Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 26: Locking in the Murderer
"We should have gone to Knockturn Alley and bought a bottle of Hellfire Potion instead of stealing it from Slughorn!"

About ten kilometers from Bardemington Manor, in an abandoned ranger's hut, the short, stout wizard Elder Wavell, wearing glasses, was struggling with a seven-meter-long rope.

He coiled one end of the rope into three sections and brought them together, then gradually wrapped the remaining part around it.

Despite his perpetually pale face and handsome appearance, the young Xue Ni still looked timid.

"You said we're broke. Every little bit helps. It's just one less bottle of Hellfire Potion; Slughorn won't notice."

“It’s not us, you’ve never had any money! I’ve always been the one paying out!” Wolper glared at him. “I was trying to save some, but now I’m spending even more! Damn it, how could Slughorn have left a bottle of that special Living Hell Potion there!”

Blood Ny didn’t refute anything. He just suddenly started breathing heavily, his face became even paler, and his eyes seemed to glow red!
"Wait! Wait!" Walpole shouted, dropping the rope he had only half-finished and leaping up from his chair.

Just as Blood Nyx's face grew paler and paler, and two fangs began to emerge faintly from his mouth.

Wolper had already pulled a bottle of potion from a box nearby, and then shoved the bottle into Bloodny's mouth!
After drinking the blood-replenishing potion that he had purchased from Diagon Alley the day before, the previously terrifying features on Bloodny's body gradually disappeared.

He finished the medicine in the bottle with lingering relish, then peered at Walpole's box.

"Are there any blood-flavored lollipops left? I've been holding back for so long, let me savor that wonderful taste a little longer."

"So now you know why I wanted to save money on that bottle of Hellfire Potion! Where did all my money go!" Wolper looked like he'd had enough, but he still pulled a lollipop out of the box and tossed it to Bloodny.

Xueni caught the candy, but instead of showing the expected joy and happiness, he slumped his shoulders dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, I dragged you into this."

Walpole, who had been rambling on and about to complain even more, stopped talking and fell silent, walking over to his friend.

"No need to apologize, I did it voluntarily. I'm waiting to make a fortune off that book about vampires! When that happens, I'll definitely pay back double the money I spent on you!"

"Don't lie to me." Bloody covered his face. "You took me to curry favor with Horace Slughorn so you could ask him to help promote your new book, but because of me, you've offended him now!"

Wopple angrily punched him in the shoulder.

"As long as I write well enough, it won't be a big deal if he doesn't promote it! But since you know how much effort I've put in, you should persevere! Don't be discouraged, Bloody! Think about it, you promised her! You promised!"

Xueni lowered his hand from his face and stared blankly at the lollipop in his hand, muttering to himself.

"Yes, I made that promise to her. I'm a thief, a liar, someone with zero credibility among fairies."

He was pulling at his hair.

"But I promised her!!"

“Then let’s do it!” Wolper encouraged. “Things have already come to this point, so even if we’re caught by the Aurors and tried by the Wizengamors, the consequences can’t get any worse!”

Bloody didn't say anything more. He just slowly tore open the candy wrapper with his slightly trembling hand.

"Yes, things couldn't get any worse than they are now. There can't be any worse."

Instead of continuing to braid that damned rope, Walpole pulled out a quill and parchment and said with unwavering determination.

“I will keep writing, I will finish this story, even in Azkaban!” “Vampires!”

Harry looked at the garlic and gave the answer.

"Only vampires are afraid of garlic! And the wound on Miss Patty's neck, that was also caused by a vampire bite! She was drugged and injured by a vampire!"

"It was that newly-minted bestselling author and his vampire friend who did it! They stole Professor Slughorn's Hellfire Potion at the party that day and then did this!"

Even Harry could guess the answer after seeing the garlic, so Severus certainly couldn't have missed it either.

Those Aurors underestimated Muggles. If they had made more contact with the Muggle government and communicated with the police station, even if they lacked some information from Slughorn and couldn't immediately identify the killer, they could still have made significant progress.

Now, Severus has clearly benefited from this discovery.

“The killer has been basically identified. The only thing that is still unclear is their motive for harming Patty.” Severus put down the clove of garlic he was holding. “However, once we catch the killer, the truth will come out.”

“Come on, Harry, we’ve had a long day. It’s time to go back and rest. We’ll go find Slughorn tomorrow and get the bestselling author and his vampire friend’s whereabouts from him.”

Sheriff Gordon warmly opened the door for Severus and offered to drive them home himself.

Severus politely declined, but thanked Gordon for his help and promised to solve the case quickly, living up to the name "Sherlock Holmes".

Gordon was deeply moved by these words. He stood excitedly at the entrance of the police station, watching the "great detective" and his assistant leave.

Harry is still too young, and Severus doesn't dare use Apparition to bring him along. If something goes wrong and Harry splits into two, it will be a huge problem.

So, once they were out of Gordon's sight, Severus hailed a taxi, and the two returned to Budmington Estate together.

As soon as they returned, they found the employee who had stayed at the manor in a state of panic because of their sudden departure. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them return.

“Professor Snape,” he said earnestly to Severus, his tone almost pleading, “since you’ve chosen to stay, you’re now considered an unofficial member of the investigation team. If you have any plans to go out later, please let me know first, okay? Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain it to the department.”

Severus certainly knew what he was afraid of.

The Aurors have already included him in their list of suspects in the creation of potions, and they don't want him to just disappear like that.

“We’re just going out for a walk. Well, in that case, I’ll let you know in advance.” Severus didn’t want to make things difficult for his employee. “I have to go out again early tomorrow morning to see Professor Slughorn. If all goes well, I should be back by noon.”

Seeing the employee's troubled expression, Severus continued to finish what he hadn't said.

"However, my student Dudley will stay."

Since they were going to arrest someone tomorrow, and there was a high chance of conflict if the other party resisted, Severus and Harry decided not to take him along after discussing it, so that he could spend more time with his new friends at the manor.

The employee finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that one of the two would ultimately stay.

He looked at Severus with gratitude.

"Thank you, Professor Snape. You are nothing like the rumors! You are a truly good professor!"

(End of this chapter)