On Persecuting Snape, the Marauders Were Professionals

How can we curb the arrogance of that old Snivellus?

Ron was clearly tempted, but then he remembered Snape's spider-like sense of presence, and he lowered his head and remained silent.

He was really scared, scared that if he opened his mouth, he would attract that old... old professor.

"This isn't a good idea," Hermione said hesitantly. "After all, he—I mean, he's a professor, and we're just students."

Sirius chuckled and gave Hermione a mysterious look.

"No, you don't need to do anything. You just need to cooperate in class—I've heard some rumors that Snape isn't fair to you in class, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Ron couldn't hold back any longer.

"Good heavens, if that's the case, then I have a lot to say to you!" Ron said almost impatiently, "You know what? Just because our hands were a little off... like the timing of Neville's Porcupine quills wasn't quite right, Professor Snape gave him a really harsh scolding..."

To everyone's surprise, Sirius hesitated.

"You mean, brewing Cure for Boils?"

"Yes," Ron nodded.

"That's kind of what he deserves—if I remember correctly, adding Porcupine quills quills to Cure for Boils at the wrong time can cause the Potions to splatter on someone's face. Maybe Snivellus was saving him."

Sirius rarely spoke a fair word for Snape, but then quickly changed the subject.

"But then again, as a professor, Snivellus is indeed a bit unqualified—you'll just have to wait and see."

After lingering with Sirius for a while, Harry and the others returned to the Great Hall.

It should be said that everyone is quite looking forward to Sirius, except for Slytherin.

After all, Sirius was a Pure-blood traitor in the eyes of the Pure-blood Slytherin. As the eternally pure Black, his defection to Gryffindor was simply unforgivable.

Students from other houses, especially Gryffindor, were most welcoming of Sirius's lectures.

After all, every Gryffindor is duty-bound to cause trouble for Slytherin; it's a rule passed down from their fathers.

After he returned to his dormitory, Harry remembered Professor Trelawney's nonsense.

It's not entirely his fault, since right after hearing that, he was informed that Sirius had been found in the Headmaster's Office.

He decided to talk to Veratia about it.

"You probably really have nothing better to do, Potter."

Cassandra waved her hand, looking incomprehensible. "Trelawney is just a Prophecy has lost her Oracle bloodline, and as you just said, she doesn't even remember what she said. Are you really going to believe such a madwoman?"

"No, Cass," Veratia said seriously, "You don't know this, but Professor Trelawney actually has a very strong ability to Prophecy the future. The Prophecy about Harry was made by her."

"Oh? Is that so?" Cassandra's lips curled down. "And who can be sure that the Prophecy is accurate, and that it's not because Voldemort heard about Prophecy and then started causing trouble for Harry?"

Having said that, Cassandra crossed her legs high, sat down in her chair, and tilted her head to say to Harry, "So, why don't you tell me what that madman said that made you so concerned?"

"She told me..." Harry paused for a moment, then continued, "She said something about that evil sorcerer about to break free of his the Chain, conquer the boundary between life and death, and cast a shadow of death over the New World, and something about servants..."

Harry carefully recalled Trelawney's erratic Prophecy and said, "Oh, I remember now. She said the Dark Lord became the servant of the true Demon King, which is why he was able to break free of his the Chain. That's roughly the gist of it."

"Potter!"

Cassandra looked helpless.

"Are you really going to believe such a nonsensical Prophecy?!"

"Cass," Veratia shook her head helplessly, "I know you still resent how Cassandra Trelawney treated you, but I hope you can let go of your prejudices and correctly understand the Prophecy of this Oracle's lineage."

"Oh?" Cassandra turned to Veratia. "Why would I hold a grudge against Trelawney?"

Veratia was silent for a moment, then raised her head and unleashed her ultimate move.

"I still want to know how many tears it took to soak the letters to that extent."

Cassandra fell silent.

Cassandra looked up.

"I didn't know you had this little habit of peeking at other people's mail, Grindelwald." Her expression was indifferent. "Yes, it's not surprising..."

"But you should know that even though Trelawney's bloodline is very diluted, she still possesses a certain degree of Prophecy ability," Veratia said, tapping the table. "If one of us had had that ability back then, perhaps Harry wouldn't have..."

