed. It was just a bit of money to resolve Buckbeak's trouble, and he believed Hagrid wouldn't mind.

"Hard to say. Despite taking the money, the Ministry has been dragging its feet on giving a formal conclusion. Hagrid's been a bit absent-minded lately."

Harry recollected, "I thought Hagrid was in good spirits. He hasn't produced any more Blast-Ended Skrewts." He and Ron were still under the ban, so they could only meet Hagrid during class. Last lesson, they learned about Fire Crabs.

Despite the name, this magical creature from Fiji looked more like a large turtle, its shell studded with jewels.

At the time, Hagrid introduced it with enthusiasm, "If it weren't for the different habitat, Fang would absolutely love these creatures. Oh, Fang is fond of treasure hunting. I'll introduce them to you sometime..."

"That's because Professor Snape and I kept an eye on things," Hermione waved her fork. "I can't believe he actually managed to sneak a sphinx into the curriculum."

"Wait, a human-headed lion-bodied scorpion-tailed beast... what's that?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"It's a human-headed lion-bodied scorpion-tailed creature," Ron correctly rattled off the name in one breath. He said with a shiver, "Charlie told me about it when I was little. It's one of the few magical creatures that can rival a dragon. Its tail is venomous, its teeth are incredibly sharp, and their hides naturally repel most spells!"

Harry believed Ron, as he rarely managed to fluently explain the traits of a magical creature. He was just curious, "Do these creatures exist in the Forbidden Forest?"

He had asked a similar question when he learned there was a nest of Acromantulas in the forest.

"The Forbidden Forest is vast, Harry," Hermione explained, then sighed with frustration. "Hagrid later tried to excuse himself, saying he made a mistake and that he was simply studying. I'd like to see what he could possibly study..."

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, focusing on their food. Hermione in this state was not one to be persuaded. She had a whole arsenal of arguments ready.

Harry took a moment to glance at the teachers' table. Snape was sitting far from Professor Harp, his body angled away. Even when he reached for food, he picked dishes only from his left side. He wasn't entirely sure, was he avoiding her?

What had happened exactly? He remembered the scene he had glimpsed in Professor Harp's eyes a confrontation between Professor Lupin and Snape. However, when he inquired about it, Professor Harp dismissively said he was overthinking it and that everything was fine.

Staring at Snape's face, he thought to himself that this was far from fine. He felt like he had another task added to his list to observe Professor Lupin's state in this afternoon's Defense Against the Dark Arts class...

He got lost in thought for a moment, only to find Snape staring at him, a very unsettling look in his eyes. Harry quickly lowered his head.

"Hmph~"

Snape snorted. He felt a fleeting satisfaction, but soon, his ill temper took over once again. He suspected he might have been Confunded. Why else would he have agreed to accompany that brat to the Three Broomsticks?

More importantly, he couldn't remember if he had said something he shouldn't have.

His memory was a bit hazy. He vaguely recalled Rosmerta recommending a honeyed mead, "You absolutely must try it. It's infused with various flower petals roses, violets, hibiscus, iris, and acacia... It's absolutely delightful and won't make you too drunk." She said with enthusiasm.

'Liar.'

As the evening approached, Felix sat quietly in his office, studying the live-point map.

From the fireplace, flames suddenly flared up, coalescing into a vague face of orange fire. "Let me through, Felix!"

He raised his head from the desk. "You can't abuse the Floo Network; you might be caught by the Ministry."

"Are you talking about yourself? You were reading here last night, reeking of alcohol..." The voice rambled on from the other end.

Felix waved his wand and, the next moment, Sirius emerged from the fireplace.

"Cough cough!"

Sirius's robe was covered in dust, his face grimy. "Clean up!" He pointed his wand at himself, becoming clean again.

Seeing the live-point map in Felix's hand, he widened his eyes and exclaimed, "You got it?"

"Yes, luck was on my side."

"Have you found him?" Sirius asked in a hushed tone, holding his breath, his body tensed.

"Not yet. I've checked, but found nothing." Felix continued to study, tapping the parchment lightly with his fingertip. "I speculate that the diminutive one, Peter, is hiding deep within the Forbidden Forest, or perhaps he's found another wizarding family altogether."

Sirius slumped onto the couch, saying dejectedly, "So, what's your plan? Should I turn myself in to the Ministry? Dumbledore can vouch for me; they might at least listen, right?"

Felix glanced at him and remained silent.

"Alright." Sirius got up, surveyed the room's furnishings, and muttered under his breath, "Stodgy old man."

He stood before a half-finished portrait about half his height. He clicked his tongue twice. "You have this hobby too, hanging yourself up?"

"That's for St. Mungo's," Felix said without lifting his head.

"Because... you're a Healer? Studying how to tie people up?"

"There are clippings on the desk. Besides, stop the chatter or I'll kick you out."

Sirius scoffed, picked up a newspaper, and after a while, fell into a slight silence. He murmured, "Frank and Alice, I didn't know they went through all this... damn war!" He cursed under his breath, "Voldemort was utterly rotten; luckily, he's dead."

Setting the newspaper aside, he spotted a golden trinket on the workbench, his eyes brightening. "Can I take a look at this?"

"As long as you don't use your mouth to bite it. It's seen quite a bit."

Sirius gave a derisive snort. "Animagi in dog form don't chew. Just saying," he said guiltily, reaching for the worn golden Snitch on the desk. One wing was broken, while the other intact wing fluttered feebly after a long pause, looking quite weak.

After a while, Sirius leaned over and cautiously asked, "About this Snitch... do you plan to fix it?"

"Perhaps," Felix replied absentmindedly. "I found it in a massive junk heap, thought I'd take it apart and study it."

"In a junk heap? A golden Snitch? Alright... how much?" Sirius asked.

"What?"

"I'm asking how much for this thing. Of course, I want it fixed, and it'd be great if you could add some quirky magic to it, make it more interesting. I've got some ideas; consider it a joint project."

"Are you planning to give it to someone?" Felix stared at Sirius, a smile playing on his lips. "Harry?"

"In half a year... I don't know what changes might happen by then. Perhaps I'll still be in hiding," Sirius evaded his gaze, and then said cautiously, "I may not be a proper godfather, but I still want to do something, you know, like the Firebolt. Even if I can't be by his side, at least"

"The Firebolt was from you?" Felix said, surprised.

"It was, delivered by owl. Crookshanks helped a lot." Sirius explained.

After some thought, Felix agreed, "Sure. Now, come over here. I need your input." He pointed at the live-point map. "I'm planning to cast an alarm spell on it. If a specific person enters the map's area, it will trigger an alert."

He had other plans in mind, but the alarm spell was the most convenient and had the highest success rate. Once they caught Peter, he'd have ample time to verify his other ideas.

"Great idea!" Sirius was instantly drawn in. "We can't be watching the map all the time. What if he sneaks in at night? Although we could leave it to Kreacher," he said with malicious intent, "His mind is completely unhinged, filled with too many crazy thoughts from my mother's portrait..."

"Let's not digress. Back to the alarm spell, there's a challenge at hand..."

Sirius looked at him, and Felix continued, "You've already added several spells, and their magical forces have intermingled over time. It's difficult for me to intervene now; I'm concerned it might disrupt the existing structure and turn it into ashes."

"I can provide the method for crafting a live-point map," Sirius immediately offered.

"It's not that simple. I'm more interested in the sequence of spells you applied." Felix stated.

Sirius thought seriously for a moment, then slowly said, "I can only recall part of it; the Dementors had a significant impact on me. You'd best ask Remus; he's more meticulous."

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