Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 213 A Long Night

"You finally understand, Harry!"

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Blake exclaimed with ecstasy.

"Why didn't Severus become a good person earlier or later, after being a bad person for half his life?"

"You're so smart, you must have thought of that too, right?"

Harry, however, did not understand Black's joy; he simply said...

“I knew from the beginning that my teacher was not a good person. When he first took me out of the Dursleys’ house, he said that he had a great responsibility for my parents’ death and that he had a painful past.”

"But he also told me that he wanted to bring me out and teach me things in order to make up for his past mistakes."

Blake's voice was urgent.

"How can someone just repent like that? Think about it, Harry. Think about what you saw in those memories. Back in Hogwarts, when Severus and his gang were still students, how many bad things did they do? Your mother was his best friend, and she couldn't even persuade him to repent. Instead, he insulted her by calling her a Mudblood!"

"If he hasn't changed at all, how could he suddenly become a different person after so many years?"

Harry was pondering this. He felt that Black's words made a lot of sense, but he remembered asking Severus the same question when they first met.

"I also asked my teacher why this is."

He looked up, first glancing at Lupin, who had remained silent the entire time, then looking down at Blake on the ground.

“He told me that my mother had once illuminated his life, that he was sorry to her, and only to her, and that if he wanted to make up for the mistake that no one had the right to forgive, he could only make amends by taking it out on me.”

The air suddenly became quiet.

Even someone as stubborn as Black couldn't find a single fault in Severus's answer to Harry at this moment.

Both Lupin and Black understood the relationship between Lily and Severus during their youth.

If Severus hadn't been so incorrigible and if James hadn't interfered and stolen Severus's affections, the two of them should have ended up together.

From his youth to adulthood, Severus treated everyone with cold indifference except for the master he later recognized. Lily was the only exception.

They grew up together until they finally parted ways at Hogwarts.

Harry now has the same emerald green eyes as Lily.

The reason of seeking redress through Harry because of Lily's death is indeed plausible, but Black still found a crucial loophole.

"If he really felt remorse for Lily's death, as he claims, then why didn't he secretly observe and protect you from the beginning?"

"I'm alert," Blake said.

"You were only taken out by him two months ago, right? Now it's been more than eight years since your mother died. Why did he only come to find you after eight years, saying he wanted to repent and make amends? There must be something wrong with this."

Harry couldn't refute Black, but deep down he couldn't help but side with his teacher.

"Even if there is a problem, it's possible that something or someone triggered a memory, right?"

Black was somewhat annoyed by Harry's stubbornness, and just as he was about to say something, Lupin, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

“I think I can probably guess why Severus chose this time to bring Harry out and tell him everything.”

At that moment, both Harry and Black turned their attention to Lupin.

"why?"

Lupin didn't look at Black, but turned to stare at Harry.

"Do you remember that before we left England, he met alone with Lucius and his men?"

Harry could never forget something like that.

"Of course I remember. That's where I met Draco, and we even had a fight."

"They discussed something there, or rather, made some deals!"

Upon hearing this, Blake instantly erupted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"They're plotting a deal with Malfoy and his gang! They're definitely planning how to sell Harry out and bring his master back!"

"If that's the case, the person he should really contact is Barty Jr."

Lupin just looked at Blake.

“We all know that Malfoy’s group has never been truly loyal to the Mystic; they only seek out the side that best serves their own interests.”

"So, you know what he and those pigs discussed?"

“No, I don’t know.” Lupin shook his head, but a look of certainty appeared in his eyes. “But what I do know is that what he and Malfoy were plotting together was definitely to go against Barty Crouch Jr.’s group, and Malfoy and his group are the swing voters that Severus wants to win over!”

Blake simply said that...

"Even if he wants to oppose Little Barty, this could be a conflict caused by them vying for their master's favor!"

"Of course you can think that way, but you've been ignoring one thing from the very beginning."

Lupin stared into Blake's eyes.

"Dumbledore knew what Severus was doing from the very beginning."

The moment he uttered that name, Blake's breath hitched for a beat.

He did indeed overlook it, or rather, he subconsciously didn't want to admit it from the very beginning.

Severus has been working at Hogwarts for the past eight years, always under Dumbledore's watchful eye.

And now, he suddenly took Harry away from his aunt's house, and even out of England, to a remote place like Albania.

Dumbledore could not possibly be unaware of this.

In other words, everything Severus did was done with Dumbledore's tacit approval.

At this point, Harry added another piece of evidence to Lupin's statement.

"Yes! I met Professor Dumbledore at Hogwarts. He had only taken me out not long before. We rescued Sinnoh and Patty together, but then they were all captured by the Aurors. Dumbledore appeared and took me to Hogwarts!"

“He told me that I could make a choice: whether to continue with the teacher or go back to Aunt Penny’s house and continue my previous life. I told him that I wanted to continue with the teacher, and he ultimately respected my choice!”

Even so, Blake could still find a reason to argue his point.

“Dumbledore isn’t omnipotent either. He’s had his moments of senility and has misjudged people before!” “We’ve all misjudged people before,” Lupin said calmly. “We can’t choose not to observe and examine just because we’ve misjudged one or two people, and instead choose to believe what we want to believe.”

