"I told you, Professor isn't the same anymore!"
After Greyback left with most of his followers, Harry whispered proudly to Lupin in the werewolf camp on the Isle of Man.
Lupin didn't deny it. Hearing the name Severus Snape from Greyback again, he could faintly sense that Harry was right.
"Greyback is desperate. That werewolf must have some kind of backup. Taking so many of his men away likely means he's going to seek reinforcements."
"But none of them can beat Professor, right?" Harry said with full confidence.
Seeing Harry's unwavering trust in Severus, Lupin still felt as though he were dreaming, even now.
'James' son… Sirius' godson.'
'Snape's student?'
Shaking his head, Lupin pushed away the surreal feeling and answered Harry's question.
"Snape is indeed incredibly powerful. Even during his school days, he was the most talented Slytherin of his year, creating several Dark spells by the time he was a senior."
"If we're talking about whether he can be defeated or not, the number of people in the Wizarding World who can confidently claim to overpower him can be counted on one hand."
"However..."
Having said this, Lupin glanced at the three werewolves left behind in the camp.
He didn't voice the rest of his thoughts.
From the Dark Mark released by Greyback, it is obvious that the person connected with this group of werewolves is definitely a high-ranking Death Eater!
Not every Death Eater could cast the Dark Mark… only those trusted by the Dark Lord and with sufficient status among the inner circle were granted that 'honor'.
If that were the case, Lupin couldn't be certain what Severus's true stance would be once he encountered that Death Eater.
He didn't voice these doubts because Harry clearly trusted his teacher completely, but Lupin had only heard about the current Severus secondhand. He hadn't seen him for himself.
While Harry and Lupin were whispering, they suddenly noticed Hermione, who is sitting not far away with her back turned to them. Her small frame was trembling, as though she were silently crying.
Harry and Lupin exchanged a glance before quietly moving to sit beside Hermione.
To their surprise, Hermione's hair had grown long and wild without them noticing!
Her chestnut locks now reached down to her waist. She seemed desperate to hide the change, tearfully gathering the long strands and clutching them to her chest.
"Hermione! What… what's happening to you?" Harry asked, stunned.
At this time, Hermione had completely lost her usual independence and strength. Her eyes were red and she wiped away tears as she spoke, "I-I don't know… I was just thinking about Mom and Dad. They're not wizards… I wondered if they'd even realized I was missing yet… And then I started crying, and while I was crying… my hair just started growing on its own!"
Lupin's eyes widened in surprise as he listened to Hermione's explanation and looked at her now-lengthy hair.
"This is a sign of magic, Hermione." He said softly.
Such words made Harry recall his own past at the Dursleys'.
"Aunt Petunia used to try cutting my hair all the time, but no matter how much she cut, it would always grow back to the same length by the next day."
Hermione even forgot her tears for a moment. She raised her head in astonishment and looked into Lupin's eyes.
"Me… me?"
Lupin nodded.
"Yes. Just like Dudley, you're a young witch."
The news seemed to stun Hermione. She stammered, sounding more uncertain of herself than ever.
"B-but… my parents, they're both Muggles…"
"No one says that only children of wizards can be wizards." Lupin explained to Hermione with a smile, " The light of magic can ignite in any child. Muggle-born witches and wizards exist, just as wizarding families sometimes have descendants that are able to use magic. There's no absolute rule about it."
Harry was delighted. He turned to Hermione and said, "That means you'll get a letter from Hogwarts too! We can be classmates!"
But when Hermione processed the news, she didn't look happy at all. Instead, she remained sullen, hugging her knees and burying her face in them.
Harry was confused, but Lupin understood why Hermione was upset.
Both children had been captured by the werewolves, but Harry had always believed his teacher would come to rescue him, and Greyback's words had confirmed it.
Less than a night after their capture, Severus had already stormed in to confront the werewolves.
But Hermione knew her parents were Muggles. They didn't even have the right to know about magic, let alone come to save her.
A sensitive child like her wasn't necessarily sad because her parents hadn't come… she was feeling the difference between herself and Harry.
"Would you like to hear about the first time I showed signs of magic at home?"
Lupin asked, deliberately making his tone intriguing.
He successfully drew both Harry and Hermione's attention. The girl lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him.
Lupin rested his hands on his knees and began recounting.
"That was when I was eight years old… or to be exact, the month of my eighth birthday."
"My parents had just moved us to Scotland because the month before, when I turned into a wolf during the full moon, they almost couldn't control me. I'd damaged a neighbor's fence, and people started noticing something was wrong. So they hurriedly took me and hid in a rural village in Scotland."
"I loved that place. There were so many kids my age… warm, lively, and welcoming. They didn't exclude me for being new, nor did they avoid me because I was quiet and withdrawn. They invited me to pick persimmons at their homes, shared their mothers' apple pies with me, took me exploring in caves, and played ball with me in the fields."
"But the kinder they were, the more afraid I became. Deep down, I knew I wasn't like them. So when they came looking for me again, I started hiding. I avoided them… no more visits, no more games."
"If I'd never experienced their kindness, maybe it wouldn't have hurt. But having tasted what it was like to run and laugh under the sun with them, only to force myself back into the shadows, watching from afar… that was when I felt truly miserable."
