133: Lupin's Return

Tsk.

Because John couldn't speak, the number of points he earned in class decreased.

Lupin returned after the full moon, though he still didn't look well, he had a smile on his face.

The students, excited to see their beloved Professor Lupin back, all started complaining about Snape's behavior.

Malfoy, however, wasn't impressed. He didn't like Professor Lupin and insisted that only Professor Snape was the best.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts class wasn't dull at all, and John's silent casting of spells made Lupin look at him in a different light.

Silent casting was typically taught in the sixth year, yet John, a third-year student, had already mastered it.

At the same time, Lupin's gaze fell on John's hand.

He stared at the ring John was wearing, as if trying to discern something.

'Could it be?'

The ring was indeed similar in design, but the color was different.

And there was another thing—the ring was on John's right hand, not Johnny Silverhand's left.

Lupin was filled with suspicion. After class, he deliberately approached John and casually asked, "When did you start wearing that ring?"

John looked at Lupin in surprise, then quickly used his wand to write in the air.

"It's a gift."

Lupin was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized Halloween had just passed.

The reason John gave seemed reasonable, but something still felt off to Lupin.

He had heard of John's impressive feats, especially how he used a Patronus Charm to repel Dementors—something Lupin had witnessed himself on the train.

'Am I overthinking this?' Lupin furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

One of the defining traits of dark wizards was their inability to cast a Patronus Charm. This was common knowledge among wizards.

From what Lupin knew of Johnny Silverhand, that man was ruthless, with a repertoire of highly evil curses—definitely a dark wizard!

Being able to use the Patronus Charm, in some sense, was enough to prove John wasn't one.

But Lupin couldn't shake the suspicion that John might have some connection with Johnny Silverhand.

The mere thought of being connected to that man made Lupin uneasy.

'Perhaps Sirius Black's escape has something to do with him.'

Recalling Snape's words and combining them with what he had seen of Johnny Silverhand's methods, Lupin started to believe it might actually be possible.

Johnny Silverhand... a man known as a philanthropist who created a foundation for cursed young wizards.

Everyone thought the same, except for Lupin and others who had witnessed such cruel methods firsthand.

That was a man whose ambition was obvious—he could be a great friend but also a terrifying enemy.

With concern in his voice, Lupin said in his heart, 'I hope you have no connection with that person, John.'

Whether as a teacher or just an ordinary passerby, Lupin sincerely didn't want his students getting involved with that man.

...

Potions class.

For the third time, John received a cold glare from Professor Snape.

He could feel the resentment in Snape's eyes, making him sigh inwardly, 'You're the professor, right? Keep your act together! What's with this sulky attitude?'

Well, Snape had his reasons to feel frustrated.

He had tried to give a hint, but in the end, John ended up losing his voice.

And Snape couldn't even blame him—John lost his voice after fending off Dementors, protecting those eyes that were the same as Lily's.

That's exactly why Snape felt so frustrated.

From John's observational skills, it wouldn't be hard for him to figure out that Lupin was a werewolf.

That would have given Snape the perfect excuse to have Lupin expelled from Hogwarts for being a werewolf, while also eliminating a possible accomplice of Sirius Black—a perfect two-in-one plan.

But alas, everything fell apart.

Under Snape's resentful gaze, John managed to get through the Potions class.

Daphne was extremely worried.

She noticed that John's usual appetite—where he could easily eat three bowls of rice—had shrunk to just half a bowl, making her even more anxious.

Because he was afraid of accidentally swallowing the Mandrake leaf, John was only consuming mushy food.

The Constellation Society also sent their support.

Cedric approached with both concern and admiration, saying, "John, thank you. You saved the entire school. I hope this will help you."

He left behind a bottle of swelling solution. After Cedric left, Percy also came over.

Although he maintained a formal demeanor, his eyes showed concern.

'God! I'm not a pregnant lady! Stop treating me like one!!!'

John waved his hand, signaling that he was fine, and then Neville showed up, suggesting that John should visit the hospital wing.

"No need, but thank you for your concern." He wrote.

John didn't want to go to the hospital. He accepted Neville's concern—and promptly doubled Neville's training regimen!

Draco was in the same boat, with Heinrich becoming his drill sergeant from hell.

Time passed, and John still had no intention of speaking. He was waiting for the next full moon.

