Hampstead Garden, Heathgate Street.
Mr. Granger, who was sitting comfortably on the couch with his wife, narrowed his eyes as he noticed his daughter's closeness to Harry Black.
Even if the other party was, indeed, impressive... what did that matter in the eyes of a father-in-law?
Mr. Granger: "Harry... what are your intentions regarding my daughter?"
Harry Potter: "???"
Hermione Granger: "Dad!! What nonsense are you saying?!"
Lily Potter: "I wouldn't have any objections to it."
Harry Potter: "Mom!!"
In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, Harry cast a resentful look at his mother, as if blaming her for something.
However, Lily completely ignored his expression and even tried to maintain a serious demeanor—which would have been more convincing if it weren't for the smile that insisted on appearing on her face.
"Don't stop me, Harry. I'm just helping you get a fiancée."
Harry was speechless at his mother's complete lack of shame. Instinctively, he looked to Hermione for help. However, his last hope crumbled when he saw her lower her head, her ears gradually turning red.
He sighed internally. Despite still being young, he wasn't naïve when it came to feelings. From the moment he saw Harry Black gently place his hand on Hermione's head, he already sensed that a relationship between the two was inevitable.
He just hoped it wouldn't affect him... But it seemed like he was out of luck, now that it had already happened, all he could do was make a fool of himself.
As Harry was lost in thought, the two curtains of light—one white and one black—merged, forming an immense golden curtain.
The long-awaited moment had finally arrived, and everyone turned their attention to the screen, some even praying to be chosen by the Comparison Room.
[Question: What will the relationship between Harry Black and Severus Snape be at the end of the class?]
[Option A - They will be sworn enemies.]
[Option B - They will have a godfather and godson relationship.]
[Option C - Harry Black will have no close relationship with Severus Snape.]
[Option D - They will have a disciple and teacher relationship.]
[The people selected to answer are: Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood, Horace Slughorn, and Igor Karkaroff.]
Those who realized they hadn't been chosen to receive rewards couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but they quickly overcame their dejection and began discussing animatedly.
Arthur Weasley: "What kind of strange question is this… What will the relationship between Harry Black and Snape be?"
Lucius Malfoy: "And the options are even more absurd. What is this? It's impossible for Snape to be Harry's godfather!"
James Potter: "Speaking of godfather… Does anyone know how Sirius is doing? I haven't heard anything about him so far. Or maybe he can't use this chat group?"
Remus Lupin: "James, some complicated things happened after your death… They're not suitable topics to discuss right now."
James Potter: "I see..."
In the vast and dark emptiness of the Soul Realm, James, in his spiritual form, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"From what I've observed so far, Sirius should certainly be qualified to speak in the Comparison Room... So why hasn't he said anything? Could he be injured?"
What James didn't know was that his doubt was partially correct.
Azkaban
The most feared prison in the wizarding world stood as a dark fortress in the middle of the North Sea. Its towering black stone walls, worn down by time and the sea air, exuded an aura of despair.
The sky above the island remained perpetually overcast, and the furious waves crashed against the jagged rocks as if trying to devour the very structure.
Deep within the prison, where darkness was almost absolute and the cold cut to the bone, lay an isolated cell—far worse than any other. It was there that Sirius Black resided.
His body was thin and weakened, but his eyes… His eyes still carried the wild gleam of someone who would never completely surrender to despair.
"James, Lupin... How long has it been... Ah, yes. Twelve years. Twelve years!!"
Sirius's eyes seemed on the verge of bleeding, his sanity teetering on the edge of collapse. Despair consumed him, but then… something came to mind.
He forced himself to calm down, and a sudden laugh escaped his lips.
That laugh grew, becoming louder and louder, until it echoed through the prison corridors like the wails of lost ghosts.
"Peter Pettigrew! Who would've thought that, after so many years, you'd finally show your face again? Let's see how you plan to escape this time!"
At the thought of the pet rat near the Weasley boy, Sirius's fury nearly exploded once more. To James, it might have been just an ordinary rat; to Lupin, Peter had been dead for a long time, and subconsciously, he might have ignored him.
However, even if Pettigrew turned to ashes, Sirius would still immediately recognize him as the true culprit behind his imprisonment in Azkaban.
For twelve long years, he had suffered the consequences of that vermin's betrayal. The only reason Sirius had remained silent in the chat group until now was to prevent Peter from feeling threatened by his presence.
In that fateful confrontation between Sirius and Pettigrew, twelve Muggles had tragically perished when Peter blew up the street with a variation of the Bombarda spell. He had even cut off his own finger and, before fleeing in his Animagus rat form, accused Sirius of his own crime.
The Ministry of Magic did not investigate. All the Muggles saw was the explosion and Pettigrew's supposed "death."
Twelve lives were lost in broad daylight in London, and the scandal was immediate. With Sirius suspected of betraying the Potters, he was imprisoned without trial.
He could not reveal his presence in the Comparison Room now. If Peter had known he could chat in the chat group, he would have definitely tried to escape again.
But now, knowing that Pettigrew was at Hogwarts, Sirius had only one goal: to ensure that he remained there until he could escape… or until someone forced him to reveal himself before the right time.
While Sirius devised his plan to successfully capture Pettigrew, the discussion in the Comparison Room continued:
Rubeus Hagrid: "This question should be easy to answer, right? Just ask Harry how he feels about Snape!"
Harry Potter: "Ask me? I don't think my thoughts are the same as Harry Black's, but I'm absolutely sure that option B is wrong."
Gellert Grindelwald: "Option A is outrageous as well! Who would become a mortal enemy of someone over a single class? Not even a Dark Lord would have such an exaggerated reaction… let alone a brat."
Igor Karkaroff: "That leaves only two options. A 50% chance! What an incredible opportunity to secure rewards!"
Igor Karkaroff: "There's no need to hesitate. I choose C. Harry Black would certainly not place that much importance on Snape."
Horace Slughorn: "I'll take the risk and choose D. I approve of this relationship between disciple and professor."
Ron Weasley: "Now only Snape and Luna are left… by the way, who is this Luna Lovegood?"
Xenophilius Lovegood: "Haha! That's my daughter. If nothing goes wrong, she would be entering Hogwarts next year."
Pandora Lovegood: "...Luna. My daughter."
Luna Lovegood: "Hello, Mother... Good to see you."
Monotone!
Even though it was just a few words, everyone could feel an indescribably melancholic and self-deprecating aura.
Strange...
Xenophilius Lovegood: "Dear, you..."
Pandora Lovegood: "It's alright, I feel a little strange being in this soul form. Daughter, I think you should answer now. Just follow your intuition."
Luna Lovegood: "Yes, Mother… Hookahs gave me a suggestion. I choose option B."
Everyone: "???"
Hookahs?
What the hell was a hookah?!
However, before they could even think about the meaning of that word coming from Luna's mouth, another message appeared abruptly.
Severus Snape: "I choose option B."
Minerva McGonagall: "Snape? Why?"
Severus Snape: "...Just a hunch."
Seated at the professors' table, Snape couldn't help but cast a complicated glance at Lily.
"Could this be possible?"
As soon as the four made their choices, the curtain of light continued transmitting the scenes.
....
Hello! This is the author. To decide on a crucial point for the direction of my works, could you take a moment to read the notice in Volume 000?