Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 53 The Windmill Under the First Breeze of Night

On Saturday, when half of the morning sun was above the horizon, Severus and his party were ready to set off.

They spent the night in the nearest town to the farm and also found out the grave of Patty's grandfather, old Polk.

Early in the morning, the four of them, along with Patty, drove to a cemetery near the town and finally found the tombstone with Polk's name engraved in a corner of it.

Bloody replaced Patty and thoroughly cleaned the long-neglected cemetery, then spoke many words of gratitude to the old man for giving Patty a wonderful childhood.

Afterwards, they had breakfast nearby and then returned to the farm run by the elderly couple.

Last night, Severus negotiated a price with them to rent the farm for a whole day, and now it's time for the handover.

"It's settled then. If we find that you've altered or damaged the crops on the farm when we come back tomorrow to inspect it, this deposit will not be refunded!"

Before leaving, the old woman clutched the pounds in her hand and gave a menacing warning.

Severus simply smiled at this.

"Haven't we already signed the contract? Madam, rest assured, we will do everything in accordance with the terms of the contract."

The old woman was pleased with Severus's attitude. She finally got into the farm's pickup truck and left with her husband, intending to stay with their son in Oxford for a day.

After they left, Severus and his three companions moved into the farm permanently.

Bloody moved a single sofa out of the house and placed Patty, who was still fast asleep, on it so that she could bask in the gentle sunlight in the corridor outside.

"Alright, guys, we have a day to prepare."

Severus, now wearing a straw hat, leather apron, boots, and gloves, pulled out his wand.

Bloody and Wolper, dressed similarly, also pulled out their wands, while poor Harry, who had never learned magic, carried a hoe on his shoulder.

"Dali and Elder, you two are in charge of taking care of that windmill. Elder, in particular, make sure to clear away the grass on it before noon, because you're coming with me to Gringotts this afternoon to do the final preparations for the potion."

“Xenni and I came together to clear out a sugar beet field, the one near the wheat field. We have to sow the tulip seeds before 10 a.m. so we don’t have enough time.”

Under Severus's task assignment, the four quickly began their work for the day.

At this very moment, a huge wave of public opinion has swept through the magical world. All the major newspapers are in an uproar, and everyone is speculating whether the ending of the story to be released at 8 pm tonight in "The Quibbler" will be related to the two recent cases.

The media seized this opportunity and launched all sorts of exclusive interviews, releasing all sorts of news, true or false.

Even Scrimgeour, while continuing to search for Severus's whereabouts, also arranged for Aurors to keep a close eye on "The Quibbler".

Despite being at the heart of the vortex, Severus and his companions were completely oblivious to what was happening in the magical world.

They busily began their day's work in the fields.

Wolpe, who had finished the final manuscript last night, was waving his wand and cleaning the plants off the windmill, while Harry, wearing old overalls and carrying a bucket of red paint, climbed a ladder and repainted the areas that Wolpe had cleaned.

Harry had to do the painting himself because the windmill had been exposed to the elements for so long that even a restoration charm couldn't restore it to its original condition.

Bloody was busy following Severus's instructions, waving his wand and temporarily moving the acre of sugar beets closest to the wheat field together, one by one.

Severus then applied some rejuvenating agent to the beets to ensure they remained fresh even after being removed from the soil, respecting the agreement he had signed with the elderly couple that he would not damage the farm.

With their intensive work, Bloody and Severus finally finished clearing nearly an acre of land before 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, Wolpe had finished clearing the plants off the windmill and was volunteering to go into the kitchen to prepare lunch for them. Harry had also finished painting two walls; his only task for the day was painting the windmill, so he could rest when he got tired. He was sitting on a ridge nearby, watching Severus and Bloodny sow tulip seeds.

"Hey, Bloody!" he shouted to Bloody, who was ten meters away. "Tonight is a great opportunity. You haven't confessed to Patty yet, have you?"

Hennis had his head down, seemingly focused on scattering seeds, but when Severus turned around at the sound, he found that his face was already incredibly red.

Severus straightened his straw hat and said meaningfully.

"When it's time to express your feelings, you should express them. Sometimes, no one knows why they might miss out on someone they'll regret for the rest of their life, right?"

He said the last "Is that right?" in a low voice, as if he were talking to himself, but when the ghost heard it, its expression clearly turned very bad.

“You definitely love her,” Harry said confidently. “Just like she loves you. Neither of you has said it, but you both know it in your hearts.”

Upon hearing this, Xueni couldn't help but turn to look at Patty, who was sitting in the corridor, facing the sun.

The sunlight shone on the girl, making her look so serene. From a distance, it seemed as if she was also looking at Xue Ni with a faint smile.

“Yes, Dudley,” he said softly, this time without any shyness or evasion, “I love her.”

“You’re missing something,” Severus said, looking Bloodny up and down. “But we have enough time. This afternoon, Volpe and I will bring it back for you from Diagon Alley.”

Henney raised his head, as if he wanted to say something to Severus, but the next second he stopped, feeling that what he wanted to say was too insignificant.

In the end, he simply nodded heavily.

Before Wolpe could prepare lunch, Severus and Bloodny finally scattered all the tulip seeds.

Lunch consisted of steak with smoked fish and French cream soup, while dessert was cocoa cookies.

Besides Bloodny, Harry and Severus were amazed that Wolpert not only wrote books, but also had this other skill.

In the afternoon, Harry continued to be a painter, while Sidney took five bottles of growth potion that Severus had prepared in advance and needed to sprinkle them evenly in the flower field throughout the afternoon.

"Remember to spread it evenly. Plants that are promoted to grow will have a very short flowering period. The amount I mixed is just enough to keep the flowers in this acre of flower field blooming for about three minutes. But if it's not even, some flowers won't bloom, while others will keep blooming."

After giving Severus his final instructions, he changed his clothes and disguised himself before leaving with Wolpe for Diagon Alley.

They encountered no unexpected problems on this trip.

The entire British wizarding world was anticipating tonight's "The Quibbler," and almost everyone in Diagon Alley was talking about it. No one noticed that the person involved had taken a bottle of potent stimulant from Gringotts, which was just one step away from completing the final act.

As dusk enveloped half the sky, Severus and Wolpe returned to the farm.

The medicine only needs to be cooled for two hours, and then a drop of thyme tincture is added at the end to complete the process.

Harry also painted the windmill's exterior wall brand new, and Bloody worked diligently to complete all of his tasks.

Finally, the four of them worked together to hang the repaired windmill blades high up before the last rays of the setting sun disappeared.

As the first breeze of night blows, the red windmill slowly begins to turn under the lit stars and moon.

Severus, Henney, and Volpe stood with their hands on their hips or arms crossed, looking up at their work with big smiles on their faces.

Harry cheered from the sidelines.

(End of this chapter)