Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

Chapter 72 Three Fathers Search for Their Son

"Calm down! Stay calm! Acting impulsively now will not help the situation. Let's use our calm minds to think, okay? Let's think!"

Severus said loudly.

This was being spoken both to the Grangers and to the ghost Snape within him.

Granger, being a Muggle, took a deep breath and calmed down. He lowered his arm that had been protecting his wife and simply held her tightly behind him.

Ghost Snape, however, was completely unable to calm down.

"This time is different from the last one! The first kidnapping was because those two idiots wanted something, but now! The ones who kidnapped Potter are very likely those werewolves! Werewolves!!"

“They forcibly brought Mr. Granger over to treat one of the children, right?” Severus said calmly. “This proves that they at least for the time being have no intention of harming the children. Dudley and Hermione should be safe for the time being!”

Ghost Snape stopped roaring, whether he was persuaded by Severus or realized what was happening, no matter how angry he was now, it was all in vain.

Hermione's father, Granger, clearly took Severus's words to heart.

He managed to keep his emotions in check and instead stared intently at Severus as he spoke.

"You weren't with that group?"

“It’s obvious they’re a gang of ruthless thugs, and I came here specifically to investigate them.” Severus chose to reveal some information.

Even though Hermione hasn't shown any magical talent yet, she's destined to go to Hogwarts in the future, and sharing information about the wizarding world with the parents of young wizards doesn't violate the Law of Secrecy.

Besides, he's currently working for the Minister of Magic, so even if he violated the rules, who could accuse him?

“Shall we sit down and talk?” Severus looked at the chairs in the living room.

Mrs. Granger looked at Granger, and only after her husband finally nodded in agreement did she stagger to the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks.

"Please have a seat," Granger said, leading the way as the two went down the stairs and sat down in the living room.

"Severus Snape."

"Alright, Mr. Snape, who are you people?"

“Wizards, that’s what people usually call our group,” Severus said bluntly.

Even though he already had some guesses in his mind, Granger still looked incredulous after hearing the answer.

Severus understood that it would be difficult for a normal person to accept this, even though Hermione's father had already experienced something unusual.

With a gentle wave of his wand, he transformed a glass in front of Granger into a hopping rabbit, and a chair next to him suddenly floated up, with an orchid blooming at the tip of the wand!

These things, which were definitely not a trick, left Granger completely stunned.

Severus looked at him calmly and spoke patiently.

“If I wanted, I could find the answer I wanted directly in your mind. But there is a difference in the strength of spells that Muggles, or ordinary people, and wizards can withstand. If I cast a spell on you, there is a chance that I will turn you into an idiot.”

At this moment, the rabbit had turned back into a glass, the chair had returned to its original position, and the blooming orchid had vanished in an instant, its petals withering and falling.

Having witnessed this scene firsthand, Granger had no doubt about Severus's words. His face paled even more, clearly thinking of something else.

"The people who kidnapped my daughter were also witches. Are you under the jurisdiction of the British government?"

“We are under the jurisdiction of the British Ministry of Magic. I was sent by the magical government to investigate the group that kidnapped your daughter and my student.”

"only you?"

"For some reason, they only sent me for the time being."

Why did those people kidnap my daughter?

“It’s not just your daughter and my student. They’ve also kidnapped three other children from wizarding families, and possibly others. I’m still investigating their motives.”

Granger finally understood something at this moment. He was silent for a moment, as if he was thinking about something, before he spoke.

What do you want to know?

Severus got straight to the point.

"About everything that happened between you and that man that day. Ideally, you could take me to the place he took you!"

Sherwood Forest is so large that there are hardly any paths that can even be called roads.

Even if Severus obtains the relevant memories from Granger's mind, he may not be able to find that place.

So he chose to be open and honest and reveal some information in order to get the two men, who had lost their daughter and their students, to cooperate!

Just then, the faint sound of a police siren came from outside the door, temporarily halting the conversation that had just begun.

