Chapter 166 Dialogue In The Great Hall

When Evan awoke, he found himself once again in the school infirmary.

He lay in bed just like yesterday, and his body ached all over. It was as if his bones were fractured, and his magical power was even more depleted than after his battle with Greyback.

His last memory was of what had happened in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. He was taken in Mr. Weasley's car, and Peter Pettigrew was dragged by that Acromantula into the midst of the spiders.

After that, what happened?

He tried to remember. The old car pulled him away from the Acromantulas. They were wreaking havoc in the forest. After ten noisy and bumpy minutes, the trees thinned in the distance, and they returned to Hogwarts' grounds.

Then, like last year, he was thrown out of the car.

Before passing out, he seemed to see a man approaching. The figure appeared to be that of Professor Snape...

Evan shook his head, lifted it, and looked around. The room was very dim.

In the bed next to him, Ron lay, his body covered with thick blankets; only his red hair was exposed.

In the corner of the room, Harry and Hermione were whispering with Madam Pomfrey, and Evan could hear words like his name, injury, and other terms.

They immediately noticed Evan had woken up and rushed over. Harry and Hermione took turns approaching and hugged him. Their faces were filled with joy, especially Hermione. Her eyes were reddened, and her voice trembling, clearly displaying the depth of her concern for him.

"Evan, you were just brought in by Professor Snape, and I thought..."

"I'm fine, Hermione!" Evan reassured her, patting her shoulder, but the girl blushed and hugged him tightly, as if afraid of losing him.

"Well, children, Evan has awakened, so you should believe me now when I say he is fine," said Madam Pomfrey, putting her hands on her hips sternly. "You two should go back to sleep immediately. You're in a bad state and need to stay in bed."

"And Ron?" Evan asked with difficulty.

"He will survive," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "It's remarkable, the effect of the Imperius Curse. The impact of that wicked magic on his soul will take a long time to undo. I will advise the Headmaster to send him to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries."

"He's alright, isn't he?" Evan, Harry, and Hermione asked simultaneously.

"This poor child needs bed rest for a while, but he will recover," said Madam Pomfrey, wrinkling her nose and looking nervous. "I really don't understand how Hogwarts has become a center for Dark Wizards. Last year it was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Today it's Sirius Black. Who knows who it will be next year."

Evan wanted to tell her that next year it could be Barty Crouch Junior.

He didn't know how accurate his gut feeling might be. Hopefully, it wouldn't be as spot-on as Professor Trelawney's. She warned him about spiders during his first Divination class, and then he actually encountered them at the most critical moment.

"Yes, Sirius," Harry seemed to recall something. He asked quickly, "Where is he, why haven't I seen him?"

"He's fine. They captured Black. He's locked up upstairs," said Madam Pomfrey, uneasy. "I just saw his wound, it's severe but should heal slowly. However, I don't think he should need treatment, those Dementors..."

"Sirius is innocent, we proved it, it was all..."

Harry didn't finish speaking when he heard Madam Pomfrey continue, "Oh yes! If over a decade ago, someone had told me that Black would become what he is today, I wouldn't have believed it at all. He was always with that Potter, wandering around the campus. He was the most popular boy, had a very good nature, was very intelligent and pleasant. Who would have believed he would join He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named..."

"That was not Sirius' doing. He did not betray my parents; everything was done by that Pettigrew," Harry hastily asked Evan. "Who is Pettigrew...?"

"Died," Evan whispered in response.

Harry fell silent, looking incredulously at Evan along with Hermione.

"What are you talking about, how could he have died?" Harry shut his eyes and shuddered. "If he's dead, what should Sirius do?"

Observing Harry's pale face, Evan slowly shook his head.

"That's something the Headmaster and the Ministry of Magic must consider," the uneasy Madam Pomfrey said, gazing at Harry. "Both of you must go back to bed immediately, especially you, Harry! I overheard Professor Snape say the Dementors were about to perform the Kiss..." She said as she led Harry and Hermione back to their beds. Then she handed everyone a piece of chocolate and left for her office.

In the dark room, no one spoke. Harry and Hermione remained stunned by the shocking news of Pettigrew's death. They didn't know what had happened in the Forbidden Forest, but it must have been serious if Pettigrew had died.

After a few moments of silence, Evan recounted to them what had transpired in the Forbidden Forest. Harry and Hermione listened silently to his tale. Learning about how Evan had to face the attack of Aragog, the size of a small elephant, and his thousands of Acromantulas, made them extremely anxious.

"Do you remember?" Hermione whispered. "We heard Hagrid talk about Aragog last year. People wrongly thought fifty years ago that he was the one coming out of the Chamber of Secrets and killing Myrtle. At that time, Hagrid was expelled because of it. With all this time passed, I actually thought the spider had died!"

"Not only is it still alive, but it has multiplied in the Forbidden Forest. Now no one knows how many Acromantulas dwell there. A large part of the forest is their territory," Evan continued. "I bet Hagrid must have thought Aragog would never harm his friends."

"That's Hagrid's problem. He always believes monsters are not as bad as people imagine," Harry clenched his fist. "Those Acromantulas killed Pettigrew, he deserved it. But now Sirius..."

He couldn't know why, but due to Pettigrew's death, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit pleased.

He was so worried about Black, and then he thought about his parents.

Tonight, upon witnessing the death of their betrayer, will they be happy?

Evan and Hermione kept talking. Harry blinked, reaching out to wipe the tears from his eyes. He heard Hermione talking about the moment they encountered the Dementors.

At that moment, Hermione had already fainted, but he clearly saw the two silver Patronuses.

The two that saved them from the Dementors looked like...

Who would conjure those two Patronuses; could they be... his father and mother?

Then he thought of Sirius Black, and Madam Pomfrey saying he was locked upstairs. He had to save him. If he didn't move quickly, it would be too late!

Just as Harry made a decision, the door of the room opened, and a calm Professor Dumbledore walked in, just returning from the Ministry of Magic.