Chapter 375: Lupin's Expectations
"Think about it?" Harry's brow knotted tight. Right now, fury had all but swallowed his reason. He wanted nothing more than to hunt Sirius Black down and kill him.
And Dudley was telling him to think about what might be wrong with the story.
Ron stared at Dudley, utterly lost. What was there to think about? Wasn't the answer obvious?
Didn't it all boil down to this: Sirius Black betrayed Harry's father, and that betrayal got the Potters killed?
"Dudley, do you mean… you don't believe all of it is true?" Hermione asked at once, catching his meaning immediately.
"There are just a few questionable points," Dudley said, giving Hermione a quick wink. "The three of you talk it through. See if you can find what doesn't fit."
"All right. Let's think," Hermione said quickly.
She pulled Harry and Ron aside. The three of them began retracing everything Dudley had said, piece by piece, listing anything that might be a flaw or inconsistency.
Dudley did not go over to listen. From a distance, he could see how heated it got. It was less a discussion and more an argument.
About fifteen minutes later, they came back.
Harry no longer looked like he might explode at any second. He was calmer now, more rational, though his brows were still drawn together as if his thoughts were wrestling with something stubborn.
"Well?" Dudley asked. "Did you get anywhere?"
"We did, sort of. Let Harry say it," Hermione said, nudging him forward.
"All right," Harry began. "Mostly, it was Hermione pointing out the gaps. For example, when the Fidelius Charm was cast, no one else was present. So we can't be certain the Secret-Keeper was Sirius Black."
"And then there's Peter Pettigrew. They never found his full body. That doesn't make sense."
"Good," Dudley said, nodding. "That discussion did something."
"But that's just suspicion," Harry said, unable to hold it back. "Compared to everything else, I still think it's far more likely Black really did betray them. Otherwise, why didn't he appeal? Why didn't he tell anyone the truth?"
"I agree with Harry," Ron said. "Those doubts Hermione raised are real, but the chance is tiny. I don't believe the truth is that complicated."
They accepted the inconsistencies, but neither of them truly believed the story could be wrong.
"That's understood," Dudley said, nodding. "The reason I made you find the weak points yourselves was mainly to train your logical thinking."
"Don't treat something as true just because someone says it is, especially when the whole thing is riddled with questions. You have to judge carefully."
"I get what you mean," Harry said, nodding.
"All right," Dudley said. "That's everything I learned from Lupin."
For a moment, the Room of Requirement fell quiet.
No one seemed to know what to say.
The matter of Sirius Black had shaken all of them. Sirius, Lupin, Peter, and James had been four people. Dudley and the others were four as well. It was impossible not to slip into those roles, to imagine it happening among themselves.
And once Harry did, he realised something he could not bear. No matter which one of them betrayed the others, he would not be able to accept it.
Ron, Hermione, and Dudley were the people closest to him. If any of them ever betrayed him, Harry felt he would never trust anyone again.
"All right. Let's go back," Dudley said, face serious. "For now, we stop here."
"Catching Black is the Ministry of Magic's job. It has nothing to do with us. Don't take risks over this."
"Unless I'm with you."
"I understand," Harry replied quietly.
Then the four of them left the Room of Requirement.
The next day, Dudley went to Lupin's office again and, as promised, received the werewolf toxin and blood.
"Will these really help?" Lupin could not help asking.
"Who knows, if no one ever tries?" Dudley shrugged.
"It's ridiculous," Lupin said, a helpless smile tugging at his mouth. "That I'd actually believe you."
"And that," Dudley said, "is proof you haven't lost hope in life."
"Thank you for the compliment," Lupin said with a small laugh.
"Next week I can teach again," he added. "Hopefully I'll be in better spirits."
"Then next week you'll receive a mountain of werewolf essays," Dudley said. "At least two rolls of parchment each."
"Oh, Merlin," Lupin exclaimed. "Snape assigned that?"
"Yes," Dudley said. "He wanted to use it to make us realise you're a werewolf."
Lupin frowned. "That does sound like him."
"But don't worry," Dudley said with a grin. "Judging by their intelligence, if I didn't interfere, Hermione would be the only one who might pick up the clues. As for everyone else, no offence, but they probably can't even tell the difference between a wolf and a husky, let alone a werewolf."
Lupin burst out laughing. The weakness in his face even seemed to fade a little.
"All right," Lupin said, still smiling. "Go back and tell everyone they don't need to hand in that essay."
"That's going to be heartbreaking news for Hermione," Dudley said, teasing lightly, because he knew Hermione had already written two rolls of parchment and was probably working on a third.
"All right. I'm off, Professor Lupin. Get some proper rest."
Dudley turned and started for the door.
"Er… if you learn anything, tell me," Lupin said, pointing at the blood and werewolf toxin in Dudley's hand. "Maybe I can help too."
"Of course," Dudley said, nodding.
He claimed he did not believe a cure for werewolves could be made, but his reaction made it painfully clear how desperately he wished it were true.
In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived.
This weekend was different from the ones before, because this time Dudley and the others had to face quite a few people who wanted to join the Kingdom of Order.
So they had to make a notice and post it outside the Great Hall.
And this gathering was not held in the Room of Requirement. Instead, it took place in a large empty classroom.
After all, those students were not true members of the Kingdom of Order yet. Their secret base could not be exposed.
When the appointed time finally came, Dudley saw dozens of witches and wizards in that classroom, from first-years all the way to seventh-years.
Among them were faces that surprised him.
For instance, Ron's brother Percy was there.