Having witnessed Severus's methods, Granger no longer pinned his hopes of finding Hermione on the police. He had Mrs. Granger deal with the arriving police officers.

He then recounted the events of that day to Severus.

“At that time, a man with a full beard came to my house. I don’t know how he found out that my wife and I were doctors. He knocked on the door and said that his son was very sick and needed our help.”

“I didn’t think much of it at the time. After I told him that I was just a dentist, but the man still begged me to have a change of heart and save his child’s life, I took some anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers and followed him out of the house.”

"At first he told me he lived near Sherwood Forest and was the caretaker of a forest park there, but after following him for about half an hour, I realized something was wrong. He had led me into the forest, and there wasn't even a path; we were just following the markings on the trees!"

“I stopped, unwilling to go any further, and questioned him about what he wanted to do. Then he pulled out the same wooden stick you were holding, chanted a spell, and I was completely paralyzed, forced to be led deeper into the woods by him.”

"He led me for about two hours before we saw a wooden hut built deep in the forest! Inside the hut was a child with a high fever. He looked like he had been caught in a rainstorm and his body couldn't take it. There were two other men with him, one with a beard and the other tall and thin with an unhealthy complexion."

"The tall, thin man was protecting the critically ill child. He was very polite to me and begged me to find a way to save him. But all I had on hand were anti-inflammatory drugs, so I could only prescribe some for him according to the children's dosage. Then I told them that if they wanted to save the child, they had to buy antipyretics from the pharmacy."

"It seemed like they had an argument. It was mainly the two men with beards who were cursing at the tall, thin man, and they even hit him!"

"After that, another bearded man made me forget some things, yet remember some things very clearly. He was the one who handed me that doll and asked me to take it to my daughter."

"Finally, I don't know how I was brought out of the forest and found myself in an alley not far from the apartment. I only vaguely remember someone asking me to see a doctor, and then I came back!"

"Until you just made me recall all of this!"

Severus listened to Granger's entire account before asking him questions in detail.

"The tall, thin man you saw in the shack, wasn't he covered in gray hair? He didn't look old, but his face was full of wrinkles, and he looked very downcast and weathered?"

Granger affirmed.

"Yes! Just like you said! That's exactly the kind of person he is!"

Upon receiving this reply, Severus understood immediately that the tall, thin man was Lupin!

After learning about these things, Severus immediately stood up and looked at Granger with a serious expression.

"I'll ask for your opinion one last time, Mr. Granger. Would you be willing to lead me to the hut you visited in the forest? It's an extremely dangerous choice; ordinary people are almost powerless against wizards. If you don't want to take that risk, I can try to extract the relevant memories from your mind without harming you."

Granger didn't speak immediately. He simply stood up, then strode into a room that resembled a study, from which he retrieved a double-barreled shotgun!

“Wizards are afraid of this too, aren’t they?” he asked, his voice trembling but unusually firm.

Severus carefully examined the seemingly refined but unremarkable man.

"You'll be scared. If I could cast an Iron Armor spell on you beforehand, you'd be a threat to everyone with it."

Granger turned to look at his wife, who was leaning against the wall, covering her mouth and silently weeping, and gently comforted her.

"Jane, stay home and rest assured, I will go and bring Hermione back!"

Mrs. Granger finally couldn't hold back her worries and fears any longer, and she hugged Granger while crying.

After giving his wife a tight hug, offering her a sense of security, Granger slung the shotgun over his shoulder; now he was ready to shoulder the responsibilities of being a father.

“Let’s go, we can set off now, Mr. Snape.”

Severus nodded, just as the two of them reached the foyer and were about to open the door.

A doorbell rang suddenly at that moment!

Granger paused for a moment, but Severus reacted quickly, gripping his wand and then placing his other hand on the doorknob.

He and Granger exchanged a glance, both gripping their weapons, and then Severus suddenly flung open the door!

