As the saying goes, your enemy often understands you better than you understand yourself. And as the former number-one nemesis of James Potter, Snape had not only studied the personnel setup of the Marauders in detail back in the day—he'd also thoroughly researched their gear.
The gear wasn't anything too special, mainly just the extra alchemical equipment James and Sirius had besides their wands. Chief among them: the Invisibility Cloak.
It could be said, without a shred of responsibility, that Snape's understanding of the Invisibility Cloak far exceeded that of both generations of Potters combined. Which is how he was able to precisely spot that subtle ripple of visual distortion inside the bar.
The moment he realized it was Harry under the cloak, he immediately launched into that little speech—factually dubious, but incredibly targeted.
After all, whoever was wearing the cloak—even if it wasn't Harry himself—was definitely one of his friends. What Snape had said would definitely be passed along to Harry. Mission accomplished HEHEHE~~!!.
After all, his former nemesis now lived under the same roof. And considering the fact that he hadn't cursed Sirius with dark magic behind Dumbledore and Kasenhis's backs, that was already Snape showing a lot of restraint.
If he didn't stir the pot at least a little, it would seem too generous.
Meanwhile, Harry was having a very different experience. He had followed close behind a wizard leaving the bar, slipping out the briefly opened door, and soon returned to a secluded spot he and his friends had agreed upon earlier.
"So, Harry? What'd you get?" Ron and Neville were already practically drooling in anticipation.
"Nothing!" Harry snapped, yanking off the Invisibility Cloak and tossing it onto the ground. But the cloak was too light—didn't even make a sound when it landed.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione, sitting in the corner reading, looked up and asked curiously.
"I… ugh.. forget it… I'll just tell you," Harry said at first with some hesitation. He knew all too well that if his friends found out what he had just heard, they would absolutely try to stop whatever he was planning—but right now, he really needed someone to talk to.
In a few short sentences, Harry explained everything he'd overheard in the bar, then took a deep breath.
"So what are you planning to do now?"
"Kill him!" Harry said firmly and without hesitation.
"...How exactly are you going to kill him? You're a third-year student," Hermione, for once, responded sharply. She was trying to pressure Harry with this kind of tone—at least to get him to realize just how out of his depth he was.
"Why can't I kill him? I'm not just a wizard—I'm a person. I have hands and feet. I don't need a wand. I can use a knife, a gun, I can even bite him to death if I have to!"
Neville and the others exchanged uneasy glances. "Don't you have any other plans? Like, I don't know, wait a few years, train up, then go after him?"
"And why not just wait for him to die of old age, then?" Harry shot back sarcastically.
Hermione shut her eyes in exasperation. A moment later, she reopened them and said, "Listen, Harry, you're losing it. Completely. You've gone off the deep end, do you know that?"
"Wgat do you mea—"
"You're not talking about killing Sirius Black anymore—you're talking about getting yourself killed. And I don't know what's motivating you. Is it that you want to go to the next world and join your aunt and uncle? Or do you think doing this makes you look more devoted to their memory?"
Neville awkwardly patted Hermione on the back. "That was a bit harsh..."
"If we're not harsh, Harry won't listen to a word," Ron explained.
"Oh, how easy it is for you to talk. You all have your parents, grew up practically soaking in sugar jars—you could never understand me," Harry said bitterly.
"You could go talk to Professor Kasenhis. He's an orphan too," Neville chimed in, once again saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
"Ahem… losing your parents in an accident and watching them get murdered are not the same," Ron whispered in a low voice.
"Oh, right. That actually reminds me," Hermione said, suddenly energized. She began circling around Harry as she spoke: "Look at you. Your parents were killed by Voldemort when you were just a baby. Fortunately, they left you a big pile of Galleons. And now you want to go hunt down Sirius Black—sure, sure, you're fighting evil. Orphan, rich, fighting evil—you think you're Batman? Oh Merlin—You really do think you're Batman, huh?"
"Even Batman knew that kids going up against evil forces was a straight-up death sentence. That's why he chose to train himself. Why can't you do that?"
Harry's heart, clouded by hatred, was peeled open layer by layer by Hermione's razor-sharp words. It took quite a while for his sanity to fully return.
"And now," Hermione said, arms crossed, "let's hear what rational Harry has to say?"
"I…" Harry pressed his lips together. "Which professor do you guys think is the best at fighting?"
"Professor Kasenhis? I mean, we haven't really seen any other professor in action. Of course, if you manage to convince Headmaster Dumbledore, I'd fully support that too. At least now you're talking about killing Sirius Black, not just running off to get yourself killed," Hermione said, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Then let's go to Professor Kasenhis. Maybe tomorrow? Once he sobers up."
"How much did he drink?"
"Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention at the time."
.......
The next morning…
Bruce was pulling a little cart. On it was breakfast for two.
He had to wheel this cart from the Alchemy office to the Great Hall, load it up with food, and then wheel it all the way back.
This was Kasenhis shamelessly squeezing out the last ounce of labor Sirius had to offer.
By the time Sirius, thoroughly exhausted, dragged the cart with breakfast back to the office, he just so happened to overhear the voice of the only person he still had a familial bond with—Harry Potter. Though to be fair, that "bond" was currently one-sided.
And what Harry said made Sirius feel like he'd just fallen into an icy abyss—like the sky was crashing down.
"Professor... I want to learn combat magic!"
At first, Sirius's dog face was full of smiles—what a good kid.
Kasenhis, also curious, asked, "What brought this on all of a sudden?"
"I want to kill Sirius Black!" Harry said with absolute certainty.
"WOOF—whimper whimper—"Sirius's dog mouth opened and closed so hard he nearly bit off his own tongue.
_________
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon: Dragonel