"Okay, if you insist."

Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest, but unlike Veratia, she didn't try to squeeze out anything.

She admitted that Veratia's last statement made sense, after all, Trelawney was also a descendant of the Oracle and thus possessed the ability to Prophecy.

"Perhaps we can ask Dumbledore about this," Veratia said again. "Harry, you should know that although we started school a few years earlier than Dumbledore, we are still teenagers."

"I understand what you mean." Harry didn't deny Veratia's words, and he also admitted that Dumbledore was far more experienced than them.

What was that saying again?

I've eaten more candy than you've eaten rice!

Harry and Cassandra followed Veratia toward the Headmaster's Office.

Cassandra glanced sourly at Veratia's curvaceous back, then leaned close to Harry and whispered, "You really like this, don't you?"

"Huh?" Harry didn't understand what Cassandra meant.

"Look." Cassandra gestured with her mouth towards Veratia in front of her.

Harry glanced at it, coughed twice, and pretended nothing was wrong as he looked to the side.

"No wonder." Cassandra glanced at Harry with disdain. "Someone like you lives entirely for appearances—completely neglecting your inner qualities, doesn't he?"

Harry didn't say anything. He knew that in this situation, the more he said, the more mistakes he would make; the less he said, the fewer mistakes he would make; and if he didn't say anything, he wouldn't make any mistakes.

but...

But then again...

Veratia does have a great figure, but Cassandra, apart from being flat-chested, doesn't have any major flaws.

Those two long legs were longer than his life.

Veratia seemed to hear Cassandra's chirping behind her, and her two steps became even more graceful, making Harry a little hungry for peaches.

"Shameless!" Cassandra remarked with a sneer.

The three of them made their way to Dumbledore's Headmaster's Office. The Waterspout Gargoyle was now numb; after asking for the password, it would jump aside to make way.

Of course, only Harry has this privilege in the entire Hogwarts.

After all, although the Waterspout Gargoyle was a stone statue, it didn't want to be roasted by fire by Harry.

As if he had anticipated Harry and his group's arrival, three cups of black tea were placed on the table in front of Dumbledore.

Harry walked straight over, sat down on the middle bench, and asked with a smile, "So you knew we were coming, didn't you, Professor?"

"No, this is for someone else." Dumbledore winked at Harry, "But you could also say it's for you, since they just informed me they'll be arriving at school a little later."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony," Harry said with a smile, reaching for the teacup.

"What is it? Is there something you need?" Dumbledore asked after they were all seated.

While being questioned, Dumbledore was still reflecting on his own thoughts.

Look at these two, one on the left and one on the right...

He knew, of course, that as Gellert's sister, Veratia was an absolute Vinegar Spirit.

Fortunately, she still felt a great deal of guilt towards Cassandra, so she would tolerate Cassandra being around Harry.

After all, she was the one who came.

Otherwise, he would surely utter the classic Grindelwald line. "Do you think Potter would mourn for you?"

"Professor Trelawney just gave me a Prophecy." Harry took a sip of his tea and continued, "In her Prophecy, she mentioned the Dark Lord —she said that the Dark Lord is about to cross the boundary between life and death and return to the human world. At that time, he will become the servant of the Demon King, and the New World will be shrouded in the shadow of death because of him... After she finished saying this Prophecy, she lost her memory of the Prophecy. She forgot what she said."

"Is that so?" Dumbledore sat up straight.

He was well aware of Professor Trelawney's peculiarities; the professor's Prophecy were most accurate only when she was in a hazy, dreamlike state, as if possessed by something.

As for the usual Prophecy —just take them for fun.

"If I remember correctly, the New World refers to the America." Cassandra, though saying she didn't believe Trelawney's Prophecy, had already tried to analyze it in her mind. "As for being shrouded in the shadow of death, I think it's related to what Mr. Scamander investigated in North America. What do you think, Professor?"

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said noncommittally, "But the question is, who exactly is the ' Demon King ' that Sybill speaks of?"

"It's definitely not Voldemort himself," Harry shrugged. "But the problem is, didn't we already say that Professor Scamander Voldemort sided with god of death? Perhaps this ' Demon King ' refers to god of death?"

