The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

Before the construction of the Channel Tunnel, the fastest driving route from London to Paris involved traveling from London to the port of Dover, boarding a ferry with the car, crossing to the port of Calais in France, and then continuing from Calais to Paris.

Naturally, this was also the route planned for Severus and the others.

The ferry from Dover to Calais wasn't hard to catch, with departures almost every hour. They quickly found one, and after Severus paid for the tickets, they were about to board when suddenly-

-they heard an argument break out at the ticket inspection behind them.

"You can't do this! It's just been soaked in water… I paid for this ticket!"

"I'm sorry, Mr.... um, Rosier, but most of the information on your ticket is illegible. According to regulations, we can't accept a ticket damaged to this extent."

"Can you please help me? There must be another way to prove this ticket is real! My wife and I both had our wallets stolen, and this ticket is our only way home! Please, help us!"

"Apologies, sir, but the issue lies with your ticket. There's nothing we can do. If you could step aside and not hold up the line, we'd appreciate it."

The moment they heard this exchange, not only Severus but even Draco in the passenger seat turned to look. At the inspection point, a young couple stood with despair on their faces, holding the rejected ticket as they moved their car away from the boarding area.

Severus turned back, exchanging a glance with Draco, who looked equally stunned.

"You heard the surname too, didn't you?"

"Impossible!" Draco exclaimed. "It's just a coincidence! No one from that family would ever take a Muggle ferry, let alone be turned away by Muggles!"

Harry and Lupin, however, didn't understand what they were talking about, as neither had much knowledge about pure-blood families.

Severus didn't say much. Instead, he drove the car onto the ferry, parked in their assigned spot, and turned to Lupin.

"Watch the children. I'll go check on that situation."

With that, he stepped off the ferry and approached the young couple's car.

"...Have you been feeling unwell lately? Once we get back, we should see a doctor."

"I'm sorry, Mary. This is all my fault. I insisted on taking you to Edinburgh, and then we lost all our money within days. Now even our return ticket got ruined by water."

The young man with the Rosier surname covered his face, clearly weighed down by guilt.

His wife, presumably named Mary, comforted him for a while, but soon they switched to speaking in French.

Even though Severus inherited the memories of Ghost Snape, he only had a partial understanding of French and couldn't fully follow their conversation.

He reached out and knocked on the car window.

It was at this time that Rosier, who was sitting in the driver's seat, noticed that there was a person standing outside the car.

He rolled down the window, looking at Severus in confusion.

"Can I help you?"

Severus stared into his eyes, not using Legilimency, but calmly asking, "I didn't expect to run into someone from the Rosier Family here. How has Angelo been lately?"

Rosier.

One of the most prominent pure-blood wizarding families in Europe.

Unlike the nearly extinct Malfoy family, the Rosier Family had branches spread across both Britain and France. However, the descendants of this family were infamous in most people's eyes. Some members of the French's Rosier Family had been part of Grindelwald's inner circle in the early days, while some British's Rosier Family had been core Death Eaters in recent decades!

From ninety years ago to now, the family had never been on the right side of history.

At yesterday's Death Eater gathering at Malfoy Manor, there had been a man from Rosier Family in attendance… the very Angelo Severus had just mentioned.

Now, just as Severus was preparing to leave Britain, he ran into someone with the Rosier surname while boarding the ferry. If he hadn't found that suspicious, it would have been strange.

Hearing Severus' words, the young Rosier was obviously a little flustered.

But Severus could tell his nervousness wasn't directed at him… it was toward the woman sitting in the passenger seat.

The young man hastily opened the car door and said a few words in French to the confused woman, as if explaining that he had run into an acquaintance and telling her not to get out.

Then, he pulled Severus to the back of the car.

"Sorry, sir. My wife doesn't know anything about wizards or magic. To avoid dragging her into trouble, I'd rather she never learns about it."

Rosier looked pleadingly at Severus and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"Care for one?"

"No, thank you. I don't smoke." Even without delving into the young man's memories, Severus could tell whether he was lying just by his proficiency in Legilimency.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I had one?"

"Not at all. So, you really are from the Rosier Family?"

"My parents were both wizards. They're French, and so am I. The Angelo you mentioned must be a relative of mine on the British side. But they disowned me long ago… even tried to force me to change my surname. Later, because I kept a low profile, they didn't push me to abandon the name entirely."

Rosier lit a cigarette and shook his head with a bitter smile.

Severus had already pieced together his identity.

"You're a Squib?"

"Yes, a Squib born into the Rosier Family." Rosier shrugged, "Once my parents confirmed I had no magical talent at age ten, they abandoned me completely and refused to acknowledge me as their child."

"I've been on my own ever since, scraping by in the Muggle World. Eventually, I became a car salesman. Later, I met my wife, Marie. She's kind and gentle, and our life together is good. As for magic and wizards… I've long since pretended to forget about it."

This, too, was the truth. He wasn't lying.

