When The Daily Prophet was delivered to every wizard's home on that drizzly morning-
Hampshire, Winchester.
A clothing store that had opened early to restock before business hours received an unexpected visitor, a man dressed in tattered rags.
"Sorry, sir! We're not open yet. If you need anything, you'll have to come back in two hours! We will open on time at 9 o'clock!"
The saleswoman, who is already in a foul mood from waking up so early, shouted impatiently at the man standing outside the wrought-iron gate.
But the stubborn customer persisted.
"No, no, miss, I found this thing outside your shop. Excuse me, did you perhaps drop it?"
The saleswoman was attracted by his words. When she approached the gate, she saw that the man was holding a £50 note!
Her breath hitched for a moment, especially when she got a good look at his face.
The saleswoman's face flushed a little, but she stretched out her hand and took the banknote from the man without hesitation.
"Oh! Yes, that's mine. I must have dropped it when I opened the shop."
"Since I've been so honest, would you mind opening the door and letting me pick out some new clothes?"
"Of course! I mean, it's the least we can do for someone with your integrity."
Once the door was opened, the saleswoman noticed that the man, who was strikingly handsome and impeccably mannered, looked as though he had just escaped a furnace, with his clothes covered in scorch marks.
He moved swiftly through the store, selecting a casual summer outfit, changing into it in the fitting room, and paying at the counter… all in under three minutes.
"My job is quite relaxed, so I'm free most evenings… perhaps for dinner?"
The saleswoman's eyes sparkled as she slipped him a receipt with her phone number scribbled on the back, tucking it into the man's coat pocket.
Faced with her behavior, the man remained as courteous as ever.
"The pleasure would be mine."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the store without a second glance.
The man is naturally Severus.
Not long after leaving, he tossed the receipt into a trash bin without hesitation.
After a night of being pursued, he now had to endure the ridicules of Ghost Snape inside him.
[I thought you might have stayed.]
'If I really stay, you'd be unhappy again.' Severus replied flatly.
Ghost Snape was used to this by now… No matter what he said, Severus always had a sharp retort for him.
[It's the same issue as with potions.] Although he was frustrated, Ghost Snape still spoke up, [When you faced those Aurors last night, your spellcasting seemed flawless on the surface, but in fact, there was a clear lack of fluidity. Otherwise, if it were the original me, at least five more of them would have been incapacitated.]
Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Severus decided to take the criticism constructively.
'How do you suggest I fix that?'
[This is because your conscious reflexes aren't keeping up with your muscle memory. The solution is simple… cast no fewer than fifty spells a day, consistently. If you have even a shred of talent, a month should be enough to eliminate that clumsiness...]
At this point, he couldn't help but fall into his old habit of speaking sarcastically.
[But if you're as thick as a troll, you'll never improve in your lifetime!]
However, this time Severus didn't bite back. Instead, he considered Ghost Snape's words carefully.
'You're right. My way of thinking has its advantages and disadvantages. The spellcasting issue needs to be addressed… Not only must I solve it, but I must also find a way to improve beyond your original capabilities.'
'But it'll have to wait until after I deal with more pressing matters.'
After changing into new clothes, Severus did not stay in the city for long.
He hailed a taxi and headed for the location where he had agreed to meet Harry and the others the day before.
…
Winchester, in a café by the southern suburban roadside.
Harry, Sanguini, and Worple sat at a table by the window, all staring gloomily at a fresh copy of The Daily Prophet.
Worple had managed to get his hands on the newspaper, and on the front page, they saw an report of the chase last night.
Even though the article mentioned that Severus had escaped, Harry and the others were still worried. After all, there were more than a dozen Aurors!
"Why isn't Professor here yet? What if he's hurt?" Harry fidgeted anxiously, barely touching the sandwich Worple had ordered for him.
Sanguini kept shaking his head.
"No way, no way... If they'd really injured Mr. Snape, the paper would've bragged about it. The Ministry would've treated it as a victory!"
Compared to them, Worple was also concerned, but he didn't have much time to voice his thoughts.
It was early in the morning, but he was still working on his manuscript!
Just as Harry couldn't take it anymore and was about to step outside to look for that familiar figure, the cafe door swung open.
The shop door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
"A latte, and a double-loaded ham sandwich… this trip has left me starving!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Harry, Sanguini and even Worple, who had been agonizing over a particular phrase, jumped to their feet!
"Professor!"
"Mr. Sna… (Worple slapped Sanguini head)... Mr.!"
The other customers in the cafe turned to stare at the commotion.
Severus had no choice but to nod to the guests with an apologetic look on his face, then walked to the table where Harry and his friends were sitting and sat down.
"Why are you so excited?" He saw The Daily Prophet on the table, "Wow, you got the paper this early? Let's see what they've written about me."
Harry and the others also sat back at this time. They did not see any obvious wounds on Severus's body, nor did they see anything wrong with his complexion, which made the three of them feel relieved.
Severus read the front-page article with great interest, then commented lightly, "Shacklebolt and Robards got unfairly criticized, especially Shacklebolt. He even took Felix Felicis to track us down, and yet Scrimgeour calls him 'negligent and incompetent'. Ridiculous."
"But as I expected, Shacklebolt didn't mention our visit to Xenophilius. He clearly figured out what we were after."
"Chasing me was his duty as an Auror, but keeping quiet was his loyalty to Dumbledore. That's a man worth respecting."
After skimming through the rest of the paper, a faint smile crossed Severus's face.
"If nothing interferes, Xenophilius should make his move this afternoon."