Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 40 Just How Dark Is the Dark Wizard?
When the car reached Gloucestershire, Severus did not choose to continue driving through the night.

Instead, they found a small hotel by the roadside to stay in.

The Cotswolds is not far from Bristol, only about 80 kilometers as the crow flies. If they take the shortest road, they can reach their destination in less than three hours.

But clearly Severus did not choose to go there immediately.

The potent invigorating potion will take another 4 days to be brewed, which means that they must ensure they are not caught by the Aurors within those 4 days.

Therefore, it's best not to stay in one place for too long.

Severus thought that there might be some clever people in the Auror who had thought of strengthening ties with Muggles and intensifying the pursuit of them. However, in Britain, a country that is neither too big nor too small, it would not be an easy task to catch them, who had been on the run, in just four days.

Upon arriving in Gloucester, they would not continue eastward but would instead turn north into Wales, making a long detour through Birmingham before finally returning to the Cotswolds.

As night fell, Severus was still sharing a room with Harry, while Bloody was taking care of the sleeping Patty. Wolper had to finish his manuscript overnight, so it would be quieter for him to have a room by himself.

Before going to sleep, Snape, who had been silent for half a day, finally couldn't help but speak.

"Aren't you afraid that those Aurors will seize you, not give you a chance to testify, and send you straight to Azkaban?"

Severus lay in the warm, soft blankets that seemed to envelop him completely, mentally responding to Snape's questions.

"Didn't you see Dumbledore's announcement today? Although he has repeatedly stated that he does not want to get involved in politics, many people in the Ministry of Magic want him to take the Minister's position, and as long as old Dumbledore is willing, he will not have any competitors at all."

"His trust in me ensured that those old men in the Ministry of Magic who didn't like me wouldn't dare break the rules and would lock me up in Azkaban without even a trial."

At this point, Severus couldn't help but mock Snape the Ghost.

"In the end, what wrong did those Aurors who wanted to bring you to justice do? You had done bad things and were unrepentant. You only joined Old Dumbledore because of Lily's death."

Ghost Snape has now developed a tolerance for Severus's taunts.

Since he couldn't win an argument anyway, and any physical fight would only result in empty punches and emotional damage, he simply pretended not to hear it.

"But why do you and Dumbledore have this kind of understanding?" he asked coldly.

Severus closed his eyes, gradually becoming sleepy.

"Do you think Dumbledore is some kind of scheming, dark old boy? Well, I don't deny he's a bit scheming, and you always have to be careful when you're around him and think about why he does things, but he's definitely not a very dark person. On the contrary, he has morals and aspirations, and he's a very nice old man."

"And what's happening now is that he wants to see what I'm going to do. When I disappeared with Patty, he already knew that my choice had led to this result. Since there's a result, he naturally wants to help me prepare for the end of this matter."

“Otherwise, if we don’t say anything, some people in the Ministry of Magic really want to do something secretly. I will be imprisoned in Azkaban, and Sinnir and Volpe will not have a good ending either. Patty will live a dark life even if he doesn’t die. That’s not what he wants to see.”

Upon hearing this, Ghost Snape couldn't help but ask.

"If Dumbledore really doesn't say a word, and the Ministry of Magic really intends to ignore the cause and effect and send you directly to Azkaban?"

Severus, whose consciousness was already half-fallen into sleep, hummed softly and murmured.

"If that's the case, then we'll have to show them just how dark a dark wizard can be."

Early in the morning, when Severus woke up and was washing up, he saw Harry, with dark circles under his eyes, staring straight at him as if he hadn't slept well in the middle of the night.

Severus looked completely bewildered, still fiddling with his toothbrush, and asked in confusion.

"Is there something on my face?"

Harry shook his head and asked with a strange look.

"Teacher, is Azkaban a wizard's prison?"

Seeing his student's diligence and eagerness to learn about the common knowledge of the magical world so early in the morning, Severus generously shared his knowledge. "That place is not just a wizarding prison; it can be described as hell in the magical world. It is located overseas, and Dementors roam everywhere, sucking hope and pleasure. Most prisoners who are imprisoned there die in cold despair within two years. Those who survive are either insane or have some other clever trick."

Upon hearing Severus's description, Harry swallowed hard, his gaze filled with even more confusion.

"Teacher, what about the things you say in your sleep at night?"

Severus raised an eyebrow.

What did I say in my sleep?

“You said, you said, ‘Brothers and sisters! For the Dark Lord, for the highest honor, let’s break out of Azkaban!’” Harry’s eyes widened like saucers.

It's clear that Severus had already built a high level of trust in him, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to tell him what he had overheard in his sleep.

Severus, who was brushing his teeth, was speechless.

He cursed Snape the Ghost in his mind again, saying it was all his fault for talking about those inappropriate things before going to bed yesterday, which resulted in him talking in his sleep and scaring Harry.

Ghost Snape remained silent; he couldn't out-argue Severus.

In reality, Severus immediately rinsed the foam out of his mouth and coughed twice to explain.

"That's just sleep talking. Dreaming is normal. Anything can happen. Don't take it seriously."

"Get out of bed, Harry. Wash up and we're going to have breakfast. Elder and Sinnah are probably waiting for us."

Harry's attention was finally diverted. He changed out of his pajamas, washed up, and went downstairs with Severus to have breakfast at the hotel.

Wolpe didn't seem to be sleeping well because he was rushing to finish the manuscript, and even Henney said he hadn't dared to really close his eyes, for fear that if the Aurors caught up in the middle of the night, he could just grab Patty and run away.

After finishing breakfast, Severus did not leave immediately. He took the manuscript that Volpe had written overnight, carefully read it for an hour, and then said with satisfaction.

“Very good. No wonder Slughorn invited you to his club. Even without writing the rest of the book, it has the potential to be a bestseller.”

Hearing Severus's praise, Volpe's face lit up with excitement.

Acknowledging his book is more exciting for him than acknowledging him as a person.

“Keep writing, but having the work isn’t enough. We also need to find a newspaper or publisher that’s willing to promote and publish this book.” Severus handed the manuscript back to Wolpe. “Coincidentally, I do know a rebellious and daring newspaper editor.”

He got up and greeted Harry.

"Let's go, we need to continue our journey!"

They got back into the station wagon and began their journey north.

And shortly after they left.

Several police cars with sirens blaring passed by the small hotel on the side of the road from the direction of Bristol.

In the back seat of the lead police car, the Bristol police chief looked cautiously at the black man beside him who had been assigned from London that morning to be in charge of investigating the kidnapping of the Duke's daughter.

"Mr. Shakel, shall we stop for breakfast?"

Kingsley glanced at the time on his pocket watch and nodded calmly.

"Just call me Kingsley. Let's find a place to rest."

　The title has been changed; the editor said the sunny and cheerful Snape is good, the information is clear, and there's a contrast.

　　Thank you all for your suggestions!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)