Another night fell over the island of Great Britain.
To the casual observer, it seemed no different from any other day. But for the vast majority of British wizards, ever since the sun had set, they had been eagerly awaiting one piece of news.
Or rather, the release of a particular newspaper.
The Burrow.
The Weasley Family, as usual, only began their dinner after Arthur returned home from work.
Their eldest son, Bill, had already left for Egypt to work as a curse-breaker at Gringotts. But even with one less person at the table, the Weasley household was as lively as ever.
"Dad! Does the Ministry already have inside information?"
The moment Arthur sat down, Charlie couldn't help but blurt out the question.
George and Fred immediately turned their heads toward Arthur, while Percy maintained a serious expression but secretly pricked up his ears. Even Ron and Ginny, the youngest of the family, momentarily forgot about the food on their plates, their attention fully captured.
However, before Arthur could even clear his throat to respond, Molly sternly reined in the children's rampant curiosity.
"At least let your father catch his breath first!"
Her words calmed the group of children down a little, but it was clear that they had no intention of taking their eyes off Arthur.
The ever-daring George had already started shouting.
"Come on, Mum, you're just as curious as we are! Ginny told us that she saw you reading that book three times by yourself, and every time, you ended up crying!"
Ginny was flustered and furious. She brandished her fork, ready to stab her big-mouthed, tattletale brother.
Molly let out a shriek and lunged to grab George by the ear… only to accidentally seize Fred instead, who howled in protest.
Seizing the opportunity, Ron swiftly stole a sausage from Fred's plate.
In the end, it was Arthur who managed to restore order to the chaos.
"Alright, alright, settle down. If you really want to know the inside scoop, then eat your dinner quietly."
The table fell silent almost instantly, the children transforming into perfect little angels. Even Fred, who had just discovered his missing sausage, decided against retaliating against Ron… for now.
But this orderly atmosphere was soon shattered by Arthur's sigh.
"Alright, I'll admit it… the Ministry doesn't have any inside information. The Aurors are just like everyone else, keeping an eye on the Lovegood's house, waiting for the paper to be delivered."
A chorus of disappointed boos rose from the Weasley children.
Taking advantage of Fred's momentary distraction, Ron quickly devoured half of the stolen sausage before mumbling.
"What's even the point of the Aurors, then?"
"The story in the book has to be true!" Ginny declared with conviction.
Charlie glanced at his youngest sister.
"Why?"
"Because a story that touching just has to be real!" An eight-year-old girl's logic was perfectly reasonable in its own way.
George and Fred, however, had unwavering faith in Severus.
"Whether it's true or not, Professor Snape definitely isn't a bad guy."
The Weasley Family had long since grown accustomed to the twins' peculiar fondness for the Head of Slytherin House.
But since the others had never personally witnessed the 'changed' Severus Snape, their impressions of him remained stuck on the gloomy, acerbic Potions Professor… except for Percy, who had seen hints of the man's transformation. None of them could even begin to imagine a cheerful, polite, and gentlemanly Snape.
Arthur checked his watch.
"Since everyone's so curious, we might as well wait. Anyway, it's only about an hour until 8 o'clock… we'll have our answers soon enough."
At that moment, the scene at the Weasley household was playing out in countless wizarding homes across Britain.
Even the drunks still lingering in the Leaky Cauldron hadn't forgotten to remind Tom to bring them the latest copy of The Quibbler the moment it arrived.
From the deepest underground offices of the Ministry of Magic to the lakeside towers of Hogwarts's Headmaster's office, every corner of the Wizarding World remained brightly lit.
Time ticked by, minute by minute, and finally, at exactly 8 p.m., countless owls flew out of the Lovegood's home, carrying the latest, extra-thick edition of The Quibbler to every corner of the Wizarding World!
…
When there were only 15 minutes left until 8 p.m.-
Severus, Harry, Sanguini and Worple sat in front of the windmill, gazing at the stars.
The night sky was exceptionally clear, with no clouds in sight, just a dazzling expanse of stars, as if the entire heavens were winking at them.
"That's the constellation Centaurus. According to centaur astrology, if it shines especially brightly tonight, it means good fortune is on the way."
Severus was giving Harry a little astronomy lesson, but Harry, who knew nothing about magic at the moment, offered a sharp critique.
"Sounds like the centaurs are just praising themselves."
"When you have the chance, you should visit the centaur tribe in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts in the future and say that to their faces."
Worple, who was filled with a desire to expand his knowledge, chimed in, "I never saw any centaurs when I was at Hogwarts. Are they the humble, easygoing type?"
"No." Severus deadpanned, "If Dudley said that in front of them, they'd kick him with their hooves."
Harry's face turned pale and he shook his head.
"I definitely wouldn't say it to their faces."
"I'd snitch on you." Severus teased.
Harry shook his head again.
"Then I will promise to never go into that Forbidden Forest!"
"Don't make promises you can't keep. I can't guarantee much, but I can guarantee you'll end up in the Forbidden Forest at some point."
Severus stood up from the grassy ridge, bringing their stargazing chat to an end.
"It's about time. The potion should be ready now."
Hearing his words, Sanguini perked up.
At this moment, he seemed like a completely different person from his daytime self. He had changed into a beautiful suit and his hair was meticulously styled. Coupled with the unique handsome face of a vampire, he now had almost 70% of Severus's charm!
Patty, which is cradled in Sanguini's arms, was carried to the center of the barren field where tulip seeds had been sown earlier.
Moonlight draped over them like a delicate veil.
Neither Harry nor Worple approached them as Severus added the final drop of thyme tincture to the bottle of potion that had cooled sufficiently.
The pale red liquid darkened instantly into a rich, deep hue.
After handing the completed potion to Sanguini, Severus rejoined Harry and Worple, then lightly flicked his wand.
The Growth Potion that had been sprinkled into the soil earlier began to take effect.
Tender green shoots sprouted from the earth like bamboo after rain, growing at an astonishing speed. Soon, pristine white buds formed, visibly preparing to bloom under the moonlight!
It was at this moment that Sanguini gazed tenderly at the girl in his arms and carefully tipped the potion into her mouth.