Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

He made another weighty promise, and then moved on to other things.

"It seems you and Remus are getting along quite well?"

Severus shrugged.

"I can only say that among those four people, he did not cause me as much subjective harm."

Dumbledore shook his head.

"This is the school's fault. In any case, the school should not have led to a situation like yours, where you are at odds with each other to the point of being almost at each other's throats."

“That’s all in the past. Apart from Lupin, none of the four of them can cause me any trouble now, right?” Severus leaned back in his recliner, his casual words carrying a hint of something more.

This surprised Dumbledore.

He clearly sensed a deeper meaning in those words, but he had always been the one to ask others to solve riddles; this was the first time someone had presented him with one.

After realizing what was happening, Dumbledore chuckled to himself.

"As long as you and Remus can get along, let him stay with you for a while. You should have seen the information that I asked Arthur to bring you before. You can try to improve it when you have time. It would be best if you could make improvements, but don't force it if you can't."

"Finally, tell us about yourself."

Dumbledore said seriously.

"Having gone through so much lately, have you noticed any problems with your spellcasting?"

This question startled Severus, who met Dumbledore's eyes. He was surprised to find that not only Snape the Ghost had noticed his question, but Dumbledore had as well!

"When did you find out?"

“On the day you went to bring Potter out,” Dumbledore recalled, “I could tell when you cast the spell in front of him that your spell was slightly different from before. It might not have affected the magic it produced, but it was still a problem.”

Dumbledore obviously wouldn't bring this up for no reason; if he did, there must be a solution!

Severus also took out his newly bought wand.

"I tried a new wand, and casting spells felt different after I switched to it."

"Changing your wand is indeed a good idea, but the wand is only one of the factors; the main problem has not yet been solved."

"What about long-term and continuous spellcasting?"

"This will only get you used to the current problematic casting state, and it won't help you solve the key problem."

Dumbledore directly denied the idea that Ghost Snape had previously given to Severus.

Do you have any better suggestions?

In response to Severus's question, Dumbledore simply pulled out a blank parchment from the side.

After thinking for a few seconds, he wrote something on the parchment, put it in an envelope, and left an address on the envelope.

"If you have time, you can go to France to see my old friend. He should have a solution to your problem."

Severus took the letter from him and saw the address and recipient's name on it.

[51 Rue Montmorency, Nicolas Flamel district, Paris, for Nicolas Lemaître]

Getting this letter from Dumbledore was clearly an unexpected bonus.

Severus's biggest concern now is magic, and Dumbledore, who has already reached the pinnacle of wizarding, said that if Nick Lemaître could help him, then there would definitely be something to gain.

Today's meeting in the principal's office is clearly coming to an end.

Just before Severus was about to leave, he spoke mysteriously to Dumbledore.

"Since you gave me a gift, how about I give you something in return?"

Dumbledore blinked, a curious and expectant expression on his face.

"Oh? It's rare for someone to give me a gift outside of Christmas, so is it sweet?"

"That might disappoint you, it's not something you can eat, but you'll definitely be interested in it."

With that, Severus pulled out the old, worn-out crown he had just obtained from the Room of Requirement from his pocket and placed it on Dumbledore's desk.

"Let's take our time studying it. I'm taking Harry and Lupin with me now; we have some business to attend to at the Ministry of Magic."

He didn't linger; he simply waved to Dumbledore with his back to him and left the headmaster's office.

Only after watching his figure completely disappear did Dumbledore turn his gaze to the crown.

He stared at the object for a very long time, and gradually, an unprecedented solemnity appeared in his eyes.

Chapter 104 Lucius's Invitation

After leaving Hogwarts.

Severus and his two companions did not go anywhere else. Their schedule was full for the day, and in the afternoon they would be working with the Aurors to conduct questioning on the werewolf case.

At the same time, an Auror brought Granger and his daughter along, as well as old Lupin, who had already gone home.

But in a case where there was little additional evidence to add and Graybuck was almost certain to be imprisoned in Azkaban for life, the testimony they needed to provide was not particularly important.

Therefore, the group that had reunited at the Ministry of Magic appeared quite relaxed in the Auror's office.

After the questioning, the main event for Severus and Lupin was about to begin.

Both of them were secretly commissioned by the Minister of Magic and belonged to a private investigative force not affiliated with the Ministry of Magic. Therefore, having successfully completed the task, they naturally had to collect their due reward.

Bagno had clearly made preparations in advance.

As she had initially promised Severus, an employee of the International Department of Magical Cooperation would first find him with two certificates of dispatch from the department's overseas agents and hand them over to him.

His and Harry's information was already filled in on it. It would be valid in any country and for any Ministry of Magic. In some places where the British Ministry of Magic has a permanent staff, it could even get assistance from the local staff.

In addition, with the help of the publisher behind the Daily Prophet, Volpe's book is being prepared for printing and sale. Yesterday, Volpe even wrote to Severus to happily mention this.

Finally, regarding the Order of Merlin's Order of Honor, the Ministry of Magic has submitted a list to Wizengamor, including Severus, Lupin the Elder, and even Granger, a Muggle, and is awaiting their response.

Severus's own Order of the British Empire (Order of the British Empire) was practically a done deal, and the reason why Lupin and Granger were also nominated was naturally because he wrote to Bagno later to request that they be added.

The Ministry of Magic applied for third-class medals for both of them. Old Lupin was fine, but the key issue was Granger, the Muggle.

It is unprecedented for a Muggle to receive the Order of Merlin. Whether it will be approved or not depends on the vote within Wizengamor.

Besides that, Bagno is indeed very good at interpersonal relationships.

She understood that the werewolf case was over, but Little Barty was now at large, posing a greater threat than the werewolves.

Severus, as a key figure, was someone we needed to rely on until the end of her term.

