Snape remained blissfully unaware that Sirius Black was squatting in the Forbidden Forest, enjoying the trees, nature, and wildlife.
After the Fat Lady tattled that Sirius Black had infiltrated Hogwarts, Snape took it upon himself to spearhead the hunt. He scoured the observatory, the Owlery, and even the deepest dungeons, but Sirius Black remained elusive.
Just as Snape ratcheted up his frantic search, that fool Harry led his band of miscreants into the Forbidden Forest, as reckless as his good-for-nothing father!
Though Snape outwardly scoffed at coddling Harry, he felt obligated to tail them.
And what a stroke of luck—that reprobate Sirius Black was indeed holed up in the Forbidden Forest!
At that moment, it wasn't just Harry and his cronies hunting Sirius Black; Snape joined the chase as well.
While Harry and his friends outnumbered Sirius, they were still green, naive, and easily outmaneuvered; escape wouldn't be too difficult for the escaped convict.
Snape, however, posed a different threat entirely. A seasoned veteran like himself, armed with his wand and a repertoire of spells like the Revealing Charm, could corner Sirius with a flick of his wrist.
And that's precisely what nearly occurred. Just as Snape was about to apprehend Sirius, a bizarre disturbance rippled through the Forbidden Forest, and... poof! Sirius vanished.
Snape concluded someone had deliberately intervened!
His prime suspect: Lupin!
That bleeding heart probably still harbored some lingering loyalty, enough to sabotage Snape's pursuit!
The thought of pinning it on Tom Riddle never crossed Snape's mind. After all, wasn't Sirius imprisoned for "hobnobbing with Death Eaters"?
What utter rubbish! Snape scoffed internally. Tom Riddle could simply forbid me from capturing him outright. Why resort to such convoluted theatrics?
Therefore, Lupin had to shoulder the blame!
Fueled by Snape's assumptions, Lupin's existence devolved into a waking nightmare. He found himself under constant surveillance, shadowed by that greasy-haired figure even during the most private moments.
If it weren't for the palpable "murderous" glint in Snape's eyes, one could have mistaken their interactions for a bizarre courtship ritual.
However, what truly infuriated Lupin was his complete innocence! He hadn't aided Sirius in the slightest! He wasn't even in the Forbidden Forest at the time!
Yet, Snape remained unconvinced. Even when Lupin presented irrefutable alibis, he would invariably spot that greasy black mane lurking nearby.
...
But if Lupin wasn't the culprit, then who was shielding Sirius?
The answer lies with two geriatric spirits who enjoyed ambling about, from the Hogwarts castle battlements down to the Forbidden Forest floor.
While their spectral forms couldn't unleash their full might, they still possessed the knack for conjuring distractions and thwarting Snape's schemes.
The motive behind their assistance remains shrouded in mystery.
Surely it couldn't be connected to Tom Riddle, could it?
After all, it couldn't be that Tom Riddle simply didn't want Sirius apprehended, could it?
What advantage would Tom Riddle gain from Sirius remaining at large?
The only plausible explanation is that Sirius represents a "rare" teaching aid for Tom Riddle—powerful yet securely contained, potentially invaluable for honing Cassandra and Harry's skills.
...
Time slipped away unnoticed, and soon the full moon approached.
Throughout all this, the Dementors around the castle hadn't stumbled upon Sirius's trail.
Instead, they devoured a staggering amount of vegetation on the surrounding hills, leaving withered husks in their wake.
Frankly, their failure to locate Sirius was driving them mad; they were practically green from all the grass they ate.
To the uninitiated, they resembled some peculiar new breed of rabbit.
However, they weren't alone in their streak of bad luck; Snape shared their misfortune.
After tailing Lupin both openly and discreetly for weeks, he still lacked any concrete proof of collusion with Sirius.
With the full moon looming, Snape found himself in a precarious situation. Despite his dislike for Lupin, he couldn't permit him to transform into a werewolf and terrorize the castle. While the professors could handle the monster, the students were easy prey.
Furthermore, Albus Dumbledore had specifically requested his assistance.
Snape reluctantly brewed Lupin a Wolfsbane Potion, allowing him to retain his sanity during his transformation.
To safeguard his secret identity from the student body, Lupin would confine himself to his office in the days leading up to the full moon.
As for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Snape would step in as his substitute.
To be honest, Tom Riddle wasn't particularly enthusiastic about substitute teaching, but this was an opportunity he could not ignore.
...
Whether attributable to the glut of Dementors, geographical oddities, or some other unknown factor, the weather had been perpetually gloomy.
Even on overcast days, Snape, seasoned veteran of the shadows, would invariably seal all windows shut during class.
This held true for Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, of course. In contrast, the Potions classroom, situated in the dungeons, negated the need for such measures.
This particular class was no exception. Snape glided into the classroom and strode toward the podium, magically sealing all the windows as he advanced.
As for Tom Riddle and his apprentice, immersed in their reading in the corner of the room, Snape, long accustomed to their presence, deemed it best to ignore them.
For this Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Snape didn't follow the students' pace.
"Turn to page 394."
At Snape's abrupt command, the students, while slightly perplexed by the absence of Professor Lupin, dutifully complied.
Eventually, someone dared to voice their confusion, even if it had absolutely nothing to do with Lupin.
"Excuse me, sir, but we just wrapped up our exploration of Red Hats and Hinkypunks."
Faced with Hermione Granger's interruption, Snape responded with his trademark "death stare". He abhorred being questioned by students in class; and he disliked explaining himself.
Sensing the palpable tension, the other students fell silent. Snape then began expounding on the origins, habits, and countermeasures against werewolves, peppering his lecture with pointed questions directed primarily at Harry Potter.
Even without any explanation, the students still harbored simmering curiosity.
Most hesitated to inquire, but a few privileged individuals possessed the audacity to demand answers.
"Professor Snape, why the sudden shift to werewolves?"
Gazing upon his apprentice's innocent, inquisitive expression, Tom Riddle casually tousled Cassandra Volle's hair.
"Oh, it's nothing. Perhaps he anticipates them coming in handy someday."
At this juncture, Tom Riddle feigned sudden recollection, a mischievous grin spreading across his lips. "Then again, it could simply stem from Severus's profound aversion to werewolves; after all, he nearly fell victim to one during his school days."
"..."
Though Tom Riddle's volume remained moderate, Snape's acute hearing didn't miss a single syllable.
Yet, he remained powerless to retort; unlike others, he couldn't engage in verbal sparring with Tom Riddle.
Thus, Snape elected to feign ignorance and press on with the lesson.
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