chsdbacks Chapter 134 A Heart Connected to the World, Old Stories Revisited
Chapter 134 A Heart Connected to the World, Old Stories Revisited
Chapter 135 A Heart Connected to the World, Old Stories Revisited
Picking up where we left off, the scarred man leaped in front of the Boggart, eager to see what would happen, but the creature suddenly vanished with a "poof" as it turned into a wisp of smoke.
Harry looked around and saw that the classroom was empty and quiet, as if no monsters had ever been there. He felt very strange.
He thought to himself: This Boggart is really strange. When he sees me, he is like a fake who has run into a black whirlwind. Could it be that there is some connection between us and that he can only transform into my appearance?
Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a series of "ee-ya" cries from the left side of the classroom. When I turned around, I saw a woman in a black robe with a deathly pale face, staring straight ahead, holding a crying baby in her arms, staggering over.
Harry frowned upon seeing this, and all the students stared in disbelief.
Is this what Harry is afraid of?
Pregnant woman and child?
Hermione stared for a long time, then suddenly gasped and clenched her fists tightly.
Was Harry thinking of his mother?
Before this thought had even settled, several more figures suddenly appeared behind them. Each one was ragged, emaciated, and lifeless, resembling walking corpses.
The scene was one of utter desolation: the old leaned on withered branches, the young dragged their tattered shoes, women carried their emaciated children, and men dragged their broken legs, all slowly making their way forward. It was a scene of utter misery, a truly heartbreaking sight.
The students stared in disbelief, while the number of refugees grew larger and larger, eventually forming a river of people that spread mightily throughout the classroom.
Lu Ping was also terrified, his eyes wide open.
Is this... a fear of the destruction of the magical world?
Do I have to worry about so much at the age of thirteen?
Hermione, who was watching from the side, felt her heart pounding like a drum, and she knew all too well the worries Harry was having.
Harry snorted and used Occlumency to utter "Funny, funny."
As soon as the incantation was uttered, the scene of utter misery instantly transformed. The previously emaciated refugees were now all strong and healthy, their faces glowing. The cries of agony and sorrow turned into laughter and joy, a picture of peace and prosperity.
The plump woman also took off her silk robe and breastfed the infant in her arms. This made the students blush and turn their heads away to avoid suspicion, but they couldn't help but steal glances back.
These men appeared wealthy, but their eyes were vicious. They glanced at Harry, trying to probe his inner fears, but couldn't find a trace of them. With a "bang," they transformed into cockroaches and scattered in all directions.
When it reached Lu Ping, it transformed into a full moon hanging high in the sky, its cold light shining down.
Lu Ping remained calm on the surface, and exclaimed, "How ridiculous! How ridiculous!"
The full moon, having received this curse, transformed into a leaky balloon that hissed and fluttered wildly in mid-air before suddenly disappearing back into the wardrobe, vanishing without a trace.
"Alright, I think we can end today's lesson here," Lupin said in a deep voice. "Homework is to write a summary about the Boggart, in any size, due next Monday."
"But Harry, please stay a moment."
Upon hearing this, all the students beamed with joy.
This is an assignment with no length limit!
Looking across the entire Hogwarts Castle, it would be hard to find another professor as good as him!
The group filed out, Hermione and Ron walking together. When they reached the corridor, Ron, still looking confused, scratched his head and said:
Why would Harry be afraid of wizards on the run? Or Muggles? What does that have to do with him?
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry's afraid to see this."
Seeing that Ron was still puzzled, he continued, "Have you forgotten what we said when we swore brotherhood at the Humble Abode?"
"Of course I remember!" Ron cleared his throat and recited aloud, "Though of different surnames, we are willing to become sworn sisters and brothers, working together to help those in distress and relieve suffering?"
"You see, Harry's vow was no joke," Hermione said with pride. "He is truly a savior."
It is:
The world is ever-changing, with rises and falls, and the people suffer hardship and displacement.
His heart was concerned for the world and the Han dynasty, and he was only concerned for the common people.
After everyone had left, Lupin suddenly turned to Harry and said gently, "Would you like to come to my office for a drink?"
"Of course, it's not alcohol, just hot chocolate milk."
Harry, who had a lot of questions to ask, immediately clasped his hands and replied, "How could I, your second uncle, refuse such an invitation?"
Just as the two were about to take a step, Lupin suddenly turned back to Lockhart and said, "Ah, Gilderoy, could you please lock this Boggart up for me?"
"It's best to put a note on the cabinet to prevent unsuspecting people from opening it."
Lockhart, who had been hiding in a corner during the class, hurriedly got up when he heard the call, straightened his wrinkled robe, and laughed, "Oh, of course, no problem, leave it to me."
"I've dealt with plenty of Boggarts before, so taking care of them is a piece of cake."
Lupin just smiled when he heard this, and then left the classroom with Harry.
He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly heard a loud shout from the classroom behind him, like a thunderclap in mid-air.
"Hey! You cunning, deceitful scoundrel! Take this!"
"Ah! How ridiculous!"
Lupin paused, shook his head, and sighed, "This is truly astonishing."
"Harry, even Gilderoy is afraid of you?"
Harry burst into laughter. "That filthy scoundrel is afraid of me? Isn't that perfectly reasonable? If he's not afraid, I'll give him three hundred blows with the cleaver's knife, so he'll learn his lesson!"
Lupin was unaware of Lockhart's shady dealings. Upon hearing this, his heart sank, thinking that Harry was just like those raiders, even worse than before.
He remained silent the whole way, pondering how to comfort Harry. When they arrived at the office, he invited Harry to sit down and made two cups of hot chocolate milk.
After they had eaten a few bites, Lu Pingfang hesitated before speaking, "Harry, may I ask you a question?"
