Chapter 381: As Expected from James's Son (Edited)

Lupin's admiration was one thing, but he was facing a very real problem: he couldn't find Harry at Hogwarts now, because Harry wasn't at Hogwarts. And... this probably violated the school rules! During his time teaching at Hogwarts, Lupin had observed Harry and thought he was very different from his father James, especially in terms of rule-following...

It had been over three months since the start of the term, and Harry had barely broken any rules. This didn't seem at all like James's son! Lupin was surprised, but today he discovered the truth: it's not that Harry hadn't broken any rules, but rather that he had never been caught doing so.

Lupin knew Harry's situation. This poor boy hadn't been given permission to go to the village of Hogsmeade and was probably desperate to get out, so it's no wonder he found a way to sneak to Hogsmeade on his own. But how could he explain this to Dumbledore? Being honest would be straightforward, but if he did, Harry would surely be punished with detention. Lupin already felt guilty for Harry, and if he were also involved in his punishment, it would be even worse.

So...

A flash of inspiration crossed his mind. He knew in his heart that Harry would return soon; he just needed to delay things a bit.

At that moment, Dumbledore left Fudge, who was lost in thought, and approached Lupin, kindly asking, "What's going on? Did you find Harry?"

"Well... it turns out that when James created the map, he left a trap..." Lupin improvised a reasonable explanation and told Dumbledore that James had left a trap on the map that prevented seeing Harry's location.

"What? Oh, yes, of course," said Sirius, who had approached while Lupin was speaking and noticed how Lupin was signaling desperately with his eyes. Their long-standing friendship made Sirius understand immediately and support Lupin's explanation.

"Oh?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, approached Lupin, and looked with interest at the Marauder's Map in Lupin's hands. "Well, if that's the case, do you have a way to deactivate it, Lupin? I think it would be better if Harry were here for this significant occasion."

"Yes, yes, of course. Let me investigate..." Lupin sighed inwardly. He was in a tricky situation. How would he know when Harry would return? He could only try to delay things as best as he could.

"Look," Dumbledore pointed to three small black dots that suddenly appeared on the map. "Yodel, Granger, and Harry."

Lupin followed Dumbledore's finger and was perplexed. By chance, all three had come out of the Three Broomsticks passageway and were now on the map.

"It seems your methods worked, so go find Harry as quickly as possible," Dumbledore said, winking and smiling like a child. When he saw the names next to Harry on the map, his thoughts took a turn, and he added, "Also, bring Yodel and Granger."

Seeing Dumbledore actively protecting Harry, Lupin felt relieved and quickly left the office to find Harry.

The people who remained in the room looked confused at the three in the corner, murmuring among themselves, not understanding what was happening.

...

Harry walked aimlessly. He had no idea how he ended up back in the Honeydukes cellar or how he returned to the castle through the passage. Hermione followed him, wanting to say something to console him, but she didn't know where to start.

Until a person appeared and blocked their way.

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione exclaimed alarmed. The three had just returned from Hogsmeade, and she feared that Lupin would notice something suspicious, especially now that Harry was so distraught.

"Granger, Yodel," Lupin said with a smile as he nodded towards Tom and Hermione, then looked at Harry, who was gazing absentmindedly ahead. "Harry, come with me for a moment. Dumbledore wants to see you, and also the two of you."

Hermione's face suddenly turned pale, thinking their whereabouts had been exposed. Her guesses weren't entirely wrong, but the real reason Dumbledore wanted them wasn't for that small matter. Tom, who stood by the side, looked thoughtful and had a slight inkling of Dumbledore's thoughts.

The three followed Lupin to Dumbledore's office. By that time, the office was quite crowded: Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, Fawkes, Peter, Percy, Ron, and Professor McGonagall, who had arrived after learning of the situation...

They were ten in total, not counting Tom, and when the three entered, there was barely enough room in the entire office.

Fortunately, the office of the Hogwarts headmaster was large enough to accommodate everyone. If it had been any other professor's office, some would have to stand on the desks.