In the cozy and crowded Three Broomsticks pub, Fudge and several Hogwarts staff members were having a private conversation, but they were not as discreet as they thought. Their voices were muffled by the noise of the other customers, but they could still be heard by anyone who paid close attention. Harry, Ron and Hermione were not the only ones who were eavesdropping on them. The other students sitting nearby were also listening secretly, pretending to be busy with their drinks and snacks.
Some of them had relatives in high positions in the Ministry of Magic, and they kept silent because they already knew the relevant information. Some of them were young wizards who had never heard of these things before, and they tried to act casual, but their open mouths betrayed their curiosity and shock.
Bryan was actually standing behind Hermione, but he used a little trick to make himself invisible. He had cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, blending in with the background. He looked down at Ron and Hermione, who were speechless with disbelief, and Harry, who was hiding under the table, whose expression gradually changed from astonishment to silence, and finally, his green eyes showed deep hatred.
Destiny had an amazing inertia. Even though Bryan's presence had altered many things subtly, there were still many things that followed the original course. Harry finally learned the truth about his parent's death, just like he did in the original timeline.
After Professor McGonagall and the others finished talking about Black, Bryan thought for a while. He dodged one person after another and returned to the bar room. He had left a bottle there, containing a Dementor that he had captured and sealed with his magic. Two minutes later, he appeared in the pub hall again, as if nothing had happened. He had removed the Disillusionment Charm from himself, and acted normally.
He glanced at Harry, whose expression had changed slightly, and Hermione and Ron, who held their breaths when they saw him. Bryan smiled and walked back to his seat, but he didn't sit down. He just put the bottle sealed with the Dementor directly into Fudge's arms, startling him.
"I'm sorry, everyone, I just remembered that I haven't cleaned the house I rented in the village for a while. I have to deal with it before Christmas."
Bryan said casually, as if he had just given Fudge a harmless gift. Then, He left the Three Broomsticks pub without delay.
Only an hour or two had passed, and the path between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts was covered with a layer of snow nearly a foot thick. It was still early, but there were not many young wizards who went to Hogsmeade for the weekend. Most of them had returned to the school, as the weather was too cold and windy for their liking.
Bryan walked alone in the snow, thinking quietly. He wondered if Harry would come over later and ask him if he knew anything about his parents, or about Black, and how should he "tactfully" comfort him.
"Everything is normal in the school, Professor Watson!" When asked if anything had happened, Bryan's loyal subordinate, the Hogwarts castle caretaker Filch, sniffed and said respectfully.
The ancient castle still looked magnificent, but in fact, it had suffered from the wear and tear of time. The huge amount of money consumed by daily teaching made the funds allocated by the board of directors insufficient, and there was not much money to repair the castle. So, when winter came, the corridors of the school were always leaking, and the temperature was not much different from the outside.
The house-elves, who worked as the servants of the school, tried their best to keep the castle clean and warm, but they could not do much against the harsh weather.
Although the wizards with high magic power were not too sensitive to the cold and heat, Bryan still felt his hands and feet a bit stiff after walking in the open air for a while. So, he changed his mind about going to Lupin and asking about Harry's progress in Patronus.
He snapped his fingers and lit the fire in the fireplace. Bryan warmed his hands while casually looking at the monitor screens on the wall.
The cold weather drove the young wizards who loved to wander back to the common rooms. Only in the library, there were many fifth-year students preparing for the 'school exam'.
On the top floor of the west tower, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle came out of the Owlery . The expressions on their faces were a bit stiff. Bryan watched them silently as they walked down the tower, passed the armor corridor, and finally entered the Slytherin dungeon from the other side of the foyer on the first floor.
"They haven't got rid of the trouble yet?" Bryan muttered to himself curiously.
After a little hesitation, he remembered Professor Snape's warning and decided not to interfere for the time being.
Things did not go as he expected. He thought that Harry would rush back to the castle and ask him if he knew the truth after he learned that his parents were killed by Black's betrayal, but Harry did not do that. Bryan just occasionally observed him through the monitor For several days, Harry had a gloomy face wherever he went. He barely spoke to anyone, and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.
