Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

"me?"

Lupin nodded.

"Yes, you are a junior wizard, just like Dudley."

Hermione was clearly stunned by the news; she stammered, never before expressing such self-doubt.

"But...but my mom and dad are just ordinary people."

“No one says only wizards’ children can be wizards,” Lupin explained to Hermione with a smile. “The light of magic can be lit in any child’s body. Muggle children can also become wizards, and there’s a possibility that a wizard’s offspring can’t use magic. There’s no absolute conclusion to this.”

Harry was delighted, he said to Hermione.

"This means you'll be accepted into Hogwarts too! Then we can be classmates!"

When Hermione came to her senses, she didn't show much happiness on her face. She was still sullen, hugging her knees and burying her face in them.

Harry looked puzzled, but Lupin could tell why Hermione was upset.

Both children were captured and taken to the werewolves. Harry remained convinced that his teacher would come to his rescue, a belief confirmed by Greyback.

They had only been arrested for less than a night, and Snape actually showed up at their door.

Hermione knew that her parents were ordinary people who didn't even have the right to know about magic, let alone come to her rescue.

A sensitive child may not necessarily be truly sad that their parents didn't come, but rather they may sense the difference between themselves and Harry.

"Would you like to hear the story of how I first displayed magical signs at home?"

Lupin deliberately used a suspenseful tone to say this.

He drew the attention of both Harry and Hermione, and the little girl looked up at him with her red-rimmed eyes.

Lupin placed his hands on his knees as he recalled.

"That was when I was 8 years old, or more precisely, in the month of my 8th birthday."

“My parents just brought me to Scotland because last month when I turned into a wolf during the full moon, they almost lost control of me. I broke the neighbor’s fence and alerted the people around us, so they hurriedly took me to hide in a rural area of ​​Scotland.”

“I really liked that place because there were many children my age there. They were very warm and lively. They didn’t reject me because I was new, nor did they distance themselves from me because of my withdrawn and aloof personality. They invited me to their homes to pick persimmons and treated me to apple pies made by their mothers. They invited me to explore the caves together and played ball with me on the grass.”

“But the more friendly they were to me, the more afraid I became, because I knew in my heart that I was different from them. When they came to find me again, I started to hide. I avoided them, didn’t have any contact with them, didn’t visit their homes, and didn’t play games with them.”

"If I didn't feel their friendliness, it might not be a big deal. But when I actually had the opportunity to be with them, to run and jump in the sun like them, while I could only cower in the shadows and watch them from afar, I felt very sad, very sad."

Hermione was clearly completely absorbed in Lupin's story. She sniffed and asked impatiently.

"and then?"

"Then I started to hate myself. I didn't want to eat, refused to communicate with my parents, and spent all day sitting alone by the river, thinking that maybe I should just jump into the water and end my short life."

"You didn't actually do that in the end, did you?" Harry asked nervously.

Lupin smiled.

“If I had actually done that back then, who would the Remus you know now be? It would be my father, Lyle, who noticed my abnormality.”

"If you ever get to see what my dad looks like now, you'd probably have a hard time imagining how shy and introverted he used to be."

"He was an authority in dealing with non-human ghosts. He met my mother, a Muggle working in an insurance office in Cardiff, during a trip to a forest in Wales to investigate Boggarts. He was clearly playing the hero, rescuing my mother from that ferocious Boggart, but he waited several months before expressing his feelings and confessed to her with shame that the Boggart was actually not dangerous to humans; it was just a scare tactic."

"But my birth and my experience of becoming a werewolf changed him."

"He had to support the family and set a good example for me. He transformed from a shy and introverted man into a strong and decisive one. He taught me how to recognize the dark magic creatures in the magical world from a young age, letting me know about their various interesting flaws and how they ensure their own survival."

"Through these things, he wanted me to understand that werewolves are not actually scary. They are not demons or monsters. They also have flaws and weaknesses."

"But during that month in the Scottish countryside, I felt a deep sense of despair. I felt that I would be alone like this for the rest of my life, that I was an outcast full of flaws."

"Finally, on a night when there were only a few days left before the full moon, I secretly ran away. I never used to go out when there was a moon, especially on nights close to the full moon. I was afraid of that celestial body that would turn me into a monster. Even if it wasn't a full moon, I would tremble all over when I looked up and saw it."

“That night I didn’t want to be at home, and I was afraid to be outside in the moonlight, so I ran to the cave that the children had taken me to. I hid inside, hugged the blanket my mother had given me for my seventh birthday, and cried all by myself.”

"As a result, the wind was very strong that night, and I didn't hold the felt tightly enough. It was blown away by the wind and fell onto a tree branch that stretched out from the steep hillside next to the cave."

“I cherished the things my mother gave me and wanted to get them back. At the time, I didn’t care how high or steep the hillside was. After I climbed up the tree and retrieved it, I got scared.”

