Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [154]

Sirius’s impulsive announcement reminded Kathoom of a famous line Hermione once said:

“Many great wizards have no logical reasoning skills at all. They’ll just stay stuck here forever.”

She had said it during their first year, while solving Snape’s potion riddle behind the trapdoor.

It was a brutally accurate critique of the wizarding world.

Kathoom glanced around the long table. Among the nine people present, only Hermione and Snape seemed capable of logical reasoning.

Cedric might count as half a contender.

This Werewolf Banquet was unlikely to play out as smoothly as Kathoom had initially hoped.

Strictly speaking, though, Werewolf wasn’t a game of pure logic—it was a game of alliances.

Victory often hinged on who could sway the group with their words and actions. Logic was merely a tool, not a guarantee.

With each participant holding a limited perspective, even slight differences in information could lead to vastly different conclusions.

Adding to the difficulty, there was an entire month between banquets. That was plenty of time to manipulate or brainwash weaker-willed participants.

Looking at you, Neville.

Kathoom could already envision a bleak future.

At that moment, Snape scoffed audibly, mocking Sirius’s grandstanding.

“You truly are as brainless as ever,” Snape said, his tone dripping with contempt. “What exactly did you hope to achieve by revealing that information now?”

“Openness and honesty, Severus,” Sirius replied with ease. “Or does that mess with your plans to start killing people?”

He then turned to the others at the table.

“Kids, you heard me, didn’t you? If you’ve been blessed by a guardian, just stand up and say so! There’s nothing to be afraid of!”

But none of the young witches and wizards responded.

They glanced at one another, hesitant, unwilling to speak up.

“Sirius… sir,” Cedric finally broke the silence, speaking with measured caution. “Have you considered something very important?”

“What?” Sirius asked.

“Those blessed by guardians… are more likely to die first.”

Cedric hesitated but pressed on. “Revealing themselves would be akin to volunteering for sacrifice.”

The grim reality was unavoidable.

Victory for the group didn’t equate to survival for individuals. Those who died wouldn’t be coming back.

“That’s precisely my point!” Sirius exclaimed. “We can’t just sit here and watch the school descend into chaos!”

“Save your heroics, Sirius,” Snape cut in. “These are children, not war veterans like you. Forcing them to stand up and sacrifice themselves is utterly unreasonable.”

Snape’s words struck a chord with Sirius.

He couldn’t impose his standards on everyone else.

“Then what do we do?” Sirius asked bitterly. “Sit back and let the werewolves slaughter us one by one?”

“Does it have to come to that?”

A small voice broke in—it was Harry.

All eyes turned toward him, and he swallowed nervously before forcing himself to speak.

“I mean… the people here are all people I know well. Well, except you and Peter—”

He glanced at Sirius apologetically.

Harry really didn’t know him all that well.

“—but I just can’t believe anyone here would suddenly start killing.”

“You’re too trusting, kid,” Sirius said with a sad smile. “That’s a wonderful quality, but let me tell you something: even the best of friends can betray you.”

He pointed to Pettigrew, still crouched at the table’s edge.

“Take him, for example. He was one of your father’s best friends. Someone we all trusted.”

“And what did he do? He betrayed your parents and got them killed!”

“Harry, you can’t see into someone’s heart. We’re like hunters in a dark forest—if you don’t shoot first, someone else will shoot you.”

Sirius’s voice was laced with both desperation and a desire to protect.

But Harry found it hard to accept.

According to Sirius’s logic, he’d have to suspect even Hermione or Neville.

Harry couldn’t bring himself to think that way.

Inwardly, he felt a flicker of relief.

At least Ron wasn’t part of this banquet. If he were, Harry would’ve already lost his mind.

Kathoom observed it all silently.

Forget infinite chances of victory for the good guys, the owl thought grimly. Their odds are infinitely small.

He couldn’t see anyone capable of leading the good side to success.

“First, I’ll focus on protecting Hermione,” Kathoom resolved. No matter what happens, Bruce doesn’t need to see another loved one die in front of him. That would be too cruel, even for the Bat.

Additionally, Kathoom noted how readily everyone had accepted the rules of the War God’s Banquet.

No one even considered flipping the table and refusing to play.

Probably Ares’s handiwork, Kathoom reasoned. That guy’s a master manipulator. Even without divine powers, he’d still be dangerous.

Ares’s voice interrupted the group’s heated debate.

“I must remind you all,” he said with a sly smile, “that time is running out.”

“In twenty minutes, this banquet will end.”

His meaning was clear.

Once the banquet ended, the killing would begin.

If anyone had last words, now was the time to say them—they might become their epitaph.

“Mr. Ares, I have a question,” Hermione suddenly spoke up.

She adjusted her tone to mask her rising frustration.

“You said voting is the most important tool for the good side. But what happens in the event of a tie?”

“Ties won’t happen,” Ares replied calmly. “Next time, you’ll elect a leader. Their vote will count as one and a half.”

Hermione clenched her fists, fighting the urge to curse aloud.

This was critical information—why hadn’t he mentioned it earlier?

Cedric, meanwhile, caught onto something deeper.

“So,” he said thoughtfully, “before we can find the bad guys, we need to choose a good leader. Someone everyone can trust.”

His gaze shifted between Snape and Sirius.

Sirius’s earlier blunder had unintentionally proven his loyalty, but his reckless behavior made him a poor candidate for leadership.

Snape, on the other hand, was calm and commanding—but his loyalty remained unproven.

“How about this?” Cedric suggested, his voice steady.

“The Badger’s guardian can protect Sirius in secret so the bad guys can’t target him.”

“As for Sirius, I suggest he investigate Professor Snape’s identity and reveal it at the next banquet.”

“If Snape is a good guy, we let him lead. How does that sound?”

The idea was reasonable, and Cedric’s reputation as a fair-minded student encouraged others to agree.

But Kathoom frowned inwardly.

Does Cedric even know how to play this game?

Why not wait until after the banquet to privately discuss plans with Sirius? Announcing this out loud gave the werewolves an advantage.

If the wolves know Sirius is protected, they’ll just avoid targeting him.

And what if Snape was a good guy? Cedric’s plan had practically signed his death warrant.

Unless…

Cedric said all that deliberately—to mislead the wolves.

Kathoom eyed the Hufflepuff student warily.

Was Cedric the Badger’s guardian? If so, was he planning to protect Snape instead of Sirius?

Or perhaps he was baiting the wolves to attack him, only to reveal that he had protected himself?

There are too many possibilities, Kathoom thought. I’ll just have to wait and see.

The real test would come before the next banquet. Would anyone die before then?

Kathoom didn’t plan to play Ares’s game.

Why rely on conversations at the banquet to identify the wolves?

I could just grab everyone and interrogate them one by one.

Kathoom had enough time to arrange everything.

Playing by someone else’s rules would only lead to failure. Breaking free of the system was the only way to ensure the best outcome.

Ideally, he wanted no one to die.

“Time’s up,” Ares announced suddenly, standing from his seat.

“I look forward to seeing you all again. You’ll be informed of the next banquet’s time.”

With that, he departed without looking back.

The others wore varying expressions—shock, fear, and disbelief—as they began to leave, each lost in thought.

“Harry!” Sirius called. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

He pulled Harry aside, with Snape trailing after them.

One by one, the others exited as well, leaving the Hall empty.

The magical barriers dissolved, and Bruce finally stepped inside.

“What happened?” he demanded the moment he entered.

—

This is a fan translation of 蝙蝠侠的猫头鹰教父 by 巴巴罗萨光年. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!