Bryan had a clear understanding of the deep-rooted grudges between Snape, Harry's father, and their group of friends when they were young. So, for Snape to say that Peter was "decent", it was already a high praise coming from his mouth. This made Bryan feel a sense of unease, as this kind of person who was skilled at deceiving others and hiding his true intentions was very difficult to deal with.
With a click, Bryan pushed open the door to the office, and a warm breeze greeted him, causing a suffocating feeling.
The black curtains were pulled back - Bryan was not surprised by this.
The cat, who had been staring intently at the screen, flicked its tail and arched its body, its black fur standing on end as it bared its teeth at Severus Snape who had walked in.
Snape also stopped in his tracks, standing at the doorway, his indifferent gaze shooting down from his crooked nose that had been hit before, staring at the black cat that seemed eager to scratch him.
When Bryan finished dealing with the overly vigorous flames in the fireplace and turned around, he found the two, the man and the cat, still locked in a staring contest. He could feel the tension and hostility in the air, He casually smiled and said,
"Do you like my new pet, Professor?"
"Where did you get this beast?" Snape asked in a disdainful tone, not taking his eyes off the cat.
"A homeless stray cat," Bryan replied, lying smoothly, "I found it accidentally in the wild. I was afraid it would freeze to death in the icy wilderness, so I brought it back."
"No wonder–" Snape suppressed the uncomfortable feeling in his heart, as he sensed something familiar about the cat. He shifted his gaze away and said bluntly, "This beast looks very uncivilized. Honestly, Bryan, sometimes I think your sympathy is too excessive. Just like how you treated Longbottom, you didn't need to lend him a wand and help him find one. Some people will never learn unless they face some serious consequences."
"I completely agree with your point–" Bryan warned Tom with his gaze, who had already extended its sharp claws and seemed ready to pounce on Snape's back, and changed the subject, "By the way, how is Draco doing? I haven't seen him much in the castle and on the surveillance lately."
"As usual," Snape sighed slightly when Draco Malfoy was mentioned.
"I learned from Flint that he has been absent from team practices recently. During most of his free time, he stays in the dormitory with Crabbe and Goyle, except for meals. In addition, he seems to visit the Owlery every day. I guess he wants to ask Lucius how to regain everyone's favor."
Snape nodded, but did not say anything more.
After handing the Wolfsbane Potion that Lupin needed to Bryan, Snape didn't stay long and left. Before leaving, he also told Bryan that Dumbledore would probably be back for Christmas.
"How did he dare to say that I am an uncivilized beast, then what is he? A slave who only knows how to grovel in front of Voldemort?!" Sirius exclaimed angrily, as soon as the office door closed quietly. He roared at Bryan across the coffee table,
"Lend me a wand, Watson, I have to let this snot know, even if I was locked up in Azkaban for twelve years, I still have the ability to do the same as James did back then, and pull down his pants in public!"
Boom!
Bryan's eyes flashed with lightning-like sparks, as if a real thunder shook the entire office. The books on the shelves rattled, and the papers on the desk flew into the air. In that instant, Sirius seemed to see a towering python rising up, looking down on him with cold and menacing eyes. He felt a chill run down his spine, and he realized that he had made a mistake.
"Oh, have you also done such 'interesting' things?" Bryan asked sarcastically, his voice dripping with contempt.
"If you knew Snape's deeds back then -" Sirius tried to defend himself. He was never one to accept being bullied. Bryan's intimidation instead aroused his pride and temper, temporarily making him forget the fact that he was under someone's control. He stood up against the immense pressure emanating from Bryan, his face full of defiance.
"You will know how annoying he really is!" Sirius snapped back, his voice full of resentment and bitterness.
Meow–
Suddenly, a meow sounded in the quiet office, breaking the tense silence. Bryan lowered his head and saw that Crookshanks, who had been sleeping soundly on his thigh, had awakened. It pressed one paw against Bryan's right hand, its amber eyes filled with gloom. It seemed to sense the hostility in the air, and it wanted to comfort Bryan.
Hoo.
Bryan supported his forehead with his left hand, and his upright upper body slumped back onto the sofa.
To be honest, among all the Slytherin wizards, Bryan was a wizard with a "broad-minded" view. He did not have the sense of superiority that most Slytherins were criticized for, and he treated wizards from the other three houses equally. He did not judge them by their blood status or family background. Even for someone as dull as Neville Longbottom, he could see the shining points in him.
But Sirius Black - this guy reminded Bryan of Henry, who had destroyed his grandma's photo and memorials in the forbidden forest.
Bryan was starting to get a headache. If he let this guy stay in his office until they caught Peter, he would eventually annoy or anger him to death. He felt like he was doing a thankless and dangerous job, and he did not know how long he could endure it.
Looking at Bryan, who was still rubbing his temples, Sirius also showed a certain amount of surprise. He thought he would definitely be humiliated, but he didn't expect Brian to fall silent and not say anything more.
Suddenly, Sirius thought of the conversation between Watson and McGonagall earlier. He had overheard them talking, and he had learned that he was an orphan.
Sirius was familiar with the Slytherin style of "despising others". He knew that they valued pure-blood and power, and that they despised anyone who did not fit their standards. A wizard like Bryan, with his background, probably wouldn't have a good situation in Slytherin. So, did Snape help him?
"Well, I can apologize–" Sirius said gloomily.
"Maybe I shouldn't have been so sarcastic about Severus in front of you." He added, trying to sound sincere.
Hmph-- Bryan made an indistinct hum, too lazy to pay attention to him. He did not accept his apology, nor did he reject it. He just got up and walked to the surveillance wall, contemplating the flickering screens.
Through the descriptions of Sirius and Professor Snape, Bryan had roughly figured out what kind of person Peter was. To be honest, unless that rat exposed himself, it wouldn't be easy to catch him. He could transform into a small and inconspicuous animal-rat, and he could blend in with the surroundings.
"Did you create this thing?" Sirius asked curiously, after a while. He couldn't hold back anymore. After all, Bryan was the only wizard he could communicate with in the castle now, and this surveillance video was indeed interesting. He had never seen anything like it before, and he wanted to know more about it.
"A genius idea, Brian. Your attainments in alchemy and transfiguration are astonishing, to be honest. I'm really glad I didn't try to break into the castle again after Halloween. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't be able to avoid this! " Sirius praised sincerely, as he came up behind Bryan with great interest. He stared at Harry and the others running all the way, watching them flash into the Charms class.
"When James, Remus, Pet-... We were students in Hogwarts, we also made something similar to this. It was a map that recorded every secret passage we discovered in the castle. Oh, it had a special ability too. No wizard appearing on the Hogwarts ground could escape its tracking. Their names would appear on the map in real-time and their locations would be marked. We called it the Marauder's Map. Oh, what's wrong, Bryan?" Sirius said nostalgically, as he remembered the good old days. He had a fond smile on his face, and he did not notice the change in Bryan's expression.
At some point, Bryan's gaze had turned towards him, wearing a pensive expression.
"Where is this map you're talking about?"
Sirius wasn't a fool. He immediately realized what Bryan wanted to do.
"You want to use the map to find Peter? but, It's location is not easy to determine, Bryan. Before we graduated, Filch confiscated the map. We did plan to steal it back, but the deteriorating situation outside the school suddenly caught our attention. That was more than a decade ago. If it weren't for seeing this thing, I almost forgot about its existence. I think Filch might have destroyed it!"
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Author: This is a scheduled post and for next two days i won't be able to update.