"Are you here in Britain for vacation?" Severus asked another question.

"Three days ago, my manager suddenly gave me five days off. With nothing to do at home, I impulsively decided to take Marie on a road trip to Edinburgh."

Rosier ran a hand through his hair, his face full of regret.

"It was a terrible decision. We had no plans or preparations, and yesterday, all the money we brought was stolen by a pickpocket… leaving us with nothing but our return ferry tickets. Then this morning, I accidentally dropped one in the toilet and nearly flushed it away! Lately, I've been out of sorts, always making mistakes. I really should listen to Marie and see a doctor when we get back!"

After hearing his story, Severus felt that the misfortunes he'd encountered were unusual, but they didn't seem targeted. Instead, it appeared to be a series of accidents.

Using Legilimency on Muggles or Squibs risked damaging their brains, so with such individuals, Severus usually relied on leading questions to extract the information he needed.

Rozier, who was standing before them, had originally been coincidentally taking the same ferry as them, but now, even if he could afford new tickets, he wouldn't make it onto the same one.

As for the troubles he was facing, Severus didn't have the time or interest to dig deeper.

"Does your car have enough fuel to get you home?"

Severus asked offhandedly.

"It should barely make it, but if they don't accept our tickets, we won't get on the ferry." Rosier stubbed out his cigarette, carefully wrapping the butt in paper to throw away later instead of littering.

Just as he looked up again, a hand was already holding out a 50 pound note to him.

"Just in case you need to refuel along the way. This should be enough for a new ferry ticket and to get you home."

Rosier looked up in shock, meeting Severus' eyes. After a few seconds, he spoke with surprised gratitude.

"You… you don't despise me for being a Squib?"

"Most people wouldn't." Severus said, pressing the money into his hand, "The only wizards you knew as a child were likely those in your family, but the majority in the Wizarding World are decent people. Go buy a new ticket for the next ferry… you've definitely missed this one."

With that, Severus turned and walked away without looking back. Rosier watched his retreating figure, clutching the banknote in his hand, and called out anxiously, "I still don't know your name! How can I repay you later?"

"You don't have to pay it back. Consider it a personal contribution to your trip."

Severus waved dismissively without turning around and quickly reboarded the ferry.

When he returned, Lupin was in the ferry's small shop buying juice for Harry and Draco.

Thanks to the undercover work on the werewolf case, he had come into some money, leaving him in relatively comfortable financial straits.

Draco, as usual, has his trademark arrogant expression. Even when Lupin handed him his juice, he didn't bother with a thank-you.

"If your father hasn't taught you basic manners, I can give you a lesson right now."

Severus came back and looked at Draco calmly before speaking.

Draco stiffened, clearly itching to hurl some insult about Lupin's werewolf status. But the moment his eyes met Severus's, his bravado faltered.

"Thanks." He muttered grudgingly, not caring whether Lupin heard him or not.

"What did you find out?" Lupin definitely would not argue with an ignorant child. He just turned to look at Severus and asked.

"A Squib from the Rosier Family." Severus replied, accepting the soda Lupin handed him and leaning against the ferry's railing, "He was born in the France's Rosier Family, but he was kicked out as a child for being a Squib. He hasn't been exposed to anything related to the Wizarding World for a long time. I overheard his surname and wanted to confirm, just in case."

Lupin and Harry didn't react much to this, but Draco nearly choked on his juice.

"A Squib from the Rosier Family!" He almost choked on the juice he had just taken, "Are you sure he's really from the Rosier Family?"

Severus crossed his arms as the ferry began pulling away from the port of Dover.

"I stand by what I said."

"That's impossible!" Draco's voice rose, "My Father told me that as long as blood purity is maintained, wizards will only ever have wizard children! Squibs are only born to those… those half-blood or mud… I mean, impure wizards!"

Severus raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did your father ever tell you that someone in the Malfoy Family actually pursued a Muggle? Only to be rejected?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Draco looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"But even I've heard about that!" Harry chimed in cheerfully, "After being turned down, he even cursed her."

Draco's face flushed red with fury, and he glared at Harry.

"I challenge you to a duel!"

"I won't fight with you. If you lose, you'll just cry and call your parents. It's no fun at all." Harry declined the invitation.

Frustrated, Draco could only repeat stubbornly.

"Whatever you say, if that guy really is a Squib, there's no way he's a Rosier! He's probably just a liar trying to trick you!"

Meanwhile, Harry looked at him curiously and asked.

"Then, according to what your father taught you, there should be more and more pure-blood wizards in the Wizarding World, right?"

"Since none of you would ever have Squibs, while wizards who marry Muggles might have non-magical children. But why did Fred tell me that if pure-blood families keep insisting on blood purity, they'll eventually die out?"

Faced with this question, Draco had no logical rebuttal. So, he could only stubbornly repeat:

"I'm not listening to your nonsense! There's no way a Squib would appear in a pure-blood family!"