The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

North Sea, Azkaban Island.

A perpetual mist shrouded this desolate island, which never appeared on any Muggle satellite or radar. Only wizards with specific clearance could occasionally deliver prisoners to this barren place.

On the second day of August, a prisoner who had just undergone trial, unanimously convicted by the entire Wizengamot jury and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban, was escorted onto the island under the supervision of three Aurors and two Ministry of Magic's employees.

They disembarked at the same dock where Severus and Kingsley had once landed. Due to the prisoner's unique physical condition, as his body was severely maimed, one Auror had to use the Incarcerous spell to levitate him, while another led him forward with a chain, finally bringing him ashore.

The Dementors that swirled around the castle took notice of the group.

They clearly had their own means of communication, and soon, three of them drifted forward to meet the newcomers.

Among the two Ministry's employees, one was an expert in Dementor studies, tasked with communicating with the prison's guards.

"It says they already know about Barty Crouch Jr.'s escape. They're furious. They once requested permission to leave the island and hunt him down themselves, but Minister Bagnold strictly forbade it." The specialist wizard translated for the Aurors.

The Auror in charge of the prisoner transport was no high-ranking official. He simply replied, "Tell them that's not our responsibility. We're only here to deliver the new prisoner!"

The prisoner they were escorting had already begun trembling uncontrollably.

Fenrir Greyback stared in terror at the three Dementors, feeling as though he had been thrown into an icy abyss. The cold and despair rising from the depths of his heart spread through his entire body, leaving no part of him untouched by the chill!

After being taken away by the Aurors, just as Severus had predicted, he had been unable to die, nor could he be healed. He was doomed to live out the rest of his days in this crippled state, sentenced by the Wizengamot to life in Azkaban, and finally delivered to this island to serve as sustenance for the Dementors.

The specialist relayed the Auror's words to the Dementors.

The lead Dementor seemed deeply displeased, but it eventually floated ahead, guiding them into the fortress and down to the deepest dungeons of Azkaban.

The place was pitch-black, illuminated only by a single torch with a flickering flame!

The air was damp and frigid, and the rusted prison cells seemed to hold countless pairs of eyes watching the group as they followed the Dementors inside.

But Greyback couldn't see the owners of those gazes. He only felt fear like never before… not even when he had faced the Dark Lord himself had he been this terrified.

Finally, the Dementors stopped in front of a cell and gestured for the Aurors to throw the prisoner inside.

"Please! You can't leave me here! I'll die in this place! I'll die here!"

Greyback sobbed, his mental defenses utterly shattered as he begged desperately for the Aurors to take him away.

But no one paid him any attention.

"Get these shackles off him… disgusting! They're covered in his drool!"

"Tear off a piece of cloth for me! My hands are filthy, and I don't want to touch my wand!"

"I've got half a newspaper here if you need it."

"Hand it over. I'll wrap my wand in it before casting a Cleaning Charm!"

After much effort, they finally tossed the werewolf into the cell. Then, the Aurors and Ministry's employees hurried away, dropping the trash behind them, eager to leave this cursed place as quickly as possible!

Greyback curled into himself, his remaining upper body trembling as he wailed.

"Someone save me! I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Just let me out! Please, let me out!"

"Hehehe…"

From the darkness of the dungeon, a sudden, deranged laugh cut through the silence!

Greyback was frightened and stopped crying in an instant!

However, the owner of that laughter shouted in a hoarse and unpleasant voice.

"Don't stop! Keep crying! I recognize that voice! Fenrir Greyback! It's you, isn't it? I know it's you! Hahahahaha!"

"Ha! So it's the scavenging mutt that used to follow the Dark Lord around!"

"How did they finally catch a beast like you? Charged with corpse desecration?"

"Greyback! Keep crying! Because tonight, the Dementors will come to savor the freshest meal! And then you'll never get to cry again! Gahahaha!"

Voices like those of demons from the depths of hell echoed through the dungeon!

From the cells around him, figures more ghostly than actual ghosts cackled with cruel mockery!

Greyback's trembling intensified, and he could no longer hold back his despair. He let out a howl of anguish.

"Let me out! Let me out! I don't want to stay here! I repent! I admit my crimes! Please, come back and take me away!!"

"Yes! Yes! That's it… cry! Cry harder, you fool!"

"I bet he won't last seven days in here!"

"You're giving him too much credit, Antonin! I say he'll be dead by the fifth day, sucked dry by the Dementors!"

"Where's Mulciber? His guesses are always spot-on… not just with the Imperius Curse! I swear the man's got a bit of Seer in him! Let him guess!"

"Three days! A weak little pup like this won't last three days!"

"Silence!!!!!"

A sharp, piercing female voice suddenly cut through all the noise. After an ear-splitting shriek, the dungeon finally returned to its initial silence.

"Fenrir Greyback."

The woman's voice called out his name, making the trembling, sobbing werewolf lift his head toward the source.

The dungeon was too dark… he couldn't see what she looked like, but the voice wasn't unfamiliar to him.

"W-Who are you?" He asked in a tearful voice.

But the woman didn't answer his question. Instead, she spoke in a cold, lifeless tone.

"How did they catch you? Is the Ministry still hunting those who fought in the war?"

At this question, Greyback couldn't hold back another sob. He wailed, "It's Snape! Severus Snape!! He's betrayed the Dark Lord completely… he's working for the Ministry now!! He led a group of Aurors to capture me! It was all him!!"

