A Cup of Hot Tea and a Sentence

Chapter 98 A Cup of Hot Tea and a Sentence

Severus Snape, a pure traitor, was determined to become the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

In the latter half of the previous school year, due to Quirinus Quirrell's disappearance and death, Snape finally got his wish and became the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, albeit as a substitute.

If Gilderoy Lockhart were to repeat the events of the past few months, Snape would certainly be willing to clean up the mess Lockhart left behind, all for the sake of his beloved Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Unlike the lazy Belvina, Snape wouldn't negotiate or ask for a raise; he'd probably be willing to pay out of his own pocket.

"No way! I must be wrong!" Belvina continued. "Even if you wanted to knit a scarf, you couldn't keep using the same sheep!"

However, Dumbledore did not respond; he seemed to be pondering Belvina's "suggestion" and considering the feasibility of Snape continuing to teach.

Belvina's heart skipped a beat. Had she just given Snape a push? Shouldn't Snape take some time to visit and properly express his gratitude?

"It depends on how long everyone can tolerate Lockhart," Dumbledore said slowly. "Severus can't keep teaching forever. Potions desperately needs him, and no one is better suited to be the Potions Professor."

Belvina's dark eyes darted around, and an idea struck her. She exclaimed, "Yes, of course! Horace Slughorn! Professor Slughorn not only teaches Potions, but he's also the Head of Slytherin!"

As for Snape, go teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts he's been so obsessed with, and never come back!

Dumbledore looked at Belvina with a gentle smile and said, "I almost forgot you used to be a member of the club too."

He was Horace's beloved student.

"I've hardly ever attended any parties, so I guess Professor Slughorn has probably forgotten about me long ago," Belvina said, not worthy of the title of Slughorn's beloved student.

Even at the few Slug Club gatherings she attended, the then gloomy Belvina was merely a marginal figure, with nothing noteworthy about her except for her identity as Blake.

Professor Slughorn, who comes from one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Families, and his family's belief in pure-bloodedness are not extreme. Slughorns prefer to associate with friends of equal social standing.

The club founded by Professor Horace Slughorn, which students jokingly call the Slug Club, is for students who either have a powerful background or are extremely promising.

This is the threshold for the Slug Club; you either need to be lucky or you need to have work to do.

"Even if Horace forgets you, he'll remember your name once Cornelius becomes minister," Dumbledore said. "Horace likes to associate with excellent people."

"Since you know your old friend so well, why not invite him back?" Belvina said, her mind racing with calculations. "It would kill two birds with one stone."

Dumbledore's smile remained gentle. He said, "Keep your little schemes to yourself and let my old friend enjoy his retirement!"

As is widely known, from a certain point in time, no professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts has served more than a year, and it is widely rumored that the position is cursed.

Although the school has never acknowledged the curse claim, it is an undeniable fact that a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is appointed every year.

Belvina's wicked intentions couldn't be hidden from anyone, and her vicious nature couldn't be concealed; perhaps she never intended to hide it at all.

"But you've given me a good reminder that I should have a proper chat with my old friend," Dumbledore said. He had tried to ask Slughorn about Voldemort, but instead received his old friend's resignation.

Belvina picked up her teacup and, while drinking water, repeatedly reorganized her thoughts, searching for a suitable entry point.

After a moment, Belvina gently put down her teacup and asked, "Professor Dumbledore, what kind of person is Sirius Black in your eyes?"

The rain was still pouring down outside the window, and the sound of the rain hitting the window was particularly noisy, making one feel irritable.

Dumbledore also picked up his teacup. The scalding tea had cooled down. He remained silent for a long time, re-imagining Sirius Black in his mind.

"Before the Potters went into hiding, I suggested that I act as their confidant, which was the safest option," Dumbledore said slowly. "I discovered that someone had been leaking their whereabouts."

The Potters, hidden in Godric's Hollow, were protected by the Faithful Charm. As long as the Secret Service did not reveal their whereabouts, even if Voldemort pressed his nose against the window of their living room, he would not be able to find them.