"God of death is not necessarily Demon King, Harry." Dumbledore reached out and rubbed his eyelids. "The myths and legends of each Civilization are different. In some myths, the god of death also holds the power over Hell, so they can certainly be called Demon King; while in other myths, the god of death is just responsible for taking people's souls to the underworld... like a civil servant. Calling them Demon King doesn't seem very reliable."

"Then who do you think Voldemort will side with?" Veratia asked.

Dumbledore was pondering when he saw Harry suddenly raise a finger.

"Hey, maybe we should just summon god of death herself and ask her?"

Upon hearing Harry's suggestion, all three people present wore helpless expressions.

Summon god of death? Ask her yourself.

So, what if we actually summon the one Voldemort allied with? Wouldn't that be disastrous?

"I suggest you give a different suggestion," Cassandra said, looking utterly speechless.

Harry sniffed; he actually thought the suggestion was pretty good.

It seems we should involve others, such as Mr. LeMay —as an Alchemy who has lived for over six hundred years, he must have considerable knowledge of god of death; perhaps we could ask him?

"I'll go to the headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards in a few days," Dumbledore sighed. "The situation in America really needs our attention. If—and I mean if Sybill's Prophecy comes true—the entire America could suffer incalculable damage..."

"If it's truly such Prophecy, then we'll likely have a hard time dealing with that kind of demon," Cassandra continued. "As we all know, Demon King need souls as sacrifices to increase their power. If they were to sacrifice those billions of people in the America, I'm afraid—"

"Just thinking about it makes me feel a little uneasy," Harry added.

"Besides going to America to investigate, I think we should also consult Mr. LeMay," Harry said to Dumbledore. "How about we go to Mr. LeMay's alchemy workshop now and ask him what he thinks?"

It should be said that Dumbledore, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, was very quick to act.

With the help of Fawkes, they arrived at Mr. LeMay's alchemy workshop almost instantly.

Upon seeing the four people who suddenly appeared, Mr. LeMay almost dropped the Crystal Ball he was holding.

If you didn't know better, you'd think he was holding a grenade in his hand.

"Oh, you've come at just the right time." Mr. LeMay smiled and waved to them. "Look, based on your suggestions, I've developed a computer that's more suitable for wizards—perhaps we should call it a more high-end and sophisticated name, but I haven't decided yet—in short, I can even connect these computers through some kind of 'network,' but I need a powerful intermediary."

Mr. LeMay continued incessantly, "Through this relay station, I can connect all the computers together, and we can make calls or video calls anytime, anywhere—oh, and I've even managed to import portraits into the wizards' network, so the portraits no longer have to stay confined in their frames, but can move freely and come into the wizards' network—you see, isn't that a great invention?"

Upon hearing Mr. LeMay's words, everyone gasped.

After a long pause, Dumbledore asked in astonishment, "What's the difference between that portrait and a living person?"

"Of course there's a difference, they don't have physical bodies, Dumbledore," Mr. LeMay waved his hand and said, "But this topic isn't unsearchable. Let's wait until I've refined my theory about wizarding computers and wizarding networks—I can even connect the Floo Network to it, amazing, isn't it? Like this, if I'm holding a computer and say ' Diagon Alley '..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. LeMay vanished from the spot.

The four of them stood there, stunned.

"Find him quickly!" Dumbledore said calmly, but he remained as composed as ever, showing no panic at all about Mr. LeMay's disappearance.

Fortunately, before leaving, Mr. LeMay mentioned the name "Diagon Alley," and they found the disheveled Mr. LeMay with ease.

"Look, isn't it convenient?" Mr. LeMay didn't seem frustrated by being suddenly teleported away. Instead, he smiled and showed off his Floo Network wizard Crystal Ball computer to the four of them.

"This is indeed a revolutionary moment!" Veratia and Cassandra almost simultaneously sensed the business opportunity in it.

Cassandra sensed a business opportunity because she herself had been trained by the Malfoy family.

Veratia sensed a business opportunity and simply wanted to make some money.

She kept all the dowry she had saved up over the years in her vault, not daring to spend a single penny—old Vienna people were terrified of poverty, generation after generation... oh wait, anyway, ever since her money was stolen by Gellert, her obsession with money had only intensified.