Hermione was completely absorbed in Lupin's story now. She sniffled and asked eagerly, "What happened next?"
"Then I started hating myself. I refused to eat, stopped talking to my parents, and spent whole days sitting alone by the river, thinking maybe I should just jump in and end my short, miserable life."
"You didn't actually do it, right?" Harry asked nervously.
Lupin chuckled.
"If I had, who would the 'Remus' you know now be? It was my father, Lyall, who noticed something was wrong."
"If you had the chance to meet my father now, you would probably find it hard to imagine how shy and introverted he used to be."
"He was an expert in non-human spirit entities. During a research trip in Wales, he encountered a particularly vicious Boggart in a forest and saved my mother, who was a Muggle working in a Cardiff insurance office. He played the hero, rescuing her from the Boggart, but it took him months to confess his feelings. And even then, he shamefully admitted that the Boggart couldn't actually harm anyon… it just liked to scare people."
"But my birth… and what happened to me… changed him."
"He had to step up for the family, to be a role model for me. He went from shy and hesitant to strong and decisive. He taught me everything about magical creatures… their weaknesses, their quirks, how to survive among them."
"Through that, he wanted me to understand that being a werewolf wasn't monstrous. It wasn't some demonic curse. It had flaws and vulnerabilities, just like anything else."
"But during that month in the Scottish village, I felt nothing but despair. I was convinced I'd be alone forever… a freak, an outcast, defined by my flaws."
"Then, one night, just a few days before the full moon, I ran away. I'd never gone out on moonlit nights before, especially not near the full moon. I was terrified of that celestial body, the thing that turned me into a monster. Even when it wasn't full, just seeing it made me tremble."
"That night, I didn't want to be home, but I didn't dare let the moonlight touch me either. So I ran to the cave the village kids had shown me before. I hid inside, clutching the felt doll my mother had given me for my seventh birthday, and cried alone."
"But the wind was strong that night. I didn't hold the doll tightly enough… it was swept away, landing on a tree branch jutting out from a steep cliffside."
"I treasured that gift. Without thinking about how high or dangerous the cliff was, I climbed after it. Only after I'd retrieved it did fear set in."
"The moon that night was very bright and round, almost as bright as a full moon. I clung to the tree branch, the doll tucked under my arm, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking."
"I screamed for help, but no one came. Only the cold wind battered me, sapping my strength, making me feel like I'd fall at any moment."
"I must have been up there for half an hour? Maybe forty minutes? I don't remember exactly. But just as I was about to give up, I heard my father calling my name."
"I cried out to him, and he quickly found the path leading to the cave. He stood at the edge, and even though he could have easily used magic to pull me down from the branch, he didn't. Instead, he gripped a protruding rock with one hand and reached out to me with the other, telling me to take his hand."
"I was terrified… not just of the height, but of the moon in the sky. My father knew what I feared, but he also knew that if I didn't conquer it that night, if I didn't face my own terror, I'd never escape that shadow."
"I didn't understand what he was thinking at the time. All I could do was scream, 'I can't! Dad, I can't do it! My hands are too weak! I can't reach you! You could just use magic!''"
"But he was patient. He kept encouraging me, 'Remus! We can't kneel before glory! Whether it's the sun or the moon, they demand that we face them with our heads held high!'"
"I sobbed like a coward, but his words stuck with me… for life. I forced myself to stop trembling, let go of the tree trunk, and reached for his hand."
"He was overjoyed. I could almost imagine how tightly he'd hug me if our hands finally met, how he'd proudly tell me I was his greatest pride!"
"But just as I was about to grasp his hand… the branch finally gave way under my weight. It snapped."
Hearing this, Hermione gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Harry also instinctively clenched the hem of his robes.
"My father had never drawn his wand so fast. He'd prepared for this… even if I fell, he'd make sure I wasn't hurt. But before he could cast a spell, something inexplicable happened. Suddenly, I was back inside the cave, still clutching that felt doll!"
"I was dazed, but my father had already scooped me up in his arms. He cheered, shouting excitedly, 'Remus! Did you see that? You did it all by yourself! You're not some flawed, misfit creature… you're brave, clever, one of a kind!'"
Lupin blinked, his gaze meeting Hermione's.
"Do you think he was right?"
Hermione wiped her tears and nodded fervently, then she said in great agreement, "Your father was absolutely right, Mr. Peter!"
"And so are you, Hermione. The same goes for your parents. Even if they're Muggles, even if they're ordinary, they're still irreplaceable to you. They love you, care for you… you're no less than anyone else because of them, just like how my parents never saw me as lesser."
Lupin's calm, steady words soothed the sensitive girl's heart.
Hermione's tears dried, and her usual confident smile returned.
Meanwhile, Harry looked at Lupin and asked curiously.
"Mr. Peter… does your father know what you're doing now?"
At Harry's question, Lupin fell silent.
A long moment passed before he finally answered softly.
"It's been a very, very long time since I last saw him."
This time, even Hermione looked puzzled.
"Why?"
"I don't know. He's always carried guilt over what happened to me, and I… I've been living rough, afraid to disrupt his life."