Standing outside the door was a male wizard who looked to be about fifty or sixty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a dark green cloak.

Upon first seeing the wizard's appearance, Severus felt inexplicably familiar with him, while Granger stared wide-eyed at him.

They didn't speak; the male wizard who had come to visit first looked Severus up and down before speaking.

"Severus Snape?"

“I am,” Severus replied.

“Albus Dumbledore sent me to you. He said you are in charge of finding my son.” The wizard’s voice was calm and steady.

Upon hearing this, Severus was momentarily stunned.

"Your son is..."

"Remus Lupin".

This chapter has over three thousand words, which is equivalent to one and a half chapters during the normal free period, but I feel uncomfortable if I don't finish writing the plot here before releasing it.

The novel will definitely be over 200,000 words when it's published. But if it's too much, consider it a treat for everyone!

Chapter 73 My Teacher is a Wizard

Granger was the first to react!

From beginning to end, he never lowered the muzzle of his gun, even after old Lupin had introduced who his son was.

Instead, he raised the muzzle of his shotgun slightly, aiming the dark hole at old Lupin's head, and asked Severus in a cold voice.

"This person is connected to that gang of robbers, right?"

Old Lupin turned and stared at Granger, or more precisely, at the shotgun he was holding. As a wizard with a Muggle wife, Old Lupin knew exactly what it was.

"Friend, according to Muggle custom, one shouldn't point this kind of weapon at people casually out of politeness, right?"

Granger didn't move at all, as if he hadn't heard old Lupin's words, and was just waiting for Severus to speak.

Severus did not immediately believe old Lupin's words, nor did he let Granger continue to hold the gun up.

Instead, he patted Granger on the shoulder, signaling him to put down his gun for the time being, and then asked old Lupin a question.

What evidence do you have to prove your relationship with Lupin?

Old Lupin didn't say much; he simply took a piece of parchment from his robe pocket and handed it to Severus.

Severus took the letter, opened it, and saw Dumbledore's handwriting and signature.

Lyle Lupin came to me; he couldn't stand by and watch his son be in danger, so I sent him to you to get involved in your operation. He is an authority on dark magic creatures and non-human paranormal phenomena, and can be completely trusted.

After seeing Dumbledore's letter, Severus dispelled all his doubts.

He explained to Granger.

"Alright, don't be nervous, Granger. Just as you guessed, this man in front of you is the biological father of the man you saw in the shed that day!"

"But as you said, that tall, thin man didn't behave badly, and he cared a lot about the sick child, right? Because he was an undercover agent planted by the Ministry of Magic in that group, and he lost contact with the outside world some time ago."

Upon hearing Severus's words, Granger slowly lowered the gun in his hand, but old Lupin couldn't help but ask a follow-up question.

"You've already seen Remus? How is he now?"

Severus shook his head.

“He must have done something to displease those people. Judging from what Granger saw that day, he must have lost his wand and was being bullied internally, but he doesn’t seem to be in any immediate danger and is still trying to protect the children.”

As he spoke, he began to introduce Granger and old Lupin to each other.

"This is... what's your name again, Granger?"

Robert Granger.

"Yes, this is Robert Granger, a father whose daughter was also taken away by the werewolves. He is a dentist and was once taken to their lair in Nottingham by one of them."

"This is Lyle Lupin, an expert among wizards who studies non-human paranormal phenomena, and also an undercover agent among werewolves, and the father of Remus Lupin."

At the same time, he introduced himself to Lao Luping.

“Severus Snape, former Headmaster and Professor of Hogwarts, my student, like Robert’s daughter, was probably captured by those werewolves using the Portkey.”

Old Lupin seemed as calm and easygoing as his son. After learning Granger's identity, he did not look down on him at all because he was a Muggle, and he also had a decisiveness and strength that Lupin had never had.

He took the initiative and extended one of his hands to Granger first.

"Just call me Lyle."

Without hesitation, Granger extended his hand and shook hands with him.