However, he noticed that Lupin seemed to be onto something regarding his identity, so he simply decided to take some time off.

Previously, John had never realized that Lupin had such a sharp eye, so he decided to simply hide away for a while.

Snape, for once, didn't have the chance to corner John and accuse him of being a werewolf.

After taking his leave, John holed up in the Chamber of Secrets, occasionally emerging to check the weather.

Everyone thought he had left school and gone home, but in reality, John was still around.

His schedule was different from everyone else's, so when some little kid occasionally caught a glimpse of him, they assumed it was just their imagination.

...

Finally, John got his second full moon.

He was lucky—it wasn't cloudy this time.

If it had been, he would've had to find another leaf and repeat the entire process all over again.

He carefully took the saliva-soaked leaf from his mouth and placed it in a transparent bottle, allowing it to bask in the pure moonlight.

Plucking a strand of his own hair, he added it to the mixture, along with some dew and the chrysalis of a Death's-head hawkmoth.

After mixing everything, he hid the transparent bottle in the Forbidden Forest, where Aragog's lair once stood.

Since it had been burned by Fiendfyre, the area was now deserted and empty.

Having completed this step, John now only had two things left to do: wait for a storm to arrive and cast a spell on himself at every sunrise and sunset.

At sunrise the next day, John pointed the tip of his wand at his heart and recited the spell: "Amato, Animo, Animato, Animagus."

Now that he could speak again, John returned to attending classes.

His return was met with cheers from Slytherin House. Surprisingly, despite his absence, Slytherin was still leading in points.

This was thanks to Daphne, Malfoy, and Heinrich, who had been racking up points like mad.

The other Slytherin students hadn't slacked off either. Even without John, they remained the strongest house.

They were still ahead of Ravenclaw, firmly holding first place.

December.

With Christmas approaching, John had to stay at Hogwarts as he waited for the storm he needed.

He couldn't help but wonder if Mrs. Wick would show up at school to hunt him down.

The trio (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) wished John well as he recovered, though Ron's smile seemed strangely forced.

John found this odd.

He didn't know that Ron had been hoping Slytherin's lead would slip while he was gone, giving Gryffindor a chance to overtake them.

Now that John had returned, Ron's hopes were dashed.

During class that day, John received an owl.

A long-eared, black owl flapped its wings as it approached John, with Basil, the snowy white owl, hopping alongside it, nuzzling its head against the black owl.

John quickly took the letter brought by Riddle, his shop's owl, scanned through it, and his expression darkened.

"Fudge! This motherfucker! Still trying to cling to that position and do nothing, huh?"

The letter was from Shelby. He informed John that, after all the pressure from various parties, Fudge had started to manufacture public opinion. He was trying to create an enemy, someone he could blame to rally public support back to his side.

And who could make a better enemy than Knockturn Alley's new king, the infamous Johnny Silverhand?

The Daily Prophet had completely shifted its tone, now painting Knockturn Alley as a place of tyranny, and portraying Johnny Silverhand as a dictator instead of the benevolent figure he was once seen as.

One bloody crime after another was being attributed to Knockturn Alley.

Whether the accusations were true or not didn't matter. As long as it came from there, it was pinned on Johnny Silverhand.

In the letter, Tommy asked if John wanted to impose the infamous "Silverhand sanction" on Fudge.

"Sanction? Ha!"

John let out a cold laugh. To deal with Fudge, he didn't need to just punish him.

This Asshole!

No, he would make sure Fudge lost everything.

If Fudge was going to call him a dictator, then John would show him exactly what a dictator could do.

Taking out his silver connections ledger, John began writing letters with a silver hand crest, one by one.

Tempting them with promises of profit.

Engaging in power deals.

Coercion through force.

John employed all sorts of tactics, with only one goal in mind: to pressure the Ministry of Magic and make them realize that their current Minister wasn't just incompetent but also severely mental and unfit for the position.

"Tsk, Sometimes, certain bloody measures are simply unavoidable."

After sending off the last letter, a sly smile crept across John's face.

He stroked the gemstone on his ring, a dangerous aura emanating from him. The sensation was like a predator awakening, baring its blood-soaked fangs, eager to strike.

Within three days, conflict erupted within the Ministry of Magic.

____________

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