The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

The straight-line distance from Dover to Calais is less than fifty kilometers, so the ferry ride doesn't take very long.

But this time, it was clearly Draco's first real experience staying on the open sea.

Previously, when Lucius took the family on vacation, they would choose coastal beaches as destinations, but they had never ridden on a Muggle boat before.

As for events that required leaving England, they usually relied on the Floo Network or Portkeys… even flying on broomsticks across the sea was rare.

Faced with the ferry and all the Muggle technology on board, Draco was completely out of his depth, making him look just as much of a 'country bumpkin' as Harry had the day before when listening to him talk about Quidditch or Gobstones.

So Draco simply decided to ignore it all and sat back in the car alone.

Severus, noticing his sour mood, told Lupin to keep an eye on Harry and make sure he didn't accidentally fall into the sea while feeding the seagulls. Then, he returned to the car as well, carrying two buckets of popcorn.

"The store had a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Want to try some?"

Severus offered.

Draco just responded in the petulant tone of a child, "You should give it to your precious student! You two are the ones who get along!"

"There's no such thing as 'who gets along with who' here. You only know Lupin is a werewolf, but you don't know that back when we were classmates at Hogwarts, he nearly killed me in his werewolf form. Yet now, we still manage to coexist peacefully."

As Severus spoke, he shoved one of the buckets into Draco's lap.

"Go on, try it. You've definitely never had this kind of street food at home. I know Lucius better than anyone… that stuffy traditionalist."

Draco reluctantly held the bucket of popcorn, and when Severus wasn't looking, he quickly snatched a piece and popped it into his mouth.

The rich aroma of corn, mixed with butter and sugar, burst across his tongue. Draco had never tasted such a delicious snack before.

There was no way Lucius would buy him Muggle snacks.

"You weren't like this before." Draco suddenly said from the back seat, "When you visited my house earlier this year, you and my father were talking about how stupid Gryffindors are! Dad said it was because of Muggle-born inferiority, and you agreed with him!"

Severus reclined his seat slightly, making himself more comfortable. He munched on popcorn as he replied, "Some people live their whole lives in a closed-off world, convinced that what they know is all there is. But some of those people eventually break free from it."

"That's what happened to me, Draco. If you only ever listen to what others say, you'll never discover the truth. Only when you let go of your prejudices and pride, and actually spend time with the people you once looked down on, will you see things you never could have before."

"So I made that change. I stepped out of my comfort zone and started observing the world with my own eyes."

Draco stealthily shoved two more pieces of popcorn into his mouth, muttering disdainfully, "But I don't need to interact with those people! I can live perfectly well in my own world!"

"You certainly can live with that attitude." Severus said calmly, "But when people mock you for being like a frog at the bottom of a well, with no idea how vast the sky really is, what can you do besides lie to yourself? There's no good way to argue against it, is there?"

"Hmph."

Draco chose not to respond. This time, he stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Hey! I smelled that ages ago! Why did you only buy two buckets, Professor?!"

Harry, who had somehow appeared outside the car, startled Draco.

He immediately stuffed the bucket of popcorn in his arms to Harry outside the car, and turned his face away and mumbled vaguely, "All of this is for you! I didn't eat any!"

Harry took the bucket and stared at the popcorn crumbs sprayed across the back of the front seat when Draco spoke. He blinked in confusion.

Severus also turned his head, exchanging a look with Harry.

Harry asked in confusion, "What nonsense is he talking about?"

"He's just embarrassed." Severus said with a wink.

"Rubbish!" Draco snapped, his face flushing.

Harry still didn't get it. He tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth, not understanding why anyone would be embarrassed about eating popcorn.

Lupin also came back at this time.

"Everyone else is back in their cars. A Muggle attendant said we'll be docking soon."

Once Draco had moved back to the front and Lupin took his seat, he also noticed the popcorn crumbs. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and said to Harry beside him,.

"It's bad manners to talk while eating, especially facing someone. It's unhygienic."

"It's not me!" Harry said innocently.

"Hahahaha!" Severus laughed.

Draco, who had been silent in the passenger seat, had already buried his face deep into the backrest of the chair.

…

Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Kingsley and Robards, who had barely rested these past few days while leading the search for Barty Jr. and his gang, pushed open the door to the office of the Head of the Department, which is now occupied by a new owner.

Rufus Scrimgeour had arrived early and was sitting on the sofa in front of the desk. A cup of tea, which had long gone cold, sat before him, suggesting he had been waiting for some time.

Behind the desk sat a broad-framed, square-jawed witch with short, neatly cropped gray hair… Amelia Susan Bones.

After the scandal involving Barty Sr. came to light, she had been appointed as the interim Head of the Department. Her reputation within the Ministry was impeccable, and even new employees knew her as a witch renowned for her fairness and integrity.

Upon taking over the mess left by Crouch Sr., she wasted no time in reorganizing the department and coordinating efforts to hunt down Barty Jr. and his accomplices.

However, it seemed her troubles didn't stop there.

"They're all here now, Rufus. Tell them what happened this morning." Bones said gravely.

Kingsley and Robards couldn't help but turn their attention to Scrimgeour. They obviously guessed that something big must have occurred again.

