Chapter 223 Harry: The Truth Is So Cruel

Sebastian raised an eyebrow subtly at Harry's request.

Among the four thieves, only Lupin gets along well with me because he is reasonable.

The relationship between James, Sirius and himself was extremely bad.

Sebastian was too lazy to seek justice for Sirius.

He sat quietly aside, waiting for others to ask Harry questions.

Hagrid's breathing became heavy, and his thick shoulders rose and fell with every breath, as if he was trying hard to control his emotions.

Finally, he took a deep breath and said sullenly: "That is a shameful betrayer, there is nothing to say."

traitor?

Harry's heart sank.

Who betrayed?

If it has something to do with me, does that mean he is betraying his own parents?

His breathing became rapid and he turned to look at Lupin, hoping he could explain it in more detail.

Lupin remained silent, his eyes staring at the ground, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was lost in distant memories.

His fingers gently stroked the teacup, trying to calm his inner turmoil through this action.

"Can you tell me what he did, Professor Lupin?" Harry's voice trembled slightly.

Finally, Lupin raised his head. His expression was complicated and his eyes were full of pain and struggle.

Originally, he didn't want to tell Harry the cruel truth, but when he saw Harry's eyes, his heart ached and he completely softened.

Never mind, just tell Harry.

In any case, he has the right to know the truth of that year.

"Harry," Lupin's voice was low and hoarse, as if he chewed every word for a long time before speaking it out, "If it is possible, I really don't want to mention this person to you."

"Sirius was originally..."

"Remus!" Mia said hastily, interrupting what Lupin was about to say, "Today is Harry's birthday!"

"Aunt Mia," Harry begged, "please ask Professor Lupin to tell me."

"Just treat this as my birthday present, okay?"

Hagrid's anger, Lupin's hesitation and Mia's obstruction made Harry's heart feel like it was being bitten by thousands of ants.

His mind was in turmoil and he couldn't calm down at all.

He felt that if he didn't find out the truth, he would go crazy.

Seeing Harry's painful expression, Mia's heart softened. She opened her mouth and tried to say something.

But she finally chose to remain silent, just came to Harry and held his hand.

"Mia," Lupin looked at Mia and gently dissuaded her, "if we don't tell Harry."

"He will definitely try to piece together what happened back then by himself."

"Instead of doing this, why don't we tell him exactly what happened back then?"

Lupin took a deep breath and turned to face Harry. His eyes were deep and filled with an unspeakable sadness.

"Harry, I know you want to know the truth," he said in a heavy voice, "We didn't tell you because we didn't want you to get hurt."

"But I think I understand that some truths cannot be avoided, especially when you are already at the center of the vortex."

Lupin paused, as if he had organized his next words.

"Sirius Black was once your father's closest friend. They were brothers, not blood brothers, but the bond between them was deeper than that between brothers."

"He, James, and Peter, the four of us..." A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "The four of us were once the closest companions in Hogwarts."

Best friend?!

Just like me and Ron?

Hearing this answer, Harry's pupils shrank sharply.

Sure enough, this guy betrayed his parents.

A complex emotion surged in his heart, including curiosity and a hint of fear.

His body was tense and he leaned forward slightly, listening intently to Lupin's words, afraid of missing a single word.

Lupin continued, "At that time, the Dark Lord's power grew stronger and the shadow of war loomed over the wizarding world. Many people trembled under the Dark Mark. Betrayal and frame-up became the norm in war."

"For some reason, your parents, James and Lily, were chosen and became the Dark Lord's main target."

"You were born not long ago, and for safety reasons, your parents decided to use the Fidelius Charm to hide your home."

"It is a very powerful magic that can keep the secret forever in the soul of the secret-keeper."

"As long as the keeper doesn't leak the secret, no one will know where your home is, even if that person is the mysterious man."

Secret keeper?

Leak?

Harry's heartbeat was speeding up, and he could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat. Although he had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, he still found it hard to believe what he was about to hear.

"James chose his most trusted friend, Sirius Black, as the secret keeper." Lupin's voice became lower and lower, and every word was as heavy as a mountain, pressing on Harry's heart.

"You mean..." Harry felt his head buzzing and his thoughts were in a mess.

He tried to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.

Lupin's voice was filled with pain: "Yes, Harry. Sirius, he betrayed your parents... He revealed your parents' hiding place to You-Know-Who."

Is that really the case...

Harry felt as if the whole world had come to a standstill.

He couldn't believe it, and even didn't want to believe the fact he had just heard.

He once thought that his parents were found and killed by Voldemort.

But the truth was so cruel. Who could have imagined that it was their closest friends who betrayed them and pushed them into the abyss with their own hands.

"But why?" Harry's voice was trembling, full of anger and grief. "Why did he do that?"

"We don't know why, Harry. No one can understand his motives for betrayal." Lupin closed his eyes, as if suppressing the pain in his heart.

"Perhaps it was fear, or perhaps it was Voldemort's temptation...but whatever the reason, the result is the same."

"Your parents were killed by Voldemort, and Sirius, after killing Peter, was captured by the Aurors and imprisoned in Azkaban."

"And now that he has escaped from Azkaban, he may be coming for you."

Hagrid could no longer suppress his anger, he stood up and growled with his fists clenched, "If I catch him, I'll break all his bones."

"That bastard is not worthy of being your godfather, Harry!"

As soon as the words came out, everyone stared at him, as if blaming Hagrid for telling the news.

Hagrid realized that he had said something wrong, so he covered his mouth and sat back on the sofa in annoyance.

Harry felt like he was standing on a glacier. There was no temperature around him, which made his hands and feet cold.

"Godfather?" he repeated in a low voice. "That man is my godfather?"

"hehe--"

He wanted to stand up and scream hysterically, but waves of powerlessness filled his whole body.

He stood up and staggered towards his room under everyone's worried gaze.

"I'm too tired, I'm going back to sleep first..."

Harry was undoubtedly suffering from insomnia.

He lay on the bed with tears streaming down his face, his parents' faces, Voldemort's hideous smile, and Sirius's hideous appearance on the wanted poster constantly flashing through his mind.

Sirius Black.

I must catch you and make you apologize to my parents!

The next morning, just after daybreak, Harry dressed and came to the small dueling arena at Swann Manor.

He practiced all the attack spells desperately, and refused to take a break even when he was exhausted and sweating profusely.

There was only one thing on his mind, which was to improve his own strength and then take revenge with his own hands.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Harry saw Sebastian walking towards the gate of the manor, then opened the door and welcomed in a short and fat man.

He heard Sebastian's voice coming from afar.

"What brings you here, Minister Fudge?"

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