"The questions were so easy; I finished the exam in just one hour," Ron told Harry with a look of pure relief as he walked out of the exam hall after the final tests.
It was hard to believe such a thing would ever come out of Ron's mouth.
But it was true.
When you hang out with top students, even if you're not one yourself, you're bound to pick up a few things.
"Especially the Potions exam. I can't believe Professor Snape made the questions so simple. I was done in forty minutes…"
Ron kept chattering excitedly, completely missing the frantic eye signals Harry was sending him, his face growing stiff with dread.
"It seems our Mr. Weasley believes he is a master of potions now."
The calm, emotionless voice hung in the air. Ron froze and slowly turned around to see Snape standing right behind him, his eyes just as devoid of emotion.
"Then I expect Mr. Weasley will be ready to teach our first class next term."
"If you can't manage that, I imagine you'll be quite happy to spend a year scrubbing all the bedpans in the hospital wing."
Ron was so terrified he could only nod reflexively, not daring to argue. By the time he came to his senses, Snape had already glided away, and the poor little guy's guts were twisting with regret.
Why, oh why did I have to say the Potions exam was easy? What a mess!
On the train ride back to King's Cross Station, Malfoy stammered for a long while before finally speaking.
"Dudley, Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Ron, do you guys want to come over to my place this holiday? You've never been to Malfoy Manor."
Draco, for once, didn't call Harry "Potter" or use any of his usual strange nicknames for Ron.
Ron was a bit stunned. He had been planning on inviting everyone to the Burrow, but Malfoy beat him to it.
"Of course, I'd like to see the ancient Malfoy family home," Dudley said, agreeing immediately. Hermione and Harry nodded in agreement.
"Draco, are you sure Mr. Lucius will welcome us? I think you should probably talk to him first," Neville said, being a bit more cautious.
Of the group, Neville had grown the most, especially in his personality. He had gone from being timid and cowardly to much more stable and mature.
"Father won't have a problem with it," Draco replied at once. "I can make this decision myself."
The way he spoke and acted, you'd think he was the head of the Malfoy family.
"Alright then," Neville and Ron agreed to go. Ron was quite curious about Malfoy Manor.
When the train stopped, the friends started to leave one by one, and soon, only Dudley, Harry, and Hermione were left at the station.
Just as the trio was about to head home on their own, an unexpected person appeared before them.
"Hey, Harry...and his friends."
Sirius Black, in a new outfit, greeted them and patted a motorcycle next to him. "Want a ride? Or would you rather come back to my place for a bit?"
With his leather jacket, chain, and clearly modified motorcycle, he looked like a proper middle-aged menace.
"Mr. Black, I believe I told you not to appear in front of Harry again," Dudley said, stepping in front of Harry and Hermione. "Your foolishness is contagious."
Hearing this, Sirius became agitated. He truly wanted to get along with Harry. "I'm his godfather! James and Lily chose me themselves. Now that they're gone, I should be the one to raise Harry."
"Really? Because you, his 'godfather,' were absent for twelve years and didn't fulfill any of your duties. I don't think you're fit to raise Harry."
Dudley didn't care for Sirius, not just because of his recklessness and arrogance, but mostly because of his sheer foolishness.
"That's not true! I'm an excellent adult wizard!"
"But you're such an excellent adult wizard that you can't even beat an underage one like me," Dudley shot back.
Sirius tried to argue, but Dudley's words left him speechless. Even with all his recklessness, he knew Dudley was right.
Suddenly, Sirius remembered something and grinned. "It's the holidays! Underage wizards aren't allowed to do magic!"
So what if you're better than me? You can't use magic!
This remark made Dudley look at him with new interest.
'Well, look at that. The reckless one is actually using his brain,' he thought to himself.
Sirius was beaming with pride, not embarrassed at all.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but as a member of the Wizengamot, I am not on the forbidden list. I have a certificate from the Ministry of Magic. Would you like to see it, Mr. Black?"
Sirius was dumbfounded. 'A member of the Wizengamot? How old is he?!'
Just as Sirius was about to say something else, he was suddenly hit from the side with a powerful force. Before he could react, he was sent flying.
"You damned murderer! Stay away from my children!"
Vernon, who appeared out of nowhere, stood in front of the three with his large body, his face red with fury as he roared at Sirius.
In the Muggle world, Sirius was also known as a criminal, a dangerous person who blew up a street and was responsible for thirteen deaths.
Even though Vernon was the weakest of them all, and even though Dudley and the others didn't need his protection, his first instinct was to rush forward and shield them the moment he saw Sirius. He didn't know his own son could easily beat Sirius, but even if he did, he would probably have done the same thing.
"You bloody Dursley!"
Sirius got up from the ground, his temper rising. He even pulled out his wand.
Faced with a wand, Vernon's face immediately paled, but he still stood firm, using his body to shield the children.
"Oh, is our Mr. Black going to cast spells on a Muggle? Let's see what you've got."
Snape's sneering voice echoed as he walked over from the side of the station.
"Snivellus, what are you doing here?" Sirius glared at Snape.
Snape glanced sideways at Sirius. "I am here with Mr. Dursley, of course. They invited me to dinner tonight."
"Mr. Dursley, don't worry. With me here, this... pfft... he won't dare to do a thing to you."
As he spoke, Snape subtly moved to stand in front of Vernon, perfectly blocking the space between him and Sirius. This move immediately won him Vernon's immense gratitude and relieved the pressure.
"Thank you, Mr. Snape," Vernon said, letting out a sigh of relief. His wife's former neighbor was so much more reliable. Snape might look cold, but he was always polite to him and even stood up for him.
Now, look at his brother-in-law's friend… The words "criminal," "thug," and "deadbeat" flashed through Vernon's mind.
They're both wizards, so why such a huge difference?
If Sirius knew that Vernon was thinking this and comparing him to Snape, he would probably explode with rage on the spot.