A ruined Hogwarts

Harry has been troubled lately.

Ever since meeting Mr. Malfoy that day, Draco had often looked at him with resentment, as if it was because he had been beaten. Owen almost died laughing after hearing the whole story of that conversation. Recently, he always looked at him with strange eyes, looking like he was watching a good show.

There were no clues in either the crown or the diary, so he had to focus on Peter Pettigrew, who was most likely to have the problem. He wanted to open a breakthrough from him, but when he was wearing an invisibility cloak and trying to follow him at night, he was killed by Professor McGonagall. A cat that was patrolling the castle was caught out...

At this sensitive moment when the heir was rampant, he was imprisoned for traveling at night, and as expected, more rumors spread on campus, causing students who were originally doubtful to believe that Harry was Slytherin. The heir - look, he must have been caught on his way to open the secret room!

Now, Harry looked solemnly at a piece of paper that appeared silently on his bedside, his persecution paranoia sadly deepening again.

This slightly yellowed stationery has a line of words written in dragon and phoenix fonts: Dear Mr. Harry Potter, as a research subject that we value very much, you will eventually be lucky enough to become the cornerstone of our great experiment! We hereby warmly remind you that please pay attention to protect your personal safety, stay in a good mood, and avoid unnecessary damage, otherwise we will come to pick you up in advance~

On the lower right side of the letter paper is the signature "Ether Society", as well as the cross-star pupil eye-shaped emblem of the Ether Society. The letters ES below the pattern are the abbreviation of the Ether Society.

Harry threw the letter on the table angrily. He thought he had escaped the shadow of the Aether Society, but he didn't expect those guys had been staring at him and could send the letter to him silently. Those lunatics actually still regarded him as an experimental subject, and even pretended to remind him to pay attention to his safety, as if he could not escape from their clutches no matter what...

Owen looked over from the side, glanced at the content on the letter, and said with interest: "Look, there are such a group of people caring about your safety in places you don't know about. How 'lucky' you are!"

"Bah, whoever wants this kind of luck wants it!" Harry said angrily. He took a careful look at Owen, and suddenly raised his hand to grab the other person's hand, but was quickly dodged. He used his backhand to grab Owen's face, but all his attempts were in vain... Owen is a person who will never lose when playing cat claw games with cats. How can he be so easy to succeed?

"Do you know you're a pervert looking like this?" Before teasing Harry until his hair exploded, Owen asked him to touch his hand in a face-to-face manner and said playfully.

Harry stared at the still pale and smooth skin on Owen's hands, and did not see any blisters on it. He turned around and went to find Draco, completely ignoring Owen's teasing to prevent this guy from getting more excited.

"Wow, is the Handshake Monster going to appear in Hogwarts again?" Owen said with a smile.

"No one will think you are mute if you don't speak, Owen." Harry said sadly. This guy didn't worry at all after seeing that he received the threatening letter, but he even intensified his teasing and ridicule. He is truly the best bad friend.

Of course he wouldn't know that the letter from the Aether Society was concocted by this guy.

Owen just said quietly: "What I want to say is that your confinement will be late..."

Harry was stunned for a moment, let go of Draco's paw, looked at the time, and hurriedly went out.

"Do you think there's something wrong with him recently?" Draco waved his hand in disgust.

"Maybe he just fell in love with you, Draco." Blaise pretended to touch his cheek and said shyly, "He came over specially and grabbed your hand tightly... It's just that A little sentimental, besides you, I am also thinking about Owen, who makes Owen beautiful?"

"I'm going to duel you!" Draco angrily chased Blaise around the common room, calling for Crabbe and Goyle to help contain him. Owen secretly and silently cast a spell, causing Blaise to squeak and dance in a weird and funny tap dance, as if there were irons under his feet, and then he was pinned down by two big guys in a panic.

Daphne raised her head from her homework and saw this scene. She couldn't help but smile and glanced at Owen who was secretly causing trouble. There was a bright smile in her clear and bright blue eyes.

Owen also smiled at her, then secretly opened Tom's diary and began to learn Parseltongue.

Parseltongue is an experimental product of ancient wizards. A natural Parseltongue can not only communicate with snakes, but also naturally control snakes and make them obey their orders. The pronunciation and grammatical structure of the Parseltongue language are completely different from those of humans, but it can still be learned with a teacher and hard work, although acquired Parseltongue does not have the magic power to make snakes naturally obedient.

Tom is undoubtedly a good teacher. He is patient, humorous, always able to draw lessons from other things, and displays a high degree of personal charm at all times. Owen is also a good student. He can always remember those difficult pronunciations quickly and find ways to repeat those syllables that test the human voice.

The atmosphere here was pleasant, but Harry on the other side was suspicious. Filch walked him to the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts office and told him he would need to be in confinement here tonight.

Harry had already suspected that something was wrong with Peter Pettigrew, but he didn't expect that he would be delivered into the other party's hands. After entering this crowded office, he tensed up his body nervously. He finally managed to mentally prepare himself and planned to take the opportunity to test the other party.

