A certain broken Hogwarts

"I think we don't need to have Potions class or Defense Against the Dark Arts class today."

While having breakfast in the auditorium, Draco said slowly, "So today we only need to have one class..."

He held a cup of breakfast tea in one hand and an open copy of the Daily Prophet in the other, leaning back in his chair, leisurely sipping his tea and reading the newspaper, looking just like a lazy old man.

"I'd rather have classes as usual..." Blaise grinned, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "That would be so much fun."

Owen nodded in agreement, listening to Harry's serious expression as he whispered the centaur prophecy to him, and gave him a perfunctory look of surprise.

He wasn't surprised at all that Voldemort would return. With Grindelwald pulling the strings behind the scenes, it was only a matter of time.

But when Harry mentioned the Twin Stars of Destiny, Owen raised an eyebrow, wondering if it referred to him. What if he was destined to be entangled with Harry forever...?

He scrutinized Harry's naive face for a moment with a critical look, then turned his head away with a hint of disdain: "Hmm—I must be overthinking it."

"Is this why you couldn't sleep all night?" Irving slowly took a bite of his sausage, changing the subject.

Harry's expression turned resentful and conflicted at the mention of this. He hesitated for a moment before sighing, leaning closer, and lowering his voice even further: "You don't know, yesterday I actually used the Cruciatus Curse on Peter Pettigrew! I just thought it was the best solution at the time, so I used it instinctively..."

He slumped down, messing up his fried egg with his fork, his haphazardly sticking-up black hair drooping listlessly.

"Just because of something like that?" Owen looked at the dejected little wizard with amusement, finding the guy rather endearing. "You're really... innocent." He clicked his tongue in admiration.

"Isn't this a very serious matter?" Harry's face hardened. He sensed that Owen's mindset was very bad; if this guy continued to treat the use of terrible dark magic with complete indifference, he would get himself into Azkaban sooner or later.

"Didn't you fail to cast it successfully?" Owen said casually. He had watched Harry's battle with Peter Pettigrew last night, and the Crucifixion Curse had hardly been used successfully. "And you didn't even hit anyone."

"But remember to recite some other spells after using this kind of charm in the future, or just use a different wand, so that no one can cast a Flashback Charm on your wand." He taught the counter-surveillance technique with a smile, "Then you'll have no way to explain yourself."

"Well, thank you so much..." Harry said with a dark expression.

"You're welcome," Owen said in a good mood, not bothering to dwell on the other person's sarcastic remarks.

Harry didn't want to talk to the guy anymore. He angrily stuffed the scrambled eggs he'd shoved into his mouth, his cheeks bulging. He didn't want to think about last night anymore, especially since he realized that he hadn't slept all night not just because of that incident, but more because... he knew whose scream had been echoing in his head when he was facing the Dementors.

The voice echoed in his ears again and again, waking him from his dreams time and time again. Even in his brief moments of sleep, he was filled with the image of a cold, decaying hand and a fearful plea.

Harry wiped his face, trying to stop thinking about it.

By the time breakfast was over, news of the body swap had spread among the students. The young wizards were fascinated by it, and some even rushed through breakfast, making a detour to the school hospital on their way to class to outwit Ms. Pomfrey, just to join in the fun.

Ever since leaving the school hospital, Daphne has kept her distance from Owen and the others, staying with her sister and keeping her fair and beautiful face buried in her hands, as if looking at someone else would cause her to switch bodies with them.

The students had not received any notification that any classes had been temporarily canceled. Owen, carrying his backpack with great enthusiasm, followed his friends down the escalator into the damp, chilly basement to head to the Potions classroom.

As soon as they entered the classroom, they saw Sirius Black—no, he should still be called Snape now—standing on the podium, looking down at them with a gloomy and cold gaze that seemed to want to kill a few people on the spot.

Irving and his friends quickly exchanged glances, then lowered their heads, suppressing their laughter, and sat down in their seats.

The Potions classroom, usually as solemn as a funeral, was now filled with buzzing discussions. Students whispered among themselves and chuckled secretly. Only a few students, unaware of what was happening, stared in astonishment at the figure on the podium, wondering why Professor Black had come to substitute for Potions.

Owen casually glanced at the professor on the podium. The professor had changed into a loose black robe, the same style Snape never changed in a hundred years. His long, glossy black hair hung down on both sides of his face. His slightly thin face was pale and handsome, but his expression was gloomy and rigid. His usually bright gray eyes were now empty and indifferent, and there was a bruise at the corner of his eye.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Seeing his godfather transformed into the headmaster felt incredibly strange, and he wasn't sure how to react. He was somewhat relieved that Professor Snape hadn't made Sirius's hair greasy.

