Hogwarts: I graduated before the system came

The frolicking in the Shrieking Shack turned into Sirius's crazy laughing face in the newspaper and the cold lead type of his life sentence in Azkaban.

And Peter, who always followed them and looked at them with admiration...

All that remained in Lupin's mind was a bloody finger and a rat that scurried away and disappeared into the sewer.

Wormtail... Peter...

The companion who had once squeaked beside him and shared his pain, the boy who had sworn to be his friend forever...

betray.

The word was like a poisonous snake, spitting out cold tongues, wrapping around his heart, tightening more and more, almost suffocating him.

He regretted it.

At this moment, Lupin had never felt the entity of the emotion of "regret" so clearly.

It was no longer an abstract concept, but a cold hand, tightly grasping his heart, digging its nails deep into his flesh.

He regretted why he didn't see through the shadow behind that cowardice.

He regretted not asking more questions when they all thought Sirius was the Secret Keeper.

He regretted that in the twelve years that followed, he had chosen self-exile and escape instead of pursuing the damn truth.

in case……

If there hadn't been that betrayal...

in case……

If only he had been more alert, if only he had noticed sooner...

Would James and Lily still be alive?

Will Harry ever have a complete childhood?

Will Sirius still be the rebellious, handsome young man who roars past on his magic motorcycle?

And he himself...

he does not know.

He didn't dare to think about it.

No if.

Reality was cold and cruel, like a poisoned dagger, cutting into his heart again and again.

The days of losing my best friend and wandering alone with the werewolf curse were so dark that I could not see a single ray of light. Every full moon night was a double torture of the soul and body.

Loneliness, like an invisible hand, strangled his throat, making him almost think that he would sink into this endless darkness forever.

In this torment of ice and fire, a touch of clear blue suddenly broke into his field of vision.

It was the bottle of palliative that Douglas handed to Aldo.

Lupin's gaze slowly moved from the empty crystal bottle to Douglas.

This man still looked calm and composed, as if he understood everything and yet didn't care about anything.

He just stood there quietly, without urging or asking, giving him enough time and space to indulge, to struggle, and then... to get out of it on his own.

It was him, like a flash of lightning that cut through the thick night, suddenly illuminating his desperate world.

He brought a new type of wolfsbane potion, and brought hope of breaking free from the curse and starting a new life.

It was not just a magic potion, it was salvation, the hand that pulled him out of the quagmire, the hope that glued his shattered life back together.

Lupin felt the hatred and pain surging in his chest, as if slowly being washed away by a warm stream, and gradually subsided.

Instead, there is an indescribable feeling of gratitude and relief.

He was glad that he met Douglas at the most desperate moment of his life.

This wizard, who seems much younger than him, possesses wisdom and strength far beyond his age, and has a transparent heart that is not affected by worldly prejudices.

Unlike others, he did not treat him with caution or pity because of his werewolf identity. Instead, he treated him as an equal and respectful person, gave him trust and strength.

Not only did he save himself, he also saved Big Foot.

Lupin whispered Sirius' nickname in his mind.

He slowly exhaled a breath, which seemed to take away all the coldness and burning pain in his chest.

He looked at Aldo again, and the sympathy in his eyes was no longer the pity of a bystander, but a deep understanding that came from the resonance of the soul.

He saw his past self.

A poor creature who was cursed, abandoned, and licking his wounds alone in the darkness.

But Aldo was even more unfortunate than him, he didn't even have a Dumbledore, a James, or a... Sirius. He only had a group of companions who were struggling in the quagmire like him.

And now, even this last refuge has been destroyed.

Douglas's eyes were always on Lupin. He saw the pain that flashed across Lupin's eyes, his clenched fists, and the sadness that was so strong that it almost overflowed.

He didn't say anything, but just sighed softly, and the sigh was particularly clear in the silent mine.

He knew that Lupin was immersed in his past at the moment, and that Aldo's story had touched his most vulnerable nerves. It was a pain that only people of the same kind could understand, a despair of being abandoned by the world.

He didn't interrupt Lupin, but simply put the whistle in his pocket.

He knew that some emotions needed time to digest, just like the magic he had seen that had been suppressed for too long, once it erupted, it would destroy everything.

He gave Lupin a moment of peace, allowing him to face the heavy memories alone.