Another week passed. Now, there were only two weeks left until the end of the term. Dumbledore's absence did not affect the festive mood in the school. Professor Flitwick, who taught the charm class, had already decorated his classroom with colorful lights. They would turn into real fairies, flapping their wings and flying around in the classroom.
He did not know why, but Hagrid suddenly asked for a few days off from him and Professor McGonagall. So, the task of creating a festive atmosphere for the hall naturally fell on Bryan. Filch could be ordered, but he did not have magic spells, and he was not very good at doing this kind of work.
As the holiday approached, the professors also hoped to let the students relax a bit before Christmas. So, on Friday night, the little ones who did not have much homework ran around the castle. Or rather, they made trouble. One moment, someone threw a few dung eggs in the bathroom on a certain floor, creating a foul smell and a mess. Another moment, a young wizard who provoked Peeves, the poltergeist, was locked in the armor, and had to scream for help. Another moment, a first-year wizard who was not familiar with the moving stairs in the castle accidentally stepped on the air and broke his arm. In short, Filch's furious roar echoed throughout the Hogwarts main castle all night.
In order to avoid Filch, who would barge into his office every once in a while, Bryan ran to the library where there were not many people before the festival.
The library was a huge and quiet room, filled with thousands of books on various topics and subjects. It was guarded by Madam Pince, the librarian, who was a thin and sour-faced woman, who treated the books as if they were her children.
But here, he unexpectedly found the three little ones who were buried in a pile of books. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at a table, surrounded by books and papers. They looked tired and frustrated, as they searched for something in the books.
"This is not right–" Bryan smacked his tongue and said, "If it was just Miss Granger, I wouldn't be too surprised, but you three actually appeared in the library together?" He teased them, as he knew that Ron and Harry did not like to study, and they often relied on Hermione for homework.
"It's for Hagrid, Professor Watson–" Hermione said, as she looked up at him with a serious and determined face. She was holding a quill in her hand, and she had a parchment in front of her, where she had written some notes and arguments.
Since Bryan no longer served as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he had met these little guys much less often, especially Hermione and Ron. Apart from occasionally greeting each other, they hadn't spoken personally with Professor Watson for a month or two. So, when facing his question, Hermione and Ron were both a bit awkward.
"The Ministry of Magic has decided to formally accept Lucius Malfoy's lawsuit application. The trial date is in April next year. We want to help him-"
Hermione's eyes were red, but her eyes showed resentment when she looked at him. Bryan understood that this girl probably blamed him for not doing anything even though he was Hagrid's nominal boss.
So that's how it was. No wonder Hagrid was depressed when he asked for leave that day. He asked him a few questions, but Hagrid did not want to say. Probably, he did not want to bother him.
"So, you want to help Hagrid prepare a defense statement?" Bryan glanced at those gray files and asked.
The files were the official documents that the Ministry of Magic had sent to Hagrid, informing him of the lawsuit and the trial.
After getting an affirmative answer, he nodded. "Hagrid should be grateful to have you as his loyal friends." He said, and then walked past them, ready to go to the direction of the restricted area.
Ron whispered to Hermione to shut up, but Hermione was obviously not very happy with Professor Watson's statement. She glared at him, ready to question him why he did not care about his subordinates, and why he did not do anything to help Hagrid. She was about to open her mouth, but at this time, Harry, who looked depressed, suddenly spoke up.
"Professor Watson!" Harry said, as he raised his voice.
Bryan smiled at Harry, and he asked him, in a warm and friendly tone, "What's wrong, Potter, what's the matter?"
"You know those things, don't you?"
At this moment, Ron and Hermione both gave Harry a look, hoping he would be quiet, but Harry ignored their hints. The flickering torches on the wall reflected in his green eyes. He gasped and asked.
"I mean, my parents were killed by Voldemort because of Black's betrayal. You knew this all along, didn't you? Because you've been hunting down that filthy traitor!"
Harry's voice was loud and angry. There were not many students in the library, but those who were there heard him say Voldemort's name and were terrified. Some of them fell off their stools and landed on the floor, staring at him with horror.
Fuu– "Let's talk in my office–" Bryan said with a sigh.
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