On a winter morning at Hogwarts, the windows were covered in a layer of white frost, and icicles hung from the stone walls. Some young wizards pulled the icicles down and held them like wands, shouting spells with great enthusiasm. Any student pointed at by an icicle wand would pretend to be frozen in place, putting on a ridiculous pose. The Great Hall in the early morning was filled with laughter.
Skyl had gone out alone for a morning run before dawn. Winter days were short, and the pitch-black snowy grounds were rather frightening. On his way back to the castle after finishing his run, he happened to run into the professors. The group of wizards had pale faces and weary expressions, each of them looking more like a ghost than the last.
"Good morning, professors."
The transfer student stood before the doors of the main castle and greeted them.
He kicked his boots, shaking off the ice stuck to the soles. Each professor nodded in greeting as they passed him, and Dumbledore even praised the new helper for his excellent skill, saying that Skyl had a very sharp eye for people. James Potter was at the very back. His steps were unsteady, his joints creaked, and he looked exactly like a zombie that had crawled out of a grave.
James grabbed Skyl's arm, his face dazed for a long while before his gaze finally focused on the transfer student. In a quiet voice, he said, "Merlin's leg hair, this job you found me is really not easy. Do you know how many spells I cast last night? More than a thousand! Now I feel sick the moment I say [Diffindo]. But that was still less than one percent of the workload!"
"Overtime in the wizarding world really is terrifying." Skyl sincerely felt sorry for James as well. "But look on the bright side. You'll be able to see Harry soon."
"Mm!" James's eyes lit up. "He should be in the Great Hall right now. I really miss Hogwarts' food. I wonder what's for breakfast today."
Students were already enjoying a delicious breakfast at the long tables in the Great Hall. The originally cheerful atmosphere briefly fell silent because of the arrival of a group of lifeless professors. Everyone looked at these exhausted teachers with pity and curiosity.
"Does anyone know what the headmaster and the others do every day?"
"That's terrifying. I bet they're secretly raising a vampire hag and have to give it blood every day."
"I thought I'd woken up too hard and saw a group of Professor Binnses."
The students whispered among themselves. Only after the professors sat down to eat at the long table at the end of the Great Hall did the atmosphere gradually grow lively again.
James followed Skyl and sat at the Gryffindor table. Ignoring how hot it was, he wolfed down a bowl of sweet pumpkin porridge, then fiercely devoured a plate of egg, ham, and chicken sandwiches. Only then did he have the time to look around. His sea-blue eyes sneakily swept over every student at the tables.
At that moment, he suddenly realized a terrifying problem. He quickly tugged on Skyl's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Skyl, you still haven't told me which house Harry is in."
"Where else would the child of two Gryffindors go? Slytherin?" The transfer student's words brought James great comfort. His eyebrows almost flew up from how pleased he was.
"Exactly, exactly. Still, I kept worrying. What if the child didn't inherit our courage and ended up in another house? He's really lacking in family education… Oh, look, is that him?"
Skyl looked in the direction James was pointing and answered casually, "No. That's a fourth-year student."
More students arrived one after another for breakfast, continuously bringing cheerful air into the Great Hall.
"All right, I'm a little impatient… Hey, I found him!" James stared blankly at the entrance. A black-haired boy ran in holding an icicle, laughing and roughhousing with his companions, looking extremely happy.
"I can't believe it. He's right here, so close to me, and he's already grown so big," James murmured to himself.
"You're wrong again." Skyl held his coffee, his expression helpless. "The one walking in now is Harry."
Harry Potter, who wore glasses, was a quiet and serious boy. He was always in a hurry, his emerald-green eyes observing his surroundings. Long-term disciplined study had given him a steady soul, and his research into Dark magic had made him sharper than ordinary people.
James opened his mouth, feeling that his son seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined.
"Can I talk to him?"
"As long as you don't violate our agreement."
James stood up and approached Harry, but before he could reach his son, the boy hurriedly wrapped up a pile of food and quickly left the Great Hall.
"Where is he going?"
Harry rushed out, but he did not return to the dormitory. Instead, he went to the Room of Requirement. He had settled Sirius there.
The weak and exhausted Sirius Black shared breakfast with his godson Harry. This was the most proper meal he had eaten in the twelve years since he had been imprisoned.
"Harry, you're a good boy. Do me another favor. Catch that rat belonging to your companion and bring it back to me."
The boy said calmly, "For you right now, the most important thing is to rest and recover your strength."
Sirius irritably tugged at his hair, hating that rat so much his teeth itched. "You know its true identity now. Peter Pettigrew, that traitor… I must have been blind back then to make him Secret-Keeper… I have to kill him! Avenge your parents!"
"That rat hasn't been having a very good time lately. My companion Hermione bought a part-Kneazle cat. It can tell that Peter Pettigrew is a malicious wizard, and it bites him whenever they meet." Harry revealed a gentle smile. "Let him enjoy that for a little longer."
Sirius looked uneasily at his godson, only feeling that the child was inexplicably frightening.
In the Great Hall, James, who had failed to speak with Harry, was dejected. He returned to Skyl's side, looked around, then gazed toward the long staff table while muttering to himself.
"Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Trelawney, Snivellus… Huh, who's that female professor sitting next to Snivellus?"
Skyl pretended to know nothing about Lily's origins and brushed it off. "Oh, that is Ms. Ivanna Collins, the Potions teaching assistant. Her level is quite good. She is responsible for the classes from first year to fifth year."
"She looks really young." James nodded and did not look further into it.
"You stayed up all night, so you must be exhausted. Hurry up and rest."
James's expression was more bitter than the coffee in Skyl's hand. "I really don't want to go back to that terrifying tower. It feels like it's devouring my inspiration and my nature."
"You mean you don't want to work?" Skyl put on the fierce expression of a ruthless CEO. "Oh, so you want to break the agreement?"
James quickly grinned and defended himself. "Not at all. I just haven't adapted yet. Give me a few days and I'll be fine. Who else but me could handle such a difficult task?"
The transfer student was amused. He comforted him, saying, "Although it is hard labor, the rewards are substantial. If you understand what the professors are actually doing, you will definitely understand their enthusiasm. If you really can't take it, you can offer to substitute for Professor Flitwick's Charms classes. He would be very happy."
"Skyl, don't worry. I'm not a coward who breaks his word. If I agree to something, I'll get it done even if it kills me." When James said this, he did not raise his voice. He merely stated a fact very calmly.
"No need to brag here." Skyl rolled his eyes. "You're just being asked to work for a while. You're making it sound as tragic as if you were going to fight Voldemort, like you're trying to move all of Britain."
James laughed awkwardly, hastily filled his stomach, then went off to the White Tower to sleep and rest while burping.
At the staff table, Snape swallowed a bowl of oatmeal and suddenly said to Lily beside him, "Come with me to the classroom later. I want to see how you teach seventh-years to brew potions."
"No problem." Lily nodded absentmindedly. She was staring at James's retreating back as she softly asked, "Snape, do you know who that person talking to Skyl is? He doesn't look like a student."
"Just a helper."
Lily nodded thoughtfully.
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