Seeing Lupin's eyes gradually focus, Douglas's lips curled up into a smile.

Chapter 395: A Siege Full of Loopholes

Douglas withdrew his gaze from Lupin and turned to Aldo, his tone calm:

"Aldo, we all know what you've been through."

He squatted down and kept his eyes level with the one-eyed old dwarf.

"But we need to know all the details. Every detail may be related to the future of the Ash Claw and... the fate of more people."

Lupin took a deep breath.

The waves in my heart are like a spring that is forcibly pressed down, suppressed but may explode at any time.

He also looked at Aldo encouragingly.

"Yes, Aldo, tell us, how did the attack happen? Those people...what did they look like?"

Aldo's dry lips trembled.

The fear that flashed across his one eye was like a nightmare replaying.

"They... they're like ghosts crawling out of hell."

The sound was as hoarse as sandpaper.

"Half wore... that heavy, outdated knight's armor with a faint swastika on it. The other half... were black-robed priests, holding holy symbols and... silver chains."

Douglas's eyes narrowed slightly.

This description... is too deliberate.

He looked at Douglas with a glimmer of broken hope.

"That day, we were preparing for your arrival, Mr. Holmes. Chief Marko said our suffering might be coming to an end. He said you were a messenger sent by the moon."

Aldo continued to recall, his voice trembling.

He looked at Douglas with a glimmer of broken hope.

"Suddenly, the alarm sounded. The magic trap outside the tribe was triggered."

Lupin unconsciously clenched his fists.

He was too familiar with that feeling of powerlessness.

"We rushed out and saw them."

Aldo's voice became rapid.

"They were overwhelming, surrounding the mine from several main entrances. They moved in an organized manner, like a well-trained army."

Douglas nodded.

"It really does look like the Vatican's style."

But the doubt in his eyes did not dissipate.

They are too similar, which makes it suspicious.

Aldo shook his head in confusion.

"It's just... weird."

"I feel like their actions this time are very strange. They're completely different from when we fought those lunatics from the Order of St. Benedict last month."

"That time, they were like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, fighting to the death."

He paused, confusion flickering in his single eye.

"But this time... it's strange... they could easily kill us, but they always hold back at the last moment. Several times, holy light bullets just grazed my ears, shattering the rocks."

"It wasn't like they wanted to kill us all. It was more like... more like they were herding sheep. They were using fear and pain to drive us in one direction, towards the deepest part of the mine, where there was no way out."

He covered his chest in pain and coughed violently, the sputum he coughed up was stained with dark red blood.

"I was unexpectedly struck in the back by a powerful holy light."

Aldo turned around with difficulty, revealing the shocking burns on his back, then pointed at his charred and curled trouser legs, his voice trembling with the shudder of having survived a disaster.

"Another damn Cleansing Flame spell that burned my leg."

Douglas leaned in for a closer look.

The wound was indeed caused by the magic of the Church, but...

"I know I can't do it."

There was a desperate recollection in Aldo's voice.

"If we follow the main force, we will only hinder them and lead the enemy to... to our new home."

These words shocked Lupin.

In order to protect his companions, he chose to face death alone.

He had seen this kind of spirit of sacrifice.

Order of the Phoenix!

"So, in the chaos, when everyone was rushing forward, I... I used up my last bit of strength and subconsciously used Apparition..."

Lupin raised his head sharply and interrupted him:

"Apparated? You succeeded? Under such siege?"

There was a hint of disbelief in his voice. As someone who had experienced being hunted, he knew that the Anti-Apparition Spell was a standard part of a siege.

Douglas's eyes also became sharp. He didn't look at Lupin, but stared at Aldo and asked:

"Before you disapparated, did you feel the stagnation of space being blocked?"

Aldo nodded weakly, then shook his head in confusion:

"I didn't even think I could succeed. I just didn't want to die in front of them and affect everyone else's battle..."

"Unexpectedly, that familiar feeling of being squeezed came over me. I succeeded."

"This is also what I have been confused about since then."

"Logically speaking, such a large-scale encirclement and suppression should be the most basic deployment of those henchmen of the Holy See, but that time... it didn't happen."

Douglas looked around the narrow and depressing mine tunnel, and his eyes finally fell back on Aldo.

"Then the others, the others in the tribe, were they captured, or..."

His voice was soft, but it made Aldo tremble all over.