Unless it's to buy something for Harry, she really wouldn't spend a single penny.

"I can see you're very interested in this," Mr. LeMay said with a chuckle. "However, I still need to refine them, at least to build the Relay Station for the wizarding network first. Otherwise, where will those portraits be hidden? Don't you think so..."

"Have some fruit candy, Mr. LeMay." Dumbledore handed the candy to Mr. LeMay.

Mr. LeMay stared intently at the candy in Dumbledore's hand, then at Dumbledore's face, and after a moment of eye contact, he opened his mouth and pointed to his mouth, which was now just his gums.

That expression clearly showed—

"I remember you had teeth, didn't you?" Harry asked with concern. "Is your Elixir of Life running out?"

"Don't worry, child, I have enough of the remaining Elixir of Life to outlive most of the students at Hogwarts right now," Mr. LeMay said with a chuckle.

oh...

Is this how you guys welcome death?

Mr. LeMay simply didn't know what Harry was thinking, otherwise he would have definitely scolded him—"I don't want to die so soon because of your computer, kid."

If it weren't for this computer, he might have lost the will to live long ago.

But with a computer, everything changed. Every day was a completely new experience, and as a tech geek, Mr. LeMay seemed to have found a way to continue shining.

"The vast majority?" Harry asked curiously. "Why do you say the vast majority?"

Mr. LeMay didn't say anything, but simply looked Harry up and down.

He was still thinking to himself, "Guess why I used 'the vast majority'?"

You're a human-shaped Philosopher's Stone, kid. Who's ever heard of Philosopher's Stone, an object that can be used to make Elixir of Life, dying from old age?

"Oh, we should get down to business," Mr. LeMay finally remembered. "So, what brings you here? And why are you all here in such a concentrated manner?"

"We'd like to ask you about god of death, and about the Demon King," Dumbledore said to Mr. LeMay. "Sybill Trelawney, the great-granddaughter of the legendary Oracle Cassandra Trelawney, made a Prophecy concerning Voldemort... "Prophecy

Dumbledore recounted Professor Trelawney's Prophecy, and watched as Mr. LeMay fell into deep thought.

"Since you're so certain her Prophecy is correct, then let me ask you," Mr. LeMay said, looking up. "Newt seems to have said that Voldemort has sided with god of death —so now a question arises: Lady. Trelawney's Prophecy contradicts Newt's words—whom should we believe?"

Just then, Newt also entered the Alchemy Room.

After hearing Professor Trelawney's Prophecy, Newt lowered his head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, that's what I've only heard from America wizards." He said, bowing his head, "I don't know the specifics about who Voldemort sided with, but at least the America wizards believe he sided with god of death."

The Alchemy Room fell into deep thought as everyone pondered the various possibilities.

"How about..." Harry asked tentatively, "Like I said in the Headmaster's Office before, perhaps we can summon god of death and ask her what happened, whether Voldemort has sided with her."

"Do you think god of death will answer you?" Newt asked, squinting. "Or do you think god of death is easy to talk to?"

Harry thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I've seen god of death in Cassandra's consciousness space. She's quite easy to talk to—I think she's a very kind old Lady."

Everyone looked at Harry with "excuse me" eyes.

Is god of death easy to talk to?

But Cassandra did not object to what Harry said. In fact, she had seen god of death herself and found him to be quite compassionate.

At the very least, if god of death really wanted to take her away, there was no way she could escape.

However, at that moment, Mr. LeMay scurried over to the library on the side.

After a while, he came running back with a huge book in his arms.

He slammed the book on the table, flipped through a few pages, looked up, and said, "I think Harry's words are worth considering. I've also met the Lady Death, and she's certainly not an inhuman being—look, this book contains the method to summon the Lady of god of death —if the Lady Death I'm talking about is the same old Lady Harry mentioned."

"But this god of death wears a black robe and carries a scythe," Cassandra said, pointing to the illustration of god of death. "But the god of death we see is wearing a black trench coat..."

"Times have changed, Miss Malfoy," Mr. LeMay sighed. "You can't expect an old Lady to always wear that shabby black cloak, can you? Doesn't god of death have the right to pursue fashion?"

