120: Encounters and Experints
Filch's Office.
Filch was eating ice cream, his face unusually lit up with a rare smile of happiness.
Mrs. Norris owed softly, nibbling on a cat treat from Filch's hand.
One hand held the ice cream, the other a cat treat—it seed Filch had reached the pinnacle of his life.
What was even more surprising was that his favorite flavor turned out to be mapo tofu ice cream, which left John astonished.
"If this existed in India, Gandhi would have been reincarnated yelling, 'This ice cream go back'." John thought.
All he could conclude was that European tastes were odd, and European wizards' tastes even odder.
While on his usual visit to groom Mrs. Norris, John noticed a bit of purple paper sticking out from one of the drawers. Curiosity piqued, he reached out and pulled it out.
Filch, preoccupied with his ice cream, didn't notice at first. By the ti he realized, John had already seen the letter.
"Quick Spell Course?"
John stared at the envelope, and Filch's face shifted between shades of green and purple.
John wasn't feeling any particular disdain, just curious about why Filch, working in a magic school, would go out of his way to find a course like this.
"Give that back!" Filch suddenly snapped, angry.
He scread and yelled, driving John out of the office. Ever since Harry discovered last year that Filch was a Squib, Filch had beco a bit more self-destructive.
As a Squib, no one desired magic more than Filch.
"I can endure the darkness, as long as no beam of light shines into my world."
Seeing his siblings using magic had always been a deep tornt for Filch. He was even kicked out of his family ho, losing his place there.
Hogwarts took him in, and he desperately wanted to belong, but his inability to perform magic made him feel inferior. This also developed his habit of obsessively watching students for mistakes.
John was one of the few students Filch didn't completely despise, mostly because John never showed off magic in front of him. More importantly, Mrs. Norris liked John.
After being kicked out of the office, John had no choice but to head elsewhere.
Once again, John saw Tom trotting off happily.
"Don't go too far, be careful not to get caught by a Dentor," John warned, sounding like an overprotective father.
He figured Tom was just going to find Fang and wouldn't wander too far.
Indeed, distance erases all feelings over ti. Now, Tom didn't even seem to care about that big black dog anymore.
As long as Tom didn't encounter any Dentors outside, everything should be fine.
John headed to the library, casually handing Madam Pince a signed note from a professor along with two small boxes of ice cream.
Madam Pince glanced at the ice cream indifferently, then at John's handso face. She said coolly, "No food allowed in the library."
"I know, that's why it's for you," John grinned, looking both charming and elegant.
It had to be said that John's appearance was quite striking—reminiscent of a young Dark Lord, with the sa deceptive allure.
Madam Pince let out a soft hum through her nose, quickly glancing around before snatching the ice cream.
The ice cream had a spell on it, so it wouldn't lt even after three days.
Looking at the note, Madam Pince said dryly, "It's expired."
"What?"
John was taken aback, only to see Madam Pince pointing at the signature with a sneer. "Gilderoy Lockhart's na doesn't count."
At that mont, John suddenly rembered—his ti of unlimited influence was over.
For the second ti, he was kicked out, even though he had brought a gift.
John left feeling frustrated. It seed he'd have to return at night.
As John passed by the staff room, he overheard Professor Snape's mocking voice and Professor Lupin's calm, composed response.
"Lupin, it seems that Johnny Silverhand's appearance has made things easier for you," Snape sneered.
"Thank you for your concern, Sir Johnny Silverhand is indeed... quite the man," Lupin replied evenly.
Snape almost choked on his own words. Concern? He was clearly mocking Lupin—a werewolf who could hardly find a job!
Lupin, recalling Silverhand's ruthless thods, found it impossible to call him a "good man."
Seeing his forr enemy doing well made Snape more miserable than if Lupin had been killed. His face grew so dark it could practically drip water.
"Lupin, don't think I don't know why you're here," Snape hissed, stepping closer, his face almost touching Lupin's.
Gritting his teeth, he lowered his voice, "The mont that man escaped Azkaban, you show up at Hogwarts. Don't tell that's a coincidence!"
Lupin's eyes darkened, but he replied firmly, "It's just a coincidence, Severus."
"Don't call by my na!" Snape snapped coldly. "I'll be watching you. You've learned a lot from Johnny Silverhand, haven't you? That ruthless man—maybe he helped you rescue your 'good friend.'"
