Chapter 128: Memories Like Wind

"Let's go back to the past—that's the part worth telling," Lupin sipped his butterbeer. "You have no idea how terrifying and… painful it is to become a wolf. After turning into a werewolf, you become wildly aggressive and bloodthirsty, but in the Shrieking Shack, I had no contact with humans, so I could only hurt myself—scratching, biting—and the pain only made me more furious. The villagers heard the noises and thought it was ghosts. Dumbledore turned it to his advantage, spreading rumors that the place was haunted, which better protected my secret. Even now, after all these years, the villagers still believe it and dare not approach this house."

"But beyond the pain of being a werewolf, I was happy during the rest of the time—happier than I'd ever been—because for the first time, I had friends, many friends: Sirius, Wormtail, of course, Harry, and your father."

"Of course, my secret was hard to hide from three close friends, especially since I disappeared once a month and never came home at night—it was impossible to explain. I made up stories: sometimes my mother was ill, sometimes I had a girlfriend… I went to such lengths to conceal it because I feared they'd abandon me if they learned the truth, leaving me alone again without friends."

"But how careful can a child's lie be? They eventually found out—but they didn't leave me. Instead, they tried to make me feel better. They all learned Animagus transformation."

"Prongs was a stag, Padfoot a dog, and Wormtail a rat?" Harry summarized.

"Yes, exactly," Lupin said. "They spent nearly three years learning Animagus transformation. Your father and Sirius were both brilliant and gifted, so they mastered it safely in the end, then helped Wormtail. By fifth year, they succeeded—each could transform into any animal at will."

"But what was the point?" Ron seemed confused.

"Companionship," Lupin said. "If they stayed human, they couldn't stay with me—but as animals, they could. Werewolves only attack humans. Every month, they'd slip out under James's Invisibility Cloak, transforming under the moonlight. Sirius and James became larger animals, able to restrain me when I went mad; tiny Peter slipped beneath the Whomping Willow to calm it. With friends beside me, the transformation ceased to be painful—it became a precious, cherished memory."

"But this was clearly against school rules, so during that time, I often felt guilty for betraying Dumbledore's trust—he was the only headmaster willing to accept me, giving me an invaluable chance to study. Yet I caused three classmates to become Animagi—how dangerous, how insane… We were completely disregarding our headmaster. But every time they planned their next adventure, I never backed out…"

Lupin's face was rigid, his voice tinged with distaste. "For the entire year, I've been wrestling with this. I wondered whether I should tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But in the end, I didn't. Because I didn't want to betray our childhood promise."

"Yet Dumbledore's kindness meant more to me than rebirth. I don't know why—I placed someone who'd always been disrespectful and rule-breaking above Dumbledore, simply because he stayed with me during my lowest moment? I don't know. All I could do was comfort myself, telling myself that Sirius's escape was due to some strange Dark Magic, unrelated to Animagus transformation."

"What about Snape?" Harry asked. "Dumbledore said my father saved his life? And I heard Sirius hated him."

"Snape always wanted to catch us in the act," Lupin sighed. "We were in the same year and had always clashed—it started when he hated James. I think it was jealousy, because… James had unmatched Quidditch talent. Anyway, he saw us heading toward the Whomping Willow and kept wondering where we went. Sirius came up with a cruel trick—he quietly told Snape the Willow's weakness. So one time, Snape followed us into the tunnel."

"If he'd gone just a little further, he would've encountered my feral form—the outcome would've been unthinkable. Fortunately, your father spotted what Sirius had done and reached Snape just in time, dragging him back. But Snape still saw the werewolf and guessed the secret. That's the whole story—in a way, I think he saved me."

When these old memories ended, Harry was deeply moved by what his father had done. Though he wasn't a conventional good student, far from the glorious image Harry had imagined, a man willing to break school rules for his friends was still the best father in his heart.

"Oh, our drinks are finished," Lupin glanced at his watch. "We've chatted so long, nearly half an hour—Peter's probably finished washing up."

"Though I still feel uneasy, I'm glad your father's friends are still alive," Harry smiled.

"I'll go check on him—might even scrub off his fur," Lupin chuckled, heading upstairs.

"Can you believe it? I've been treating a middle-aged man like a pet—it's just…," Ron blurted out his shock.

"Oh, so if Scabbers turned into a gray-haired, flat-chested, tsundere little girl, that'd be fine?" Harry teased.

"Where did you learn that?" Zhang Qiu slapped him in annoyance.

"Cui Ge," Harry explained. "He taught me that nonsense."

"Speaking of Cui Ge," Ron pointed farther off, "his mother still lives here, doesn't she?"

Harry noticed Madame Fontroy sitting nearby, sipping a pale orange-red liquid. She wore a Slytherin uniform, looking exactly like a seventh-year student.

"Shall we say hello?" Zhang Qiu grinned mischievously. "Divination didn't mention her, but my gut says today we'll hear something even more thrilling than werewolves."

"Alright," Harry hesitated. Indeed, Lupin thought he was opening his heart to the children today—but the children had already guessed most of it.

"Good afternoon, Madame Fontroy," Harry greeted her. She looked dazed.

"Oh, don't mention that name," she groaned. "Call me Cassandra. How I wish I truly were Cassandra."

"Alright, Cassandra… senior," Zhang Qiu hesitated, switching to this term. Her eyes instantly brightened.

"You're in third year now? How wonderful—I wish I could go back to third year…" she murmured. Harry thought the lady was probably drunk.

"Darc, that unfaithful man—he ran off the moment he heard I was pregnant with Cui Ge…" Madame Fontroy slumped on the table, staring at her pale pink nails. "The Ministry expelled me. I struggled alone to give birth and raise him. Do you know how happy I was when Tang Nade came?"

"It was a bright day—I thought he'd returned. But no—it was only his twin brother." She burped. "Tang Nade and he look so alike—but he's not him."

"I remember you—you're Cui Ge's friend." She lazily pointed at Harry with her finger. "I only have Cui Ge left now—you must take care of him…"

"Harry, what are you doing?" Lupin hurried over. Harry noticed his expression was off.

"Gathering gossip," Zhang Qiu answered for him.

"This isn't the time," Lupin said urgently. "Peter's gone. I don't know what happened—I went upstairs and couldn't find him. He's disappeared."

"Oh, did your sweetheart run off too?" Madame Fontroy slurred, leaning on the table.

"What year are you in? Don't you know students aren't allowed to drink?" Lupin snapped. "I'll have to take you to Snape…"

Seventh year… burp… I'm seventh-year Cassandra…

"Forget that for now, Professor," Harry calmly grabbed Lupin's sleeve. "She's right—Peter might have run away."

"What?" Lupin instantly calmed.

"Think about it—we have no concrete proof of who's lying between Peter and Sirius, do we?" Harry said. "What if Peter's lying?"

"That could explain it—he's desperate to join Voldemort after hearing of his return," Lupin shifted his thinking. "But I still think his story makes sense—he seems more innocent."

"His words have no flaws, but an innocent man wouldn't flee upon reuniting with a friend. Sirius is already captured—no one can threaten Peter now. He's running away on his own."

"Lost Scabbers in third year," Ron sighed. "Zhang Qiu, your divination is uncanny."

"And now we know Tang Nade has a twin brother—I think we need to revisit the Chamber of Secrets case," Zhang Qiu still fixated on Tang Nade.

"But if Peter's lying, then Sirius is innocent…" Lupin pondered.

"We need to find Professor Dou Dou quickly," Harry said.