HP: For a better world

The rats were gnawing on the herbs that Hagrid had placed in the corner. Aragog spotted them.

But these dirty little creatures reacted quickly. When they noticed Aragog hiding in the mat, they panicked and abandoned their disabled companion on their backs and ran away.

The disabled mouse screamed in panic, but it was not as fast as its healthy counterparts. It seemed that it had just been through a fierce escape, and there was still an alluring smell of blood on its body.

Aragog stretched his limbs lazily and clamped the mouse that couldn't run away. He smelled a tempting scent of blood.

"Crack, crack." Aragog couldn't help but move his claws. But he endured it, because this was Hagrid's territory, and he would not attack any creature here without Hagrid's permission.

This is Hagrid's hunting grounds.

"…Hagrid, I found some mice chewing your grass, would you like me to eat them for you?"

Aragog lay on the mat and tried his best to divert Hagrid's attention.

Hagrid was still upset about the big bird. Aragog thought slowly, and his dark eyes moved on the spider's face and stared at Hagrid.

"Rats?" Hagrid muttered. "Why are there rats? Fang is being lazy again. Let me see--"

Aragog cooperated and lifted up the disabled rat that was struggling and twisting in the pliers for him to see.

Hagrid leaned over for a closer look and recognized the rat by the top of its bald head.

"Scabber? How did you get hurt so badly?"

"—You may not be able to eat it, Aragog. It's Ron's lost rat, and he's been looking for it everywhere lately."

Hagrid wiped his tears and said in a low voice, "I have to find something to put it in. Ron can't lose it."

"Oh..." Aragog sighed in disappointment, and he held the mouse close to his eyes to take a look - or perhaps he sniffed it: "But it smells like a wizard, Hagrid, you see it's already so badly injured, why don't I eat it, it will die sooner or later, and we can give it another mouse in exchange."

Aragog said reluctantly, and the rat struggled even more violently.

"No, we can't do that." Hagrid said disapprovingly, taking Scabbers off Aragog's pincers. Aragog was reluctant, and Hagrid still took the snack away.

Aragog endured it for a moment, and felt his venom glands being aroused by the smell, and even more venom was secreted.

A stinky rat that smells like a wizard—

A Phoenix Patronus flew in and knocked politely on Hagrid's window.

[Hagrid, please come to the hospital wing as soon as possible.] Dumbledore's voice came from the mouth of the Phoenix Patronus. Hagrid didn't know if there was any urgent news that needed to be conveyed through the confidential channel of the Patronus. He was stunned for a moment, stopped holding Ron Mouse and preparing to lock Scabbers in a sealed jar, and listened attentively.

[If you see the Weasley family's pet Scabbers, please bring him along as well.]

[It concerns Sirius.] said Dumbledore.

……

Dumbledore retracted his wand. Harry and the others had just witnessed the effect of a Patronus.

Deliver messages extremely quickly and protect secrets.

But now is not the time to focus on that.

Harry mustered up the courage to ask, "Is that enough, Professor Dumbledore?" He looked very uneasy. "Don't you need to catch the traitor yourself? What if Peter runs away?"

Dumbledore withdrew his gaze and looked at Harry. "No need. Hagrid is more than capable of handling it. He will understand what I mean. Bring Peter over." He said calmly.

"If he really did run towards the hunting lodge as you saw him do."

Then he raised his eyes and just in time saw Snape walk out.

"You can go and see your friends... remember to keep your voice down." Dumbledore said, gently pushing Harry and Hermione on the back, indicating that they could go in.

Harry and Hermione looked at Snape, who was blocking the door with a stern expression, with some fear.

Dumbledore glanced at him.

Snape reluctantly stepped aside and said nothing.

Harry and Hermione quickly lowered their heads and went in.

"How is the child?" Dumbledore asked hesitantly.

"Thanks to you." Snape's tone was strangely calm, but he took the initiative to look away. "It's not good."

"...I'll do my best," said Dumbledore. "Perhaps I shouldn't have brought Lupin here..."

Snape's breathing suddenly became heavy, and he raised his voice to interrupt Dumbledore: "Remove maybe."

He moved his eyes back from the moon outside the window, but did not focus on it. He just stared at Dumbledore's jaw vaguely, lower than looking directly at him. "You shouldn't have brought Lupin back in the first place."