Snape was in a terrible mood, as if he'd swallowed a gunpowder. He paced around the classroom like a giant bat for the entire lesson, finding all sorts of excuses to deduct dozens of points from Gryffindor, which made Hermione's eyes well up with tears.

The young Slytherin wizards fared no better. Crabbe accidentally caused his potion to spray out like a fountain, resulting in Professor Snape deducting an unprecedented ten points from his score. This was because Crabbe had messed up every step, making Professor Snape feel that the guy was working against him.

Even Harry suffered because Sirius Black was staring at him intently, and he was distracted for a moment, adding the wrong medicine to the cauldron. This drew a long-awaited barrage of sarcastic remarks, and he was subsequently penalized ten points.

Harry felt he was being blamed, but considering the Dean's low spirits after the body swap, he decided to forgive him.

Owen's usual fire for warmth in the cauldron was extinguished by Snape with a grim face. He blinked innocently, observing everything with keen interest. Midway through, he inadvertently made eye contact with Daphne, who let out a soft gasp, her cheeks instantly turning bright red, and she nearly knocked over the cauldron in her haste.

Irving silently looked away. Was Daphne's reaction a bit excessive?

For most students, this Potions class seemed exceptionally long. When the bell finally rang, the young wizards listened with tears in their eyes as Professor Snape assigned a mountain of homework, and walked out of the Potions classroom dejectedly.

Irving was in a good mood and even remarked with great interest how quickly the class had gone by, which earned him a bunch of eye rolls.

The last class of the afternoon was Defense Against the Dark Arts. When they rushed to the classroom, the sky outside had become overcast, with flashes of lightning flickering in the clouds.

The students chattered excitedly in the classroom, watching the professor standing at the front of the room, laughing and talking happily. Every now and then, someone would casually wave at Sirius Black, genuinely praising his outfit, while a group of little witches covered their mouths and giggled.

The atmosphere in Sirius's class is generally very relaxed and free.

Sirius Black still looked like Snape, but he had specially changed into a fiery red robe, making him look completely different from Professor Snape.

Most importantly, his usually greasy hair was now neatly and cleanly styled, looking jet black and shiny, and a little fluffy. It was tied low at the back of his head with a hair tie, revealing his sallow face and prominent hooked nose.

That usually gloomy and unpredictable face now wore a lazy smile, making him seem more approachable. A light shone in his eyes, which were like dark, unyielding tunnels, making him look much younger, even adding a touch of melancholic and decadent handsomeness.

Kyrie Irving could only sigh and shake his head at this. Indeed, being handsome isn't just a matter of appearance, but also a matter of character. People who are clean, know how to dress, and have charisma are simply different.

No wonder Professor Snape was furious...

Harry chuckled at Sirius's appearance, his eyes narrowing into slits with laughter. Although he felt the bright red outfit was quite unsuitable for the Headmaster, he had to admit it was rather refreshing.

Sirius Black winked mischievously at Harry, about to grin when he hissed softly. His lip was cut, clearly from a fight.

He clapped his hands and announced the start of class.

The class was no different from usual, except that the professor was all smiles, which sent chills down the spines of the young wizards who were already afraid of Professor Snape. Although they understood what was going on, Snape's face still gave off an extremely eerie feeling.

"I think I'm going to have nightmares tonight," Blaise groaned, before being flipped over by Owen's spell.

Owen chuckled and shook his head, pulling Blaise to his feet. He then glanced at Sirius, who was correcting the students' wand-waving posture.

But in just a moment, Sirius froze, his words caught in his throat, and the smile on his face faded visibly.

In an instant, that sallow face stretched long, becoming gloomy and indifferent.

That endearing mischievousness vanished instantly, as if another person had awakened from this body and slammed shut the windows behind those dark eyes, leaving them cold and empty once more.

The young wizard, who was being instructed by Sirius, stared blankly, and when Sirius fixed his gaze on him with a look that seemed to freeze a person, he trembled and almost dropped his wand.

The silence spread quickly, as if it were contagious. After a short while, the classroom was completely silent, and everyone stared blankly at their professor.

"Hiss—it's switched?" Harry gasped softly.

"Obviously." Draco raised an eyebrow.