You know what, what Mr. LeMay said is indeed not wrong.

God of death certainly has the right to pursue fashion, and a black trench coat instead of a black cloak is not something that is hard to accept.

What about the sickle? What will replace it?

A black FN-57? Or a P90?

"Look," Mr. LeMay said, pointing to the magic circle in the illustration, "We need to draw this magic circle with special blood, and we need to gather the following alchemical materials and ignite them in a bowl before we can summon a god of death to the mortal world—but only temporarily."

"Why is there such Charms?" Harry asked, frowning.

"There are always people who want to see their deceased loved ones," Mr. LeMay glanced at Dumbledore was deep in thought. "The legendary Resurrection Stone can cross the boundary between life and death to summon the souls of the dead. But there is only one Resurrection Stone, and no one knows where it is. So the ancient Alchemy made a pact with god of death and invented this method."

"What if god of death wants to kill us?" Veratia asked.

"This magic circle can summon god of death, and it can also trap her." Newt leaned close to Mr. LeMay, reading the description in the book, and explained to Veratia, "However, I don't think a magic circle can trap god of death, just like the talisman here— Merlin, I don't believe that a simple Charms can banish an angel or a demon from a house with Banishing Charm drawn on it..."

"I regret to inform you, Newt."

Mr. LeMay said casually, "I have tried most of the spells on this. In France in 1466, I used this spell to exorcise a demon."

Newt was stunned when he heard Mr. LeMay's words. He really hadn't expected that Mr. LeMay had such a solid track record.

The battle record is verifiable, right?

"Demons?" Harry asked with interest. "Do demons really exist?"

"Oh, Harry," Mr. LeMay smiled mysteriously at Harry, "Did you believe in wizards before you received your Hogwarts acceptance letter?"

You know what, Mr. LeMay has a point.

"So what alchemical materials are needed?" Harry craned his neck to look at the book again. "Let me see... Cerberus pelt, Flower of the Styx, and some Dragon scale... I know about Dragon scale and Cerberus pelt; wasn't there a Cerberus guarding the Trapdoor before? But what is Flower of the Styx?"

"Well..." Mr. LeMay thought for a moment, then said to Harry, "Among my treasures are some Flower of the Styx, which were originally part of the Eastern Roman Empire's imperial collection..."

Upon hearing Mr. LeMay's words, everyone present was filled with awe and respect.

The treasures of the Eastern Roman Empire's imperial family...

However, it's not entirely incomprehensible. After all, when he was defending Constantinople, Mr. LeMay went to witness the spectacle—he saw the Basilisk be blasted to death by Urban Cannon as soon as it swam out of the Gate of St. Romanus.

"Now all that's missing is the Cerberus pelt and the Dragon scale." Harry scratched his chin and said, "As for the Dragon scale, I remember Ron's brother Charlie raises Dragon scale in Romania, so he should have plenty of them. As for the Cerberus pelt, we'll have to trouble Hagrid for that—you know, Hagrid always has some strange and unusual treasures."

"I can relate to that," Newt agreed with Harry. "My God, do you know how shocked I was when I found out Hagrid's rug was made entirely of Unicorn Hair?"

"Hagrid may be Half-giant, but his heart is purer than most people's," Harry said to Newt. "Unicorn only gravitate towards those with pure souls, and I think you should know that."

"Compared to Hagrid, I am indeed less pure of heart," Newt said, covering his face, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Dumbledore sighed—

"Then it's settled," Mr. LeMay said with a smile. "You will be responsible for collecting Dragon scale and the pelts of the three-headed dog, while I will be responsible for providing you with the Flower of the Styx. Once all the materials are gathered, we will meet in the Alchemy Room... Also, Albus, please don't suddenly appear in my Alchemy Room like this again. You should know that it's hard for an elderly person to withstand such a shock."

"I'll be careful, Nicolas," Dumbledore said with a chuckle, stroking his beard.

When Harry returned to his dormitory, he immediately found Ron.

"Ron," he said, "Could you write Charlie a letter—saying I'd like to buy some Fire Dragon scales from him..."

"Hey, I thought it was something serious." Ron patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me—but you'll have to lend me Hedwig for a bit. Mom said she won't buy me an owl until Christmas."