"The moon that night was very bright and round, almost as bright as a full moon. I hugged the tree trunk tightly, with a felt blanket tucked under my arms, but my hands were trembling uncontrollably."

"I shouted for help, but no one answered me. Only the cold wind lashed against me, making me feel weaker and weaker, and I felt like I could fall off the tree at any moment."

"I was up there for about half an hour? Or forty minutes? I don't remember exactly, but just when I was feeling hopeless, I heard my dad calling my name."

“I responded to him while crying, and he quickly found the path leading to the cave. He stood at the edge of the cave, and although he could have used magic to save me from the tree branch, he didn’t. Instead, he held onto the protruding rocks on the edge with one hand and reached out to me with the other, letting me grab his hand.”

“I was terrified, not just of heights, but of the moon in the sky. Lyle knew what I was afraid of, but he knew even more clearly that if I couldn’t overcome it that night, if I couldn’t overcome the fear in my heart, I would never be able to get out of this dark period for the rest of my life.”

“I don’t know what he was thinking. I was just angry at him for not using magic to save me. I was yelling, ‘I can’t! Dad! I can’t do it! My hands are too weak! I can’t reach out! You can cast a spell!’”

"He was very patient. He patiently encouraged me, 'Remus! We cannot kneel before the glory, whether it be the sun or the moon, they require us to stand tall and look up!'"

“I was sobbing and crying like a crybaby, but I heard his words and I will never forget them. I overcame my fear, tried not to let my body tremble, and let go of the tree trunk, wanting to grab his hand.”

"He was overjoyed. I can imagine how excited he would have been if we had held hands tightly, and how he would have hugged me and praised me as his pride!"

"But just as I was about to grab his hand, the tree trunk finally couldn't withstand my prolonged pressure and broke."

Upon hearing this, Hermione couldn't help but cover her mouth and let out a small gasp.

Harry instinctively gripped the corner of his robe.

"Lyle had never drawn his wand so quickly before. He was actually fully prepared; even if I did fall, he could guarantee I wouldn't get hurt. But before he could even lift me up, I don't know how, I suddenly found myself hugging the blanket and heading back into the cave!"

"I was still completely stunned when Lyle had already lifted me high in the air. He cheered and shouted excitedly, 'Remus! Did you see that?! You did it all by yourself! You're not a flawed, antisocial person! You're brave, smart, and unique!'"

Lupin blinked, and he and Hermione looked at each other.

Do you think he's right?

Hermione wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly, expressing her complete agreement.

“Your father is right, Mr. Peter!”

"Then you are the same, Hermione. Not only you, but your parents are too. Even if they are not wizards, they are just ordinary Muggles, but they are unique to you. They love you, they care about you, and you are no worse than anyone else because you have them, just like my parents don't think I'm worse than anyone else."

Lupin calmly and gently soothed the sensitive girl's heart.

Hermione stopped crying and smiled confidently as usual, while Harry looked at Lupin and asked curiously.

"Mr. Peter, does your father know what you're doing right now?"

Lupin fell silent upon hearing Harry's question.

After a long while, he spoke softly.

"It has been a very, very long time since I went back to see him."

This time, not only Harry, but Hermione also asked with great confusion.

"why?"

"I don't know why, but he always felt guilty towards me. I also had a very bad experience as a homeless person, so I didn't dare to disturb his life."

Two more chapters will be released at 10 PM.

Chapter 93 Determining Location (3k)

at the same time.

As the afternoon sun shone on the Isle of Man ferry terminal, Lupin and Granger set foot on the island.

Thanks to Granger's meticulous design, old Lupin was dressed in a Hawaiian-style tropical outfit and wore a straw hat. No one could find any trace of a wizard in him; he looked exactly like a Muggle on vacation on the island.

"When I brought Hermione to this island for vacation two years ago, she wasn't so concerned about her front teeth."

Granger said with some emotion.

“I’ve never raised a son, but girls are more sensitive. Although Hermione usually appears very confident, Jane and I both know that sometimes she’s just using confidence as a disguise.”

Old Lupin was a little uncomfortable with his tropical shorts. He had pulled at the elastic band many times, not understanding why Muggles would like to wear such things.

“Kids are all like that when they’re young. As Remus grew up, he came to terms with some of the silly things he did when he was little. When he was in Hogwarts, his mother and I started joking with him about those old jokes.”

After sharing their parenting experiences along the way, once they were fully on the island, the two began to discuss the main topic.

“We can’t just sit here and wait for Severus to come back. The Isle of Man isn’t big, and I think we can do some research in advance.”

Granger spoke up.

Old Lu Ping nodded in agreement.

"Do you have any ideas?"

“We saw that group of people this morning. There were quite a few of them, and they had seven or eight children with them.” Granger had clearly been thinking about this on the way here. “If a group like that wanted to operate on the Isle of Man, there would be no way to hide or conceal themselves. And based on your performance, I can roughly deduce that wizards aren’t very good at disguising themselves as… what’s that word you’re referring to? Yes, Muggle.”