Irving blinked slightly. Only half a day? What a pity.

"I am astonished that such a disorganized classroom is allowed to exist at Hogwarts," Professor Snape said, his voice laced with cold sarcasm. "If it's just this kind of petty stunt, I guarantee an idiot could fill the position."

The students stood there in complete silence, at a loss for what to do.

Professor Snape's dark eyes swept across everyone's faces as he said coldly, "No method, no variation, no innovation... I think this could easily give you the illusion that the Dark Wizard's invasion is like children playing house..."

"I don't think this is your class, Snape." The classroom door swung open with a bang, and Sirius stood in the doorway, giving Snape a haughty and disdainful look. He was still wearing his black robes, but he no longer resembled a giant bat.

"Perhaps your Professor Black would find this childish trick amusing," Snape said with a smirk.

Sensing the tension between the two professors, the young wizards cautiously moved further away, barely daring to breathe.

"I don't think it's my place to judge my Potions class, even if he's bored to death," Sirius said with a forced smile, his lips moving silently as if to say "mind your own business."

"I think it's necessary to make these easily satisfied and easily fooled students see reality," Snape said sarcastically in his smooth voice.

"So, it seems Professor Snape wants to prove he's qualified?" Sirius stared intently at him, drawing his wand.

"I'd also like to see just how professional Professor Black is." Snape curled his upper lip and drew his wand almost simultaneously.

"Everyone, step outside the classroom," Sirius Black said to the students. "Today you'll witness a high-level duel between wizards. I hope your Professor Snape lives up to that praise..."

The students quickly shrank into the corridor outside the classroom, craning their necks excitedly and nervously to look into the classroom.

Harry felt like the two of them were about to fight to the death. He opened his mouth to say something, but Owen and Draco grabbed his arms and pulled him out of the classroom.

Sirius and Snape moved around halfway around the classroom, their expressions identically cold and hateful, their wands pointing steadily at each other.

In an instant, they made their move at the same time.

A spell shot out from the tip of Snape's wand, zigzagging along a bizarre trajectory toward Sirius.

Sirius Black waved his wand, and an invisible barrier of light blocked the spell, deflecting it aside and shattering an entire window. With a crashing sound, a beam of brilliant fire shot up in front of Snape, radiating intense heat.

Snape merely raised his wand slightly, and the flame was deflected to the side, igniting the curtains. With a cold expression, he tapped the curtains with his wand, and the red curtains instantly came to life, transforming into long, mottled snakes with shimmering scales, wildly writhing and opening their gaping maws to tear at Sirius.

Sirius simply brandished his wand halfway around with a grim face, and the flames from before began to spread rapidly. They quickly covered the hard scales of the snakes, scorching and sizzling like a swarm of mice.

The serpent and the flames began to fiercely clash, and the two stood between the intertwined serpents and the raging fire, their robes fluttering, once again pointing their wands at each other.

Sirius Black swung his wand dramatically, and Snape seemed trapped in an invisible cage, making all his movements difficult. Various objects on the lectern floated up, their surfaces glowing with a faint red light, and shot towards Snape's back like bullets.

At that moment, Sirius's feet went weak, the ground turning into a soft swamp that sank his feet in. Several long snakes that had been lying in ambush sprang out from the ground beside him, baring their sharp fangs like rows of gleaming swords.

Amidst the screams and gasps of the young wizards, the two professors simultaneously swung their wands down heavily. After a loud, ear-piercing explosion, thick black smoke billowed into the classroom, obscuring all vision, with only flickering lights flashing through it like lightning streaking across heavy clouds.

When the smoke cleared, the classroom was a mess, filled with charred craters. The figures of the two gradually emerged, still moving swiftly back and forth, their wands twirling and shooting out sparks. Sirius Black had a deep bloodstain on his face, and Snape's robes were tattered.

They glared at each other fiercely, Sirius baring his teeth like a large dog, while Snape's lips were pursed in a deep smirk. They both simultaneously unleashed spells at each other once more.

An invisible blade flashed past, and Sirius hurriedly dodged to the side, another bloody gash appearing on his neck. The cushion behind him was slashed into dozens of pieces.

Snape was blasted away, crashing heavily into the blackboard and engulfed in a thick cloud of smoke.

"ah--"

Several little witches covered their eyes and screamed. Someone outside shouted, "Quick, find the school nurse! Find the headmaster!"

Harry jumped into the classroom, stood between the two men, raised his hands, and shouted, "Sirius, Professor Snape, stop fighting!"

