Professor Snape had changed. He actually smiled. Dean Snape had changed too—he even gave Gryffindor points.
Ever since Lily Potter had become a Ghost of Hogwarts—a ghost full of color and vitality—Severus Snape seemed like a different person. Draco Malfoy had even begun to feel jealous. Why did Snape treat Harry like his own son?
Lily Potter was mostly by Harry's side while he ate, rested, and did homework, but at other times, she lingered around Snape. After all, besides Harry, Snape was the closest person to her at Hogwarts. Although their past had been fraught with unpleasant moments, hadn't people said that all debts were cleared when one died?
Lily retained only the beautiful memories of her childhood with Snape; some of the darker ones had been erased. Of course, her forgetting that Snape once called her a "Mudblood" was Dana's doing, and Dana hadn't intended to hide it. If Snape misbehaved, he could restore her memory completely. He had even made Ariana Dumbledore intensely dislike Albus Dumbledore.
Despite everything, Snape had never been happier than during this period—perhaps only the joy of acquiring a large quantity of Basilisk material two years ago could compare. But nothing matched the happiness of reuniting with Lily.
"Very good, Mr. Potter. Your handling is perfect—almost textbook. It's clear you inherited your mother's talent in Potion-making. For this, I will award Gryffindor two points."
Harry felt proud but also a sense of unease. He was gaining his teacher's favor because of his mother, and that made him feel almost guilty. Seeing no objection from the others, he finally relaxed.
Snape glanced toward the classroom door and smiled. A red-haired ghost poked its head out, gave him a thumbs-up, and then disappeared.
"Weasley! What are you doing? You almost ruined Mr. Potter's nearly perfect Potion!"
Ron, holding two sprigs of dittany, looked confused. "I… I just forgot," he mumbled.
"Forgot? Even the Giant Squid in the Black Lake can remember for half an hour!" Snape shook his head, his once-greasy hair now smooth and flying slightly. "This is an attitude problem! For this, Gryffindor will lose three points."
Quickly, Harry took the dittany from Ron and peeled off the thin membranes, improving Snape's expression immediately. Once Snape looked elsewhere, Ron and Harry exchanged amused glances.
As soon as class ended, Ron dragged Harry out. "Harry, what's your mom's relationship with Snape? I swear, he wants to be your stepfather!"
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
"Am I wrong? The favoritism he shows you… I've only seen this with Draco Malfoy before! It's outrageous! If he didn't like your mom, I can't imagine another reason!"
A shadow passed them, accompanied by a fresh scent of shampoo.
"Ron Weasley, slandering a Professor behind his back—Gryffindor loses one point!"
"Merlin's beard!" Ron covered his mouth, worried Hermione would lecture him again.
Meanwhile, Snape ran like the wind toward the Hogwarts courtyard. The thumbs-up Lily had just given him was their secret childhood signal: meet at the old spot. When they were first years, they spent a lot of time there. That spot held many of Snape's fond memories.
However, Snape was stopped.
"Severus, where are you going? I'm here for my Potion."
Remus Lupin, who needed to drink Wolfsbane Potion on the full moon night to avoid incidents, had blocked him. Snape frowned. He couldn't take Lupin back to his office now, so he tossed him a small key.
"Your Potion is on the third shelf of the Potion cabinet. Go get it yourself. Return the key at dinner—I have records of all Potions and materials. Don't take anything you shouldn't!"
With that, Snape rushed out, leaving Lupin dumbfounded.
Outside, the courtyard—its grass, greenery, blue sky, and white clouds—lifted Snape's spirits. He had been at Hogwarts for so many years but had never noticed its beauty. It was even more beautiful than when he first arrived.
Lily Potter floated quietly behind a trimmed holly bush. Seeing Snape, she waved, and he ran toward her just as he had run toward a white swing when he was eight.
"Severus, you're spoiling Harry too much."
"I am not."
"You are! That was just a simple operation, and you praised him so much. Harry won't grow if you keep doing that."
"All right, you're right. I'll pay attention from now on."
"Good. Remember, you are Hogwarts' Professor first, before being Harry's uncle."
Meanwhile, Lupin arrived at the Potion Professor's office. Using the small key, he opened the door and immediately noticed several magical traps. Without the key, even an Alohomora spell might have set them off. Clearly, Snape had been invaded many times before and had taken ruthless precautions.
Lupin stood in front of the Potion cabinet and opened the glass door.
"The third shelf of the cabinet," he murmured, scanning a dozen bottles. Snape hadn't explained which was his.
Sighing, Lupin meticulously checked each one. Then he found a brown glass bottle—the familiar Wolfsbane Potion Snape had given him before. Scanning again, he confirmed it was the only brown bottle on that shelf and confidently took it out.
Tonight was another full moon, and the feeling of weakness was unbearable. Sighing again, Lupin left.
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