"Second Uncle, please speak freely."
"Why...is everyone so afraid of you?"
"Of course, I'm not trying to lecture you, but my experience in school tells me that it's important to get along well with your classmates..."
Harry immediately understood what he was thinking when he heard him speak so cautiously and hesitantly.
He then laughed and said, "Uncle, please forgive me. These brothers and sisters aren't afraid of me; they're just worried about disappointing me."
"As the saying goes, 'The discerning eye is like a torch,' and the standards are extremely high. Every day, I teach martial arts and magic in that secret room. There are always those who are slow to progress, and yet they are compared to others. How can I not be anxious?"
Upon hearing the term "secret room," Lupin was stunned for a long while. "Secret room?"
Harry then recounted the details of the students being trained in the Chamber of Secrets, leaving Lupin speechless and nearly sliding off his chair.
A secret gathering, teaching students more powerful magic, and it has gathered several hundred people—
Isn't this tantamount to rebellion?!
He looked dazed, standing there like a block of wood. Harry, puzzled, crossed his arms and asked, "Uncle, what's wrong? Is something on your mind?"
"Oh, it's nothing, just a little surprised." Lupin scratched his head. "After all, most clubs only recruit students who fit their habits and have some talent."
"It's like Professor Slughorn's Slug Club, which only admits students from noble families and those with exceptional talent. Your parents were both very famous members of that club back in the day..."
Upon hearing this, Harry suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Since we're talking about my parents, I have something to ask you, Uncle. Is it alright?"
"Oh? Of course, no problem." Lu Ping smiled. "I know quite a bit about your parents."
"What was the feud between my father and Snape back then?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping's smile froze instantly.
James and Snape were mortal enemies, like tigers and leopards locked in a life-or-death struggle. Such a feud between fathers should not involve the younger generation.
Lu Ping was reluctant to speak, and hesitated for a long time before asking, "Why would you ask that?"
Harry looked around, then suddenly put one foot on the table, leaned forward, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered:
"Uncle, please don't be alarmed by what my nephew has said."
Seeing his solemn expression, Lupin assumed it was some earth-shattering secret. He quickly took a sip of chocolate milk to calm his nerves, then leaned forward and said seriously, "Please speak, Harry."
"I've been pondering this for a long time, and I've realized that Snape secretly admired my father back then."
"puff!"
Lu Ping suddenly lowered his head, spraying his mouthful of chocolate milk back into the cup, choking and coughing repeatedly.
"Cough cough! Absolutely not!"
"You guessed—cough! You're completely wrong!"
"What kind of nonsense is this!"
Seeing that Harry thought this way, he disregarded past grievances and had no choice but to explain the whole story in detail.
Listen, dear reader: It turns out that the four raiders and Snape had already formed a grudge before they even enrolled.
After entering the school, Lily became close to Snape, who was studying dark magic, and James was also in love with Lily. The enmity between the two deepened, and they would fight every time they met.
James was determined to humiliate Snape, trying every possible way to make him look bad in front of others; Snape was no pushover either, having created the deadly "Shadowless Blade," a powerful spell that could also hinder the healing of wounds, ensuring that James would not fare well.
When Snape was in fifth grade, James used a spell to pull down his underwear. When Lily tried to stop him, Snape was so ashamed and angry that he cursed her as a "Mudblood".
From then on, Snape became a loner, truly a case of trouble arising from his loose tongue.
This conversation, though lengthy, was delivered quickly. Lupin finished speaking, flicked his wand, and a bottle of cheap liquor flew out of the cupboard.
He uncorked the bottle, tilted his head back, and took a swig, saying dejectedly, "We were really stupid back then, arrogant, ignorant, and reckless..."
"James is a very charismatic man, only slightly less so than you... Sirius—I mean before he turned bad, he was infatuated with James the moment he saw him... He was always the first to charge into battle when fighting Snape."
"I really should have tried to stop them back then, but I didn't have the courage..."
As the old saying goes, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. The grudges and entanglements of these fathers are as messy as a tangled hemp rope. Harry has not witnessed it firsthand, only heard it from others, so how can he possibly distinguish right from wrong?
Harry reached for the bottle in Lupin's hand, tilted his head back and took a swig, then wiped his mouth and said, "Having heard about the saga of Snape and my father today, I've at least learned the gist of it."
"I hope you don't hate Snape too much; it's perfectly reasonable for him to hate me."
"Of course, if he deliberately picks on you, remember to tell me. Our grievances shouldn't be blamed on the child."
Harry pondered for a long time, drinking his wine, but ultimately could not determine right from wrong. He then waved his hand and said:
"Enough! Enough! I never imagined my father wasn't such a good person back then!"
Lupin listened to the kind words, unsure whether they were praise or criticism. Just as he was hesitating, he saw Harry clasp his hands and ask, "I have another plan, and I would like to ask my second uncle for guidance."
Lu Ping dared not readily agree this time, and cautiously said, "Tell me first."
"At that time, may I ask if my second uncle knows about the Animagus's methods of cultivation?"
It should be noted that Harry had already set his sights on this Animagus while on the train.
Although I have learned many spells, I still lack the ability to scout and move swiftly. If I could transform into the form of an eagle or hawk, I would avoid having to carry a flying broom around in the future.
Lupin was taken aback by Harry's words. "You want to learn to be an Animagus?"
"Second Uncle, don't try to deny it. My father was trained in school too, so what's the big deal if it happens a few years later?"
Lupin paced back and forth on the bricks a few times, then sighed, "I do know how to practice Animagus, but I must remind you, it is a very long and very difficult process."
Harry was itching to hear it. "Second Uncle, don't keep me in suspense, just tell me."
"Alright, Harry, may I ask, is your tongue dexterous enough?"
(End of this chapter)