Severus hadn't gone to sleep early tonight either.
His research on the Potion of Invariant Essence was still ongoing.
After successfully brewing this potion, he felt its uses shouldn't be so limited.
The very act of solidifying a Transfigured object held significant value in itself.
After all, not every wizard could cast such powerful counter-charms like Severus.
Once a Transfigured object was solidified by this potion, it could easily pass as real, fooling many people.
And the function of directly solidifying magic itself shouldn't be confined only to the effects of Transfiguration.
But just as Severus was experimenting, trying to see if mixing the Potion of Invariant Essence with other magic-related potions would produce special effects, a desk ornament shaped like a lantern suddenly lit up with a red glow.
Seeing this reaction, Severus frowned slightly.
"Someone's inside."
He was clearly speaking to Ghost Snape, who, of course, also knew what Severus had done.
After dinner, although Lupin's words had initially made Severus think it wouldn't be easy for an outsider to infiltrate the troll camp and reach their tent, he had still taken precautions.
As an insurance measure, Severus had set up an additional, special alarm charm outside the tent's own intrusion alarm.
The device triggered by this charm was precisely the lantern on the desk.
[Who could it be?] Ghost Snape held his breath, [Could Harry be in danger?!]
In front of Severus, he didn't need to hide his concern for Harry at all.
Severus didn't speak. He just narrowed his eyes, then tapped the door with his wand and pressed his ear against it.
The magic helped Severus negate the door's soundproofing and even amplified certain specific noises!
No matter how faint the footsteps on the floor were, Severus was able to pinpoint the person who had quietly broken into the tent amidst Draco's breathing and Lupin's teeth grinding.
"Four legs..." Severus murmured.
Ghost Snape didn't understand.
[What?]
'The person who came in has four legs, and there are cushioned pads on their feet, making their footsteps almost silent.'
This answer clearly confused Ghost Snape.
[Four legs? With pads? Did some magical creature wander in by mistake?]
However, Severus didn't think so. A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
'Not just magical creatures walk on four legs. Perhaps your mortal enemy does too. Don't forget what I told you back in France. He's an Animagus who can transform into a large black dog!'
Ghost Snape's face instantly turned as cold as ice. He quickly thought of more.
[He's here for you!]
'If it really is him, he's probably here to kill me.'
Severus's calm statement made Ghost Snape's expression even sterner. His voice seemed squeezed through gritted teeth.
[He's here to kill us!]
Severus genuinely felt that Ghost Snape's ideological awareness was improving, having such thoughts.
But for now, they still needed to confirm whether the intruder was truly Sirius Black.
Continuing to listen at the door, Severus heard the faint footsteps pass through the corridor and finally stop roughly outside Harry's door. He silently opened the door a crack.
Through the dim night light in the corridor, Severus vaguely made out the figure that had slipped into Harry's room.
[It's him! It's him!!] Ghost Snape naturally also saw the figure through Severus's perspective.
To open the door, Sirius had to revert to his human form at that moment.
And Ghost Snape could never forget that face.
'He wanted to see Harry first,' Severus speculated about Sirius's actions.
[After seeing Potter, his next target must be us!]
'Not necessarily. He's probably been spying on us all afternoon. If he saw Draco ordering Harry around, he might choose to seek revenge.' As he said this, Severus's voice also turned somewhat cold.
Hearing this, even Ghost Snape found Severus's suspicion a bit extreme.
[Regardless... he couldn't possibly harm a child, could he?]
'Weren't you a child when he lured you to Lupin's transformed shack? Wasn't Lupin a child?' Severus said flatly, 'Don't overestimate that mutt's intelligence. When he goes mad, he's capable of anything.'
Ghost Snape was silent for a moment before speaking again.
[What are you going to do?]
As he spoke, Severus slowly drew his wand. He returned to his room, transfigured a pillow into a humanoid shape matching his own physique, covered it with the blanket, so that in the dark, without turning on the light, it looked as if Severus was already asleep in bed.
After these preparations, Severus waved his wand at the window, then silently left his room, went to the end of the corridor, cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, and drank a potion to eliminate his scent.
This spot was far from the lit night light. In the darkness, no one could possibly discover Severus's presence.
"What I do depends on what he does next."
Severus's low voice finally faded away in the corridor.
Time passed minute by minute. They didn't have to wait long.
About ten minutes later, the figure slowly emerged from Harry's room and gently closed the door behind him.
Under the night light, the human figure twisted and transformed back into the form of a black dog in an instant.
He was completely unaware that two pairs of eyes, one belonging to a man and one to a ghost, were already fixed intently on him in the darkness, watching him pass by Draco's door and then stop outside Severus's door.
After waiting for over ten seconds, the black dog transformed back into human form and finally carefully placed his hand on the doorknob, gently opening the door and stepping inside.
Sirius's heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.
Although he never hid his contempt and disgust for Severus in his words, he was also well aware of Severus's actual capabilities.
If he had his wand, Sirius wouldn't be afraid of him. But now, unarmed, if Severus reacted, the situation could easily turn one-sided!
After the door was pushed open, it was extremely quiet inside.
Sirius cautiously scanned the entire room. It was a typical Potioneer's bedroom.
