Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 158 The French Magical World's Newspaper Reporters
These words startled Gilal for a few seconds, but she quickly realized that Severus might be apologizing for something.

A bright light immediately shone in her eyes, and her previously tense and worried expression became somewhat excited.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I mean, it’s alright, Mr. Snape. Everyone makes mistakes. All we have to do is correct them. What do you mean? Or have you discovered any new clues that could overturn your previous assumptions?”

Her changing expressions were clearly visible to Nico and Severus.

Severus did not answer first, but exchanged a glance with Nico.

Although they had already discussed what to say at this moment, Nico's expression still showed obvious disappointment after seeing Girard's reaction.

Regardless, he was still a French wizard, with an absolute sense of belonging to the land he lived on.

Therefore, even though he had agreed to Grindelwald's request to conceal certain things in Nurmengard, he still secretly hoped that the French Ministry of Magic could truly emerge from the shadows of the past, face reality, and accept everything that should be accepted.

However, judging from the current situation, the Ministry of Magic can only completely get rid of this shadow if all the older generation of wizards who experienced that turmoil die out.

Severus noticed Nicole's disappointment.

But for him personally, there was nothing to be dissatisfied about.

Previously, the French Ministry of Magic had intended to bury its head in the sand before the Flamels were rescued. This action hindered the rescue and investigation, and fundamentally conflicted with Severus's goal of finding Nico.

Now, both Lemaître and his wife have been safely brought back, and the group of old UMNO members, after seeing Grindelwald, have completely lost their spirit and dispersed back to their hometowns.

So what other conflicts exist between the French Ministry of Magic, which continues to bury its head in the sand, and Severus?

"It was all done by the Death Eaters."

Severus said seriously.

His earnest and solemn expression was as if he had personally witnessed the Black Demon issuing orders to his henchmen to come to France, capture Nicolas Flamel, hold a zombie party, and incidentally set off skull fireworks!
Gilard's eyes lit up with delight, and his shorthand quill flew across the parchment as he recorded Severus's testimony.

Are you...are you sure?

"You've captured Shafik. Last night, such a large Black Demon symbol lit up the skies over Paris, along with that horde of Infernals. As far as I know, the Black Demon did indeed intend and prepare to create Infernals on a large scale!"

Severus wasn't lying; he only needed to state part of the truth.

"The reason I was able to rescue the Flamels was because I discovered another Death Eater I knew among that group. His name was Flint, a pure-blood wizard from England. Following this lead, I finally found their hideout in the Jura Mountains and discovered the Flamels."

He recounted the discovery and process in a reasoned and well-founded manner, which made Girard's expression increasingly excited.

However, after the command leader turned to look at Ni Ke, who remained calm and silently watching her, she felt a mix of shame and unease.

Gilard quickly suppressed her slight unease and began to ask Severus and Nicole for more specific details.

Severus began to tell the story as he and Nico had agreed, but Nico clearly had little interest in speaking. He lay on the sofa looking slightly tired, his eyes lowered, as if he were taking a nap.

Two hours later, the questioning ended.

Whether Girard truly believed it or was still playing the ostrich, she kindly reminded the Flamels to get some rest that day before taking the meticulously recorded notes to Minister Russo of the Ministry of Magic.

Severus turned to look at Nico, who had opened his eyes again and was staring blankly at the door after Girard left. He hesitated, wondering whether he should say something to comfort him.

At this point, Nicole spoke first.

"Politics is truly the most indispensable and also the most foolish invention in human history."

He shook his head with a sigh, while Madame Lemaître turned to look at him and said softly.

“Haven’t you already prepared? It’s been long enough, these things have nothing to do with us in the future, and we’ve done enough.”

It seemed like the couple had made some private decision. Severus, who was familiar with the original plot, could vaguely guess what they were planning to do next.

Nico looked at his wife and smiled.

“You’re right. Whatever happens is no longer our concern. We just need to enjoy every day as it comes.”

Nico pulled his wife up from the sofa. He clearly didn't want to stay at the Ministry of Magic any longer, and a large number of reporters from newspapers had already gathered outside, eager to interview the Flamels and get firsthand information.

The Lemaîtres loathed the occasion and just wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Severus said a temporary goodbye to them and made an appointment to take Harry and the others to visit Flamel's house at noon.

After the Lemaîtres were repeatedly persuaded to stay by Auror without success, they finally left through the fireplace in the reception room.

The reporters from major French newspapers who rushed out all realized they were missing the best first-hand news material!
A small number of reporters acted decisively, leaving the Ministry of Magic to try and stop Nicolas Flamel at his home.

Most of the others surrounded Severus.

They had obviously received the news by this time and knew that the person who rescued the Lemaîtres was Severus Snape.

This former headmaster of a magic school, who recently made headlines in Britain, definitely has firsthand stories that are worth reporting on extensively!
Moreover, the reports of the British wizard overpowering a group of French Aurors in France to solve the kidnapping case and rescue Nicolas Flamel would have attracted even more attention.

These newspaper reporters certainly wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by.

Soon, Severus was surrounded by them, with countless cameras like long guns and short cannons surrounding him.

It took him a lot of effort to get out of the reception room, and when he got to the corridor, he found that Harry and Draco were also surrounded by a group of reporters. Their story of defending themselves from intruders in the Ministry of Magic was a major news item, and Harry and Draco's ages and nationalities were particularly noteworthy.

