The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

"No one in the Wizarding World drives better than me!"

In the parking lot of a London car rental company-

Severus once again declared his ambitious boast.

However, it was clear that neither Harry nor Lupin had much confidence in him.

Harry had personally witnessed Severus's driving skills before, while Lupin knew that Severus had never shown any interest in Muggle machinery in the past.

Draco stood off to the side, eyeing the large metal box Severus had rented with a look of disdain.

"So this is the Muggles' version of a flying broom? It looks big and clumsy. What's the point of it?"

Clearly, having grown up in a pure-blood manor, Draco lacked some basic knowledge about Muggle society.

Lucius had almost never taken him to public places with many Muggles, and the events he attended most were exclusively wizarding gatherings.

Draco's friends were also mostly children from other pure-blood families, like Crabbe and Goyle, and he had hardly ever interacted with Muggle peers.

"Well, prepare to be amazed. Just like how wizarding transportation isn't limited to flying brooms, as there are things like magic carpets, cars are just one of the tools we'll be using for this trip."

Severus tossed the car keys in his hand and motioned for them to get in.

Since Harry had already taken a seat in the back, Draco didn't hesitate… he immediately pulled open the passenger-side door, clearly unwilling to sit next to the person who had beaten him up just the day before.

Lupin shrugged, unfazed, and followed Harry into the backseat.

Severus expertly pressed the clutch, started the ignition, and revved the engine… at least, to Lupin's surprised eyes, he seemed to know what he was doing.

But Harry was already prepared, gripping the handle above the door tightly.

"We're setting off now!"

Severus announced, then released the clutch and pressed the accelerator… only for the entire car to lurch violently three times with a loud 'clunk'!

Lupin, who is sitting in the back, was fine… he just bumped his head against the seat in front of him. But Draco, in the passenger seat, wasn't so lucky.

He had been examining the strange fabric strap next to him, completely unprepared for the sudden jolt. His upper body slammed straight into the windshield!

"Oh! Draco! Are you hurt? You should've been more careful and fastened your seatbelt!"

Draco angrily swatted away Severus's outstretched hand, shouting.

"You must have done that on purpose!"

But Severus looked delighted, as if he'd stumbled upon a brilliant excuse.

"Exactly. What just happened has nothing to do with my driving skills. I just wanted you to experience some of the possible situations you might encounter in a car ahead of time."

Under the skeptical gazes of Harry and Lupin in the backseat, Severus cleared his throat.

"So now you understand, right? Wearing a seatbelt is essential when riding in a car. Yes, that strap on your left. Pull it out and buckle it into the clasp on your right."

Under Severus's guidance, Draco, who was still scowling with his forehead red, fastened his seatbelt.

"Alright, that was just a drill. Now we're really setting off!"

Severus gripped the steering wheel again. This time, not only Harry, but Lupin and Draco also instinctively grabbed the handles above their doors.

Finally, though the car jerked slightly at the start, it didn't stall this time, and Severus successfully maneuvered it out of the parking lot.

As they drove from the outskirts of London onto a country road, the greenery on either side shielded them from the blazing sun, and a cool breeze blew in through the windows.

The fresh, crisp air lifted Draco's mood a little, after all the setbacks he'd faced over the past two days. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned back comfortably in the passenger seat.

"Who are we going to Paris to see?"

Lupin asked from the back row.

Severus kept one hand on the steering wheel and rested the other on the door as he replied.

"Nicolas Flamel."

Harry blinked. He clearly wasn't familiar with some of the more notable figures in the Wizarding World.

"Who is that?"

"You don't even know Nicolas Flamel?" Draco seemed to have found an opportunity to mock him, "He's a famous alchemist! The creator of the Philosopher's Stone! And thanks to that stone, he's been alive since 1327!"

Harry did not respond to Draco's taunt. Just as Severus had advised, he now saw Draco as a mischievous brat even younger and more immature than himself… someone he could easily ignore.

"Why are we looking for Nicolas Flamel? Did Dumbledore send us?"

"Dumbledore suggested I seek his help." Severus replied, "It's related to my own affairs."

He didn't elaborate, and neither Lupin nor Harry pressed further.

Just as they had left London's city limits and were heading toward the port of Dover, Draco, who had been peering out the window, suddenly noticed an owl chasing them from above!

"There's an owl following us!" He shouted, ducking back inside, "Maybe my father changed his mind! He's written to tell you to send me back! Stop the car, stop it!"

Lupin and Harry also leaned out to look and spotted the owl persistently trailing them from above.

Severus didn't continue driving. Instead, he slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road, allowing the owl, who had clearly been struggling to catch up, to finally land on the car's roof. Once settled, the owl even gave Severus a salute with its wing!

"That's definitely not from your father." Harry recognized the origin of the owl and teased Draco.

Draco obviously realized that his family's owl wouldn't be so ordinary. His lips pressed into a thin line, his face flushed, but he couldn't muster a retort.

Severus took the letter from the owl's talons, scanned it briefly, then finished reading with a strange, amused smirk before casually handing it to Lupin.

"It seems your old friend isn't content to sit idle either."

At Severus's words, Lupin frowned slightly, a bad feeling creeping up on him.

When he took the letter, he saw Dumbledore's message to Severus.

[Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. He may be coming for Harry.]

Staring at the line of words above, Lupin was unable to speak for a long time.

Harry, burning with curiosity, stood on his tiptoes, trying to peek at the letter's contents, but Severus had already called out to him.

"It's nothing, Dudley. Get back in the car. We need to keep moving if we want to catch the ferry from Dover to France by noon."

By then, Lupin had rolled up the letter and tucked it away. The owl, having successfully completed its mission, spread its wings and took off again.

The group returned to the car. After reading the letter, Lupin had grown noticeably quieter, but he finally spoke up.

"It's a good thing we're leaving Britain for now."

Then, as if struck by a thought, he looked sharply at Severus.

"You haven't told anyone where we're going, have you?"

"Only Dumbledore knows we're heading to Paris. Lucius and the others just know we're leaving the country." Severus replied casually, as if the letter's contents hadn't fazed him in the slightest.

Lupin found his attitude puzzling.

Logically speaking, given Severus's hatred for their old group of four… if James was number one, Sirius would be tied for first place!

Now that Sirius had escaped Azkaban, Severus acted as if he'd expected it all along, completely unbothered.

But with two children present, even though he was full of questions, Lupin could only swallow his questions for now.

This small interruption didn't derail their journey. They arrived at the port of Dover well before noon.