The way Snape spat out "good friend" was dripping with mockery, causing Lupin's eyes to redden with emotion.
"Enough, don't say any more... it was my mistake," Lupin's already pale face turned even whiter.
Snape forced words out through gritted teeth, "He was never a good person, neither then nor now. He once..."
An unpleasant mory resurfaced in Snape's mind, causing him to take a deep breath as the chill in his eyes grew sharper.
Lupin knew exactly what incident Snape was referring to—it was indeed Sirius Black's fault, and it was an outrageous mistake. If not for Jas Potter, Snape might not even be alive today.
Knowing that he was in the wrong, Lupin chose to remain silent.
Seeing this as a victory, Snape clicked his tongue in satisfaction, then turned away, walking off like a giant bat.
But as soon as he opened the door, he was t with John. Snape's triumphant expression instantly turned sour.
"Mr. Wick, I believe you know eavesdropping is inappropriate," Snape said coldly.
John replied sincerely, "Professor Snape, I actually ca to talk to you about sothing."
Snape stared at John's face for a mont before responding icily, "Sowhere else."
Following Snape out, John glanced back at Lupin.
Lupin smiled at him, appearing unfazed by the earlier argunt.
Once they reached Snape's office, John explained that he wanted to borrow books from the Restricted Section.
Snape, with his usual sarcastic tone, said coldly, "I don't think a third-year student is capable of handling books from the Restricted Section."
And then John was kicked out.
For the third ti!
John clenched his fists, feeling as if the whole world was against him today.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to leave.
Bah! It's just the Restricted Section—it's not like I haven't snuck in before. Who cares!
...
anwhile, Tom had obediently stayed nearby, just as John had told him.
Carrying her dog food, Tom ran all the way to the Whomping Willow.
Her short legs moved with an agility that didn't match his size, managing to avoid spilling even a bit of the dog food as she slipped into the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow.
It seed to validate what John often teased Malfoy about: "Even my dog behaves better than you."
Once inside the passageway, Tom trotted happily into the Shrieking Shack.
A large black dog was resting inside, its fur a little patchy in places. When it saw Tom approach, a look of joy crossed its face.
Tom set down the dog food and tore open the package.
The big black dog eagerly dug into the al, while Tom wagged her tail so furiously it looked like a helicopter rotor.
After finishing the al, the large black dog "talked" to Tom.
Tom occasionally nodded, as if she was responding.
...
Having been rejected three tis today, John decided to head to the Slytherin Chamber and focus on studying the Dentor.
Treating the Dentor like an experint, John opened the box.
As soon as the Dentor erged, John extended his wand, twisting it as if turning a key.
"Redi ad animam tuam," he muttered.
The Specter Charm activated. The Dentor, which had just crawled out, suddenly froze, and beneath its tattered, ragged body, sothing seed to stir as if it were about to erge.
"Redi ad animam tuam!!"
John pushed harder.
The Dentor let out a high-pitched scream.
The piercing sound was almost unbearable for John, and with a flick of his wand, he shoved the Dentor back into the box.
"The Dentor's body and soul are tightly bound. To pull the soul out, you'd have to tear it apart forcefully," John mused, recalling the sensation from earlier. It was as if the soul was glued together with powerful adhesive.
His expression remained calm. Since that was the case, he decided to try again.
Releasing the Dentor once more, John plugged his ears this ti and cast the Specter Charm again.
The Dentor's body was gradually being torn apart by an unseen force, and just as John was about to succeed, his hand trembled. The Dentor stopped screaming, and its body dissolved into thick smoke and vanished.
"Dead?"
John stared at the spot where the Dentor had disappeared, rubbing his temples, which ached from the piercing noise. He hadn't expected to accidentally kill it, aning he'd have to capture another one.
"A soul-like entity, but it seems more like it's pieced together," he noted.
With no one else around, John pulled out so parchnt and jotted down his observations, realizing he'd need to catch another Dentor for further experints.
The Boggart in the nearby chest had also gone still, as if sensing the terrifying events that had just unfolded outside.
After all, a Boggart is naturally timid, only taking on scary forms to frighten others.
Carrying the chest, John repeated his process, heading outside the castle to capture another Dentor for his experints.
So ti later, the Ministry of Magic noticed that a few Dentors had gone missing.
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