Chapter 172. Return to Hogwarts.
The break ended quickly enough, and by Sunday evening they were back at Hogwarts.
The following morning began with an impatient knock, mildly surprising Severus, since breakfast was still a full half hour away and he hadn't yet left his bed. Nagini dealt with the disturbance by burying her head under a pillow, which drew a smile from him.
"Who on earth is here this early?" He yawned broadly, snapped his fingers, and a small transparent screen appeared before him. On it was Regulus, visibly agitated, with two brothers standing behind him exchanging puzzled looks, slightly awkward and unsure of themselves. "I forgot all about him." He exhaled with tired resignation, got out of bed, pulled on his dressing gown, and headed for the door. "All right, all right, stop knocking. I'm coming."
The moment he opened the door, the young man flew into the room and fixed his burning eyes on him.
"Severus!" Regulus grabbed him by the dressing gown. The two Austin brothers immediately moved to intervene, assuming a fight was about to break out. But instead, Regulus said, "Thank you. If I can ever do anything for you, just say the word. Even if it costs me my life." The brothers froze and stared at each other in bewilderment, unable to follow what was happening.
"Calm down. I didn't do it for you, and you know perfectly well why. Let me get dressed first, and then we'll talk." He gave Regulus a light pat on the shoulder.
Catching the amused look from Severus, then glancing toward the entrance where other students had gathered out of curiosity at the noise, Regulus turned red. He wasn't alone in that: several girls were openly staring at Severus's figure. It was rare to see a wizard in such lean, near-perfect shape, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a dressing gown that had fallen slightly open from his grip.
The Austin brothers snapped out of it, remembered they were nominally bodyguards, and began moving the onlookers along.
"I... forgive me. I'll wait outside!" Regulus bolted from the room and pulled the door shut behind him, accompanied by a bright laugh from Severus.
A few minutes later, dressed in school robes, with his hat settled on his head, Severus stepped out to find the three classmates waiting for him. One of them was avoiding his eyes with some difficulty.
"Let's go." He glanced down at Nagini's head, which had emerged from beneath his robes. She was watching something with a narrow squint. "I thought you'd join me after second period as usual."
"I changed my mind!" she said sharply, casting unfriendly looks at two girls who were whispering and glancing in his direction.
He kept a straight face, though it took some effort. Her reaction amused him, but he gave no sign of noticing.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry for what happened." Regulus finally managed to collect himself.
"It's fine. I understand. But as I said, there's nothing to thank me for, and you know why. It was mostly my fault to begin with, so if anything, I'm the one who should apologize."
"No." Regulus shook his head and looked at Severus with absolute seriousness. "It would have happened eventually. I'd been suggesting we move for a long time, but Mother was against it, since that house had been passed down from our grandparents, and to them from theirs. We got too comfortable. You were right: you can never afford to stop, and galleons won't always save your life, no matter how many you earn."
"Glad to hear it. I hope you won't be lazy about it going forward." Severus kept his expression unchanged as they headed down toward the common room.
"I was never lazy!" Regulus protested indignantly, taking it as a baseless accusation.
"Then I take it you'll surprise me today?"
He fell silent and looked away quickly.
The Austin brothers, walking behind them, paid little attention to the exchange. The shock of realizing that the person running this group was not an aristocrat from an ancient family, but a half-blood, had worn off long ago.
After the events of the previous week, Severus was on everyone's lips again. Journalists had been earning their keep, and blowing things wildly out of proportion was a skill they had long since mastered. One publication had even declared him dead, though they corrected it within two days. To avoid drawing attention, he had cast a Notice-Me-Not Charm, and the group moved through the crowded castle corridors without much difficulty. This brought visible relief to the Austin brothers, who had felt the tension building since the previous evening at the mere thought of what the next day might bring.
Upon reaching the Great Hall, the group settled into their usual seats and continued talking over breakfast.