"Severus Snape!"

Another prisoner roared the name.

"That half-blood bastard! Master misjudged him!"

"He's always been a slippery snake! He might even be behind the Dark Lord's disappearance!"

"Didn't Dumbledore make him a professor at Hogwarts? He betrayed us long ago!"

Curses, insults, and venomous words filled the dungeon.

Even in the deepest, darkest cell, one that had remained silent until now, a large black dog pricked up its ears at the name 'Severus Snape'.

"Silence!!!!!"

That same nails-on-chalkboard screech of a voice cut through the noise once more, forcing everyone into submission.

"Why did he bring Aurors after you? What were you doing? Who ordered you?!"

Faced with questioning, Greyback, with only fear in his heart, told almost everything he knew.

"It—it was Barty Crouch Jr.!! He gathered us, said he was going to lead us to find the Dark Lord! He told me to kidnap some kids… to distract the Ministry and keep the Aurors busy! But one of the kids I took… was Snape's student!! A child too young to even attend Hogwarts!!"

"Would Snape team up with the Aurors to arrest you for a child under eleven?"

Someone clearly doubted this claim… because based on what they knew of Severus Snape, this wasn't something he would ever do!

"It's true! It's true!! He went on the radio and told the whole Wizarding World he regrets his past! He also apologized to everyone he hurt! He's betrayed us completely! He's sided with the Ministry and Dumbledore!!"

The shrill female voice let out a piercing scream.

"That filthy traitor! The Dark Lord will never forgive him!!! None of these turncoats will be spared!!!!!"

The other prisoners erupted into furious curses again.

As the dungeon descended into chaos, a crumpled piece of newspaper, carried by an icy draft, tumbled across the floor… all the way to the very last cell.

The large black dog that had been lying there was gone. In its place stood a pale, handsome man!

He reached out, picked up the newspaper, and slowly unfolded it, smoothing out the creases.

The remaining half of The Daily Prophet was clearly the front page from a few days prior, its glaring headline catching the man's eye:

[In Gratitude for Their Heroic Rescue, Ministry of Magic Applies to Wizengamot for Order of Merlin Medals.]

Beside the article was a moving black-and-white photograph.

In the picture stood four adults and two children, two of whom the man recognized instantly!

One was his dear friend, Remus Lupin.

The other was his mortal enemy, Severus Snape!

And among the boy and girl, the boy who was clinging affectionately to Severus's robes, smiling at the camera, made the man's pupils constrict the moment he saw him!

The man suddenly stood up from the ground, his eyes fixed intently on the photo in the newspaper as he searched for the boy's name in the news report!

[...Snape's student, Dudley Dursley, also played a key role in the rescue, delaying and distracting the werewolves, buying precious time for the Aurors to intervene…]

'Dudley Dursley?'

The man's eyes were bloodshot!

He looked back at the photo of Lupin and Severus… the two stood side by side like inseparable friends, surrounded by the others. Harry and Hermione stood in front of them, flanked by Granger and Lyall!

The sight tormented the man's nerves, making him feel as if he were trapped in some surreal nightmare!

"That has to be James's son..."

He muttered under his breath, his voice low and guttural, like the growl of a beast.

"James's son, standing with that Snivellus... Why didn't Moony stop him?"

"He must have been deceived!!"

Suddenly, he let out a furious roar.

The outburst momentarily silenced the other prisoners who had been hurling curses at Severus. But soon, when they realized which cell the noise had come from, their insults grew even more venomous and hateful… directed not only at Severus but also at the man in the deepest cell.

Yet the man paid no attention to their jeers. He clutched the torn piece of newspaper in his hand, his mind already set on a decision!

…

England, Little Hangleton.

After three days of evading the Aurors, Barty Crouch Jr. and Rowle finally arrived at their destination.

"Why are we here? This place is desolate and remote! And the Aurors could still track us down at any moment!"

Rowle complained.

Barty Jr. didn't respond. He simply kept walking, leading them from Little Hangleton to the outskirts of Great Hangleton. After trekking nearly four or five miles, they finally stopped in front of a dilapidated, gloomy old mansion.

The house was in ruins… its wooden frame overgrown with moss and nettles, the door nailed shut with a dead snake forming an 'S' shape.

Staring at the building, Rowle's jaw dropped in shock.

"This is... this is..."

"Master's hometown."

Barty Jr. exclaimed in a voice filled with reverence.

He turned and looked at Rowle.

"Master once claimed that he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four great wizards who founded Hogwarts! And it was no lie!"

Rowle was stunned.

Voldemort had indeed declared himself the direct heir of Slytherin countless times, but he had never revealed his true lineage.

Though his followers outwardly professed belief in his heritage, many secretly doubted which bloodline their master truly belonged to!

And now, Barty Jr. had led him straight to this house!

"But... how can you prove this was ever the home of Slytherin's descendants?"

"I met a man in Azkaban." Barty said softly, "He called himself Morfin Gaunt… a Parselmouth. But he died long ago, decades back. The cell I was locked in used to be his. He left behind markings carved into the stone!"

"At first, I didn't pay much attention to it."

"But during the days I was home, when I wasn't under the Imperius Curse, I found records about the Gaunt Family in that old man's study. I didn't escape immediately because I used the Aurors under my control to dig deeper into the Ministry's archives… until I found this place!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward and pushed open the door adorned with the dead snake!