It was the first time John had ever seen his Head of House lose his composure.
Normally, no matter how many points Snape deducted, he'd at most be sarcastic and spiteful. But now, there he was, gritting his teeth, his eyes showing a glint of something close to murderous intent.
Realizing he had slipped up, Snape quickly adjusted his expression.
But memories of his younger self kept surfacing—memories of those four Gryffindor idiots, especially James Potter and Sirius Black.
Those two were the worst, and from the very first day he boarded the train to Hogwarts, he'd been fated to clash with them.
Not to mention the events that followed, which left him with a scar that would never fully heal.
John watched as a kaleidoscope of emotions played across Snape's face, like a colorful dye factory spilling over: fury, sorrow, then back to a vengeful, teeth-gritting expression as though he'd like to murder someone.
John was stunned.
Was his Head of House having a personality breakdown?
Finally, all of that transformed into an icy stare as Snape fixed his gaze on John and said, "Where did you encounter him?"
Reason won out over impulse. Although Snape wanted nothing more than to pin Sirius Black down and introduce him to a Dementor, he couldn't ignore John's words.
"He's a dangerous man."
"The Forbidden Forest," John replied. "He's hiding in there, though I don't want to tell the Aurors."
"Oh?" Snape's eyes narrowed dangerously, laced with sarcasm. "John Wick, perhaps you should know just how dangerous that man is. No one in this school is eager to join you in some hero act."
He assumed John intended to capture Sirius Black on his own and bask in the glory of becoming a school hero.
John shook his head with a small laugh. "Isn't that what professors are for?"
Staring directly at Snape, he continued, "Don't you find it suspicious that Sirius Black went straight to Ron Weasley's bed last night?"
Without waiting for a response, John added,"He was able to enter the Gryffindor Tower, obviously there is an insider. How could he not know the location of the savior Harry Potter?"
Snape was not a fool. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. He sneered, "Then do you think the Muggles he blew to death are innocent?"
"He went to great lengths to escape from Azkaban just to kill Harry Potter. So, even if the insider didn't knew or didn't told him Harry's bed,
"If he is the vicious man everyone says, would he just -Oops wrong kid- after seeing Ron and go back when he is capable of blasting the whole dormitory with one spell?"
Snape's disgust for Sirius Black was clearly written on his face.
"All the more reason to capture him and get answers, don't you think?" John pressed, as if fully expecting Snape's reaction. "You should know, Professor, the man was the most loyal of the Dark Lord, he tricked his best friends and even Dumbledore to betray them in the end. Based on the rumors, Sirius Black is not the type to mix up bed locations and then go back."
Though he would love nothing more than to have the Aurors throw Sirius to the Dementors, Snape admitted he was curious. With a long look at John, he sneered, "You really think I'm going to help you?"
"That would be helping the school, too. I believe the professor won't refuse."
Knowing his own influence might not be enough, John added with a smile, "And there's Harry."
Snape's expression immediately darkened, and he promptly showed John the door.
John shrugged.
Typical, playing hard to get. When has Harry been in danger and Snape wasn't the first to appear?
Now he's here acting reserved?
Ah, classic Snape. Love so deep and brooding—no wonder he's the most devoted character in the Harry Potter series.
Even though the girl he loved married his most detested rival, he'd still go to any lengths to protect her child. Honestly, I'm about to cry over this.
Snape hadn't said it outright, but John knew he'd help. If only for the chance to land a blow on his old nemesis, Snape would be on board.
With his head of house's assistance, John was confident that the next time he encountered Sirius, he'd catch him for sure.
…
The Great Hall.
John was eating less and less these days.
He used to practically clean every dish in sight, but now it was just plain water and bread.
Anyone watching might think he was on some sort of monk-like retreat.
Because of his new diet, John's cheeks had become hollow, and he looked thinner overall, almost like he was dealing with anorexia.
After finishing his meal of plain water and bread, a large flock of owls flew into the Great Hall. One owl landed in front of Neville. Aside from his usual timid personality, Neville had undergone quite the transformation.
His formerly round face had slimmed down, and he'd gained significant muscle. His arms had bulked up, noticeably more than those around him.