"...I'm sorry." Dumbledore said with difficulty, with some apology.

"Sometimes I always feel that you can do anything, Dumbledore." Snape asked, "Can you deal with werewolves?"

Dumbledore paused for a moment, thinking over what he had mastered.

Finally he answered, "No, I'm afraid not."

"Then can you decide the life of this child?" Snape said sharply, "You and I both know that this child is not my responsibility."

"The Obscurus is dangerous, werewolves are dangerous, I told you from the beginning, but you didn't listen."

"As early as when I knew he was an Obscurial, I suggested to you that you expel this child from school - to any place - but not from school."

"His presence would threaten the safety of other students, an unstable bomb." Snape said.

"But—you softened."

Snape looked deeply at Dumbledore.

"You think you have enough ability to control the threat of an Obscurial. You think White almost lost control when he first exposed his Obscurial magic, but nothing happened because of my timely arrival. You think he relies on me and can calm him down when he explodes..."

"You told me that the Ministry of Magic would not let an Obscurial go and would kill him before he could completely transform. You asked me to take care of him, and then at the end of last semester you told me that you suspected that the Dark Lord was still influencing this child, and asked me to get close to him, preferably closer, and become his teacher. Gain his trust, prevent the power of the Obscurial from being used by the Dark Lord, and see what he really wants to do -"

Snape raised his voice sarcastically.

"—do what, Dumbledore? Dive into the ocean of learning with ecstasy? Or, fearing for Potter's life, lead the werewolf away?"

Snape sneered, and his expression darkened again.

"To be honest, I regret agreeing to your temptation. This way, I don't have to decide the child's future at all. Everything about him has nothing to do with me. I only need to fulfill my responsibility as the dean and inform him of the Muggle orphanage. Although it is a bit troublesome, it is much better than now."

"At least I can watch from the sidelines and it only takes a few words."

"What are you going to do, Severus?" asked Dumbledore.

"Pomfrey told me that Winston can still be saved." Snape stared at Dumbledore closely. "It's an experiment - a gamble."

Dumbledore frowned reflexively, "We cannot decide the life or death of a child--"

"But I do," Snape said softly, "I am his teacher and have half guardianship of him. And then the White Orphanage entrusted the child to me -"

Dumbledore frowned tightly, "But you——"

"...I can't let this child down, Dumbledore." Snape said after much hesitation.

"Slytherin is cautious and self-protective...but there are always things more important than life..." He whispered the word softly, and it seemed a little light between his lips, but both Dumbledore and he knew that the word was heavy for him.

"I am love... Winster is recognition - he longs to be remembered for all the light. He wants to be famous, to be successful... to be a potion master, to be respected, to be recognized -" Snape pursed his lips tightly, "instead of becoming a werewolf... a marginal person... to suffer... and then die."

"——He should have a bright future."

It was unclear whether Snape was trying to convince himself or someone else with his last sentence.

He closed his eyes and waited for judgment.

Dumbledore sighed with a complicated expression, "…What are the chances?"

Snape opened his eyes, "It's better than the chance of him waking up now."

"—Professor Snape!"

The door of the hospital wing was suddenly pushed open. Hermione ran over in ecstasy and shouted, "Winster is awake!"

(Snape couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth)

Dumbledore coughed... and again.

Because Snape had his back to Hermione, she did not see the strange expression on his face.

"Winster said he has evidence of Peter's confession!" Hermione said anxiously, "Let the Minister come and listen!"

Snape walked in quickly.

Dumbledore coughed again, cooperating and ignoring Snape's expression just now.

He said to Hermione, "I see, Miss Granger, that's very good news, and I think Hagrid is on his way too. I'll go and inform Mr. Fudge right away."

Hermione's joy grew.

"Okay! Professor Dumbledore! I'll tell Winston the good news right away. Peter didn't run away!"

She walked back at a brisk pace.

Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that all the news was getting better. He smiled and walked to Fudge, who was panting up the stairs with two bodyguards.

"I have two good news for you, Mr. Minister."

Fudge took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face, complained about the winding staircase at Hogwarts, and then asked, "What's wrong, Dumbledore? I just sent the Dementors to search the outer edge of the Forbidden Forest, but they didn't find the werewolf. He must have escaped deep into the Forbidden Forest. We won't know which wizard he is until tomorrow. Is there anything you need to tell me?"

