Chapter 116: Mother

The team members left in a muddy mess. Ron and Hermione leaned to Harry's bedside, each saying some words of comfort. Harry asked about his broom, but learned that it had flown into the Whomping Willow and shattered, suddenly feeling melancholy.

Neville leaned over and said he had discovered a very interesting thing, deliberately shifting Harry's attention mysteriously.

Zhang Qiu seemed a bit guilty, because "defeated due to the influence of monsters" was clearly written in the divination results, but she didn't choose to stop it, instead silently watching from the sidelines.

Harry comforted her in turn, saying that this wasn't her fault; if there hadn't been divination, then no one could have predicted it.

Just after they all left, Deng Buliduo walked in.

"Harry, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"I'm alright, Professor." Harry said, "The Dementors had a very great influence on me. I think it might be because I have experienced terrible events that ordinary people haven't."

"Yes, you are a strong child." Deng Buliduo looked at him gently.

"Today, under the influence of the Dementors, I remembered some details." Harry managed to support his body and said with effort, "Professor, I want to ask you to tell me truthfully, how exactly was Voldemort defeated?"

"Your mother's love for you, great love—this kind of magic is something Voldemort has never understood." Deng Buliduo said softly, "He doesn't understand this kind of power."

"But thousands upon thousands of people have been killed by Voldemort, yet only my mother defeated him." Harry looked straight into Deng Buliduo's eyes, "Besides love, is there anything else? Is sacrifice also needed?"

"That's right." Deng Buliduo admitted, "Sacrifice for love is the most powerful magic; that kind of power exceeded Voldemort's imagination."

"Then, if Voldemort originally intended to kill my mother, would this magic still be effective?"

"I cannot be certain, but, perhaps it wouldn't be effective." Deng Buliduo shook his head, "You must have remembered the details of that night."

"That's right, I discovered a problem." Harry said, "Before Voldemort tried to kill me, he said, 'Step aside, stupid girl.' He originally didn't intend to kill my mother, did he?"

Deng Buliduo didn't speak.

"But everyone knows my mother was Muggle-born; it's clearly recorded in Sir Crowley's family tree." Harry stared fixedly at Deng Buliduo, saying word by word, "Why didn't he intend to kill my mother?"

"I think this question can be left for you to explore on your own." Deng Buliduo said ambiguously.

"I met her old classmate in Hogsmeade." Harry continued, "He told me that Professor Snape once liked my mother."

"You could have told me." Harry lay back down, staring fixedly at the ceiling.

"If you already knew." Deng Buliduo sighed, "Indeed, it was Snape who pleaded with Voldemort. He was a very capable Death Eater at the time, and Voldemort decided to be lenient once."

"After your mother sacrificed herself, Snape decided to start being an enemy of Voldemort." Deng Buliduo continued, "I don't know how to evaluate it, because every time he chose a side, it was from his own perspective, selfishly making those decisions. However, you can trust him, because your eyes are very similar to your mother's, which made him swear that he must protect these olive-colored eyes well."

"But this also made him painful, evoking his bad memories." Deng Buliduo said carefully, "He hopes to be able to protect you silently in the dark; that would be enough."

"I understand, I had originally guessed this too." Harry said softly, "Thank you, Professor."

After Deng Buliduo left, Harry lay silently on the bed. "Every time he chose a side, it was from his own perspective"—this sentence sounded very harsh to him. If Snape hadn't been bullied by the Marauders in every way, why would he have needed to huddle with the Death Eaters for warmth? He originally had his own friends, at least Kalan and Lily, but obviously Kalan was scared by the Marauders, and Lily...

Ivy once said Hermione was "trying every possible way to seduce pure-blood boys while studying." Although Harry scoffed at this statement at the time, he could only try his best not to think about it now.

And even after becoming a Death Eater, Snape still begged Voldemort to spare his mother's life. What else could he do? The Death Eaters were the only group willing to accept him, and Voldemort also agreed to his request. Actually, Voldemort was also a human; he trusted Snape, so he called his mother a "silly girl." He felt Snape was far better than his own father.

Harry sighed long. The dead are gone; what he needs to do now is just to live well. Voldemort must die; he will never forget this blood feud. And he will also keep in mind the insults his father's generation heaped on Snape, trying his best to compensate this inarticulate Potions professor in his own way.

At least, he thought optimistically, now Professor Snape is one of us; we can fight Voldemort together.

