The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

August 3rd, 4:24 p.m.

The car that had departed from London in the morning came to a stop in a parking space on Rue de Montmorency in the Nicolas Flamel District of Paris.

Harry leapt out directly from the back seat, then stretched lazily in the middle of the bustling street, utterly devoid of any sense of decorum.

Draco looked at him with disdain, muttering under his breath about 'country bumpkins' and ''uncouth plebeians', before stepping out of the passenger seat himself.

However, it seemed his leg had gone numb from being pressed during the ride. The moment he stepped down, before he could steady himself, he nearly face-planted, startling a woman riding past on her bicycle, who let out a small shriek.

Fortunately, Severus was nearby and grabbed his arm in time, preventing the Malfoy Family's dignity from being thoroughly trampled on the streets of Paris that day.

"Hey, I know you're not used to this kind of excitement, but there's no need to be this thrilled, right, Draco?"

Harry, feigning concern, patted Draco's trousers as if dusting him off.

"Who gave you permission to call me that?!" Draco snapped, swatting Harry's hand away irritably.

"Professor, where did you go when we stopped at that café earlier? I woke up once but didn't see you," Harry asked, ignoring Draco's outburst, and turned to Severus with a puzzled look.

"Just delivering something to someone. Let's go… we're heading to Nicolas Flamel's place now. With any luck, we might even get a proper French dinner out of it tonight."

As he spoke, he led the way to No. 51 on the street.

The building, which is one of the oldest stone structures in Paris, bore an iron plaque labeled [Maison de Nicolas Flamel]. Nowadays, this historic residence had been turned into a restaurant.

"Are we having French cuisine here today?" Draco glanced up at the iron plaque above the doorframe, "But a famous wizard like Nicolas Flamel, a great alchemist, actually lives in a Muggle restaurant like this?"

Severus merely approached the restaurant's entrance, where a flip-style address sign hung.

"This has always been Nicolas Flamel's home. It's just that, in Muggle history, this wizard is also a legendary figure. The name of this district and this preserved historical site are proof of that. But to find the real entrance to No. 51, only a wizard can manage it."

He drew his holly wand from his sleeve and tapped the sign.

In the next moment, the scene before them shifted. The air rippled like water, and the clamor of traffic and voices from Rue de Montmorency faded away, as if muffled by a thick curtain.

What stood before them was no longer the façade of a public restaurant but an old-fashioned gate leading to a courtyard. The building beyond it looked exactly the same as before, because even though Muggles had turned it into a restaurant, this was still Nicolas Flamel's real home.

"Now this is more like it," Draco muttered under his breath, his earlier embarrassment from nearly falling replaced with a smug sense of pure-blood superiority.

He instinctively straightened his collar, as though preparing to represent the Malfoy Family in an audience with some great figure.

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you knock? I'm sure Nicolas Flamel would be deeply honored to receive a visit from the sole heir of the British Malfoy family. At least, that's how it should be, right?"

Draco was very pleased with Severus's boasting, and indeed strode ahead of the others, reaching the wooden courtyard gate first.

"Let him have this moment. After all the embarrassing incidents today, if he doesn't get some nice memories out of this, he'll be crying into his pillow tonight."

Severus murmured this quietly, pulling Harry and Lupin along as the three of them followed the haughty boy.

They watched as Draco, with one hand behind his back like a proper gentleman, raised his right hand and knocked lightly on the gate.

They didn't have to wait long. The gate, as if enchanted to sense visitors, swung open on its own.

Draco straightened up, cleared his throat, and was about to step forward to announce himself-

When suddenly-!

Seven or eight wizards in dark green robes abruptly appeared in the courtyard, their wands raised and all pointed directly at Draco, who stood at the front!

"Drop it! Drop your wand! Get down on the ground with your hands on your head! Surrender now!"

"Lower your wand! Give up, and you won't be hurt!"

"On your knees! Show us your hands!"