"If you still have doubts about Severus and are worried about Harry's safety, then you might as well stay here and see what he does next."

Lupin's words finally calmed Blake down, and the whole room fell silent.

The three—one big, one small, and one dog—were all looking at each other.

Until Lupin urged Harry on.

"It's very late, it's time to go to sleep."

Harry reluctantly stood up from the chair, pushed open the door, and went back to his room.

That night was long for everyone except Severus.

Harry lay in bed, tossing and turning, thinking about the memories he had of his parents.

Draco kept checking his ears in the mirror with an ear pick, feeling very nervous and afraid that he might go deaf.

After many years, Lupin and Black cleared up their misunderstanding and reunited. Lupin even explained to him why Harry was Draco's sidekick and why it was impossible for him to rest so early.

This resulted in Severus getting up the next day and going to the restaurant for breakfast to find that everyone had dark circles under their eyes.

"Some of you are too impatient when things happen."

He shrugged as he ate his sandwich.

Harry kept looking at him, and finally, because he was too sleepy, he said weakly.

"Teacher, you are too calm. It's as if you knew all this beforehand."

"If I were a prophet, then it is indeed possible."

After finishing the milk in his glass, Severus clapped his hands.

"You guys should go catch up on your sleep later. I'm going to see Nico to check on his research. Blake doesn't need to catch up; he's just a dog and doesn't need much sleep. He's coming with me."

When Severus mentioned Nico, Blake suddenly realized that he had stolen the letter from Nico's pocket yesterday and then left without saying goodbye!
The wise old man believed him from the beginning without any evidence, and made preparations in advance so that he could meet with Severus and the others properly.

However, he was too impatient and betrayed his kindness by stealing the letter, which led him to this place.

As a result, he was almost handed over to the Auror last night, and even now, due to the effects of the potion, he is temporarily unable to transform back into human form.

Recalling these events made Blake feel upset, or rather, guilty.

"Why should I go with you! Who do you think you are!"

He spoke rudely to Severus.

Severus simply wiped his mouth with a napkin and then glanced at him.

"You sneaked here, shouldn't you go and give Nico an explanation or apologize?"

These words startled Blake!
He suddenly looked up at Severus.

"How did you know!"

The commotion drew the attention of Harry and Lupin, who were still dozing off, and even Draco perked up his ears, wanting to catch up on the gossip he had missed yesterday.

"Know what?" Severus asked casually.

“How did you know I know Nicolas Flamel, or that I came with him!” Blake stared intently at him. “You seem to know everything!”

Severus simply pointed to the vocal collar around his neck—"Broadcast Number Three."

Do you think just anyone can make this?

“There are plenty of highly skilled alchemists throughout Europe!”

“But there’s only one alchemist who is highly skilled and knows where we are right now.” Severus had already stood up from his chair. He didn’t seem willing to explain much to Blake, as if he was worried that Blake’s brain, which was barely bigger than a walnut, wouldn’t be able to accept it.

"And I can guess that you came here secretly behind Nico's back. He had already made arrangements for you; he would have acted as a middleman to bring you to us and clear up the misunderstanding. But you were too impatient and made a mistake impulsively."

Blake was speechless, and even if he wanted to refute him, he couldn't find any words to say.

At this moment, Severus had already walked out of the restaurant.

"Suit yourself. If you think you did nothing wrong and don't need to apologize to him, then just consider it a waste of time and effort."

His last words clearly provoked Blake.

The black dog, who had only taken a couple of bites of his sandwich, left the table without a word and followed Severus.

They arrived at the entrance hall, and Severus put on his coat, seemingly unsurprised that Blake had followed.

“Even with Potter’s personality, he changed a lot after he entered fifth grade. Why haven’t you changed at all, no matter what you’ve been through over the years?”

Upon hearing Severus's words, Blake was about to retort when Severus grabbed his leg.

"Get ready, Animagus form will follow. Apparition should be different from human senses."

As soon as Severus finished speaking, he waved his wand lightly, and the next second, the bodies of the man and the dog twisted and deformed as if they had been thrown into a washing machine, and disappeared from the spot.

Severus appeared at the entrance to the underground ruins with Black.

Soon, Albanian Aurors who were staying nearby spotted them, recognized Severus, and greeted him.

“Looking for Mr. Williams? He finished translating the murals last night and is resting in his tent. He should be up and having breakfast by now. I’ll take you to him.”

Just as the Albanian Auror was leading Severus and the others to the Auror's rest tent, an Auror who had gone underground that morning to change shifts emerged from the entrance of the ruins with a look of urgency on his face.

"Zakri and Valencia have gone missing!"

He yelled and, the moment he emerged from underground, raised his wand high, releasing a cluster of red sparks into the sky.

After the sparks exploded in the sky, almost all the Albanian Aurors in the vicinity gathered there, including their supervisor, Cabnara!

Upon seeing this, Severus frowned and turned to grab the Auror who was trying to turn back after seeing the spark.

"Take us to Mr. Williams first!"

(End of this chapter)