339 0338 Change of Plans

"Good evening, Professor Watson—"

Bryan drifted through the hushed corridors wandering past one curved window after another, his mind consumed by these weighty ponderings. Suddenly, a youthful yet strangely ethereal and carefree voice greeted him.

"Good evening, Miss Lovegood—"

Bryan responded reflexively, his tone distant and absentminded as he remained immersed in the currents of his contemplation, continuing his unhurried stride forward.

However, after a few more steps, Bryan's footsteps halted abruptly as realization dawned upon him. Turning his head, he fixed his gaze upon the young witch by the window, her wand tucked whimsically behind her ear as she stared intently towards the night sky, an expression of peculiar serenity gracing her delicate features.

Interesting—

For a wizard like Bryan, the act of concealing his presence and obscuring his tracks had become almost instinctual. As he had passed behind this young witch mere moments ago, he had not emitted so much as a whisper of sound to display his passage. Then how had this girl, who hadn't even turned her head, noticed him?

He did not intend to mask his interest in this peculiar development. Retracing his steps, Bryan approached the young witch and addressed her in a tone imbued with gentle inquisitiveness,

"How did you detect my presence as I passed behind you, Miss Lovegood?"

"The Wrackspurts told me, Professor Watson."

It was not until Luna turned to face him that Bryan's gaze was drawn to the whimsical necklace around her neck, a strand formed from a varied array of butter beer bottle caps threaded together.

"What?" Bryan frowned slightly.

"Wrackspurts," Luna explained, her tone one of calm matter-of-factness. "They always flutter around my ears. When you approached just now, they all flew away. I guess they're very afraid of you—"

Extending his magical senses outwards, Bryan meticulously scanned their surroundings, yet he could discern no presence of any magical creatures capable of concealing themselves so skillfully.

Had it not been for the earnest, luminous gleam that shone within Luna's silvery eyes, Bryan might have assumed this peculiar young witch was playing tricks on him with fanciful fabrications – 'Wrackspurts?'

Looking at the young witch before him, radiating ethereal quirkiness, Bryan's brow twitched, and his eyes shone with intrigue,

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, Miss Lovegood, you are a second-year student in Ravenclaw House, are you not?"

After receiving her affirmative response, Bryan nodded thoughtfully.

"You see, Miss Lovegood. I'm planning to launch a unique teaching program for third and fourth-year students soon. I believe you have an extraordinary talent. Would you be interested in participating?"

After returning to the office, Bryan was still thinking about the Ravenclaw Witch named Luna Lovegood he had encountered outside.

Weighing factors such as safety, innate magical aptitude, and the time constraints, Bryan had made the thoughtful decision to initially select the third and fourth-year students to participate in his new course. However, Luna's appearance reminded him that there were also many gifted children among the students in other grades, and he should give them opportunities to grow as well.

Bryan had previously taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, so aside from the first-years who had just entered Hogwarts, he was quite familiar with the children studying at the school.

For two full hours, Bryan sat in his seat, his brow furrowed in contemplation as the steady, golden candlelight cast a warm, inviting glow upon his pensive face. At sporadic intervals, his quill would be across the parchment laid before him, adding yet another name upon its surface. By the time the full moon had ascended to its zenith in the velvety expanse of the night sky, the parchment was filled with the list of names.

Yet, Bryan's labors were far from complete. His new course also required teaching materials, and Bryan did not intend to use any existing magic books as textbooks. He decided to compile a new textbook himself, along with a corresponding teaching plan. That way, if he ever left Hogwarts, this course could still continue.

Knock, knock, knock--

Bryan, deep in his thoughts, was startled by the sudden knocking at the door. He looked up, sensed who the visitors were through the door panel, and smiled wryly.

"Come in, you three--"

There were quite a few young wizards daring enough to wander the castle outside designated hours, but not many had the courage to knock on his office door. As expected, it was the Gryffindor trio.

Knocking upon Professor Watson's office door in the dead of night was an act that carried no small psychological burden for Harry and his two companions. Nevertheless, upon crossing the threshold, their unease swiftly dissipated, replaced by an overwhelming sense of bewilderment. Their gazes were immediately drawn to the wall to the right of the door, shrouded by an immense, inky black curtain, rendering them momentarily at a loss of words.

"Wondering where those monitoring images went?"

Bryan stuffed the parchment in front of him into a drawer, stood up and stretched his stiff limbs under the stable and bright candlelight. Seeing the puzzled expressions on the three children's faces, a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

Professor Watson's office was probably the most simply furnished among all the professors. However, anyone who entered this office would not forget to pay attention to the wall that was constantly covered by a huge black curtain. Harry, Ron and Hermione knew this was Professor Watson's method of monitoring the school, but for the vast majority of young wizards, it was a secret.

