For the next stretch of time, Arthur kept slacking off.
Turns out, once you start slacking, it's addictive.
At Hogwarts, exams were held during the first week of June, and results came in the second.
Arthur spent that whole week fishing by the Black Lake.
After all, the thrill of a bite on the line was something those "air force" fishermen who never caught anything could never understand.
Of course, he hadn't been completely idle.
He'd also had the Golden Tree absorb Radahn's great rune.
The Zen Garden doubled in size, and its time dilation increased tenfold.
Even the spatial height had been pushed up another five meters by the Golden Tree.
On top of that, it produced a brand-new Dewdrop.
[Dewdrop of Radahn's Power: Increases Health, Mana, and Stamina by 15%. The effect lasts until the user's death. Origin: Radahn's might. Produces one every 100 years. Balanced in both magic and martial prowess—absolutely beastly!]
Basically, a permanent buff.
Future growth in health, mana, and stamina would all be amplified by this state.
No need to think twice—Arthur immediately used it on himself.
On the night before summer break, Hogwarts held its farewell feast—
the end-of-term banquet, where the House Cup was awarded.
This year, Gryffindor claimed the trophy without question.
They had lost the most points, gained the most points, and finally, thanks to Dumbledore's habit of dumping a mountain of last-minute points on Harry and his friends for "protecting school property," they secured first place.
When Dumbledore said that, his eyes flicked briefly toward Arthur.
The look instantly reminded Arthur of that fateful night.
The damage to the Hogwarts castle rooms hadn't mattered—repair charms fixed that easily.
The real problem was Hermione had blown up Dumbledore's Mirror of Erised.
At the memory, Arthur quickly turned his head, pretending nothing happened.
If nothing else, it weaned the old bee off that mirror.
As if no one knew he'd been using it daily to gaze at his sister?
(To be clear, his actual sister—unlike a certain Third Hokage with his crystal ball habits…)
Maybe it was the melancholy of parting, but that night, the students let loose.
Well—"let loose" only in the sense of eating more than usual.
Hogwarts wasn't about to let its little wizards drink alcohol.
After the banquet, everyone boarded the train home the next day.
They promised to keep in touch by letter.
That made Arthur think of the Malfoy family's house-elf.
With the "iPad" Arthur had given him, would Dobby still be able to stop the wizarding world from contacting Harry?
Back home, Arthur enjoyed a warm family dinner for the first time in a while.
But the very next morning, at six, Hermione woke him up.
Snape had come calling.
Arthur didn't even know how to roast him for this.
Didn't this man have a life of his own—
Oh right, he really didn't.
The two headed to the countryside warehouse.
What Arthur saw there nearly floored him.
The woman Snape had found as the host mother—
was a young woman in her early twenties.
From the mouth of a boy not even thirteen, it felt odd to say…
but Snape, a man in his forties, was clearly robbing the cradle.
Looking more closely, Arthur realized she resembled Lily—by about eighty percent.
Especially those emerald green eyes.
Arthur had only just seen Hagrid's photo album at the end-of-term banquet.
It was full of pictures of Harry's parents.
He swore he wasn't mistaken.
"So this is the 'Liya' you mentioned?" Arthur asked, staring at Snape.
Snape nodded, unfazed by the teasing tone.
He simply made introductions.
"This is Arthur, my disciple."
"This is Liya. You understand."
After the barest pleasantries, Snape pressed on.
"The egg cells have been cultivated. What's next?"
Arthur: ?
"…And you're asking me? What about those two biologists over there?"
He pointed at the Imperiused scientists in the distance.
"Mindless under the Curse. I don't trust them."
Arthur nearly blurted out, And you trust me?
But then he remembered—Snape had introduced him as "disciple," not "student."
That, at least, explained something.
"Combine the egg with your contribution, let it implant in her body. Oh, and get a professional female biologist to handle it. You don't want another man seeing her body, do you?"
Arthur said it bluntly, with no hint of embarrassment.
Snape and Liya, on the other hand, both flushed crimson.
"I'll find someone." Snape muttered, then hurried out.
While he was gone, Arthur pried into his and Liya's relationship.
What, ask Snape directly?
That tsundere would sooner gulp down the Potent Reversing Draught and adopt Arthur as his son.
After some conversation, the truth came out.
When Snape had learned his childhood sweetheart married his rival, he'd been devastated.
He'd left the wizarding world to travel, hoping to clear his head.
By chance, he'd saved a little girl—Liya.
And because she so resembled Lily, he couldn't ignore her.
Finding out she was an orphan, he impulsively adopted her.
But when Liya turned twelve and showed no signs of magic, Snape distanced himself.
Not because he hated Muggles, but because Voldemort was then pushing blood supremacy hard.
Snape didn't want Liya dragged into the storm.
Still, he kept in touch by letter, and quietly supported her schooling over the years.
Having seen his magic as a child, and with his constant support, Liya had given her whole heart to Snape.
After graduation, she began pursuing him fervently.
But Snape, ever tied to Lily, rejected her feelings.
Until Arthur's suggestion gave her a chance.
Snape approached her, agreeing to marry—
on the condition that she bear his child.
"You don't regret it?" Arthur asked curiously.
"What's there to regret? He accepted me. Even if the child doesn't share my blood, I'll still carry it in my womb. That makes no difference to me."
Liya's voice brimmed with happiness.
She even looked at Arthur with gratitude.
Because it was his idea that had given her this chance.
Otherwise, she might never have stepped into Snape's world.
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