Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

0217 Teach Me

Harry understood the implication of Professor Watson's words. His broom looked as if it had been repaired, but it was still severely damaged inside. The magic that held it together was fragile and unstable. He could keep it as a souvenir, but it was useless for Quidditch matches. Unless he wanted to risk his life, of course, by flying on a broom that could fall apart at any moment. 

"Thank you, Professor. This is good enough." Harry took his retired Nimbus 2000 and muttered, trying to hide his disappointment. He felt a surge of nostalgia as he held the broom that had accompanied him through many thrilling games and adventures.

Lupin looked at Harry's face, which reminded him so much of James. He felt a pang of sadness and sympathy for the boy who had lost so much. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he remembered his empty wallet and said nothing. 

"Um–" Bryan hesitated for a moment, then walked to the suitcase beside the camp bed. He opened it and rummaged for a while. Harry watched him with curiosity as he pulled out a flying broom. It was wrapped in a cloth that looked like it had been torn from a curtain. 

Harry recognized it as a Cleansweep Seven right away. He was a Quidditch expert, after all. But this broom looked like it had been through hell and back. The handle was rough and uneven, and part of the tail was charred, as if it had been burned by fire. There were also scratches and dents all over the broom, as if it had been hit by various objects. 

"Anyway," Bryan handed his broom to Harry, who was stunned. "You lost your beloved broom because of the Dementors, and I feel partly responsible for that. You can use mine for a while, until you get a new one. I modified this Cleansweep Seven a bit. It can start at a hundred miles in less than nine seconds, and it has great endurance. It can cruise at top speed for more than an hour. Of course, to achieve these two things, I had to sacrifice the broom's flexibility at high speed. That means it may not be able to perform very precise maneuvers." 

Harry was pleasantly surprised. He didn't expect to get a broom to deal with the situation tonight. He looked sadly at the Nimbus that would never fly on the field again, and then glanced at Professor Watson's broom. 

Before the Nimbus series came out, the Cleansweep series was the star of the Quidditch world. Most of the Gryffindor team used either Nimbus or Comet 260. This broom would not let Gryffindor down in the match. 

Harry felt a surge of gratitude towards Bryan, who had lent him his broom without hesitation. But Professor Watson didn't seem to care much about his flying broom. This broom looked like it had never been maintained. The handle was dusty and sticky, and the bristles were tangled and frayed. If Wood saw anyone in his team treating their partner so roughly, he would surely yell at them and hang them on the goalpost. 

"Those Dementors–why, Professor," Harry looked up suddenly, as he was rubbing the broom handle with his hand. He was torn between Professor Lupin and Professor Watson, but he decided to ask Professor Watson, who was sitting behind the desk with his legs crossed. 

"Why do they affect me so much? Before, on the train, and now it's the same. Could it be that–" 

"It's not because you're weak, Harry." Lupin's heart clenched, and he answered for him. 

"The Dementors affect you more because you have fears in your past that others don't." He spoke gently, but firmly, as he explained the Dementors to Harry, and how they fed on people's happiness and memories. Lupin explained the Dementors to Harry, and while he did that, Bryan's eyes fell on Harry's forehead again, on the famous lightning scar that was hidden by a strand of hair.

To be honest, Bryan didn't care much about Harry's scar before talking to Dumbledore. He thought it was just a mark left by Voldemort's curse, a symbol of Harry's survival and fame. Who would have thought that this scar contained a piece of Voldemort's soul. A Horcrux. 

This was the third Horcrux he had come across. 

He had destroyed the diadem with Fiendfyre, and he had taken apart the one that might have been Voldemort's first and imperfect Horcrux. He extracted some key emotions from it for the things he might have to do in the future. 

As for Harry, Bryan didn't know Dumbledore's plan very well, but he had a feeling that Dumbledore would find a way to make Voldemort destroy this Horcrux, that he might not even know about it himself. 

Bryan sighed inwardly. 

When he first discovered that he had reincarnated into the Wizarding world and entered Hogwarts, Bryan never considered defeating the Dark Lord as his life goal or something he had to do. But now, due to various coincidences, he seemed to be destined to fight Voldemort to the end. 

He looked at Harry's childish face and suddenly realized a problem. Bryan didn't know how Dumbledore planned to make Harry defeat Voldemort in the original book. He guessed that he either personally helped or persuaded Harry to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes one by one, and finally, let Voldemort destroy the part of his own soul in Harry. It must have been a very dangerous plan that required careful execution at every step. But with his own position, Dumbledore didn't need to take such a risk. 

Bryan had advantages that Voldemort couldn't match in terms of age and potential. He was young and talented, and he had learned a lot of magic from different sources. As long as all the Horcruxes were destroyed, Bryan and Dumbledore could join forces and even send Voldemort to Nurmengard to be Grindelwald's cellmate. 

They could end the Dark Lord's reign of terror once and for all. Dumbledore obviously had this idea too, otherwise, he wouldn't have told him that Harry was a Horcrux. But the future might not be as bright as he imagined. 

"About this, Harry, I'm not an expert. You can consult Professor Watson–" Bryan, who was thinking about the possible war in the future, heard Remus say his name and snapped out of his thoughts. He saw that Harry and Remus were both looking at him, and he quickly figured out what he had missed. 

"You want to learn the Patronus Charm?" Bryan raised his eyebrows and asked, not surprised. He knew that Harry had encountered the Dementors twice, and he understood his desire to fight back.

"Can you teach me, Professor?" Harry's eyes sparkled, and he said firmly, "I want to be stronger in front of the Dementors."

"You should teach him, Remus–" Bryan said to Lupin after some consideration. "My Patronus, as you know, has some problems. Using the Patronus Charm frequently might make them worse. I want to avoid it as much as possible until I sort out the situation–of course, I'm happy to help with the teaching process if I can." 

"Let's do that." Lupin was not an indecisive person. He agreed to Harry's request immediately. As James's best friend, he felt that he had a duty to help James's son overcome the influence of the Dementors. 

"But you'll have to wait a bit, Harry–" Lupin looked at Harry, who was excited, and said sadly. "I have a lot of work piled up because of this illness." 

He gestured to his pale and gaunt face. He had just recovered from a full moon, and he was still weak and exhausted. He needed some time to rest and prepare for the next one. 

The two purposes of today's visit were partly fulfilled. Harry had learned more about the Dementors and the Patronus Charm, and he had received a broom from Bryan. 

He left in a much better mood. He thanked Bryan and Lupin for their help and generosity, and he promised to visit them again soon. 

"The Patronus Charm is not a magic that a young wizard can easily master. Do you think Harry can do it?" 

Standing at the door, watching Harry leave, Remus, who was also ready to go, said doubtfully. He knew that the Patronus Charm was a complex and advanced spell, and that it required a powerful and positive emotion to cast.

"I don't think it's a problem. The key to learning this spell is to have a strong will. Harry is no less than a graduated adult wizard in that respect. And-" Bryan said casually, and then suddenly thought of something and laughed mysteriously. He said something that baffled Remus.

"Where is there a protagonist who doesn't cheat?" 

He winked at Remus and closed the door.

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