"Or are you willing to tell me the identity of this werewolf?" asked Fudge.

"No, no, no," Dumbledore smiled kindly and explained to Fudge, "It was that student, Fudge. It was that student who woke up."

"He said he had evidence that proved Peter's guilt."

The words have not yet fallen.

Fudge's face suddenly changed, and he stammered, "How could that be? Dumbledore... I, I mean, this is really good news! I'm going to go see that student -"

After saying this, he fled with two young Aurors.

Dumbledore called after him, "Of course, Fudge. He is in the Hospital Wing."

Dumbledore watched Fudge panting as he climbed the stairs. He walked to the window and urged Hagrid again, reminding him to be careful not to let the rat escape.

-

Winster was lying weakly on the hospital bed, talking to Harry in a low voice.

Snape strode in, his face as black as ink.

He walked to Winster's bed, staring at him without blinking, and the worried words he had said turned into anger when they came to his lips.

"You led the werewolf away all by yourself," Snape said word by word. "How could I not know that you were so capable? Mr. White - do you want me to praise your courage?"

Winster shrank his neck guiltily and quietly hid his nose under the sheets, leaving only a pair of big blue eyes like lake water, looking at him ingratiatingly.

His face was still very pale.

Harry stood up angrily and wanted to yell back at Snape, who started cursing without noticing that Winston had just escaped danger.

Hermione, who had run back happily, was hurriedly pushed back.

"Winster! I have told the headmaster your news, and he is going to see the Minister. We will soon be able to tell Fudge that Sirius is innocent, and Peter is the traitor who deserves a kiss from the Dementors!"

Hermione's eyes sparkled, and she obviously felt that Winston was out of danger and would be well again soon.

Harry thought so too, and his angry expression softened into a slight smile.

Only Snape stood beside Winster with his lips pursed, feeling the fluctuations of magic in his body. His expression did not improve, and his brows furrowed even more tightly.

"Where did you get the evidence..." He scolded in a low voice, "You should put these things aside and have a good rest now-"

Madam Pomfrey came over, her face stern as she was about to get angry at so many people surrounding Winster, and handed Winster a piece of parchment.

Snape sensed something was wrong, "What is this?"

Winster took the parchment calmly, "A blank informed consent form."

He looked at the hazy and blurred face in front of him, and took the feather pen handed to him with his relatively intact and uninjured right hand. He wrote the name "Winster" in a weak hand, then hesitated for a few seconds, put a dot, and finished writing in a hurry.

[Concurring: Winston White]

"What are you doing?" Like Hermione, Snape also had a bad feeling about their conversation. He grabbed the pen that Winston had just finished signing and asked.

Winster easily let Snape take the pen.

"I know what happened to me." He calmed down again while lying on the bed, and said weakly, "I was bitten by a werewolf--"

"You know we don't care about this, Winchester!" Hermione retorted, her face pale and she quickly pulled Harry.

"Yes! That's right!" Harry said immediately after being pulled, "No matter what you become, Winchester, even if you become a werewolf, we are still friends!"

he said firmly.

Haha - Winster's laughter rolled in his throat. Even though he had heard it so many times and heard Gryffindor's firm friendship, Winster still wanted to laugh. But he still couldn't laugh.

Where is the eternal friendship?

He turned his head to look at the silent Snape.

"Teacher..." He smiled weakly, "I believe you..."

I believe you will not accept a werewolf apprentice in the end, for Winster's own determination and dream. He will not give Snape the possibility of giving up their teacher-student relationship.

Snape was his biggest supporter... If he turned into a werewolf, all his dreams and ambitions would be shattered. He would never allow this to happen.

"——and believe in myself. I am unwilling to become a werewolf just like that——I have to struggle."

Winster lowered his voice and could hardly be heard: "...I still have so many things to do."

"I won't accept this." Winster closed his eyes and felt the tingling pain in his body, and said calmly: "I believe in my potion."

But there was still one thing he needed to do.

Winster spoke to Fudge, who hurried over and tried to show his concern for him.

"Mr. Minister, I have here the confession record of Peter Petillo, and I think you must be very interested."

——He had thought about how to convince Fudge countless times, but he didn't expect that when this day came, he would have to take a big gamble.

He is not White.

But if White succeeds, Winster will too.

——For a better world!