Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

This can also be interpreted as, what kind of reward the Ministry of Magic, or rather Bagnore, would offer him for taking on this task.

When he asked this question, Severus did not take Dumbledore into account that Dumbledore was right next to him.

Or rather, he deliberately made his stance clear, telling Dumbledore.

He can be compassionate and kind to some people and things.

Lupin's relationship with him, or perhaps with Snape the Ghost, is complicated, but that's another story. Severus is concerned about the three missing children, and he will feel sorry for the innocent victims if the werewolves cause any further harm.

But this doesn't mean that Bagno could take advantage of his kindness and get him to agree to investigate the matter with just a few words and without any effort on his part.

Clearly, both Dumbledore and Bagnore were among the most astute wizards.

They all understood the deeper meaning behind Severus's question.

Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged, and he still showed no intention of saying anything. Bagno, however, looked at Severus, took a deep breath, and then answered.

"The Ministry of Magic will cover all your expenses for this mission, and I will do my best to fulfill any request you may have through my authority!"

"And then?" Severus asked casually.

"Once things settle down, the Ministry of Magic can pay you a bounty of 3000 Galleons."

“You should know my profession. I have no interest in money, Madam Minister.”

"I can arrange an honorary position for you in Wisengamo before you retire."

"If I were interested in power, I wouldn't have resigned as headmaster of Slytherin."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class"

Upon hearing this, Severus chuckled.

"More than ten werewolves gathered in an organized group and kidnapped three children. If I resolve this matter in the end, the Order of Merlin, Second Class, is what I deserve. It can't be considered something you gave me, right?"

Bagno looked intently at Severus.

"If you don't care about money, power, or fame, then what else do you need?"

When she asked the question, Severus could clearly feel Dumbledore's gaze also falling on her.

He wasn't nervous; he simply leaned back against the soft sofa and casually remarked.

"I will definitely be awarded the Second Class Merlin Badge. I made a promise in front of all the wizards in Britain that I would change in the future, and I will prove my words with my actions."

"If things go smoothly, issue me and my students the status of special envoys of the Ministry of Magic. Our travels will not be limited to the UK. Having official identification will make things much easier in some places."

"Let's also take advantage of the official publication of Elder's book, 'The Quibbler,' because I know you have the best connections. Xueni and Elder are counting on this, and Xenno can also gain a large number of subscribers through this event."

"That's all. If you agree, I can help cooperate with Lupin in the investigation."

Bagno looked at Severus and frowned slightly.

She wasn't troubled by these three requests; rather, what Severus asked of her was actually not difficult at all!

Compared to being an honorary member of Wizengamot or receiving three thousand Galleons from the Ministry of Magic, both the status of a special envoy and assisting Wolpe in publishing his works were relatively easy.

"I can absolutely grant your request."

"When do you need me to depart?" Severus was quite decisive.

"The sooner the better. The three children who were taken away are not safe, and Lupin, who has lost contact, is also missing. Those werewolves could cause a major disturbance at any time, so you'd better set off as soon as possible!"

"Then let me and Dali say goodbye to Henniwolp and the others one last time. I will set off no later than this afternoon."

After declaring that he would take over the matter, Severus did not linger in the minister's office.

After he left, and with only Dumbledore in her presence, Bagno had no more reservations and asked incomprehension.

"What kind of request is this? He clearly doesn't care about money, power, or fame, yet he just wants me to help him get an identity that makes it easier for him to travel, and to publish that vampire and Wolpe's works?"

Dumbledore stood up at this moment. He didn't look at Bagno, but said softly before leaving.

“You may never be able to say to the International Confederation of Wizards, ‘I stand firmly for everyone’s right to revel,’ like you did eight years ago, Millison.”

"If you're not obsessed with wealth, power, and fame, what else could you possibly care about?"

As soon as he stepped out of the minister's office, Ghost Snape couldn't help but ask.

"Aren't you afraid that your answer just now will make Dumbledore wary? Only those with greater ambitions would not only focus on these immediate benefits!"

Severus, who was walking toward the elevator, made a response in his mind.

"So you don't understand Dumbledore as well as you think. I guarantee that Dumbledore actually understood what I was trying to say."

Ghost Snape had a gloomy face.

"Stop pretending to be a Sphinx! I don't like riddles either!"

"To put it bluntly, the more someone is obsessed with profit, the more they tend to overlook one thing: the things that bring us the most essential happiness are never the things you're talking about."

"Money, power, and fame merely obscure the essence of happiness. Due to social problems, the vast majority of people in the world need these three things to indirectly enjoy life."

"What I was really telling Dumbledore was that I could see the essence of things, just like him. For wizards, especially those who have reached a certain level, the more they are attached to those things, the deeper they will get into trouble and the more tiring their lives will become."

"I took Harry with me so that I could enjoy life better and spend every day of my life in the best and most enjoyable way."

"Can you understand?"

Whether Severus's words were understood by Snape the Ghost was not evident from his expression, for his face had darkened ever since he heard Lupin's name.

"You know what that damn werewolf did to me!"

Severus was silent for two seconds before sighing.

"Of course I know. I've said it before, we're one, right? I know what you hate about it, but there's one thing I have to say: I can confirm that Lu Ping was unaware of the incident that almost killed you."

"They're in cahoots!" The words were practically squeezed out from between Snape's teeth. "How could he not know?!"

The Ministry of Magic's elevator was descending, and halos of light kept flashing across Severus's calm face through the gaps in the iron bars.

"It's true that you'll find it hard to believe me when faced with something like this. But I'll find Lupin and he'll prove it to you."