With a curl of his wand, Bryan crossed the room towards the confines of the sofa, conjuring three steaming cups of warm milk to materialize upon the coffee table's polished surface. "To avoid ruining your sleep for the rest of the night, I won't offer you tea. Have some warm milk instead. I reckon you wouldn't want to miss Professor Black's Defense Against the Dark Arts class due to illness--"

"Actually, we think it wouldn't be bad if you taught it either," Harry interjected with a grin, his emerald eyes sparkling with mischief.

At Professor Watson's direction, the trio settled upon the plush cushions of the sofa. Yet, Ron found his attention drawn to the now innocent-seeming wall, his gaze darting furtively towards the previous location of the miraculous monitoring apparatus, seeming to want to say something but hesitated to speak.

"Using that method to monitor the school is illegal; it was only a special response measure in emergency situations. After Sirius was proven innocent, Headmaster Dumbledore immediately reminded me to dismantle it in a timely manner. So, you probably won't see it in this office anymore," Bryan explained, his lips curving into a reassuring smile

"Oh--" Ron's shoulders rose and fell in a nonchalant shrug, though his eyes betrayed a glimmer of disappointment. "Fred and George will be disappointed. They've always been very interested in this."

Bryan was well aware of the Weasley twins's fascination with the resourceful monitoring system. They had even been privately studying the enchantments involved in it. Although they lacked the ability to produce the original for now, they had ingeniously researched and created similar alchemical devices, which Bryan had seen in Filch's office.

Before the formal topic began, there was always some casual conversation. Harry and his two friends asked Bryan about the Ministry of Magic's progress in investigating the murder of Peter Pettigrew. Of course, Bryan could not honestly tell the three children that he had hired someone to kill Peter.

"Um--" After a moment's contemplation, Bryan spoke in a measured tone, "The Ministry has not yet achieved any satisfactory results, but from what I know, they suspect an insider was involved in this murder."

"An insider?!" This revelation provoked a collective gasp of shock from the trio of children. However, Hermione's keen intellect swiftly processed the implications of Bryan's words.

"The Daily Prophet reported that Peter Pettigrew died on the way to Azkaban. That means there must have been an insider providing information--" she reasoned, her brow furrowed in worry.

"Oh!" Ron exclaimed, his features twisted in an expression of disgust. "Dad always tells me the Ministry can't keep any news secret, like a sieve. But I really didn't expect them to drop the ball on something like this too. Though, to be honest, he got what he deserved, didn't he?"

Keeping a criminal transfigured into a rat as a pet for years was definitely something Ron never wanted to reminisce about in his life.

As for Harry, his sentiments regarding Peter's fate were decidedly more complex. This guy not only caused Harry to become an orphan but also condemned the innocent Sirius to years of undeserved suffering. In terms of his crimes, his fate completely matched his actions. However, would Harry's father also want to see Peter meet such a miserable end?

As Harry wrestled with this ethical dilemma, another series of resounding knocks reverberated through the office door, shattering the contemplative silence.

The sudden, intrusive sound set the three children on edge, their bodies tensing in anxiety.

Aside from themselves, the only individuals likely to seek an audience with Professor Watson at such a late hour would be fellow members of the faculty. If it was Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore..., Harry and Hermione would find themselves in a precarious predicament, as they were currently still serving out the terms of their detention for the audacious act of following the professors against explicit instructions.

"Don't worry--" Bryan said with an amused look at the startled trio. "It's Professor Black. I suppose he's retained some bad habits from his student days and still likes roaming around in the castle in the middle of the night."

"Sorry to disturb you so late, Bryan--" After a series of events, Sirius had become more polite than before. He knew it was rude to barge into someone's office this late at night. After entering, he immediately expressed his apology,

"I was just going over those materials Remus left for me in the office, about the course progress for each year's students and such. Classes start tomorrow, so I had to go through all that tonight."

"Well, if that's the case--" Bryan's gaze flickered towards the birdcage Sirius clutched in his grasp, one eyebrow arching quizzically. "Why didn't you just quietly review the materials in your own office instead of bringing a birdcage here in the middle of the night?"

Sirius was about to offer an explanation, but the words died upon his lips as his eyes landed upon the three ill-at-ease young wizards standing near the sofa. He froze for a moment, before the corners of his mouth curved upwards in a friendly smile.

"Oh, you three--what are you doing in Bryan's office? Don't tell me..."

Sirius's gaze lingered upon his godson, a conspiratorial gleam shining in his pale gray eyes as he blinked owlishly. Reaching out, he gave Harry's shoulder a gentle, reassuring pat. "You were on some adventure and got caught by Filch, who sent you here?"

"You should have more faith in your godson's night wandering skills, Sirius," Bryan interjected, his tone laced with wry amusement.

With the sofa now fully occupied, Bryan was had to return to his seat behind the oak desk that served as the centerpiece of his office.

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Author's Note: 

Hey everyone,

Just a quick heads up – I'm under the weather with a cough and headache, so I'll need to skip tomorrow's chapter update. I'll get the next chapter to you the day after tomorrow. Thanks for sticking with me!

Take care.