Now, Neville looked like he could take down any kid with just a punch, even without a wand!
But the moment he received the red letter from the owl, he reverted to his old self. Even though he ran out of the hall with the Howler in hand, the dreadful sound still tore through the silence.
Lady Longbottom's skill at scolding was on par with Molly Weasley's.
John noticed Malfoy's schadenfreude-filled expression and thoughtfully assigned him extra weighted running exercises. Malfoy's expression quickly turned to one of pain, but he didn't refuse.
John's training program genuinely helped people feel stronger. Despite the suffering, Malfoy was secretly starting to like the feeling of getting stronger.
Meanwhile, the bulletin board announced that students would be able to visit Hogsmeade next week.
John happened to run into Filch, who was astonishingly covered in sandbags.
"What's this all about?"
Filch sighed, "The other night, I lost to a student who was turning corners using his momentum. He was so fast—all I saw was black hair and his uniform."
John: "..."
How do I politely tell him that upgrading his "hardware" has limits and that I was basically using a cheat mode?
The fact that he'd been left so far behind that he couldn't even see the student's house crest had deeply affected Filch.
As the object of the whole school's disdain, there was no way he could let himself be beaten in speed.
Without saying more, Filch ignored John and began jogging back and forth down the hallway.
John shook his head and headed toward the Forbidden Forest.
At the forest's edge, he spotted Professor Snape. Like a giant bat, Snape strode forward with impressive speed, his cloak billowing dramatically behind him.
He walked quickly up to John and said in his usual icy tone, "I hope we can find him before nightfall."
John thought, It's not exactly something I can control, but one look at Snape's face convinced him to swallow his response.
He nodded, and the two of them entered the forest in silence, moving in perfect sync.
Meanwhile, not long after they'd gone, Hagrid invited Harry and Ron over to his hut, where he was awkwardly trying to play peacemaker, just like he'd seen John do.
Hermione had been helping Hagrid organize Buckbeak's case lately, and he had become aware of the rift forming among the trio.
But Hagrid underestimated Ron's stubbornness. Ron was furious and insisted that Hermione get rid of Crookshanks before there could be any chance of reconciliation.
Being an animal lover himself, Hagrid could empathize with Hermione. He understood that certain instincts were just ingrained in an animal's nature.
...
This wasn't John's first time in the Forbidden Forest, but it was the first time he'd come with the Head of House.
The two walked in silence, almost like strangers, not saying a word along the way.
Yet, John could still feel Snape's gaze on him from time to time.
Crouching down to examine a pool of blood, John realized that Sirius Black had been here.
"He's injured," Snape said, his gaze shifting from the bloodstain to John, his expression dark and inscrutable. "You wounded him?"
A student who hadn't even graduated yet, managing to injure an Azkaban escapee Death Eater.
As Snape's long-standing rival, he knew Sirius's abilities all too well.
Annoying as he was, Black, like James Potter, was an exceptional talent.
By the time he graduated, he was already at Auror level and was recruited into the Order of the Phoenix.
Even after spending over a decade in Azkaban, his skills might've dulled somewhat, but he was still absolutely Auror caliber.
A whirlwind of thoughts surged in Snape's mind, and he found himself wondering just what went on inside John's head.
If he were aiming to become the next Dark Lord... then he, Snape should ki...
Dangerous thoughts passed through his mind, but John suddenly turned, meeting Snape's gaze.
Both were momentarily startled, but John quickly regained his composure, saying calmly, "He held back. He didn't use any Unforgivable Curses or harmful spells."
Snape nodded with a calm expression, as though the surge of emotions he'd just experienced had never existed.
John stood and continued his search, following the blood trail. It disappeared at the entrance of a tree hollow.
"He's gone."
John picked up a piece of dried chicken breast that had fallen inside the hollow. Looks like he'd made a hasty retreat, with a snack along the way.
But John was certain Sirius hadn't left the Forbidden Forest, which made things simpler.
For the rest of the time, John and Snape tacitly continued their search through the forest.
A few times, they found signs of a makeshift shelter or traces of recent activity, but each time, the person had left just before they arrived.
With those tracking skills, no wonder the Aurors couldn't catch him.
_________
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