Draco was frozen in shock by the sudden ambush. He stared wide-eyed as the wizards barked orders at him, their wand tips already glowing red and green with the telltale light of various curses.

He had never seen anything like this before… and to make matters worse, the wizards were shouting in French, a language Draco didn't understand.

Just as his legs began to tremble in panic, a figure suddenly stepped in front of him.

The moment the gate opened and the wizards in dark green robes appeared, Severus had sensed something was wrong.

He immediately moved to shield Draco, his wand already raised as he silently cast a Shield Charm in front of them.

"I need you to communicate with us in English, gentlemen! Who are you? What do you want?"

He asked loudly in English, but one of the wizards, seeing Severus's raised wand, panicked and shouted a spell!

"Expelliarmus!"

A streak of red light shot out!

Once the first spell was fired, even if their leader tried to yell for them to stop, it was already too late. Seven or eight different curses lit up the air in rapid succession!

But the beams of magic collided with an invisible barrier less than forty inches in front of Severus.

Severus's face was cold. He stared at the seven French wizards, who were clearly part of some organized force, and flicked his wand again.

"Serpensortia."

A dozen thick black serpents burst from the tip of his wand, slithering toward the French wizards with terrifying speed, giving them no time to react!

Lupin, now standing beside Severus, joined the counterattack.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry nervously fumbled for his birch wand in his satchel, but before he could pull it out, Severus, without even turning around, swatted his shoulder, stopping him from drawing it.

The sudden skirmish ended almost as quickly as it began. The black snakes were soon blocked by Shield Charms cast by the French wizards.

But in the next second, Severus slashed his wand downward.

"Sectumsempra!"

The invisible, traceless curse was unleashed in an instant. Nearly ten unseen blades of magic clashed violently against the wizards' protective barriers!

But soon, four sounds like breaking glass were heard!

The Shield Charms of four wizards was shattered, and neutralizing the Sectumsempra… but the black serpents surged forward, coiling around the now-defenseless wizards and binding them tightly!

The remaining three wizards, though their shields held, couldn't withstand Lupin's follow-up spells.

The fight was over in moments.

These wizards, who are clearly trained and roughly on par with British Aurors, were skilled in spellwork but lacked real combat experience.

Severus, who had faced off against Aurors in Britain many times, was certain that most of them would lose in a one-on-one duel.

Lupin could outmatch them with ease, let alone Severus himself, a veteran of the Wizarding War.

Under their combined assault, only one of the seven French wizards remained standing… his wand blasted away by a Disarming Charm, now lying in the nearby grass.

The others were either bound by serpentine ropes or petrified by Lupin's spells.

Severus turned to the sole remaining wizard, their leader, who had clearly tried to stop his men but failed, and spoke coolly.

"Now, can we have a civilized conversation?"

The dark-skinned wizard, clearly of African descent, was drenched in sweat, but he stood rigidly straight despite his fear.

"I am Antoine Yuma… Chief of the Third Auror Task Force, French Ministry of Magic! You are suspected of abducting Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel! I advise you to surrender immediately! The Ministry will see this through to the end!"

At his words, Severus and Lupin exchanged bewildered glances.

Neither of them had expected to hear such an accusation from this French Auror.

But Severus quickly regained his composure. He pulled out the International Magical Cooperation Department credentials that Bagnold had arranged for him and Harry, holding them up for Yuma to see.

"See the British Ministry's seal? See the photo? We just arrived in France today… we came specifically to meet Nicolas Flamel. We haven't even stepped inside yet, and you're accusing us of kidnapping him?"

He sneered, "Do Aurors around the world all share the same brain?"

Staring at that British Ministry of Magic's identification document, as a professionally trained Auror with impeccable expertise, Yuma could tell at a glance that this document was undoubtedly genuine!

Every country's Ministry of Magic had its own unique anti-counterfeiting techniques for their employees' credentials, and the British Ministry's version was instantly recognizable… especially from the seal on the document!