So, in addition to all the things that had been agreed upon before, she also went through the Ministry of Magic's procedures and gave Severus a bonus!

A full thousand Galleons.

For an ordinary wizarding family, this would be an enormous prize; even for someone as wealthy as Severus, it would be a considerable sum.

Severus, of course, had no intention of refusing the money.

After accepting the gift with pleasure, he divided the thousand Galleons into three equal parts, giving one to Granger and one to old Lupin before leaving the Ministry of Magic.

"Don't refuse, this is money awarded by the Ministry of Magic, it's what you deserve."

"Lyle is saving this for Lupin's wedding. As for Robert, you'll be able to use this money in a couple of years when Hermione is old enough to use it."

He hasn't mentioned the Order of Merlin medal yet; it's still in the approval process, and Wizengamo will send a letter to the two of them once everything is finalized.

After listening to Severus's words, the two men accepted the unexpected bonus without much hesitation.

After leaving the Ministry of Magic, they found a tavern and celebrated until dark. Just then, Severus received an unexpected letter.

The owl that flew into the tavern looked very exquisite.

Its feathers were neatly groomed, and its agile body and beautiful coat clearly indicated that it was a messenger of extraordinary birth and high value.

After delivering an envelope bearing a black, green, and silver serpentine design and the inscription "Pure and Everlasting Victory" to Severus, it took flight again and disappeared into the horizon.

At this moment, Lupin is explaining some principles of magic to Hermione, and old Lupin, after drinking with Granger, is confiding his feelings of missing his deceased wife.

Only Harry noticed the letter Severus was holding.

Severus couldn't help but smile when he saw the family crest on the envelope.

He said to Harry as he opened the letter.

"In a couple of days, I can take you to meet new friends again."

Harry couldn't help but turn to look at Hermione, feeling somewhat distressed that all the young wizards he knew were girls.

It's not that Luna and Hermione are bad, but sometimes, it's just that boys can get along better.

Will it be a boy?

"Of course it's a boy, a boy the same age as you."

Severus glanced at the contents of the letter, then threw the letter and its envelope into the tavern's fireplace. With a casual wave of his wand, everything was burned to ashes.

"That's great!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, but he clearly didn't realize that he was getting excited a little too soon.

After a busy day.

For the next three or four days, Severus and Lupin did nothing else.

July 31st was Harry's 9th birthday, and the two of them prepared a cake and gifts together, giving Harry a surprise on that day.

For Harry, who had never celebrated a birthday since being sent to the Dursleys and had almost never even had a birthday cake, this was definitely a day he would never forget.

Lupin gave him a broomstick voucher from the Quidditch boutique in Diagon Alley, which he could exchange for a flying broomstick of the corresponding value at any time, or use it to offset the cost of broomsticks exceeding their value (the Ministry of Magic's reward eased his financial burden).

Severus gave him a secondhand copy of "Standard Spells: Elementary," a book that had once been used by the Ghost Snape himself, filled with notes on his understanding of spells.

Harry loved both gifts.

The day after Harry's birthday, Severus led them to the gates of a magnificent and splendid manor in Wiltshire, England.

Looking at the exquisite family crest in front of the door, Lu Ping, who was quite knowledgeable, frowned and said.

"The Malfoy family?"

"Who else could it be? You should know that Lucius is my good senior. Before he graduated from Hogwarts, he was the one who helped me deal with you."

Severus said it offhand.

Lupin, however, acted very cautiously.

“I know you two are close, but I still have to say, you’d better be careful with him, especially after Barty Crouch Jr. escaped. He won’t be absolutely loyal to anyone; he’ll only make choices that serve his own interests.”

"Don't worry, I know him better than you do, and I know what kind of person he is. Once we're inside, don't say much. Just keep an eye on the area around the manor for me. I'm not afraid of what Malfoy might do to me, but I'm worried that he'll fall into Barty's trap. That ingrate is vicious."

"And what about Harry?" Lupin asked.

Severus simply smiled and said.

"Harry will have playmates."

After saying that, Severus led the way to the iron gate of the manor and then rang the doorbell.

Before they could wait more than a few seconds, a house-elf appeared in front of the iron gate.

Upon seeing Severus, its large eyes drooped, ears twitched, and it bowed respectfully in greeting.

“Mr. Snape, the master is already waiting for you inside.”

The gates opened simultaneously, and a house-elf named Dobby led the way, guiding Severus and his companions deeper into the manor.

Harry had never been to such a luxurious place before. Even the previous Bardemton Manor seemed rather simple compared to this place.

He followed Severus, glancing left and right, and overheard Severus whispering to Lupin about some secrets of the Malfoy family.

"The Malfoy family clearly distinguished between Muggles from the very beginning, befriending those in high society and resisting those in the lower class. Furthermore, when the Act of Secrecy was first established, Lucius's ancestors explicitly opposed it, supposedly because their family couldn't bear to give up their social connections and lifestyle in high Muggle society."

"Such a thing is true?" Lupin was extremely surprised.

"But Malfoy has always opposed such rumors. However, no one is stupid. Many people who know about the history of these pure-blood families know that Lucius' great-great-grandfather, Lucius Malfoy I, once pursued Elizabeth I but was rejected."

"There is a rumor that this incident enraged Lucius I, who then cursed the queen, causing her to oppose the marriage."

The more Lupin listened, the wider his eyes opened became.

How do you know so much?

"Do you think those who followed the Dark Lord were a monolithic group?" Severus said with a sneer. "Back then, quite a few people were gossiping. Not a single one of those pure-blood families had a clean background."

Dobby, who was leading the way, had practically stuffed his big ears into his ear canals. He looked terrified and didn't want to hear anything he shouldn't be hearing at all!