Monday's schedule wasn't particularly heavy, but using the charm inside classrooms was impossible. He endured the stares from certain individuals and reapplied the Notice-Me-Not the moment each lesson ended, departing quickly. Within seconds, aristocrats would close in around his desk from nearly every direction. The students themselves knew little about the incident, but their parents had apparently heard enough, and that was sufficient to renew attempts at making contact.
After lessons, Severus decided to skip his usual additional session with the school healer. She made a show of not caring, but she had been genuinely worried about him.
He wanted to walk the castle for a while and test his core, which had nearly fully recovered over the past few days and had reached the peak of the Master rank.
The first place that caught his attention was the Room of Requirement. He found it as soon as he reached that floor, which came as no surprise. Even with a core at the lower end of the Master rank, he had been able to sense it before.
Inside, he cast detection charms and examined the enormous room once more. He had no doubts about his abilities, but with limited perception, he might have overlooked something earlier.
It took barely half an hour, yet the results were worthwhile. Three objects he had previously dismissed as ordinary trinkets proved, on closer inspection, to be genuinely interesting artifacts, each easily worth two or three thousand Galleons. He had originally been prepared to leave them behind with the rest of the unsellable clutter.
Once finished, he left the room and descended a few floors until he reached the concealed passage leading to the Ravenclaw library. Just like last time, he could detect almost nothing, which came as no surprise: the mechanism's magical component made up no more than ten percent.
He could make out the activation charms, but only by concentrating specifically on them, and only because he already knew they were there. Under any other circumstances, he would have missed them entirely, lost in the ambient magic that saturated the castle and seeped through every stone. Even so, Severus was more than satisfied. By broadening his range of perception slightly, he also located a hidden room no larger than three square meters, concealed beneath several dozen layered charms. At the lower end of the Master rank, he would never have noticed it at all.
He also visited Rowena herself to ask her about several matters connected to the Queens. To his disappointment, she knew nothing of them and had never even heard of such an organization.
He stayed with her until lunch, enjoying a conversation that surprised him somewhat; her understanding of many subjects, particularly magic and history, went well beyond what was contained in her book.
He met up with the Austin brothers and Regulus in the entrance hall, and the group headed toward the Great Hall with the familiar charm in place. As they neared the dining hall, Severus stopped, bringing the others to a halt behind him.
Near the entrance stood a girl he recognized immediately: long platinum hair, blue eyes, and school robes with a green tie. She was searching for someone, and the anxious look on her face brought a quiet smile to his lips.
"Why did you stop?" Regulus asked with a puzzled look.
"I saw someone I know." It was obvious who she was looking for.
He stepped closer and extended the charm to include her. The moment the girl saw a group of older students materialize a few meters in front of her, she gave a visible start. But when she spotted Severus at the front, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Miss Macmillan. Am I really that frightening?"
"No." She shook her head and moved toward him, quickly wiping her eyes. "M-my brother told me everything. I wanted to thank you in person."
"Your brother and I are good friends. I could hardly do otherwise when it was within my power to help your father." He gave her a gentle nod and gave her shoulder a brief pat. "By the way, Regulus, that's exactly how you looked this morning." He turned to Regulus with a smirk. Regulus shot him a displeased look. "All right, all right. How is your father?"
"Much better already!" she answered with a bright smile. "He's even started helping my brother with business matters."
"Good to hear." A gold pocket watch materialized in his hand. He flipped it open and checked the time. "Well, let's go in. You can fill me in on the details over breakfast."
"Yes." She had been quite nervous at first. Over the past two years, she had seen him only a handful of times and had thought of him as a very serious person, much like her father. But speaking with him up close, she was surprised to find he was not what he appeared to be. He reminded her more of her brother: calm and easy to be around, though she couldn't quite explain why.
The other three wizards found Severus's behavior toward her genuinely surprising. It was rare to see him show warmth like this to anyone. And Regulus was already looking at the girl in an entirely different light.
========================================
------------------------------------------
Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 298
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 208
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 299
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 135
support me on Patreon for instant access to the 120+ advance chapters: patreon.com/redofic