"It's news from Azkaban. Sirius Black has gone missing from his cell as of this morning."

Scrimgeour said wearily, his face lined with exhaustion.

Kingsley and Robards were so shocked by the news that they couldn't say anything for a long time. After more than ten seconds, Robards finally opened his mouth to ask, "What do you mean, 'missing'? With Dementors guarding the place… how could he just disappear?"

"The Dementors reported that he simply wasn't in his cell anymore." Scrimgeour said, his brow furrowed, "They're still searching the island and the surrounding waters, but there's been no word yet."

"Has anyone visited the island recently?" Kingsley had already shifted into investigative mode. He obviously understood better that the so-called 'missing' was just an excuse to cover up this incident that was bound to cause a huge public opinion incident.

There is a high probability that Sirius has successfully escaped from prison!

What they need to do now is to figure out how he escaped from there.

"Just the day before yesterday, my team took Fenrir Greyback to Azkaban and locked him up."

Robards answered.

Kingsley's instincts sharpened.

"Did anyone question Greyback about what he might have said during his first day in Azkaban?

"As soon as I heard the news from Rufus, I immediately applied for a vial of Veritaserum and sent someone to interrogate him." Bones said.

This made Kingsley glanced at her with newfound respect. His new superior was proving herself worthy of her reputation.

"So, did we get anything useful?"

"The werewolf said that on his first day in Azkaban, he told his fellow inmates why, and because of whom, he'd been locked up. Snape's supposed 'reform' angered many of them."

"Including Black, I assume?" Robards pressed.

"There were reports of him roaring in rage." Scrimgeour confirmed. "He was heard shouting, 'He must have tricked them!'"

"He was talking about Severus?" Kingsley's voice was grim.

Scrimgeour pulled out a stack of photographs taken at Azkaban, which is the evidence collected from the scene, and spread them before Kingsley and Robards.

"Almost certainly. What's more, in his cell, we found a torn-up copy of the Daily Prophet… from seven days ago. It was accidentally brought in by the team that delivered Greyback. The headline was about the Ministry petitioning the Wizengamot to award Snape and the others the Order of Merlin. There were photos of them."

"There was a hole punched through the newspaper… right through Snape's head!"

"He was once the Dark Lord's most loyal follower!" Bones said coldly, "He was so devoted to his master that he even betrayed his best friend! And now, after learning about Severus Snape's recent actions, he's furious."

Robards still seemed confused.

"Just because he's angry at Snape, he decided to break out? That seems a bit..."

Kingsley spoke softly.

"They were already enemies back at Hogwarts."

The other three turned to look at him. While the animosity between Snape and James's group wasn't exactly a secret, few people had ever dug into it.

"At the time, Black probably hadn't become the Dark Lord's spy yet. As a Gryffindor, he despised Severus, a Slytherin, and he and his friends often targeted him. Their hatred goes way back. Even after they ended up serving the same master, that hatred likely never faded."

"So you're saying that because he already had a grudge against Snape, and then he found out in prison that Snape had completely betrayed the Dark Lord, he flew into a rage and decided to escape?" Scrimgeour said.

"That's a very real possibility." Kingsley said with certainty, looking at the torn Daily Prophet in the photos.

The office fell into silence.

All four of them were deep in thought, 'If Black had truly escaped with the intent of going after Snape, then Snape was in serious danger.'

'Both the fugitive Barty Crouch Jr. and Sirius Black now wanted him dead!'

"Gentlemen."

Bones suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.

"Hatred for Snape may have driven Black to escape… but I have some additional information."

With that, she pulled a letter from her desk drawer and handed it to Scrimgeour.

Scrimgeour's frown deepened as he read the contents, and he then passed it to Kingsley and Robards.

"The French Aurors have discovered that this incident is related to a certain notorious pure-blood family. They are currently conducting a further investigation, but given the sensitive nature, they sent us this letter to keep us informed."

After Kingsley and Robards had finished reading, they looked up at Bones.

"You think Black's escape is connected to what's happening in France?"

"I'm not the only one who suspects Black." Bones said, meeting their gazes, "Recent events are too coincidental. In over two hundred years, Azkaban has never had a single successful escape… and now, two have happened in quick succession."

"Barty Crouch Jr. and Sirius Black, both were once the Dark Lord's most loyal followers, and yet they both chose this moment to break free. Crouch escaped his father's Imperius Curse, and Black somehow slipped past the Dementors on his own."

"Add to that what just happened in France yesterday, of a group of shady pure-bloods making moves… it doesn't feel like a coincidence."

"But how could they have coordinated this?" Scrimgeour asked incredulously.

"It's just a suspicion for now." Bones shook her head, "But going forward, you'll need to coordinate with the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Share information with the French Aurors. If we confirm these incidents are linked, we'll petition the Minister for a joint investigation!"

"And we can't ignore Snape's side. Someone needs to find him immediately and warn him that Black's escape may be revenge-driven. Ideally, we should assign him protection."

At this suggestion, Scrimgeour and Robards both turned to Kingsley. They knew that since the poisoning incident, Kingsley had maintained a good relationship with Snape.

However, under their expectant gazes, Kingsley could only shrug helplessly.

"Don't look at me. I have no idea where he is right now."