0237 Mistakes in the Past

"Perhaps I have met him somewhere before -"

Remus smiled, looking a bit disappointed. His amber eyes searched Bryan's face for a hint of recognition, but found none. He finally looked away and said to Bryan, "So, you didn't find anything last night?"

"Obv-iously not-"

Bryan stretched lazily, walked to the fireplace, and poured himself a cup of tea from the hot teapot. The steam rose from the cup, carrying a faint aroma of mint and honey. He turned his back to Remus and said, "I have checked all the secret passages that Filch doesn't know about. I didn't find any clues related to Black. And I have sealed the secret passage under the Whomping Willow."

Remus didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed with this result. He had complicated feelings about his old friend, who had betrayed him and his other friends so horribly. In any case, he left the office looking lost and reminded Bryan that he would transform again in a few days and asked for his help with the class. Then he walked out of the office, feeling the weight of his secret on his shoulders.

Bryan held the teacup and looked at Tom, who was lazily hanging his ears, without saying a word.

After a while, Sirius asked Bryan to turn him back to his original form and asked in a gloomy tone, "So, you already know that Remus is a werewolf?"

"Since Dumbledore brought him in as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he definitely wouldn't hide it from the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic. The professors at the school also taught him before, so they have known for a long time that Remus is a werewolf. As for me…"

Bryan took a sip of tea and smiled.

"I knew him before becoming colleagues with Remus."

Sirius seemed very interested, and Bryan briefly told him,

"–I'm sure you know about the underground world in Knockturn Alley. In recent years, Remus has been hanging out there to make a living. Of course, he hasn't done much illegal activities. When he transforms every month, he goes to the forest or the wilderness alone to endure that period. After the transformation, he would also gather some herbs from the forest to sell. However, he doesn't seem to be good at it, and most of the time, he can't sell much. He barely makes enough to buy food and clothes."

Seeing Sirius listening attentively, Bryan thought for a moment and continued,

"In the early years, I mean when Voldemort just fell, the Wizarding world had deep prejudices against werewolves. At that time, Remus was forced to follow Greyback for a while. But he obviously couldn't stand Greyback's cruel methods. He was just pretending to work for him. Well, that's about it."

"Before-, I mean when we just graduated from Hogwarts,"

Sirius said with a gloomy expression,

"Remus didn't have a good time. He didn't want to accept my help. James had some relatives who owned businesses and he wanted to introduce Remus to work there, but Remus was afraid of causing trouble for James and refused."

Sirius took a deep breath and pushed those unpleasant memories out of his mind. Then, he looked at the young wizard leaning against the fireplace with a strange look in his eyes.

"I suddenly noticed something, Watson."

Hmm–

Bryan made a questioning sound with his nose.

"You graduated from Slytherin, right? That's quite unusual. How come a wizard from that house dares to utter Voldemort's name out loud?"

Sirius said sarcastically,

"In those years, Slytherin was almost a reserve force for Death Eaters. Many Slytherins we knew became core members of the Death Eaters after graduation, including that slimy Snape. You have a good relationship with him, right? Hasn't he told you about his glorious past?"

"I don't see how you are qualified to mock Professor Snape, Black."

Bryan said coldly,

"Indeed, Professor Snape may have made some wrong choices when he was young and ignorant, but he has been working for Dumbledore all these years, hoping to make up for the mistakes he made in his youth. And what about you, Black? After your foolish suggestion led to the death of the Potters, what did you do? To put it nicely, voluntarily entering Azkaban is an act of atonement. To put it bluntly, you just wanted to avoid the guilt on your conscience.

In my opinion, Professor Snape is much braver than you, Black. If you really have the courage, why don't you take up the responsibility of raising Harry? As far as I know, you are his godfather, right?"

"I did consider doing that!"

Sirius stood up with a bang, his face flushed with embarrassment and anger. He clenched his fists and glared at Bryan, who was sitting calmly on the armchair.

"On the night the Potters were killed, I wanted to raise Harry, but Hagrid said Dumbledore wanted to arrange for Harry to stay with his aunt!"

"Just as you intended, right?"

Bryan said with a sneer,

"Compared to the responsibility of raising a child, it seems that seeking revenge suits your hot-headed personality better."

He paused and added sarcastically,

"After all, you are the one who suggested the Potters to use the Fidelius Charm and switch their Secret Keeper at the last minute, right?"

Unable to win a fight or an argument, and not even able to storm out, Sirius was so angry that he felt like his lungs were about to explode. 

However, before he could ask any questions, Bryan's next words stunned him, and he fell into a long silence.

"Last summer, I visited Harry's aunt and uncle because of some things. In private, he told me that he had been living in a cupboard under the stairs before coming to Hogwarts. Obviously, the Potters were very happy to see Harry grow up in such a 'luxurious' environment, right?"

Bryan's voice was dripping with sarcasm, but also with pity and anger.

The room fell silent, and the argument came to an end.

For the rest of the morning, Sirius lay motionless on the couch, not even reacting to Crookshanks's curious poking. The ginger cat had sensed the tension in the air, and had decided to leave the two men alone. It seemed that Sirius had been deeply affected by Bryan's sharp words. 

"What are your plans for the Christmas holiday, Bryan?"

After two classes in the morning, just before lunch, Professor McGonagall walked out of her office and went upstairs to knock on Bryan's office door. She had a parchment in her hand, and a worried look on her face.

"Well, I plan to visit my orphanage, Professor. Do you have any suggestions–"

'He is an orphan?' Upon hearing the word orphanage, Tom(Sirius) on the couch raised his head, looking a bit stunned, and looked at Bryan, who was standing at the door talking. Suddenly, he seemed to understand.

"Well, Bryan,"

Professor McGonagall squeezed the parchment in her hand, looking a bit hesitant,

"This is the list of students who have applied to stay at school during the Christmas holiday. Considering that Black is still on the loose, so–"

Bryan blinked, "Who are on the list?"

"Mr. Potter is definitely one of them,"

Professor McGonagall sighed and said, "This child has nowhere else to go. And then, Granger and Weasley will stay to accompany him!"

Malfoy and his two followers from Slytherin were not going home for Christmas either. There were also a few senior students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw who stayed to prepare for the NEWT exams. Gryffindor had the trio, and Neville was also forced to stay at school because of his lost wand.

"Speaking of Neville's wand–"

Bryan suddenly came back to his senses and took out the wand from his pocket to show Professor McGonagall. 

"I accidentally found it while taking a walk in the yard yesterday."

"Oh, thank goodness!"

Professor McGonagall immediately exclaimed with joy,

"I tried to persuade Mr. Longbottom for a long time, and even offered to write a letter to Augusta for him, but he just didn't dare to go back. Now, Mr. Longbottom can finally go home for Christmas. Well, as for taking care of the children during the holiday, since you have plans–"

Professor McGonagall hesitated for a moment, "I'll go ask Remus. He shouldn't have any extra travel plans."

She smiled warmly at Bryan, and thanked him for his help.

Feeling guilty about Harry's situation, Sirius was once again struck in the heart by the conversation between them. 

Bryan settled his lunch in the office. He had a simple meal of bread and cheese, and a glass of water. He was not very hungry, and he had more important things to do. During the break before class, Bryan locked the door with a click and prepared to go to the Gryffindor common room to return Mr. Longbottom's wand and retrieve his own spare wand.

The "adorable" Tom obviously wanted to follow along, but he was mercilessly rejected,

"Keep an eye on Tom and don't cause any trouble, Crookshanks."

After giving this order, Bryan locked the door and disappeared from the sight of the two unhappy cats. 

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