And Deng Buliduo is also just a wizard who favors Gryffindor, Harry reminded himself; he is not a saint, nor is he absolutely correct.

I can adopt more flexible strategies, unite more allies, try to turn Death Eaters, or seek help from the Ministry of Magic, instead of just staring at Gryffindor's base. Harry started to think uncontrollably about the great cause of fighting Voldemort, but who knows what conspiracy he is calculating now?

Just as Harry was letting his imagination run wild, his friends from Torchwood came to visit him. Although Malfoy's smile looked as fake as ever, he at least did the form to the extreme, and everyone was holding a flower.

"Harry, I'm very sorry you had an accident in the match." Malfoy said, taking the lead, "However, in that weather, this wasn't your fault."

"Fortunately, you aren't hurt seriously; this is a blessing in misfortune." Pan Xi put down the flowers at the bedside.

"Rest well, Harry." Trig smiled and patted his hand.

"You've already done very well, don't worry." Lu Na helped him tidy the quilt.

"I was really worried to death; they shouldn't have played in this weather." Ginny said with a trace of crying.

"Deng Buliduo has already expelled all the Dementors; you can rest assured." Ivy's eyes were red.

"I will miss you." Crabbe said.

"You will live in our hearts forever." Goyle scratched his head.

"Why are you making it sound like I'm about to die?" Harry said, unable to laugh or cry. "Madam Pomfrey said I can be discharged tomorrow."

"Uh, who started it first?" Crabbe said with dissatisfaction.

"I am certain it was Malfoy; he was the first to use the word 'regret'." Lu Na blinked.

"Ahem, alright, actually we have more important things to discuss with you." Malfoy said, "A conclusion we just thought of."

"What did you say?" Harry looked at him curiously.

"Dementors entering the school, or more accurately, they entered the pitch because they captured Black's scent." Malfoy said, "This shows Black once appeared on the pitch."

"We believe Black intended to find a way to murder you on the pitch, but the Dementors arrived, and he had to flee." Pan Xi continued.

"Then Black at least saw you fall off the broom; what does this mean?" Malfoy held up a finger, "He knows you will come to the hospital wing."

"And Black went to school here; he also knows the location of the hospital wing." Pan Xi added.

"That's really the case." Harry became vigilant all of a sudden. "Did you notify the professors?"

"Don't worry, child." A voice came from under the bed, "Professor Doudou's voice, "I will definitely make him come and not return."

Harry was startled; he didn't know when this Auror had drilled under the bed.

"Oh, wait..." Professor Doudou said softly, "A very unusual thing, I've noticed it for a long time..."

While struggling to crawl out from under the bed, he whispered instructions, "Mr. Malfoy, trouble you to help me open the window, the second one on the right hand side... oh, for you it's the left hand, no, that's right."

"The one with a pigeon outside the window?" Malfoy also lowered his voice.

"That's right, that might be a bomb, but as long as we move fast enough, we can control it and then cast a Tracking Charm." Professor Doudou straightened his body, quietly holding his wand in his hand, "Now, pretend you are a kind child and go open the window. Black knows Harry must be lying on the bed; he won't let the bomb explode immediately..."

Malfoy swallowed a mouthful of saliva; he was obviously a bit scared, but he decided to be a hero for once.

No sooner said than done, just as the pigeon flew into the room, Professor Doudou almost instantly cast a spell; it immediately stopped moving and then fell to the ground.

Judging from that crisp sound, it was mostly petrified.

"This doesn't seem like a bomb." Malfoy examined the statue on the ground; it was a living pigeon, looking very ordinary.

"I also feel it might not be a bomb." Professor Doudou walked up to examine it carefully. "But it's not up to us to say. Who will go call Professor Deng Buliduo?"

Pan Xi ran out, and not long after, she brought Deng Buliduo back.

"Miss Parkinson said you discovered an animal with suspicious movements?" Deng Buliduo adjusted his glasses, "Is it this pigeon?"

"That's right." Malfoy puffed out his chest proudly.

"This seems to be an Animagus." Deng Buliduo frowned, "Coincidentally, I know how to undo the transformation. Everyone step back a bit."

Under Deng Buliduo's spell, the pigeon on the ground gradually changed into the appearance of a woman. She looked to be in her twenties, wearing a sailor suit and a pleated skirt; one could recognize from her features that she was an Oriental.

"Kasan!" Trig cried out involuntarily. ===== CHAPTER 117 =====