"P-Peter, sir, I think I must have misheard just now. Were you calling for me?"
Harry swallowed hard, his voice becoming stuttered and nervous as he asked.
Lupin smiled at him but didn't press further. He simply said softly, "Perhaps you didn't mishear. I was indeed calling for you… aren't you called Dudley?"
Harry didn't let his guard down. He was certain he hadn't misheard earlier.
'The man in front of me was clearly calling me 'Harry'!'
Logically speaking, aside from Dumbledore and Severus, no one should know his real name.
But under these circumstances, Harry couldn't outright insist that this man, who the other werewolves referred to as 'Remus Peter', had just called him by his real name, 'Harry'.
He could only suppress the unease and suspicion within him, forcing himself to continue eating breakfast while secretly observing this 'Mr. Peter'.
After receiving the apple jam, the werewolf acted as though he had genuinely called him 'Dudley' rather than 'Harry', returning to his usual demeanor and chatting with the children who had begun to trust him about what lunch might entail.
There didn't seem to be anything unusual about his behavior.
This made Harry doubt himself again.
'Could it be that I really heard it wrong?'
However, Lupin's true emotions were far from as calm and relaxed as he appeared on the surface.
The moment he tentatively called out 'Harry' and the boy, who went by the alias 'Dudley', naturally responded by passing him the apple jam, Lupin was certain.
'This is James and Lily's son!'
This discovery almost drove him crazy.
Lupin couldn't fathom why Harry Potter was here!
'What was Professor Dumbledore doing, allowing him to be captured by a pack of werewolves ?!'
The emotional turmoil was so overwhelming that Lupin could barely control his breathing. If Harry had observed more closely, he would have noticed that despite 'Mr. Peter's' cheerful demeanor, the panic in his eyes and his increasingly rapid breaths were impossible to hide.
Breakfast soon ended.
Of course, the werewolves would not give the children any free time. They were confined to the cave's campsite, with Lupin occasionally telling them fairy tales like [Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump].
Even so, aside from Lupin, other werewolves were always watching. Even when Lupin had a moment alone with the children, it never lasted more than two or three minutes. Fresh chapters posted on novel·fiɾe·net
This situation didn't change until nearly noon.
Something seemed to have happened outside the cave, drawing Greyback and the others' attention. Many werewolves followed him out, leaving the cave's security lax. Finally, Lupin had a chance to speak to Harry alone!
Seizing a brief moment when no one was watching, Lupin suddenly covered Harry's mouth and pulled him behind a large rock deep in the cave.
At that moment, Harry's heart sank!
Harry, who had already suspicious that this werewolf had recognized him, was filled with despair… until Lupin leaned close to his ear and whispered urgently, "Harry Potter! James and Lily's son, I know it's you!"
Hearing his parents' names from Lupin's lips, Harry's pupils visibly contracted.
He looked up at Lupin's face in shock.
Yesterday, when he went to Nottingham with Severus, he knew he and his teacher were tracking a pack of werewolves, but he didn't know that there was an undercover agent from the Ministry among the werewolves!
"Who… who are you?!" Harry asked incredulously after Lupin removed his hand from his mouth.
"I was your father's best friend." Lupin looked at Harry in the eye and said seriously, "He and I were classmates in the same house at Hogwarts… We were practically inseparable!"
His words didn't immediately convince Harry. Instead, Harry took a few steps back, his gaze locked onto Lupin.
"You're lying! You're obviously… obviously a werewolf!"
Lupin fell silent for a few seconds, then a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Yes, I am a werewolf… the only werewolf who ever attended Hogwarts. The reason your father and the others became my best friends was precisely because they didn't care about my condition. They even went to great lengths to keep me company during the full moon, trying everything they could!"
He didn't avoid Harry's gaze but instead met the boy's eyes directly.
Harry could see the sincerity in his expression, but without concrete proof, he still couldn't bring himself to fully believe Lupin's words!
Lupin also noticed Harry's skepticism.
Unable to provide further evidence on the spot, he had no choice but to take a step back.
"You can doubt my relationship with your father, but here, you can see for yourself… those children trust me because, a week ago, I saved them."
"The reason the other werewolves abuse me and took away my wand is because I protected these children, ensuring they weren't harmed."
"Doesn't that at least prove I'm different from the other werewolves?"
As he spoke these words, Lupin's tone carried a trace of pleading, almost desperate.
Just as Harry hesitated to trust him because of his werewolf identity, Lupin loathed himself for being a cursed, damned werewolf!
And Harry did believe this much.
After spending the morning with the other children, he and Hermione had learned from them what had happened before. They understood that Lupin was different from the other werewolves in these children's eyes.
"I can trust you on that."
After finally getting a positive answer from Harry, Lupin's face broke into a genuine smile.
He patted Harry on the shoulder.
"You look almost exactly like your father when he was young. But where's your scar? And your eyes… didn't you inherit your mother's green ones?"
His words further confirmed that, at the very least, he had seen Harry when he was very young.
Hearing this, Harry explained, "It was my teacher who helped me disguise myself when he took me out of Aunt Petunia's house. He told me my real identity couldn't be known, so I've been going by Dudley Dursley."
Lupin immediately picked up on the word 'teacher'.
"Who? Who took you from your aunt's house?"
Harry hesitated for a moment but quickly realized that since this 'Mr. Peter' had already discovered his true identity, he would eventually find out who his teacher was… whether from newspapers or other sources.
So he didn't hide it.
"My teacher is Severus Snape."
After hearing this answer, the air went still.
Lupin was obviously stunned. He looked at Harry in extreme shock. His hands instinctively tightened on Harry's shoulders.
"Who did you say your teacher is?!"
"Severus Snape. Potions professor at Hogwarts, Head of Slytherin House."