"Oh, Harry, you're here." Peter shrugged his mouse-like pointed nose, rubbed his hands and smiled, "Caught on a night out? Which student hasn't done this kind of thing? We didn't do that back then. Got caught for that..."

"Correct my homework for me. It's better than cleaning the toilet, right?" He pointed to the thick stack of parchment paper stacked on the table.

Harry grinned, took the stack of parchment, and without hesitation gave a "T" to the first paper, which was written in a scrawl even his mother didn't recognize.

In the following time, the two of them talked a lot. Peter was trying his best to show his concern, while Harry was racking his brains to think of ways to talk, but he still couldn't get any information out.

When Harry finally finished grading the pile of homework and was rubbing his sore eyes, Peter seemed very worried and asked: "Harry, what do you think of my class?"

"Pretty good," Harry said against his will. In fact, Peter Pettigrew's classes are not really attractive. He always makes the teaching content that should be exciting boring and boring, and is so soft that he lacks the dignity of a professor and cannot control naughty students. , I will get myself into a mess every time.

"...Much better than the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor we had last school year." He thought for a moment and added sincerely. It's just a little better, well, he doesn't think there is any professor who can teach worse than Quirrell.

"You don't need to comfort me, Harry, I know I'm doing very badly, and no one likes my classes." Peter blinked his watery eyes sadly, his nose twitching slightly, "I can't always do anything. Good, but lack the courage to change..."

"No, Pettigrew, I know that you even sacrificed your own life to avenge my parents. This is something that the bravest people would do." Harry lowered his head and said in a very serious tone.

"Oh, Harry, you know?" Peter said sharply.

"I know, my parents died in a shameful betrayal." Harry clenched his fists tightly and said expressionlessly through gritted teeth.

Peter shrank slightly, his expression became extremely complicated for a moment, and his little eyes quickly became tearful: "I never wanted you to know..."

"Can you tell me, Pettigrew? What happened to you back then?" Harry glanced at him quickly, "My parents, you, and... and Sirius Black."

"We were... the best friends back then." Peter moved his body uneasily, looking dazed for a moment, seeming to be caught up in distant beautiful memories, but then it turned into pain, "We were inseparable in school, sharing Each other's biggest secret..." He muttered something in an inaudible voice, and then began to bite the nail of his thumb, frowning tightly.

Harry could tell that he didn't want to bring up what happened at school with his parents. He was silent for a while, and then asked tentatively: "Pettigrew, that werewolf who appeared in school that day... when did you know him?"

Peter glanced at him quickly from the corner of his eye, his eyes wandering around, and whispered: "Remus was also one of my best friends when I was at Hogwarts. James, Remus, Black, and Me, the four of us..." He looked depressed, "But everything is in the past tense."

"Is that one of the people in that photo?" Harry glanced at him in surprise. He didn't expect that the werewolf had such a relationship with his parents.

"Yes, yes...but I hurt him, and I almost hurt you, and so many students...I was so careless that I forgot the date of that day." Peter sobbed, "Lyme Si will definitely hate me."

"That's not entirely your negligence..." Harry pursed his lips, "Have you contacted him since the accident that day?"

"I don't dare to contact him. I'm afraid that I will lose even this friend..." Peter said in a small voice, with a trembling cry.

Harry closed his eyes and let out a sigh of helplessness. He didn't know how Pettigrew became so fragile, or was this his nature? He comforted: "No, I think true friends will not be resentful because of this. Mutual trust, understanding and support are what friends are, right?"

"Yeah, that's right..." Peter's expression became complicated and dazed again. He lowered his head in silence, wrung his hands tightly together, and the office was depressingly silent for a long time. Then he said in a trembling and high-pitched voice: "Harry, you'd better leave Hogwarts this year." …”

"Why?" Harry was stunned for a moment and turned to stare at him. Does Pettigrew know something?

"I mean, here... there is danger here, isn't it? The secret room has been opened..." Peter said in a difficult voice. He always lowered his head and did not look at Harry, and all his expressions were hidden in the shadow of his hanging hair, which made him look gloomy and dull.

"Leave here, hide far away, go to a place where no one can find..." His voice was so sharp that it almost broke.

"But Hogwarts is my home." Harry said dully. "I have nowhere to go, Pettigrew."

"There's nowhere to go...Yeah, there's no choice...No one has a choice." Peter raised his head slightly, his vivid eyes flashing, and there was an unsettling vibrato in his voice. He suddenly became calmer.

Harry felt a little uncomfortable and uneasy for no reason. He opened his mouth, but finally did not continue the topic: "Pettigrew, do you know an organization called the Aether Society?" He secretly looked at the other person's expression.

"The Aether Society? I haven't heard of it, Harry." Peter shook his head, and then asked cautiously, "Is this organization... very important?"

"Nothing." Harry didn't say much.