"You... You're Mr. Snape?" Yuma's voice was tense and awkward.

It was impossible not to feel awkward.

They had acted too hastily, failing to verify the identities of their targets. Not to mention, seven Aurors had surrounded two adults and two children… only to be completely defeated! All seven highly trained Aurors had been taken out!

"You know me?" Severus clearly detected more than just embarrassment in Yuma's tone… there was something else.

"I've read the book [Blood Love: The Vampire and The Muggle] and know you're the Head of a House in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Yuma kept apologizing, his voice full of remorse, "I'm truly sorry! My team acted without proper communication and attacked first! This was entirely our fault!"

The expressions of the other French Aurors, whether bound or petrified, were filled with shame.

Mistaking their targets and acting too rashly weren't the real issues.

The biggest problem was that seven French Aurors had lost to just two British wizards!

If this got out, they'd never live it down among their colleagues!

"Eldred and Sanguini must be making a fortune. That book's only been out for a few days, and it's already reached France."

Severus, however, didn't care what they thought. His attention had shifted to what Yuma had just revealed.

"You said Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel were kidnapped? When did this happen?"

Yuma hesitated for a few seconds but soon gritted his teeth and answered.

"It happened just yesterday. The entire French Auror Office has been mobilized… everyone's investigating the abduction. The public is deeply concerned. Mr. Flamel is a living relic of French wizardry, so no harm can come to him!"

Severus exchanged a glance with Lupin, who also frowned upon hearing the news.

"Did you just happen to intercept us here, or were you already tracking us?" Severus pressed.

"You've had contact with a young man named Patrick Rosier, correct?" Yuma asked cautiously.

The name 'Patrick' didn't ring a bell, but the surname 'Rosier' was all too familiar to Severus.

Almost instantly, he realized how these French Aurors had started tailing them.

"Is that Rosier connected to the Flamels' kidnapping?" After his brief interaction with the young man, Severus had sensed something off about him but hadn't pursued it, merely giving him some money to return home.

Now, it seemed Rosier had already been on the Aurors' radar, and his capture had led them straight to Severus.

Especially since their destination had been the Nicolas Flamel's residence.

"Yes, he's directly involved in the abduction. We only apprehended him at noon today."

Yuma clearly didn't want to divulge more.

Severus sighed inwardly, 'I'd thought coming to France to see Nicolas Flamel would be free of complications… yet trouble had still found us.'

If not for the fact that Dumbledore's letter had arrived in late July, before Harry's birthday, and the Flamels had only been taken yesterday, Severus might have suspected this was another one of Dumbledore's schemes!

"Mr. Snape," Yuma pleaded, "I apologize again for this misunderstanding. But since you've had contact with Rosier, would you and your friends mind coming to the Ministry for a brief interview? It won't take more than two hours… very quick."

Severus glanced back at Harry, whose eyes were now gleaming with excitement, and Draco, who still hadn't fully recovered from the earlier shock. Then, he checked the darkening sky before turning back to Yuma.

"We haven't had dinner yet. We were counting on a proper French meal at the Flamels'… courtesy of Dumbledore's letter."

He neither agreed nor refused, merely hinting at their current predicament.

Yuma, as the leader of the French Auror's team, was quick to take the hint and immediately said.

"The Auror Office has house-elves who specialize in authentic French cuisine… their signature dishes are escargots and foie gras! I'd be honored to invite you and your friends to dine at the Auror Office as a gesture of apology!"

Severus blinked, then looked back at Lupin and the others.

"What do you think?"

"Sounds good. A free meal is always welcome." Lupin said seriously.

"Do they have French onion soup? I love that." Harry chimed in, already making requests.

"Took them long enough to show some manners!" Draco muttered, still putting up a front.

Seeing no objections, Severus picked up Yuma's wand from the ground and handed it back to him, "Lead the way, then."