"Okay, no problem," Harry nodded.

After talking to Ron about it, he immediately left his dorm and went to Hagrid's Hut to find Hagrid.

To his surprise, Lupin and Sirius were having a gathering in Hagrid's house, each of them holding a huge jar—which was just a normal small teacup in Hagrid's hands, but in Lupin and Sirius's hands—it was almost as big as their heads.

When Harry opened the door, Hagrid was blowing his nose forcefully—a huge giant blowing his nose naturally made a very loud noise, which even startled Harry.

"Good heavens, Hagrid," Harry said, still shaken. "I thought Seamus was going to Confringo."

Hagrid chuckled and patted the person next to him, saying, "Come in and sit down—I'm really happy. I heard about Sirius being exonerated as soon as I got back—good heavens, I really didn't expect that Ron's mouse would be Pettigrew, and I, I've been wrongly accusing Sirius all along, I really—"

At this point, Hagrid choked up again.

"My God, my God..." Hagrid said, shaking his head, "I even doubted you..."

"It's not your fault, Hagrid," Sirius said, patting Hagrid's arm. "In fact, it's because I didn't defend myself. I was thinking about atoning for the mistakes I made..."

He actually wanted to pat Hagrid on the shoulder, but the height difference between them was quite large, so Sirius thought about it and decided to pat his arm instead.

"You even gave me that motorcycle back," Hagrid said, wiping away his tears. "Don't worry, I've kept your Old Pal very well; it's right outside—"

"A motorcycle?" Harry asked with interest, having never known that Hagrid owned a motorcycle.

"Yes, when I pulled you out of the rubble—" Hagrid gestured, "Your Godfather came riding over on his motorcycle. He was pale and trembling. I knew he was grieving for James and Lily. Then he said, 'Give me Harry, Hagrid. I'm his Godfather. I'll take care of him—' Ha! But you know what I'm like. Dumbledore had instructed me, so I told him no. Dumbledore said Harry should go to his aunt and uncle. At first he disagreed, but in the end he gave in and told me to take Harry there on his motorcycle. 'I don't need this motorcycle anymore,' he said, and then the flying motorcycle was given to me."

Harry felt a sharp pain in the scar on his forehead, and he felt as if he had just realized something.

"I seem to have a vague recollection, Hagrid," Harry said, rubbing his head. "Oh, it seems that besides you taking me on that motorcycle, Sirius also took me on one, and he also took me on a flying broom, though it wasn't as big as a normal broom."

"Ha!" Sirius slapped his thigh and pointed at Harry. "See, you remember now? Your first flying broomstick was a gift from me— Lily scolded me for a long time, and even hit me twice with a frying pan, but I dodged it, haha..."

"Sometimes I suspect Lily is raising three children," Lupin said, shaking his head helplessly. "You, James, and Harry, you three children—while you and Prongs, you two are like children who never grow up..."

"Yes, but I should mention that Lily's cooking was delicious." Sirius said nostalgically, "Back in Azkaban, I often thought about Lily's cooking, but every time I thought about it, the Dementor would swarm around, and I would have to forcefully interrupt them."

"Oh," Hagrid suddenly remembered something and quickly stood up, saying, "Speaking of Lily's recipes, she even taught me one—I often use this recipe to make things to eat. Would you like to try it?"

"Okay," Sirius and Lupin said together.

Harry's brow twitched violently; he felt a sense of Grim creeping over him.

Just as he expected, Hagrid walked to the cabinet next to him and took out four huge Rock Cakes.

Sirius and Lupin clearly didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. They happily accepted the Rock Cakes Rock Cakes, and Sirius, being greedy, opened his mouth and took a bite.

"It's so hard, oh my god," he said, covering his mouth. "It feels like I've bitten into a rock..."

"It's better to soak it in water until it's soft before eating," Harry said to Sirius. "You haven't had a proper meal in a long time, so it's normal for your teeth to be a little rusty—look, like me."

As he spoke, Harry used Charms to cut the Rock Cakes into small pieces and soak them in a huge water vat.

The Rock Cakes absorbed water very quickly, and soon it turned into the shape Harry was familiar with.