Peter's eyes wandered for a moment, then he looked up at the time and said, "Is it so late? I think you should go back. Ah, take this with you. Don't go out for night walks recently..." He took it out of the drawer A large packet of nut biscuits was handed to Harry.

Harry touched his hand as he took the biscuit, and was somewhat pleased to find that nothing strange happened. After saying goodbye to Peter, he bumped into Professor Snape as soon as he walked out of the corridor where his office was located.

"Good evening, Professor Snape." Harry was a little surprised that the dean was here, as his office was not nearby.

Snape glanced at the direction Harry was walking in, frowned tightly, and then said in a smooth and low voice: "Although your night life is very colorful, Potter, I don't think this kind of thing is necessary. It's publicized, right? I have to be ashamed of you..."

Harry's face flushed red from the crowd. He took a deep breath and said, "I know, Professor." Next time you go out at night, you must not be caught!

Snape nodded imperceptibly, then turned around and walked away. Harry clenched his fists. Although the dean was a good person, his incomprehensible mouth would always make people angry, and he would often have the urge to hit people with his fists in front of the dean...

"Huh, be respectful, be friendly, have self-control..." Harry took a deep breath and walked a long distance away, then looked back thoughtfully. Professor Snape is hovering nearby, could he be spying on Peter Pettigrew? Just like spying on Quirrell last school year...

Harry felt a very familiar feeling of déjà vu, and his mood became heavier.

…

Peter Pettigrew silently stared at the closed door, his expression suddenly becoming restless. He bit his fingernails and scanned the nooks and crannies around him with alert eyes. Finally, he took out a bag of biscuits and chewed them, causing crumbs of biscuits to fall all over the table.

The dim lights around him suddenly began to flicker, and there seemed to be a few thick shadows in the corners of the office. The biscuits in Peter's hands fell to the table, and his expression became frightened and flattering: "Master..."

"Did you find anything?" An erratic and cold voice echoed in the office, making it difficult to distinguish the source of the voice.

"Harry Potter asked me if I knew about the Aether Society... I suspect that organization is still paying attention to him!" Peter finished without thinking, then wrung his hands and asked eagerly: "Master, when will we start? "

"Wait," the voice said simply.

"But...Master! Remus Lupine escaped! Although I cleared his memory, he will definitely doubt me!" Peter's voice became sharp and frightened, "Once he goes to see Sirius Black... …As soon as he writes to Dumbledore… I’m finished, Master! I can’t stay here much longer!”

Ever since Lupine escaped, he had been in panic all day long, fearing every moment that Dumbledore would suddenly find him, capture him, and hand him over to the Ministry of Magic. He wanted to escape from here immediately, but the master didn't allow it...

"You disappoint me, Wormtail." The cold voice said lazily, "Instead of killing the werewolf earlier, you imprisoned him in your office and let him find an opportunity to escape on a full moon night. Get out...you are paying the price for your shameful weakness."

"I'm sorry, Master... I just think it's useful to keep him! If Lockhart hadn't dragged me to his office that day..." Peter Pettigrew sobbed to defend himself, his face turned pale.

"What I want to hear is not a stupid excuse, Wormtail." The voice echoed in his ears, intertwined into one after another echoes, "I can forgive you for being stupid this time, but don't let it happen again."

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Master." Peter Pettigrew cried bitterly, "Then how long do I have to wait?"

"Come on, come on..." The voice drifted, gradually getting farther and farther away, and finally became completely inaudible.

Peter Pettigrew stood numbly for a long time, and then collapsed on the chair, his face as gray as a corpse. He was stunned for a long time, and then he sobbed softly. He reached into the biscuit bag with one hand, took out a nut biscuit and stuffed it into his mouth.

…

"What? The Aether Society is looking for you again? Are they still staring at you?"

At the study group meeting this week, Blaise exclaimed in surprise after hearing that Harry had received a threatening letter.

"Why are you so surprised? Didn't I tell you last night?" Harry looked at him with vacant eyes.

"Oh, I was distracted at the time." Blais patted his head pretending to be nonchalant, "It's normal to desert."

"It's understandable." Owen gently winked at him with his left eye, "I've always thought that your brain is detachable, and it seems like this idea isn't that outrageous..."

Blaise threw a handful of Goblet Stone with a "hoo" sound, while Owen held up the Iron Armor Curse smoothly. Round pebbles were bounced everywhere, and pieces of foul-smelling liquid were sprayed everywhere in the classroom. Everyone hurriedly ran away.

Neville, who was in a daze, was caught off guard and got wet all over. He looked at Blaise and then at Owen with a somewhat resentful look, which seemed pitiful.

"You see, I'm not the only one who sometimes forgets to keep his wits about him." Blaise said proudly.

"Aren't you going to refute the fact that you are often brainless?" Owen spread his hands, and Blais rushed over with his teeth and claws.

"No, Neville!" Harry hurriedly chanted a cleaning spell for Neville, almost taking off a layer of his skin.

Well, the daily life in the study group is always so plain and boring.