"So if they really are hiding on this island, they'll probably find a secluded place to hide, like they would find a seaside cave in Eastbourne."

As Granger spoke, he led old Lupin to a bird's-eye view of the Isle of Man next to the dock.

"The Isle of Man's permanent population is mainly located in our current location, in Douglas, the capital in the southeast, numbering over 20,000. If those people wanted a suitable place, they certainly wouldn't choose here."

“Besides these, there are the west coast town of Peel, the south town of Castletown, and the northern port town of Ramsey. These three places have a considerable population. In addition, Douglas and the surrounding areas of these four towns are basically home to the scattered farm population. So the remaining places are the locations they might choose.”

He swung his hand upwards, finally pinpointing the exact location in the middle and northern parts of the island.

"In the central mountains, the population is sparse due to the terrain. And in the north, because there is a large plain that is extremely suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry, and a considerable portion of the land has been bought up by large farm owners, there are not many people living there either."

Old Lupin was very convinced by Granger's analysis.

Compared to Muggles, many wizards have significant flaws in logical reasoning because magic, in most cases, does not require logic.

“I can go to Diagon Alley to rent a flying broomstick first, and then try to search as high as possible in the places you mentioned, but if those werewolves want to hide, they must have used a Muggle banishing charm on their camp. It’s impossible for anyone other than a wizard to find them.”

Granger nodded.

“I understand, that’s why I don’t plan to go with you. I’ll go to the local marine conservation organization and borrow their recent ocean tracking records around the Isle of Man. Since the werewolf chose to set up camp on the Eastbourne coast last time, it’s very likely that he will do the same thing when he comes to the Isle of Man.”

“Environmental organizations regularly send people to clean up garbage and monitor seawater along most of the coastal areas. Their records may be helpful to us.”

They were highly efficient; even without Severus, once Granger had confirmed the plan, the two immediately began their operation.

Old Lupin first Apparated to Diagon Alley, rented a flying broom from the broom shop there, then returned to the island, cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself and the broom, took off, and began searching the areas marked by Granger in the sky above the island.

Granger also found a clothing store, tidied his clothes, and then went to a local environmental organization, where he successfully obtained a borrowing permit by using his identity as a doctor.

When it got dark, Severus, after Apparating from Crouch's house and then riding a flying broomstick to the island to meet them, they reunited at an inn.

Hearing from Granger and old Lupin what they were doing on the island was the best news Severus had heard all day.

He could pick any two teammates and they'd be better than those pigs in the Ministry of Magic!

"Alright, gentlemen, let's summarize the intelligence we've all discovered."

Severus's expression was grave.

“Let me start with my story. After I found Kingsley, we went to Azkaban to verify the conjectures I had written to him. After that, we prepared to go to the home of Chief of Staff Crouch and arrest him and his son on the spot.”

"As a result, his son Barty Jr. had already taken control of his father, including Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf leader we encountered during the day. I tried to join forces with the Aurors to wipe them all out, but the plan ultimately failed due to internal problems within the Aurors."

"So the bad news is that the werewolves' power may have increased, and there's a chance that Little Barty will bring a group of dark wizards to join forces with those werewolves."

"As for the good news, after successfully escaping from Crouch's house, Greyback is likely no longer of any use to Barty Jr. They look down on werewolves, and using Greyback is most likely to create chaos in the wizarding world, increase the burden on the Ministry of Magic, and thus cause his father to relax his supervision of him."

"Now that he has achieved his goal, he is more likely to abandon the werewolves and let them fend for themselves."

Granger frowned upon hearing Severus's words.

"This might not be good news either. If those werewolves are really abandoned, they might just give up and cause trouble, which would put the children in danger!"

“That’s a possibility,” Severus nodded. “But I know Barty. Even if he abandons those werewolves, he won’t be that ruthless. It’s more likely he’ll find an excuse to get them away temporarily.”

Old Lupin and Granger nodded in unison, then exchanged a glance, and Old Lupin spoke first.

“I rode my flying broomstick and followed the locations Robert marked to find the sun setting. I didn’t find anything in the mountainous area in the middle of the island, unless they had hidden in some cave again. And there were no traces of magic left in the farms to the north.”

"Until I reached the northernmost part of the island, there was a man-made forest. Something seemed off about that forest, like it had signs of a Muggle expulsion spell, but after I descended, I didn't find anything unusual."

Upon hearing this, Granger's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

"Is the forest you're talking about in Cape El?"

"I'm not sure if this is the place name."

At this moment, Severus and Granger simultaneously pulled out paper maps of the Isle of Man, clearly indicating that they had prepared in advance.

"Here! At the northernmost point of the entire island, not far from the coast!"