"Harry? What happened to you?"
Ron followed the footprints to the Forbidden Forest's edge. All he heard was Harry's quiet sobs, his tears melting small craters in the snow.
He stepped forward and pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. There was Harry, curled into a ball, crying openly.
"Harry, what's wrong?" Ron knelt beside him.
"There are... so many things, Ron. I'm just so confused right now."
"Sirius... he was my parents' best friend. My godfather! But he betrayed them!"
Ron froze. "What? Sirius Black is your godfather?"
"My parents trusted him completely!" Harry murmured, lost in his grief. "I have to find him. I have to make him pay for what he did to them."
"Harry, let's think this through." Ron placed a hand on his shoulder. "We should talk to Headmaster Dumbledore first. And Professor Lupin—he was a close friend of your parents. He could help!"
At those names, Harry looked up, eyes clouded with doubt. "Can I even trust them?"
"What do you mean?" Ron asked, baffled.
Harry wiped his face. "I overheard in the pub that Sirius betrayed my father—that's why they died at Voldemort's hands. But Professor Lupin, their friend, never once showed up."
"No way. Lupin doesn't seem like that." Ron shook his head, mirroring Harry's initial shock. "Even if not, there's still Dumbledore!"
"What if I told you everything—from my birth until now—has been orchestrated by Dumbledore? Would you believe me?"
Harry's smile was bitter. The two men he'd idolized had turned on him, leaving him adrift.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Ron said. "Dumbledore kept you safe at Hogwarts...
"And before that?" Harry cut in.
Ron recalled fetching Harry from the Dursleys with the twins and the flying car. He stammered, "You mean... Dumbledore arranged for you to live with your aunt? Knowing how bad it was?"
Harry shrank back, saying nothing.
"Impossible! Dumbledore's the greatest white wizard alive—he wouldn't do that!" Ron, a staunch fan, refused to accept it.
"I don't want to believe it either. But Argus told me straight, and Dumbledore admitted it."
"Over the years, whenever I was in danger, it was Argus who protected me in secret."
"Impossible! That Slytherin snake's lying!" Ron bristled at the name, his red hair seeming to flare, face flushing.
"Why would he side with Dumbledore and Minister Fudge? The acolytes are all Dark wizards—they're masters of deception!"
"Ron, Dumbledore admitted it himself!" Harry insisted, guilt over his treatment of Argus fueling his defense. "You have to understand that."
"That doesn't make Argus a good guy! He probably knew and said it to manipulate you!
Harry's mind spun in chaos. In his eyes, Argus was the last person he could trust. From their first meeting, Argus had never betrayed him—always appearing when danger struck. He longed to confide in him, but after avoiding Argus for so long, even an apology might not mend things. Helplessness filled his gaze.
"Ron... what do I do? Who can I trust anymore?"
...
A month later, under the full moon, Lupin vanished from Hogwarts as usual. Snape stepped in to cover his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.
Snape was convinced Argus had known about Lupin's werewolf secret from the start—and kept it hidden for reasons unknown. As Slytherin's head and Lupin's old rival, this infuriated him. Had Snape forgotten who he truly served? Couldn't he tell friend from foe anymore?
Argus, the Slytherin closest to Snape, spotted the man's odd mood on day one. It didn't take much to connect the dots.
"I'm sorry, Professor Snape, but it's not time to expose Lupin yet," Argus said later, in a quiet moment. "That said, Allen's built real influence with the acolytes and the Ministry's Aurors lately."
"Dumbledore's moved against Fudge too. Parents are furious about the Dementors—Fudge is under fire."
"Barty Crouch and Amelia Bones barely kept him afloat."
"But power's addictive. Fudge won't let go easily. Soon, he'll lean on the acolytes again."
"As for you, Snape..." In class, Argus glanced at the professor droning from the podium. "Voldemort's return isn't far off. Time to share some... intriguing truths."
After the lesson, Argus headed to the first-floor bathroom, reset to the proper timeline, then went to Snape's office to assist with potions as usual.
"Close the door and sort these ingredients—quickly!" Snape snapped, impatience dripping from his voice.
Argus glanced over: more Wolfsbane Potion materials. Snape must have reworked the recipe a dozen times this month—enough stock for the year. Yet the floor was littered with them again.
Early on, Argus had been clueless about these components. But after Snape's brutal drills and his own failed brews, he could identify them blindfolded.
Once the materials were prepped, Snape flung a vial at him. "Deliver this to your precious Defense professor."
"Understood, Professor."
Snape sneered. "Understood? What do you think you understand, Mr. Grindelwald? I pegged you for clever."
"Now that I reflect... tsk."
Argus stayed calm, setting the vial down. "If you're on about Professor Lupin's werewolf side, no need to belabor it."
Snape whirled, eyes boring into Argus's. "So you knew all along—who he is!"
"No, Professor." Argus met his gaze steadily. "I know far more than you imagine."
Snape snorted. "Such as?"
"Such as a Hogwarts professor nearly dying in the Shrieking Shack. Or a Potions Master strung up on a tree."
"Like where Sirius Black's hiding. Or who shielded him from Hogwarts and Ministry searches."
"What really happened back then."
"And... how Lily Evans died."
---
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