Chapter 136 Dumbledore's Expectations

The room suddenly fell silent, and the figures on the walls opened their eyes to figure out what was happening.

Evan and Dumbledore sat in silence at the ends of the table, neither of them speaking.

Dumbledore closed his eyes, and no one could figure out what he was thinking; Evan seemed to be staring at the curious silver instruments on the table emitting small puffs of smoke.

But in reality, he was thinking about Peter Pettigrew. Peter was at Hogwarts. Along with Harry's father, James Potter, Sirius Black, and Professor Lupin, they formed a small group of four, just like he was now with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

The relationship among the four was very good, but due to Peter's betrayal, the fate of the other three was very tragic.

Dumbledore had just said that it was mainly his fault. What did he mean by that?

Was it just a simple regret, or was there something deeper?

Evan waited for a while and saw that Dumbledore still didn't speak. He had to try to say, "Although I don't know how everything happened, Professor! But I don't think you should blame yourself for Pettigrew. We all choose our own path, and we have to walk those paths and endure the joy and sorrow they bring. If someone loses their way, only they are to blame!"

"Although that is true, as an elder, before you walk, I must help you as much as possible and guide you in the right direction. That is my duty!" Dumbledore opened his eyes and continued, "You must know that choosing the right path is much more important than the effort put into walking. Peter Pettigrew initially wanted to find courage, but eventually lost his way in his pursuit of power."

Evan was surprised to hear what Dumbledore had just said, as it didn't differ much from what he had heard from Luna the previous year.

"Evan, when are you and Sirius going to start?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.

"Tomorrow at eight in the evening, he will come to the Gryffindor Common Room. I plan with him."

"Well, you just need to do what you believe you must do and leave the rest in my hands," Dumbledore didn't ask for more details from Evan.

"Wait a minute, Professor!" Evan said hastily. "I don't understand. Why don't we go directly to catch Peter? He is in Ron's room right now. Ron is still under his control. I think the sooner we act, the better!"

"That is indeed a good suggestion. But sometimes, simple and effective methods are not suitable to deal with complicated matters." Dumbledore looked at Evan and said calmly, "What concerns me more than Black and Peter at the moment is Ron."

"Are you worried about Ron?" Evan said. He didn't understand what Dumbledore meant.

If he was so worried about Ron, why didn't he intervene when they were in Lupin's office? Why didn't he tell Ron he was under the Imperius Curse?

And now, he doesn't want to go directly to catch Peter and rescue Ron!

"As I just said, Evan, I made mistakes in dealing with Peter. Some mistakes we make are ones we never get the chance to correct but still leave us important lessons so we don't repeat them." Dumbledore said, "I do not want Ron to become another Peter."

"Professor, do you mean...?"

"The best way to combat the Imperius Curse is not to discover it but to have the strong will to resist its invasion." Dumbledore looked at Evan, "Unlike you and Harry, Ron doesn't have enough willpower. I hope both of you can help him."

"Help Ron?" Evan repeated. "What do you need me to do?"

"You simply have to do what you believe you must do." Dumbledore looked into Evan's eyes. "Together with Tom, you are the best young wizard I have ever met. I believe in you."

"Agreed, I will try," Evan sighed.

Looking at Dumbledore, he knew he had his support. It's no wonder he had focused on Peter Pettigrew and blamed himself for what had happened to him. He was waiting for Evan here, hoping that this conversation would end up discussing how to save Ron.

Evan sighed as things seemed to be getting more and more complicated. All he had thought he needed to do was catch Peter Pettigrew and clear Black's name. Now, in addition to those tasks, he also had to help Ron resist the Imperius Curse.

In his view, this was making things riskier. It complicated simple matters and made accidents more likely.

Even though Dumbledore had said that everything else could be left to him, Evan still felt uneasy about this.

Peter Pettigrew was not a simple opponent. He had to be cautious! However, since it was Dumbledore who was asking him, he had no way of refusing.

Furthermore, what Dumbledore was saying made sense. Evan couldn't just stand by and watch Ron turn into a dark wizard betraying his best friends to Voldemort, like Peter, and then probably end up dying at the hands of his new master. Yes, maybe he didn't feel much affection for Ron, but for Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys, he couldn't just stand by and watch Ron keep falling.

This is the second time Ron is being controlled; it seemed there was no guarantee he wouldn't be controlled by other dark wizards in the future.

As an extremely wicked dark magic, the Imperius Curse undoubtedly leaves its permanent marks on the soul of its victims. The more it is used on Ron, the less he will be able to resist it in the future. And Ron wasn't becoming an idiot because of the curse; in fact, it was making him look more like a dark wizard!

"Wait!" thought Evan, "Why should I wait for Voldemort's return before thinking of ways to defeat him?"

After all, that seems to be the most dangerous way of thinking. Over two years of experience had convinced Evan that relying on the original story to predict what will happen is no longer a safe bet.

Yes, he knew how events unfolded in the original story, but that doesn't apply to his life. Every word you say, everything you do, has a good or bad impact on the people around you. They will also react, and things will take a different turn.

Peter Pettigrew is a perfect example: In the original story, he never controlled Ron.

And compared to Voldemort, he is nothing.

Perhaps, after dealing with this year's incident, he should face the future in a less passive manner.

After all, he was destined to change the future anyway. He had to capture Peter Pettigrew and clear Sirius Black's name. Why not give his all and try to prevent Voldemort's return?