Chapter 66 Harry never doubted his choice

Upon returning to the main hall of the Ministry of Magic, Severus immediately spotted Harry sitting on a bench against the right wall of the famous magical fountain.

The main hall was as crowded as usual, with wizards coming and going everywhere.

When Severus appeared, he was clearly being treated like a wizarding celebrity. Almost every wizard who passed by him would smile, nod, or greet him.

“Excellent remarks, Professor Snape.”

"Although you scolded me terribly in Ravenclaw, I still support your changes."

"Congratulations, Professor Snape."

"The students of Slytherin will always support you, Professor."

"Good morning, Professor."

“I will definitely speak up for you at the next Hufflepuff alumni reunion, Professor Snape.”

Severus returned the smile and nodded to each wizard who greeted him.

That's why, even though it was only a few hundred meters away, it took him almost five minutes to get to Harry's side.

"It seems you've had a good time at Hogwarts these days, Harry."

The familiar voice made Harry look up sharply. He met Severus's smiling eyes and instinctively called out.

"teacher!"

"You've been sitting here all by yourself? Dumbledore shouldn't be that careless, right?"

Harry felt he should say something when he saw his teacher again.

It could be a blessing, or it could be telling him that he didn't choose to return to the Dursleys' house, but after hearing Severus so naturally continue the conversation, as if they were meant to reunite here, he was deeply moved.

This made Harry swallow back what he was about to say. As if he had never experienced the four days of separation or made a choice with Dumbledore, he naturally answered in the familiar way they used to interact.

“He brought a Mr. Weasley with me here; I heard he’s George and the others’ father. He just ran into some colleagues from the Ministry of Magic, and they’re talking over there!”

Harry pointed in a direction, and Severus turned his head to see a tall, thin, middle-aged wizard with sparse red hair and glasses looking at them.

Arthur met Severus's gaze, immediately apologized to his colleague, and then hurried over to where they were.

"Dumbledore told me that you might be a while longer."

Arthur looked at Severus with a smile, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

“William and Charlie were telling Molly and me all day that their Potions professor wished he could boil them both in a cauldron. George and Fried, on the other hand, have been complaining ever since they came back from Diagon Alley the other day that their ideas are biased.”

"Today I finally understand why my sons have such different opinions of you, Professor Snape."

Arthur extended his hand, and Severus shook it.

“Your children are all excellent, each with distinct personalities and strong opinions, Mr. Weasley.”

Clearly, Severus and Arthur had not had much interaction before.

When Severus entered Hogwarts, Arthur was already graduating in less than two years. Not only was there a significant age difference, but Slytherin and Gryffindor were also at odds at that time.

As for what happens after that, needless to say.

One is a Death Eater, and the other is a Dumbledore supporter; it's good enough if they don't have any animosity, let alone establish a good relationship.

This meeting was clearly their first formal meeting.

"Before I came here, Dumbledore told me that you might also be going to Nottinghamshire later. When do you plan to leave? The Department for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Muggle Articles happens to have some business to attend to there, so we can go together."

“How about 3 p.m.?” Severus set the time and place. “At the Leaky Cauldron, we can use the fireplace there.”

"no problem."

Before parting, Arthur suddenly patted his head, as if he had just remembered something, and took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Severus.

"Dumbledore asked me to give this to you, saying it might give you some inspiration."

After finishing the handover, Arthur hurriedly took his leave, as he had other work to do back at his department.

"Where are Bloodny and Elder? And Miss Patty, where did they go?" Harry couldn't help but ask after Arthur left.

Severus opened the envelope with a puzzled look on his face as he answered Harry's question.

"After the court hearing, I let them leave first, but we will meet them at a German restaurant soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, Severus finally took out the six or seven parchments from the envelope.

The yellowed paper was covered with densely packed text, and at the top of the first page of this article was its title—

Similarities and differences between fire dragon blood and wolfsbane and aconite.

The moment Severus saw the article's title, he understood the significance of Dumbledore's letter to him. Even Snape, the ghost within him, stiffened, clearly grasping its meaning.

Wolfsbane and aconite, the core ingredient of one of the greatest potions of the 20th century—wolfsbane potion.

"This task is yours. If you have any ideas, you can come to me for drug experiments." In his mind, Severus assigned the task without hesitation.

Ghost Snape simply stared at him with eyes that seemed to devour him.

"I wish he were dead! And you actually want me to help him improve the potion!"

“Don’t be hypocritical, you’ll help,” Severus said to himself as he led Harry toward the Ministry of Magic’s public fireplace.

"Your confidence is too inflated!" Ghost Snape sneered.

"You understand, this is Dumbledore's intention. Since then, you haven't even cared about your own life, but just because of this grudge from your student days, are you really going to ruin Dumbledore's plans for this?"

Severus's incisive words left Ghost Snape speechless with a dark expression.

Ignoring him, knowing he would take over, Severus and Harry went to a German restaurant in a secluded alley in London.

This place was chosen by Volpe; it was clearly a place he and Bloodny had been before.

When Severus led Harry through the door, they saw Wolpe, Bloodny, and Patty waiting for them at a long table near the corner.

"Here you are, Dudley! And Mr. Snape!"

Seeing Bloodny waving, Severus and Harry sat down together.

Upon waking up, Patty, sitting in her wheelchair, bowed earnestly and solemnly to Harry and Severus in gratitude for the first time she truly met them.

“I learned everything from Shini, thank you, Mr. Snape, and Mr. Dursley! You gave me a new life, and you protected Shini and Elder!”

Young Harry, receiving such a solemn expression of gratitude for the first time, blushed deeply and didn't know what to say.