He picked up his Prongs, took a small piece, and put it in his mouth. The softened Rock Cakes was indeed delicious.

"Really?" Sirius frowned, trying Harry's method...

"I misunderstood you, Hagrid," Sirius said to Hagrid with a smile. "It really is delicious, just as good as Lily's original—"

He added in his mind, "It's fucking hard."

Hagrid smiled, overjoyed at the affirmation, like a 500-pound child.

"By the way, Hagrid," Harry said to Hagrid, "Professor Dumbledore needs some Cerberus pelts, and he asked me to ask you for some—if you have any, please send them to his office."

Since Harry said so, Hagrid had no doubts and happily agreed.

"But you'll have to wait a bit," he said. "I'll get you some by the first of next month at the latest. This Sickle easy to come by—"

"No problem." Harry gave an OK sign.

Time flies, and October is almost over.

As October drew to a close, winter arrived in the Scottish Highlands.

It was cold, that much was certain, but thankfully Hogwarts Castle was still warm as spring, so at least we wouldn't catch a cold during class.

Just as Trelawney Prophecy, a flu struck Hogwarts —but it came a month later than she Prophecy.

Some students were affected and had to go to Madam Pomfrey's Hospital Wing for some medicine—and Madam Pomfrey's Potions was quite effective; after taking it, it felt like their heads were boiling over, with steam hissing out.

Professor Lupin also seems to have caught the flu; in any case, he took leave on the 27th.

Everyone was excitedly discussing how the new teaching assistant would teach—they all knew that Sirius Black and Professor Lupin were good friends from their student days, and there was no reason why Professor Lupin, who was so outstanding, couldn't be his good friend.

In fact, Sirius's level is indeed quite good; at least those who have taken his classes give him a thumbs up.

good.

After recuperating at Hogwarts for so long, Sirius gradually recovered his health. He was no longer as thin as he had been in Azkaban, but had gradually returned to a healthy state.

It must be said that the Black family home is indeed full of handsome men and beautiful women; for example, Draco's mother, Narcissa, is a first-rate beauty.

And Sirius —is indeed a very handsome guy.

The female students at Hogwarts were treated to a feast for the eyes, and some even sought out Sirius to ask him all sorts of questions. In no time, he became the most popular person at Hogwarts.

Snape became even more unhappy, and his face grew gloomier day by day, as if someone had spilled his Jubilee Potion, and he could no longer smile.

Anyone with eyes can see that he was envious of Assistant Coach Black's popularity.

"Couldn't he have learned from Professor Black?"

This is the cricket chirping behind the Ravenclaw girl. Anyway, the whole point is that it's no wonder Professor Snape has been single all this time; it's inseparable from his terrible temper and his centuries-old unwashed hair.

"Very good." Snape appeared behind them. "Ravenclaw, deduct twenty points."

The value of the spirit behind her is still increasing. Ron looked at Hermione with a "I already told you" expression and shrugged.

It was strange. Hermione agreed with Ron's guess. Perhaps Snape had also cast Dark Arts on his name, which was why he knew so quickly who was talking behind his back.

"So, it's best to say whatever you want to say in the Common Room or the dormitory," Ron said, puffing out his chest. "He's not going to show up in places that aren't Slytherin's territory, is he?"

As he said this, Ron almost blurted out the words "Old Bat," but he held back.

He turned around and saw Snape staring at him menacingly.

As he turned around, Snape smiled at him before turning and walking away.

"You really do have your ways," Seamus praised loudly.

On Thursday, the third-grade students also welcomed Sirius Defense Against the Dark Arts.

During breakfast, everyone was excitedly discussing it, and the girls, like Lavender Brown and Hannah Abe, were already going crazy, talking about Sirius's looks.

The girls in Slytherin were very restrained. Led by Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass, they sat upright on the Slytherin's long table, resisting the urge to discuss Sirius Black.

Simply put, they didn't want to be caught by Snape.

Ron and Hermione sat together, with Harry sitting next to them, also talking quietly about Defense Against the Dark Arts.

However, they were talking about the lesson itself, not fangirling about how handsome Sirius was.

"Look, Hedwig flew in," Ron said, pointing to the doorway.

Hedwig looked exhausted; she practically tumbled into Harry's arms, clutching a package in her paws.