After failing to squeeze through the crowd for a while, Severus simply returned to the reception room. He sat on a single sofa, surrounded by countless reporters.

"Mr. Snape! I heard that you had a disagreement with the Aurors while investigating the case. Was Nicolas Flamel ultimately brought back because you stuck to your own opinion, and the French Aurors were corrupt and incompetent?"

"Were you specifically invited from England by the Ministry of Magic to participate in this case? The Auror Command announced that they would be forming a joint investigation team with the British Aurors. Was this something you facilitated?"

What do you think of the French Auror's handling of this case? Are you disappointed in them?

"I heard that you had a lot of interaction with the British Aurors a month ago. What do you think are the differences between the Aurors of the two countries?"

Mr. Snape

Almost all the journalists didn't care about how Severus rescued Nicolas Flamel; they only cared about what kind of sensational stories they could dig up.

All the questions they asked were designed to put Severus in the spotlight. No matter how he answered, these people could write a major revelation about him!
"Gentlemen, I have already given a full account of the entire process of rescuing the LeMay couple to Ms. Girard, the Auror supervisor. If you have any questions about this, you can directly ask the Auror Command."

"As for the other questions you asked, I just want to say that there is not much difference between Aurors, nor is there much difference between the Ministry of Magic."

"Right now, I think what you should be focusing on is not my opinion of the French Auror, but that the murderers who kidnapped the Le Maire couple have not been caught and those villains are still at large. If you really care about what the people are worried about, then you should dig deeper into the murderers."

His answer avoided all the dangerous questions, causing a moment of silence in the room. But the next second, someone reacted and asked him excitedly as he spoke rapidly.

"Are you saying your views on the French Aurors aren't worth our attention? You think your honest feelings will hurt the feelings of the French wizards?"

"Mr. Snape! By telling us to focus on the murderer, are you suggesting we have no hope for the French Aurors to continue their pursuit of the real killer? Are you trying to mobilize the people?"

However, just as they were pressing for answers, Severus had already extended his wand, and all the reporters who had been blocking his way were pushed aside by an invisible force, giving him a path to pass through.

Severus strode through the crowd, pulling Harry and the others out in the corridor as well. Ignoring the reporters, he chose to leave directly through the Ministry of Magic's fireplace using the Floo Net.

During their time in Paris, they hadn't really visited the famous tourist attractions or the local wizarding district.

Before heading to Lemaître's house at noon, I had the perfect opportunity to wander around Paris during this free time.

Harry seemed quite excited about the morning's interviews, and Lupin managed to deflect any tricky questions the reporters asked. Draco, however, didn't seem as happy.

It wasn't that the reporters ignored him or didn't interview him; he was unhappy because he wasn't getting any attention.

Draco was sullen because he had been too high-profile.

The fact that a Malfoy child would rescue a Muggle is clearly a news story, and many reporters are asking him whether his actions mean that his father is abandoning the Malfoy family's pure-blood tradition.

Draco argued vehemently in front of the group, repeatedly emphasizing that the Malfoy family would continue to uphold pure-blood principles and condemn any behavior that insults bloodlines. He claimed that his personal act of helping Muggles was entirely out of pure-blood wizards’ compassion and care for lower-class beings!

However, how could a nine-year-old child possibly out-argue those sharp-tongued reporters?

The more Draco talked, the more excited the reporters became. Eventually, they pushed the eldest son of the Malfoy family to his limit. If Lupin hadn't stopped him, he would have almost gotten into a fight with the reporters.

That's why he's so frustrated now; he can't even imagine how badly his reputation would be ruined in his social circle if this news got back to England.

It's unlikely that Gore and Crabbe's two children will ever follow his lead again.

Harry noticed Draco's bad mood and, while strolling along the French Wizarding Street, he looked at the young master and spoke up.

"Why do you care so much about what those reporters say? You weren't like this when Mrs. Rozier thanked you and invited you to their house for dinner."

"What do you know!" Draco said irritably. "Protecting a Muggle, do you know how embarrassing it would be for me if word got out?"

“Anyone who thinks your behavior is shameful is abnormal.” Harry mimicked Draco, putting his arms around his shoulders, and lectured Severus in the same tone. “You can’t just look at those who criticize you; you also need to look at those who praise you. I’m sure if this gets back to England, there will be far more people praising you than you despising you!”

“No pure-blood family would praise me!” Draco’s face was ashen.

Harry shrugged.

"The Weasleys will definitely, Mrs. Weasley will even be happy to invite you to their house for pies!"

“Don’t talk about these losers!” Draco glared at Harry. “They’re pure-blood traitors!”

Harry's eyebrows shot up.

"You're not allowed to talk about my friend like that!"

"Your friend?" Draco didn't know why, but after hearing Harry's words, he subconsciously curled his lip. "Birds of a feather flock together."

He hadn't said anything so sarcastic for several days, but now he just couldn't help himself.

Just as the two were about to start arguing, Severus and Lupin each grabbed them by the back of their collars and separated the two adversaries.

“Alright, alright.” Severus clearly saw why Draco had suddenly become so rude to Harry. “Watch your words, Draco. I’ve emphasized the importance of manners to you many times.”

Draco simply snorted and turned his head away from Harry.

Harry was waving his fists; if Lupin hadn't been holding him back, he would have charged forward.

“How about we go to the broom shop?” Severus found a good way to distract them. “Let’s go see the latest flying broom. Even if you’re not old enough to own one yet, you all love it, right?”

(End of this chapter)