Besides the necessary bed, there was a desk by the window piled with various manuscripts and bottles, and an old cauldron set up in an empty space to the side.
The night breeze stirred the curtains, and moonlight stealthily streamed in through a gap that had been lifted, casting a silvery sheen on the bed in the corner.
Sirius held his breath, seeing the figure under the blankets on the bed. His steps were incredibly slow, covering a mere two meters took him over thirty seconds before he finally reached the bedside!
The Severus on the bed was sleeping soundly, so soundly that Sirius could barely hear his breathing.
At that moment, he spread his pale, slender hands, focusing on the neck of the Severus on the bed.
In that instant, Sirius was fully prepared. He planned to seize Severus's neck in the next second and subdue him on the spot.
'Then, confiscate his wand, deal with Moony, capture the Malfoy brat, and finally liberate Harry!'
Just as he was thinking this and lunged forward, a blinding red light suddenly shot towards him from behind.
As the red light illuminated the entire room, every hair on Sirius's body stood on end!
'It's a trap!'
The moment this thought flashed through his mind, his lunging body completed the transformation from human to animal at an incredible speed.
The spell that should have accurately hit Sirius's back missed its target after he completed his Animagus transformation, striking the wall by the bed and leaving a smoking hole.
Now a black dog, Sirius landed on the bed with all his muscles tense, his eyes fixed fiercely on the tall figure standing at the bedroom door!
"Severus Snape!"
The voice that should have been filled with hatred and venom, after being converted by the No. 3 radio, sounded like the heart-wrenching cry of a male lead in an opera calling out the heroine's name.
Severus, having missed his first strike, still had a mocking expression. He met Sirius's gaze and sneered.
"So, after hiding in Azkaban all this time, you've been obsessed with stage plays? The audience on that island must have rather peculiar taste."
At this moment, Ghost Snape couldn't help but reveal an excited, mocking smile!
From the very beginning, it was clear that Severus's tongue was no less sharp than his own, perhaps even sharper.
Now, finally, someone else could taste that flavor, and moreover, that someone was Sirius Black!
Sirius glared furiously at Severus, his bloodshot eyes seeming to want nothing more than to pounce on Severus and tear him to pieces.
But the wand in Severus's hand, its tip still glowing, made Sirius wary.
If Harry weren't here, he would charge at Severus without hesitation and fight to the death.
But now that Harry was in the hands of this Snivellus, he had to find a way to rescue James's son!
"I'll be back for you! I'll be back for revenge!!"
The No. 3 radio still blared with a resonant tenor voice. Sirius was already leaping towards the window at this point.
He wanted to smash through the glass and escape!
Faced with this move, Severus didn't even flinch. As the large black dog crashed into the windowpane, it was as if he had hit a trampoline… his bulky body was instantly thrown back, crashing uncontrollably onto the desk, scattering the bottles and jars.
The sound of countless shattering glasses echoed, loud enough to wake everyone in the tent.
Drenched in a variety of potions, Sirius let out a bestial roar!
Of course, he realized now that this bedroom had become his prison. Severus had intended to capture him from the very beginning.
Just as Sirius was about to go completely berserk, ready to fight Severus to the death, hurried footsteps sounded from the corridor outside.
Lupin was the first to react to the noise!
Still in his pajamas, wand in hand, he rushed out of his bedroom. As soon as he reached Severus's side, he saw the disheveled Sirius in the room.
Instantly, Lupin's pupils contracted, and he immediately pointed his wand at the large black dog.
The voice that usually maintained calm and composure now revealed unconcealed shock and anger.
"Sirius Black!"
With two wands pointed at him, Sirius showed no fear. He stared at Lupin with only disappointment and hatred.
Following Lupin, two more hurried footsteps approached. Harry and Draco, awakened by the noise, emerged from their bedrooms, looking sleepy and confused, and came to the doorway.
Seeing Sirius, the two boys were even more clueless about what was happening.
They didn't even know what an Animagus was yet, so naturally, they wouldn't recognize the dog before them as the Sirius Black wanted by the newspapers.
When Sirius saw Harry, his previously icy gaze instantly turned panicked and flustered.
Even facing Lupin's betrayal and Severus's mockery, Sirius wasn't afraid. His only fear was Harry standing by Severus's side, that this vicious Snivellus would use the boy to threaten him.
However, Harry's first words upon seeing Sirius struck the black dog like a bolt from the blue, leaving him stunned on the spot.
"Professor, who is that?"
Sirius would never have dreamed in his wildest nightmares that James's son would address Severus Snape with that title!
"That?" Severus replied calmly to Harry's question, "You shouldn't use 'that,' Dudley. You should say 'he'. As for his identity... he was once your father's dear, close friend."
Hearing Severus's voice, Sirius snapped back to reality. He stared fixedly at Severus, his anger making him breathe like an enraged bull.
Clearly, he had found the answer in his heart by now.
'It must be this Snivellus's doing!'
'He had bewitched Harry, twisted the stories of the past, gained Harry's trust, and then trained him to be a slave to the pure-bloods!'
'Deception!'
'Harry had been deceived!'
'Even if I had to die tonight, killed by this Snivellus bastard, I must tell Harry the truth!'
'I had to make Harry understand what kind of scoundrel this beast in human clothing, Severus Snape, truly was!'