"Oh ho, Stuka." Hermione pulled a bottle of bird supplement from her pocket—the kind her parrot used.

She handed the supplement to Harry: "Give Hedwig some; this supplement is very good for birds' health, especially their feathers—they get stress lines if their nutrition is unbalanced."

"Okay." Harry twisted open the bottle, poured the contents into a bowl, and handed it to Hedwig.

Hedwig stretched her head and leaned over to drink the supplement little by little with her tongue, her eyes squinting, looking very content.

"It's Charlie's package," Harry said. "It seems the package has arrived—"

He opened the package; inside was a letter and a small parcel.

The small package was for Harry; inside were twenty Dragon scale. The letter was for Ron, Ron, after opening it, exclaimed happily, "Charlie asked me to thank you, Harry! He also congratulated me on joining the Quidditch team and wished me the championship!"

"Did you tell him? You're a substitute now?" Hermione asked.

"That's not important," Ron said, waving his hand dismissively.

With class time fast approaching, the three of them packed their things, put the pet back in their dorm room, and hurried to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Sirius wasn't in the classroom. When they arrived, only the students who had arrived earlier were inside.

Everyone was whispering and excitedly discussing what the new professor would teach them, and whether there would be any unique way to meet them—just like when Professor Lockhart ... no, just like when Ms. Rosier first met them.

A moment later, they heard the door be opened with a "bang".

Everyone turned around and found it was Professor Black.

Sirius wasn't wearing his usual fancy clothes today; instead, he was dressed in a black robe and had a black wig on his head as he strode into the classroom.

Amidst the surprised, incredulous, and slightly amused gazes of his classmates, he hastily slammed all the classroom windows shut with his wand, then strode to the podium like a greasy Old Bat. With a clean, Snape -like turn, he tossed his greasy wig into a side part and, mimicking Snape's oily tone, began to speak:

"You've come here to learn this method of defense and counterattack against Dark Wizard. Since there aren't any fools sitting in front of cauldrons boiling slugs here, some of you might not believe it's actually a sophisticated science—I don't expect you to truly grasp the beauty of the melodious magical resonance when you wave your wand, the wonder of unleashing powerful Charms. You won't truly understand the magical Charms that punish Dark Wizard, those that captivate the mind and confuse the will... I can teach you how to increase your reputation, gain glory, and even conquer death—"

"But there has to be one condition: you can't be the kind of idiots and fools I usually encounter."

At this point, the students who had been holding back their laughter burst into a roar of laughter.

The Gryffindor students, in particular, laughed the loudest.

Of course, the other houses were laughing too, except for Slytherin.

Slytherin weren't averse to laughter; they were forcing themselves to suppress it, trying not to let Professor Snape know they were laughing out loud.

"Quiet—" Professor Sirius squinted, his tone drawn out, perfectly mimicking Snape.

The students laughed even harder, especially Ron, Seamus, and Neville, who laughed the loudest.

Hermione looked at Professor Sirius with a worried expression, thinking that they didn't get along to begin with, what if Snape picked a fight on him?

"Mr. Potter!"

Sirius suddenly appeared in front of Harry, his movements almost identical to Snape's —it was clear he knew Snape very well...

"How do I disarm a wizard?" he asked greasyly.

Seeing Sirius's incredibly lifelike imitation, the students could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

"Quiet—" Sirius said, drawing out his words, much like Snape.

"It's Disarming Charm, the spell is Expelliarmus, Professor," Harry replied, suppressing a laugh.

He truly hadn't expected Sirius to pull off something like this—

But at the same time, Harry had to admit that it was indeed a good life.

"Well, well," Sirius narrowed his eyes, "It seems his reputation isn't without reason—let's try again, Mr. Potter. What Charms should I use to harm the Inferi?"

"Use a fire Charms, Professor," Harry replied crisply.

"I suppose you know a lot about Defense Against the Dark Arts, Mr. Potter?" Sirius narrowed his eyes and asked again, "So, tell me, what's the difference between Confringo and Big Bomb?"

"The power is different, Professor," Harry replied.

Sirius smiled.

"Because you answered the question correctly— Gryffindor gets five extra points," he said.

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(End of this chapter)