372 Chapter 372: Lunatic (Edited)

After returning to the castle, Sirius found an empty classroom and took out the Marauder's Map from his pocket. After a quick glance, he confirmed that Lupin, Peter, and the others were in the Great Hall after lunch, so he headed straight for Lupin's office, waiting for his old friend's return.

Lupin swallowed the last bite of pudding and, satisfied, burped. One advantage of teaching at Hogwarts was the excellent food. They not only offered unlimited buffet-style meals, but the quality was so good that it didn't seem like a British wizarding school at all. If you didn't like any of the menu options, you could order something in the dining hall; even the Hogwarts house-elves could prepare French dishes!

These delicious and nutritious foods quickly compensated for the lack of nutrition in Lupin's body and improved his health. It was immediately noticeable: his face no longer had that deathly pallor but a healthy flush. It would only worsen a bit after the full moon transformation, but he would recover in a few days.

Regarding this monthly torture, Lupin felt like he was the man who could best understand the pain of women...

"I'll head back first." Lupin smiled amiably at McGonagall, who was beside him.

"Are you finished already? There are still other desserts!" McGonagall brought him a cup of trifle. "Would you like some more?"

Trifle is a traditional British dessert with a long history. Leaving aside the lack of imagination in British cuisine's main courses, when it comes to desserts, the British really know how to make them delicious. Trifle is one of the representatives of British desserts. It is served in individual cups, with distinct layers of jelly, cream, and fruit, seasoned with liquor or ginger ale between each layer.

On a Saturday afternoon, enjoying trifle while relaxing is a rare pleasure. Lupin also found it hard to resist this temptation.

Imagine it: snow falling outside, a roaring fireplace in the room. You're sitting in a comfortable chair in your office, looking out the window with a dessert in hand. You don't need to do anything, you have no worries. You've graduated, those damn final exams and thesis defenses are a thing of the past, your grades and group projects no longer haunt you. What's even more wonderful is that you've found a stable job, and you only need to enjoy the good times...

Wonderful!

If it were someone else, perhaps some extravagant ideas would arise, and they would write an excellent novel, or they would turn on the computer and dive into a new map or game abyss, playing with new characters or being played by the new characters they acquired...

But Lupin was different; he just wanted to take a good nap in his chair.

With a trifle in one hand, Lupin opened the door to his office but nearly dropped the dessert upon seeing someone he thought he would never see again.

"Sirius... Black." Lupin looked at the man in front of him with an extremely complex expression in his eyes.

So many years had passed, and he was no longer the energetic and handsome man. He had acquired a kind of maturity.

If it weren't for their close relationship, Lupin would have found it difficult to relate the man who seemed like a madman to the attractive Sirius Black of the past.

"I was wondering whether I should take you to Professor Dumbledore's office," Lupin said, drawing his wand from his robes and pointing it vaguely at Sirius. "Don't move; I know you're quite skilled with spells, so I won't give you any chances."

"We used to be good friends, but... Black, I am now the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. My duty is to protect the safety of Hogwarts, and you, Sirius Black, are a threat to the peace of this place."

"I understand," Sirius was now very calm. He slowly extended his arms over his head. "Moony, I hope you take a look at the Marauder's Map on your desk first before deciding whether to take me to Professor Dumbledore's office or not."

Upon hearing the words "Marauder's Map," a lively expression crossed Lupin's face. This nickname brought back memories of the past. At the same time, a fleeting surprise passed through his mind: how come the Marauder's Map, which was confiscated years ago, is in Sirius's hands? Perhaps their friendship bond from back then still existed, so Lupin decided to grant Sirius a little more trust.

"Oh... how many years have passed, this nickname is a bit strange..." Lupin said as he held his wand and walked toward his desk. Sirius also had the good sense to keep a safe distance from Lupin.

Lupin approached his desk and looked at the map, feeling somewhat nostalgic. But his eyes suddenly froze, fixated on one point.

[Peter Pettigrew]

Lupin instinctively thought he had made a mistake, but after a closer look, he confirmed that it was his friend's name.

A coincidence of names? Or a ghost?

He was trying to find a logical explanation but quickly dismissed these two possibilities. If it were a ghost, he had been teaching at Hogwarts for over three months; how was it possible that he had never seen his friend turned into a ghost? After all, he wasn't a hermit; he had roamed Hogwarts looking for teaching materials.

As for the second option, it was even more absurd. Who would name themselves Peter Pettigrew, like the little man? He had never seen that name in the student registry.

So, there was only one answer: his friend, who was supposed to be torn to pieces, was still alive.

"Incredible," Lupin silently stared at the map for a long time and finally uttered that word.

"Has anyone else seen this map?" Lupin looked at Sirius. Unconsciously, his wand was no longer pointed at Sirius but hung by his side.

"Even if someone else uses it, they won't be able to uncover the secrets within it. As you know, when we created it, we set it so that only the four of us and our direct descendants could see our names on the map. Of course, now that you're a professor, it's visible to everyone," Sirius shrugged.

Lupin fell silent.

When the Marauders created the Marauder's Map, there was a dispute about whether their names should appear on the map. Peter and Lupin didn't want their names to show, and Lupin gave a very convincing reason: if someone got hold of the map and figured out how to use it, our secrets could be exposed.

That argument was persuasive, so the four founders left an ace up their sleeves on the map: their names were hidden on the map, only the four of them had the highest level of access and could see all the information on the map.