Sirius gritted his teeth, finally regaining his composure, and quickly flashed a smile at Harry. But he didn't put down his wand, his eyes still fixed warily on Snape's location.

With a series of footsteps, Snape emerged from the dust, clutching his chest. His lips twitched, and he stared coldly at Sirius for a moment.

Slowly, they put down their wands.

The school bell rang. Sirius Black wiped the blood from his face and called out to the students outside, "get out of class dismissed!"

"Don't worry, we're just sparring," he added.

"Yes, a friendly spar," Snape said wearily. "You all need to learn what's real."

The students packed their bags, bewildered, and left the classroom one after another, still arguing excitedly and fearfully about whether they were really just having a friendly exchange.

"The sparring was real, and the deep-seated hatred between them was also real," Draco drawled. "Look at them, the way they look at each other is like they want to tear each other to pieces and devour each other!"

His grey eyes gleamed with excitement: "I think the Dean is more capable, don't you think? He wasn't injured at all!"

"You guys go ahead, I'll wait for Sirius." Harry walked a few steps with a worried look on his face and stopped at the end of the corridor.

"Alright, I'm rooting for you." Owen nodded and left. He had no intention of getting involved in the mess between Professor Snape and Sirius.

Inside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, after all the students had left and Snape was about to turn and leave, Sirius Black stepped forward and slammed him against the blackboard, saying aggressively, "Don't think you can erase all the bad things you did in the past, you snotty-nosed devil."

Hearing this address, Snape's face flushed with anger. He scoffed, "I think you should be running off to your treatment right now, crying and calling for your mother, instead of barking like a mad dog in front of me."

"Don't even think about getting away with this. Do I need to remind you? That ugly little thing on your arm?" Sirius grabbed his left arm tightly, his expression frozen with deep hatred and disgust. "I just don't understand why Dumbledore would allow something like you to stay at Hogwarts?"

Snape's arm twitched, then he pulled it back sharply. He curled his lips into his usual cold smile and said lazily, "You'll have to ask Dumbledore about that."

This time, Sirius's face flushed with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Ah, I asked him. Although he stubbornly insists on believing you..."

"But I'll keep an eye on you." He shoved Snape hard.

"I can't guarantee that someone won't lose their life while following someone else." Snape flicked his sleeve, turned and left the classroom, his robes billowing in the wind.

As he passed Harry at the door, he didn't even glance at him, leaving as if the other person didn't exist.

Harry was dismayed to find that the relationship between Sirius and Professor Snape had become even more strained. He waited dejectedly until Sirius came out of the classroom, and the two walked side by side.

"Sirius, your injury..." Harry said worriedly.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury." Sirius grinned at him nonchalantly, but Harry noticed that the wound on his neck was still bleeding.

"I'll go with you to the school hospital," Harry insisted.

"Okay, if you insist..." Sirius couldn't persuade him otherwise and shrugged.

"Sirius, you and Professor Snape..." Harry said sullenly.

"Our feud has been going on for years," Sirius said, clearly not wanting to elaborate. His expression suddenly turned serious. "But you'd better stay away from Snape, Harry."

"Why?" Harry stammered. He had always thought the Dean was a person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

"I only found out today that he used to be a Death Eater." Sirius's face darkened again.

"Wh...what?" Harry stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"He was a follower of Voldemort, and I saw the Dark Mark on his arm," Sirius said somberly.

"But... but why is he at Hogwarts?" Harry opened his mouth.

"That's the problem. I went to see Dumbledore at noon today, but he stubbornly believes that Snape has reformed..." Sirius cracked his knuckles.

“Listen, Harry, I don’t object to you associating with your Slytherin friends, even if some of their elders supported Voldemort. After all, Voldemort is gone,” he said, looking at Harry. “But you have to be careful of Snape, because he’s a Death Eater himself! You can’t guarantee he won’t hold a grudge against you.”

Harry nodded haphazardly, his mind a jumble of thoughts, but his mind was elsewhere. If Voldemort really did return, how many of his friends would be left?

They walked in silence, their footsteps echoing hollowly in the deep, quiet corridor.

"Oh, right, Harry, didn't you say you wanted to practice the Patronus Charm?" Sirius suddenly broke the silence. "I was thinking, you can't practice against a Dementor, so I found a Boggart. I remember there's one in that house in Grimmauld Place... You can practice in my office tonight."

"That's great!" Harry felt a little better. (End of Chapter)