"But they both rejected your offer; they chose Sirius Black as the Secret Keeper," Belvina said, casually replacing the iced tea in her cup, the nitrogen vapor once again blurring Dumbledore's face.

Dumbledore sighed and said softly, "Yes, James and Lily told me that Sirius would rather die than reveal which house they live in. I respect their choice and believe their friendship is stronger than magic."

After running away from home, Sirius Black was practically another son to the Potters. He was James and Lily's best man at their wedding and Harry's godfather.

"But less than a week later, Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow," Dumbledore continued, recalling that night ten years ago, and the night he took Harry from Hagrid's arms.

Belvina picked up her steaming teacup and said coldly, "Everyone thinks Sirius betrayed the Potters, that he couldn't wait to publicly support Voldemort, and that he was willing to betray his closest friends for that."

"This isn't the Sirius I know," Belvina sneered. "That bastard was itching to break free of Black's chains. His childhood and adolescence were spent fighting against pure-blood ideology. How did he suddenly become Voldemort's lackey?"

Dumbledore glanced at Belvina with surprise. He had wanted to talk about Sirius for a long time, but Belvina always seemed to avoid it, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

"His betrayal of the Black family, in his early twenties, completely negated his previous life and betrayed the brother who took him in when he was homeless," Belvina said. "Shouldn't such a person be torn to pieces?"

Dumbledore also picked up his teacup, but the warmth emanating from it made it difficult to hold, so he had to put it down again.

He said, "Before that night, I had suspected Remus of leaking James and Lily's whereabouts, and I had also suspected Peter Pedyru, but I never suspected Sirius."

Dumbledore did not explain why he doubted Remus and Peter, but the reason he chose to believe Sirius was precisely the objection raised by Belvina.

"Even now, I still find it hard to believe that Sirius was the leaker. Sirius and James back then were like Fred and George now," Dumbledore continued. "Would you believe that the two Weasleys betrayed each other?"

Dumbledore seemed to be asking Belvina, who was sitting opposite him, or perhaps he was asking himself; maybe he already had the answer in his heart.

Belvina suddenly stood up, took her teacup, and went to the window. The sky outside was dark and blocked by a heavy rain, so she could only see her blurry face in the window.

She said in a very soft voice, "What if—I mean, what if—Sirius Black wasn't the Secret Service agent?"

Her voice was so soft that it was barely audible against the noise of the rain streaming through the large window, so soft that Dumbledore almost thought he had misheard.

Dumbledore reached for the scalding hot teacup, then suddenly remembered that the tea was too hot to drink. His expression grave, he asked, "How much do you know about this?"

Belvina turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and took a sip of piping hot tea.

She said, "I don't know anything. I just choose to believe the Sirius I know. Also, I went to Azkaban during the summer vacation. His health was very bad. He was emaciated, but he was very clear-headed."

Placing the teacup on the windowsill, Belvina added, "She's still a little bit crazy, it's family history."

It can't be attributed to the Dementors.

Dumbledore longed to maintain inner peace, but it was difficult for him.

Based on Dumbledore's understanding of Belvina, she would never have mentioned Sirius Black unless she possessed crucial information.

Blake would simply act as if this person didn't exist.

After a while, having sorted out his thoughts, Dumbledore slowly spoke, asking, "Did Sirius tell you something, or did you see something in him?"

"You really can't hide anything from me. What would have happened to that damn Sirius if it weren't for you!" Belvina exclaimed. "I pointed my finger at him and yelled at him, and then he let it slip."

Belvina repeated, slowly and deliberately, the words Sirius had said that day: "I deserve it, I deserve to die, it's all my fault, if it weren't for my damn decision."

"This is not the kind of thing a betrayer of the Potters would say," Belvina said calmly, as if Sirius were not her brother, as if her hand were not on the windowsill, but on the judge's bench in Wizengamo.

This one sentence alone is far from enough to clear Sirius's name, but it's a very good start, better than saying nothing at all back then.

Dumbledore tried to pick up the hot tea in front of him again. The teacup was still very hot to the touch, but not unbearable.