At the memory, Professor McGonagall's lips trembled, and in the end, she said nothing more.
"I thought… we were supposed to do this… together…"
Snape's lips moved too as he finished the sentence awkwardly.
"I'm taking him with me today."
McGonagall dropped the first topic and moved straight to her second demand.
"These pointless entanglements with people are only making him weaker…"
Snape's expression darkened.
"I think quite the opposite."
McGonagall shot back.
"Heh—"
Snape said nothing further. He had already achieved what he wanted.
Stupid Green, always surrounded by that truly stupid, muscle-headed, brainless Potter…
If he was going to Hogsmeade, then that idiot had better stay far away. Everyone knew that the convicted fugitive Sirius was the Dark Lord's most capable follower, and everyone knew exactly what he wanted most…
"You should know about the safe house."
Just before leaving, McGonagall suddenly said it.
"What?"
Snape looked surprised.
"He has a Portkey. It leads to a house protected by the Fidelius Charm."
McGonagall's tone was calm.
"…The Secret-Keeper… me?"
Snape fell silent for a moment.
"You and I."
McGonagall nodded slowly.
"Heh… what else have you people given him? An unregistered Portkey, a hidden safe house… You may as well give him an unregistered wand too. Then he'd have no trouble at all becoming a criminal the Ministry could barely hope to catch."
Snape sneered.
At that, McGonagall paused, and for the first time, her expression turned slightly unnatural.
"Don't tell me…"
A chill ran through Snape. He had never imagined someone else had already done what he himself had wanted to do, but had not yet managed.
"It's not what you think…"
McGonagall seemed oddly reluctant to explain.
"I don't believe I care to hear the rest."
Snape had not the slightest respect for Ministry law, but he suddenly found himself curious about those mysterious members of the McGonagall family.
He had always assumed they were all just like his rigid old teacher.
Interesting. Very interesting…
Snape suppressed the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
An unregistered Animagus, carrying an unregistered Portkey, a safe house, and a wand…
Unless the idiot deliberately threw himself into danger, Snape found it hard to imagine what could possibly threaten him.
And then Snape's smile froze.
That idiot seemed to love throwing himself into danger.
While Snape's expression turned foul, Sean silently touched the Portkey and wand in his bag. Grandpa Marcus truly lived up to being a decorated Auror—he had managed to get hold of so many illegal things.
Thinking about it now, Sean's escape routes were actually very well prepared.
…
Sean spent the last week of summer vacation at the McGonagall villa.
Which also meant that if he wanted to return to Hogwarts, the best way was by taking the Hogwarts Express.
Professor McGonagall seemed to like the idea of him boarding the train, going together with the other young wizards, together with friends.
At the same time, after spending a week on the farm, Sean had clearly noticed that there were fewer animals around.
If his gaze lingered on a particular animal for more than ten seconds, then the next time he saw it, it would only be in the farm's stew pot.
The owner of the farm, Grandpa Marcus, was a lively old wizard, and he was more than happy to teach Sean the Patronus Charm alongside Professor McGonagall.
Unexpectedly, all three of their Patronuses were cats.
Professor McGonagall's Patronus was noble and elegant. Sean's was nimble and solid. Marcus's, meanwhile, was extremely fat.
Floating there, it looked more like a large dog.
More than once, Professor McGonagall gave Marcus a teasing look, and the old wizard would stiffen his neck and protest with things like, "I was much slimmer when I was young," "Can't Patronuses grow old too?" and "A fatter one's better—it blocks a wider area from spells."
Naturally, under the guidance of both a professor and an Auror, Sean mastered the corporeal Patronus and raised its proficiency to [Skilled].
As for Fiendfyre, only the last tenth of the proficiency remained. Within three days of term starting, Sean would become a master of Dark Magic.
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade?"
On the morning of September 1st, the day they were preparing to head for Platform Nine, Professor McGonagall suddenly asked the question while reading the newspaper.
Sean looked at her gentle expression but said nothing.
It was as if she understood at once. Smiling, she rose from her chair.
"Come along, child. Time to go. To Hogwarts."
As always, Grandpa Marcus and the little McGonagalls saw them off from far away. Even when they reached Platform Nine, it seemed to Sean that Grandpa Marcus's voice was still echoing in his ears.
"Sirius—I know he escaped. Be careful, child, but don't worry too much. We'll catch him.
More importantly, live a little more happily. A life with spirit in it—that's what matters…"
Thinking back on that, in the blink of an eye, Sean and Professor McGonagall had passed through the solid metal barrier and arrived at Platform Nine.
They looked up and saw the Hogwarts Express—a scarlet steam engine, hissing clouds of smoke into the air. The platform was crowded with witches and wizards seeing their children off.
At that moment, the Weasley family appeared too, along with Harry, Hermione, and Justin.
"Oh, Professor McGonagall, what an honor to see you—are you escorting new students?
Oh! Green! Child, why is it you?"
Mrs. Weasley came hurrying over warmly. She was a little surprised that Sean always seemed to be with Professor McGonagall—even the last time they had gone to the Burrow, it had been the same—but she still could not make sense of why.
After all, the boy standing before her was Sean Green, not Sean McGonagall or anything of the sort.
"Mrs. Molly."
Sean greeted her, sounding a little warmer than usual.
"It's so good to see you!"
Mrs. Weasley swept Sean into a big hug.
Professor McGonagall immediately frowned at her, which left Mrs. Weasley feeling baffled.
"Sean!"
Justin, Hermione, and Harry came running over together, while Ron was the last to arrive, having been staring at Percy's sudden appearance the whole time.
"Look over there."
Ron waggled his eyebrows.
Everyone turned to look, just in time to hear Percy say loudly:
"Ah, Penelope!"
As he said it, he smoothed back his hair again, and his face flushed pink all over.
The young wizards exchanged looks, then all turned away and tried to hide their laughter.
Mrs. Weasley, on the other hand, looked a bit embarrassed, since there was a professor standing right there.
Not far away, Percy was striding toward a girl with long curly hair, deliberately puffing out his chest so she could get a good look at his gleaming badge.
"Ah, ah… children, the train's about to leave,"
Mrs. Weasley hurriedly said.
She kissed each of her children in turn, then Hermione, Justin, and Harry.
At the very end, when she moved toward Sean, Professor McGonagall stopped her.
"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley. He needs to board."
McGonagall said it with a perfectly blank expression.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!