Chapter 113 Convincing Hermione

"You guessed right, Hermione!" Evan suddenly exclaimed. "The dog was indeed Sirius Black. As you suspected, he is an Animagus."

Hermione didn't respond, as if she was still digesting the news.

She looked up and saw Evan looking at her seriously, not appearing to be joking at all.

"I said the big black dog was Sirius Black!"

"My goodness, I knew it! Unbelievable, Black was right in front of us!" Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "Evan, we should tell Professor McGonagall immediately. She's at the Leaky Cauldron."

"No, we can't tell the professor about this," Evan shook his head. "Black is innocent. I believe him."

"I can't believe it!" Hermione shouted and stepped back. She looked at Evan horrified. "Black supports Voldemort. He killed thirteen people. He escaped from Azkaban and now he's going to Hogwarts to kill Harry, and you truly believe him?"

"Hermione, let me explain!" Evan hurriedly said. "Black told me upstairs. He was framed. That year, he didn't kill..."

"If he was framed, why didn't he tell others? Many of them could have helped him!" Hermione seemed not to understand Evan, exclaimed: "Look at what he did, escaped from Azkaban, and on Halloween, he even broke into Hogwarts castle and tried to enter Gryffindor's common room to find Harry. What innocent person would do those things?"

"Black was looking for Pettigrew. He is Ron's rat. He is an Animagus. It was all his doing."

"You're insane, Evan, how could Scabbers be an Animagus?" Hermione's voice almost went out of control. "It must be Black..."

Hermione's voice grew louder. Two Hufflepuff girls were drawn by the noise. They were Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. They curiously looked at Evan and Hermione, who were still standing at the Owl Post Office door.

Evan had a headache and was worried about his future plans. Some things should not be heard by outsiders.

Especially not by Abbott and Bones. Knowing them, Evan was sure that whatever they learned, all the students in the school would know by tomorrow. He didn't want them to eavesdrop on what he and Hermione were talking about.

"Shhh, Hermione," whispered Evan.

However, this was futile. Hermione kept talking enthusiastically about Sirius Black, while Hannah and Susan edged closer.

Wait, how do men react when they argue and fight with women?

Without thinking, Evan instinctively grabbed Hermione's hands and pulled her gently into his arms, pressing her head against his chest.

Hermione suddenly stopped; her arms were wrapped around his body, her face flushed from top to bottom, and her thoughts wandered away.

"OH MY GOODNESS!" Hannah and Susan exclaimed with excitement, exchanging glances.

Evan and Hermione... This was big news!

They hurriedly turned away, as if they hadn't seen Evan and Hermione, and quickly walked to the farthest corner. They couldn't wait to share the news.

Seeing them walk away, Evan sighed in relief.

He could feel Hermione trembling in his arms, like a soft and warm kitten.

As he sensed her special fragrance, Evan could feel her heartbeats.

Indeed, they both paused and remained in that position, holding their breath.

A few seconds later, Crookshanks, who was in Hermione's arms, suddenly started to wriggle, almost suffocating between the two.

Hermione began to realize what was happening. She hastily pushed Evan aside, panting with a completely red face.

"Hermione!" Evan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

"I'm trying to convince myself to believe you, Evan!" Hermione was trying not to dwell on what had just happened, and her thoughts were all distorted.

"Believe me, Hermione," Evan looked at her seriously. Following the protocol, should he confess now?

But before he could speak, he heard Hermione say, "I believe you, but I still can't imagine what it's like to be an Animagus; obviously, he's been living at Ron's house for so long."

"To be precise, it's been 12 years! Have you ever seen a rat live that long?" Evan paused for a second as his mind returned to the main topic. He had to continue, "Remember, during the summer holidays, at the Magical Menagerie; what did the saleswoman say? An ordinary house rat like Scabbers shouldn't live more than three years."

"But…" Hermione hesitated.

"Do you know Peter Pettigrew?" Evan suddenly asked.

"Yes, I reviewed the records from that year," Hermione paled as she tried to recall, "He was the wizard who was murdered by Black, and the Ministry of Magic awarded him the Order of Merlin, First Class. They say all they found of him was his finger."

"It's this, you know, Scabbers' front paws lack a finger!"

"It could just be a coincidence. He may have lost it in a fight with other rats or something of the sort…"

As Hermione spoke, her voice faded. The more they talked, the more suspicious everything seemed, and the further Scabbers was from being a common rat.

Since the large black dog they had just seen was actually Sirius Black, why couldn't the Rat be Pettigrew?

"Black told me he was chasing Peter…"

"Wait a moment, Evan," Hermione quickly said. "Why did Black chase Peter twelve years ago? It doesn't make sense. Since Voldemort had failed at that time, he should have…"

"Black wasn't on Voldemort's side, he never was," Evan explained. "It was Pettigrew who joined Voldemort. He betrayed Harry's parents to him. Black wanted to avenge them, that's why he chased Peter."

Hermione remained silent, trying to absorb the shocking information.

"Black was chasing Peter, and Peter was shouting that it was Black who had betrayed Harry's parents. Before Sirius could attack him, Pettigrew blew up the entire street with a spell, killing everyone within twenty feet of him. Then he fled to the sewers where there were other rats, and it was Black whom the Aurors caught when they arrived."

"If Black hadn't betrayed Harry's parents, why didn't he explain this to others?"

"Because the Ministry didn't give him a chance to explain; they sent him to Azkaban without trial. And Black felt he had killed Harry's parents. After killing Peter, he wanted to go there to atone for his sins," said Evan. "Harry's parents chose to use the Fidelius Charm to protect themselves. They wanted Black to be their Secret Keeper. At the last minute, Black suggested they should choose Peter. You know everything that happened afterwards. That's why everyone thinks Black is guilty."

"So, is Black really innocent?" Hermione said hesitantly.

"Yes, Sirius Black was Harry's father's best friend before his death. He is Harry's godfather. He couldn't harm Harry!" Evan looked at Hermione. "I know what I said should sound really strange, but it's the truth. Will you believe me, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up at Evan and didn't respond immediately.

"Hermione?!" Evan looked surprised at Hermione, his garnet eyes shining intensely.

"Don't ask me this question again, Evan!" Hermione's voice was strong as steel. "I just answered it; I will always believe in you, forever!"

Crookshanks, who had been in Hermione's arms, meowed bored. They had been standing there talking for so long that he was getting impatient.

From his perspective, Sirius Black was innocent, and he couldn't understand why it took Evan so long to convince Hermione.

Furthermore, what about confession? Where did that go?

Crookshanks waited for so long, but failed to see the spectacle. Evan, your trust, where did it vanish to?!