“You guessed it right, Hermione!” said Evan suddenly. “The dog was indeed Sirius Black. Like you thought, he is an Animagus.”
“What did you say?!” Hermione did not respond, as if she were still digesting the news.
She looked up and saw that Evan was looking at her seriously, not looking one bit like he was joking.
“I said that the big black dog was Sirius Black!”
"Oh my God, I knew it! Incredible, Black was just in front of us!" Hermione's eyes widened and she said in horror. "Evan, we should tell Professor McGonagall at once. She is in The Three Broomsticks Inn.”
“No, we can’t tell the professor about it.” Evan shook his head. “Black is innocent. I believe him.”
“I can't believe it!” Hermione screamed and stepped back. She looked at Evan in horror. “Black is supporting Voldemort. He killed thirteen people. He fled from Azkaban and is going now to Hogwarts to kill Harry, and you actually believe him?!”
“Hermione, let me explain!” Evan said hurriedly. “Black just told me upstairs. He was defamed. That year, He didn’t kill…”
“If he was defamed, why didn’t he say so to others? Many of them could've helped him!” Hermione didn’t seem to understand Evan, she exclaimed, “Look at what he did, he escaped from Azkaban, and on Halloween, he also broke into Hogwarts Castle and tried to enter the Gryffindor Common room to find Harry. What innocent person would do such things?!”
“Black was looking for Pettigrew. It’s Ron’s rat. He's an Animagus. Everything was of his doing.”
“You’re crazy, Evan, how could Scabbers be an Animagus!” Hermione’s voice almost went out of control. “It must be Black…”
Hermione's voice went louder and louder. Two Hufflepuff girls were attracted by it. They were Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. They curiously looked at Evan and Hermione who were still standing at the door of the Owl Post Office.
Evan had a headache and he was concerned about his future plans. Some things should not be heard by outsiders.
In particular, they shouldn't be known by Abbot and Bones. Knowing them, Evan was sure that whatever they learned, all students in school would know about it by tomorrow. He didn't want them to hear what he and Hermione were talking about.
“Shhh, Hermione!” Evan whispered.
However, this was useless. Hermione was still talking enthusiastically about Sirius Black, while Hannah and Susan were getting closer and closer.
Hold on, when men and women quarrel and argue, how do men go about it?
Without even thinking, Evan subconsciously held Hermione's little hands and pulled her with a little bit of force into his arms, pressing her head against his chest.
Hermione suddenly stopped talking; his arms were tight around her body, her face turned red from top to bottom, and her thoughts drifted far away.
“OH MY GOD!” Hannah and Susan screamed with a squeaking voice, and the two looked at each other with excitement in their eyes.
Evan and Hermione… This is big news!
They hurried to turn around, as though they did not see Evan and Hermione, quickly walking to the far corner. They could not wait to share the news.
Seeing the two of them leaving, Evan breathed a sigh of relief.
He could feel Hermione shivering in his arms, like a warm soft kitten.
Feeling her special scent, Evan was able to feel his heartbeats.
In fact, the two stopped moving and stayed in that position holding their breaths.
A few seconds later, Crookshanks, that was in Hermione’s arms, suddenly started to struggle, as it was nearly suffocated by the two.
Hermione started to realize what was happening. She hurriedly pushed Evan aside, gasping for breath with her face all red.
“Hermione?!” Evan opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
“I’m trying to convince myself to believe you, Evan!” Hermione tried not to think about what had just happened, and the thoughts in her head were all distorted.
“Believe me, Hermione!” Evan looked at her seriously. Going by the protocol, should he now confess?
But before he could speak, he heard Hermione say, “I believe you, but I still can’t imagine how he can be an Animagus, he obviously has been living in Ron’s house for so long!”
“To be accurate, it's been 12 years! Have you ever seen a rat living for so long?” Evan stopped talking for a second as his mind went back to the main topic. He had to carry on, “Remember, during the summer vacation, in the Magical Menagerie; what did the saleswoman say? An ordinary house rat like Scabbers should'nt live more than three years.”
“But…” Hermione hesitated.
“Do you know Peter Pettigrew?” Evan suddenly asked.
“I do, I checked the data of that year,” Hermione looked pale as she tried to remember, “He was the wizard who had been killed by Black, and the Ministry of Magic awarded him the Order of Merlin, First Class. It is said that all what people found of him was his finger.”
“It’s this, you know, Scabbers' front paws are missing a toe!”
“It may just be a coincidence. It might be that it lost it in a fight with other rats or something of that sort…”
As Hermione spoke, her voice lowered. The more they talked, the more it felt suspicious indeed, and the further Scabbers was from an ordinary Rat.
Since the big black dog they saw just now was actually Sirius Black, why couldn’t the Rat be Pettigrew?
“Black told me that he was chasing Peter…”
“Hold on a minute, Evan!” Hermione said quickly. “Why did Black chase Peter twelve years ago? It doesn't make sense. Since Voldemort had failed at the time, he should've…”
“Black was not on Voldemort's side, he never was!” explained Evan. “It was Pettigrew who went with Voldemort. He had sold Harry’s parents out to him. Black wanted to avenge them so he chased Peter. .”
Hermione did not speak and was trying to absorb the shocking information.
"Black was chasing Peter, and Peter was shouting that it's was black that had betrayed Harry's parents. Before Sirius managed to attack him, Pettigrew blasted the entire street with a spell, killing everyone within twenty feet of him. He then fled to the gutter where other rats were, and black was the one caught by the Auror who had arrived."
“If black hadn't betrayed Harry's parents, why didn't he explain it to others?”
“Because the Ministry did not give him the opportunity to explain, they sent him to Azkaban without trial. And, Black felt that he had killed Harry’s parents. After killing Peter, he wanted to go there to atone for his sins,” said Evan. “Harry’s parents have chosen to use the Fidelius Charm to protect themselves. They wanted to make Black their Secret Keeper. At the last moment, Black suggested that they should make it Peter. You know everything that happened afterwards. That’s why everyone thinks Black is guilty.”
“So, is Black really innocent?” Hermione said with doubts.
“Yes, Sirius Black was Harry’s father’s best friend before his death. He’s Harry’s godfather. He can’t hurt Harry!” Evan looked at Hermione. “I know what I said should sound really bizarre, but it is the truth. Will you believe me, Hermione?”
Hermione looked up at Evan and didn’t immediately answer.
“Hermione?!” Evan looked with surprise at Hermione, and her maroon eyes went bright.
"Don't ask me this question again, Evan!" Hermione's voice was as strong as steel. "I've just answered it; I'll always believe you, forever!"
Crookshanks, that had been in Hermione’s arms, yelped and meowed of boredom. The two were standing there talking for so long that they made him impatient.
In its view, Sirius Black was innocent, and it could not understand why it took Evan so long to convince Hermione.
Besides, what about the confession? Where did that go?
Crookshanks waited for so long, yet it didn't get to see the show. Evan, your confidence, where did it go?!
Liked it? Take a second to support TranslatinOtaku on Patreon!