The Admiral of Hogwarts

Malfoy was extremely excited because Harry had fallen from the sky. He would seize every opportunity to mimic Harry's fall from his broomstick with manic energy, and would also occasionally wear a hood to imitate a Dementor.

However, apart from a few Slytherin students, not many people found Malfoy's current behavior amusing; instead, they thought he seemed to have injured his brain after a fall.

Because the full moon had passed, Professor Lupin returned to teaching. He certainly looked ill. His old robes hung even more loosely on him, and there were dark shadows under his eyes.

As soon as he entered, Professor Lupin gave everyone a gift: he announced that the essay on werewolves that Snape had assigned last time was no longer required.

"Oh, no," Hermione said, looking disappointed. "I've already finished it."

The lesson was enjoyable. Professor Lupin brought in a glass tank containing a Hinkypunk, a one-legged creature that looked like wisps of smoke, very fragile, and didn't seem to want to hurt anyone.

"It lures travelers into bogs," Professor Lupin said, as the students took notes. "Notice the lantern dangling from its front leg? It skips ahead—people follow the light—and then—"

The Hinkypunk scraped its head against the glass, making a terrible screeching sound.

After the bell rang, Professor Lupin packed up his things and headed towards his office, only to be stopped by Halsey in a corridor.

"Professor Lupin, you don't look well," Halsey said earnestly, scrutinizing Professor Lupin's face. "Have you seen Madam Pomfrey yet?"

"Thank you for your concern, Professor Halsey." Hearing Halsey's sincere greeting, a smile appeared on Lupin's face, his first of the day, but it quickly faded.

"Regarding your monthly condition, I hope we can have a proper chat," Halsey said, emphasizing the word 'condition.' "After all, my current job is to ensure the safety of the young wizards, so I must do some things I don't want to do."

"—Very well, my office is empty now; we can talk there." For a moment, Lupin wanted to deny it. But he realized that the young woman before him was a former elite Auror from the Magical Congress of the United States of America, and he abandoned the idea.

In silence, the two quickly arrived at Lupin's office and sat down on opposite sides of the desk.

Unlike Lockhart's office last year, which was full of his own photos, Lupin's office mainly contained various teaching aids needed for his lessons. For example, there were several tanks and cages, each housing different kinds of Dark creatures.

"When did you find out I was a werewolf?" Realizing that he couldn't hide it, Lupin instead became more open, so he asked directly as soon as they sat down.

"In many places," Halsey said, sitting in the chair. "Actually, I've been watching you since you started the term because your graduation grades were excellent, but your current state of destitution is abnormal."

"So, to avoid putting someone with ulterior motives into the school and posing a threat to the school or the students, I started collecting information about you little by little through various means."

"I understand." Hearing Halsey say this, Lupin realized how Halsey had figured out his identity.

After all, in the dozen years since graduation, he had worked in many places, and there were always moments of negligence. If someone wanted to collect evidence, it would be easy to find out his werewolf identity.

"If you think I'm not suitable to work here, then I can—" Lupin was a good person in every sense of the word, so at this moment, he thought of consciously leaving the school.

"No, I can keep this a secret for you and even cover for you. After all, you're doing a good job as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Halsey said, shaking her head. "But I hope you can answer a few questions truthfully."

"Of course, please ask." Lupin looked at Halsey earnestly. He didn't dislike Halsey's attitude. After all, compared to those who hated werewolves, he didn't see any prejudice against werewolves on Halsey's face.

"Don't be nervous, just two questions." Halsey used her wand to direct the teapot on the side to pour tea for both of them, and then said, "First, does the Headmaster know you're a werewolf? Second, have you ever intentionally hurt anyone before?"

"The Headmaster knows I'm a werewolf. Actually, I've been a werewolf since I was very young. Thanks to Headmaster Dumbledore for giving me the opportunity to come here to study." Hearing Halsey's question, Lupin breathed a sigh of relief and answered.

"As for hurting people, I only accidentally almost hurt Professor Snape when I transformed into a werewolf at school. Other than that, I have never actively attacked anyone." After saying this, Lupin gripped his teacup and stared nervously at Halsey.

"If that's the case, I can help you conceal your identity, and even cover for you." Lupin felt that those ten-odd seconds were very long; fortunately, Halsey finally spoke when he was almost unable to hold on.

"Because I believe Professor Dumbledore's judgment, he wouldn't put a dangerous person into the school and let him have close contact with the students, or even give him the opportunity to harm the students."

"However, I also have a request here." Looking at Lupin, who was slightly relaxed, Halsey added with a straight face. "From now on, on the night of the full moon, I will stay next door to your office to avoid any accidents."

"Of course, that's a good thing. It's just that it might be too much trouble for you." When Lupin heard that Halsey was going to make a request, he felt his heart almost jump into his throat. Fortunately, Halsey finally made a request that he thought was very reasonable.

After all, Lupin didn't want to hurt anyone either, so apart from Wolfsbane Potion, having someone willing to watch at the door to prevent danger was actually an important safeguard for him.

"It's okay, to keep a qualified Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I don't mind working a little harder." Halsey smiled, then picked up her teacup and drank, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly relaxed.

"Oh, right, I just remembered something," Halsey said suddenly, raising her head after taking a few sips of tea. "These Dementors are really terrible this year, so I think you should teach the students how to deal with those guys."

"It might be difficult to get permission from the Ministry of Magic," Lupin said, shrugging. "After all, the Dementors are now under the direct control of the Ministry of Magic, and teaching people how to fight these monsters on a large scale might be a procedural problem."

"I know, after all, I've worked in such departments," Halsey said with a smile. "But we have other ways to get around these restrictions, such as teaching a small group of students first, and then teaching everyone through a mentoring system."

"Alright, I'll try my best to pass on this knowledge to everyone," Lupin said after thinking for a few minutes. "Also, you're actually more suitable for this course than I am."

"Me? Forget it, I don't have the courage to face the curse on this course," Halsey said, shaking her head and smiling. "That's why I admire you professors—"