Being a passerby in HP female protagonist fanfiction

As for how I guessed it was the system—actually, I didn't completely guess it; I just assumed that the man in the black robe was most likely related to the system.

First, let's summarize what happened: Hazel accidentally captured Peter Pediru—Ron and I confessed that we wanted him to keep watch—the future Harry and Hermione suddenly appeared, gave us a hint, and then hid—I took everyone to the greenhouse to distract the present Harry and Hermione—I left first to find Sirius, and after talking to Sirius, I was attacked by the man in black.

It seems complicated, but there is a clear thread: despite the frequent unexpected events, the final direction of the events seems to follow the plot.

The original plot, the fanfiction story involving Willow, and even my own rough draft were surprisingly not damaged much, only the speed kept increasing.

It was as if the accelerator had been pressed, and the entire third-grade storyline had to be played out in one day.

I originally only intended to tell Ron that Harry shouldn't have known the truth at this time, but in the end, all three of them found out in one day, and the Time-Turner was used ahead of schedule.

This phenomenon can be explained by the conclusion of the plot. There were actually some subtle signs of this before, but it didn't feel as awkward as it did in the third year. It's as if they knew that if they dragged it out any longer, things would get even more out of control, so they decided to cut their losses and just go through the process.

This is my biggest point of doubt.

Is this really the end of the story...?

Or perhaps, the mastermind behind it all is someone else?

The sudden appearance of the enigmatic black-robed man, with his bizarre Dementor-like qualities, was unprecedented and unparalleled. He was the culprit behind my entire day of anxiety. Everything about him was so mysterious; just trying to guess the identity of this unexpected guest had tormented my brain cells.

What exposes him is precisely his excessive characterization.

The Dementors were strange yet somewhat familiar. Hogwarts' defenses were not so weak that Dementors could break in without any scruples. Willow organized and hinted at protests from many pure-blood family students.

No one is so crazy as to think that Dementors would check the student roster to see if someone is pureblood before attacking them, and people who can learn the Patronus Charm and have the ability to protect themselves and others from countless Dementor attacks are even rarer.

Even someone as respectable as Lucius had to curse the Ministry of Magic for being insane. His precious son Draco and his pure-blood friends were all on the train; if any one of them were injured, the Ministry of Magic would be in deep trouble. Yet, in capturing a fugitive, they had put all the young wizards of Hogwarts in danger. It was utterly incompetent.

The Ministry of Magic had to back down, not completely, but the Dementors were now further away from Hogwarts, meaning they couldn't suddenly appear and attack students as they did in the original story.

In this situation, the so-called strange traits of the man in black robes are more like a supplement, because the Dementors can't appear in time, so they simply bring in a sentient being to advance the plot—the form of expression doesn't matter, the key is that this element must be there.

Once I understood this, it became easier to guess the identity of the man in black. Among all the beings I knew, there were only a handful who knew the plot and had the motivation and ability to drive it forward. And since our world was particularly influenced by the novel format, I could easily eliminate Willow Astra and get the answer—the system.

The setting clearly surpasses the original work and even the level of fan fiction where Willotte exists. The purpose is unclear, but the actions and even the existence of the character are constantly driving the plot forward and are dedicated to creating "waves".

The fact that it can be linked to the abstract concept of maintaining the "plot" and all that follows makes it really hard to guess the identity of the man in black robes (straightforward reading).

I did suspect that the man in black was either Willotte or Astra, but that theory was overturned very quickly. Neither Willotte nor Astra could have attacked me secretly.

Only a system that is completely indifferent to physical harm would do this.

Adding to that, as I recalled those memories on the Hogwarts Express and realized that the system's stance was off, the moment the man in the black robes spoke, his hypocritical and provocative tone instantly overlapped with my memories.

Blustering and moody, seemingly powerful yet strictly adhering to a fixed routine, showing no sympathy for humanity but never actually harming any important figures.

What a great system.

Throwing out the word "system" directly was a test, since I wasn't 100% sure, and I didn't even immediately think that the man in black was the system itself. I just felt that he might be a new helper bound to the system, or that my guess was wrong.

You won't lose anything by bluffing.

Fortunately, he made no attempt to hide himself, and everything was quite clear: the man in black robes was the system itself.

Once the identity of the man in black was confirmed, many doubts were instantly resolved.

I swiftly reached out and removed the system's mask.

Considering the Dementor element, I was prepared to see a face that would make me lose sanity, but clearly, I was unprepared.

At one point, I even wondered if I was hallucinating from being influenced by that Dementor's aura for too long. The culprit, however, seemed unable to read the air and excitedly raised its head to let me see it clearly.

It was the face of an Asian youth that conformed to normal aesthetic standards, handsome and gentle, with curved eyebrows and eyes. It should have been a face worthy of praise, with nothing to be alarming about. However—he looked five or six parts similar to me.

If a stranger were to stand in front of us and try to distinguish us, they might mistake us for father and daughter, brother and sister, or at least within three generations.

"Look, I sculpted your face just like Claire."

The system grinned and pointed to its own face, poking a small dimple-like hole in its cheek with its finger, looking quite pleased with itself.

The body is human, but the soul is not human. The black pupils cannot reflect the emotions that a living person should have. It is like a cheap stone statue that has been stained. The corners of the lips, and even the curves when the person smiles, are all the same.

It's definitely an SSS-level target for defense.

It's not like me, and it's not like a human being at all.