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HRHL# CHAPTER 257
🕑 Added 2025-07-31 16:22:20 +0000 UTCSirius Black had never imagined that he, of all people, would be captured by a Slytherin woman and delivered straight to his lifelong nemesis, the greasy, hook-nosed batâSeverus Snape.
Snape, for his part, had never dreamed that a student would bring one of his greatest enemiesâsecond only to James PotterâSirius Black, right to his office door.
Merlin only knew how many sleepless nights Snape had spent grinding his teeth, fantasizing about exacting revenge on both of them!
But now!
The perfect opportunity lay before him.
He opened his mouth to say something, but noticed the good student had already tactfully slipped away.
Hmm...
He looked down at Sirius Black, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Sirius opened his mouth to shout, but suddenly his stomach churned violently, the room spinning before his eyes.
Then came the excruciating pain in his gut, so intense he grimaced, baring his teeth.
âStop pretending, Black,â Snape sneered, his smug lips curling into something resembling a Nike swoosh. âOr are you scared?â
âWoof! Woof!â The great black dog rolled on the floor, writhing and flopping like a fish in a frying pan.
âYou should know,â Snape said, his villainous cackle echoing, âeven this wonât make me go easy on you. Why bother with the theatrics?â
But to Snapeâs surprise, the black dog suddenly stopped struggling. It lay flat on the office floor, its eyes radiating a profound loss of hope, as if it had seen through the futility of life itself.
Snapeâs instincts screamed that something was off, but his venomous urge to taunt his enemy won out.
He opened his mouth to speak, only to hear a loud squelch.
Hmm...
The black dog had let loose.
Snape managed two seconds of stone-faced composure before it shattered. First came fury, then... still fury.
âSirius Black!â he roared, whipping out his wand and firing a Scourgify at the dog.
He swiftly stashed the potions in his hand and grabbed two new vialsâdull, unremarkable, mustard-yellow ones, far less vibrant or dazzling than the others.
Meanwhile, Veratia Grindelwald arrived at Professor Scamanderâs small tent.
Poppy Sweeting was outside, kicking a ball around, looking quite cheerful despite being alone.
Of course, Newt and Tina Scamander, with their aging limbs, didnât exactly seem up for a game of football with Poppy.
When Poppy saw Veratia approaching, she nudged the ball forward with her front hoof, rolling it to Veratiaâs feet.
âCome on,â Poppy chirped, bouncing with excitement. âJoin me for a kickabout!â
âIâve got something urgent, Poppy,â Veratia said, her expression tense. She hurried to Poppyâs side and whispered, âI found a big black dog by the roadsideâit looked a lot like the one sitting next to you at the Quidditch match. It wasnât doing well, so I took it to Professor Snapeâs Potions office... but it seems that dog and Snape have some bad blood.â
âWhat?!â Poppy leapt in place, her voice laced with panic. âOh no, thatâs bad! Snapeâs the worst! What if my black dog friend ends up as potion ingredients? Merlinâs beard!â
Poppy didnât know the dogâs true identity, but sheâd been sneaking it food lately. If someone like Professor Sprout had taken the dog, Poppy might not have worried, but Snape? That was a different story.
Falling into Snapeâs hands? Could anything good come of that?
Especially since they apparently had a grudge...
Poppy was genuinely terrified. What if Snape killed her black dog friend?
âExactly,â Veratia agreed, nodding. âThat would be awful. We need to save himâdonât forget, youâre a Hogwarts governor!â
âOh, right!â
Poppyâs eyes lit up at the reminder of her status. She raised her head proudly. âYes, Iâm a governor! Why should I be afraid of that old bat? Come on, letâs go rescue that black dog!â
With that, she galloped off toward Hogwarts Castle, hooves thundering.
Veratia followed at a leisurely pace, seemingly in no rush.
Poppy charged straight to Professor Snapeâs office door. Without hesitation, she reared up and slammed her front hooves into the door with a resounding thud.
The office door couldnât withstand such an assault and crashed to the floor with a boom.
Inside the Head of Houseâs office, Snape, who had just finished force-feeding the black dog a potion, looked up, his dark eyes flashing with unmistakable shock.
What was this unicorn governor doing here?
Before Snape could speak, the governor at the door spoke first.
âHey, Professor Snape!â Poppy declared from the doorway. âYour days of evildoing are over! Hand over the black dog!â
âYouâre a step too late,â Snape said, his voice dripping with menace as he raised his head. âIâve already given him a stomach-cleansing potionâthough it doesnât taste pleasant. Honestly, I question the intelligence of Gryffindors. What kind of brain decides to mix spider venom glands with snakeberries and eat them?â
âEr?â Poppy froze.
âShall I go on?â Snape continued icily. âThis black dogâor perhaps I should call him Blackâhas a gluttonous streak. He ate something foul in the Forbidden Forest and upset his stomach. So, Iâve had to play veterinarian for the moment. Thatâs the situation, Governor.â
âBlack?â Poppy blinked, stunned.
She knew the name Black, of course. Back when she was a student, Hogwartsâ headmaster had been a BlackâPhineas Black, the one everyone âlovedâ so dearly.
âOh,â Snape drawled, glancing down at the black dog lying despondently on the floor. âStill hiding your identity, are you? Not even brave enough to tell your new friends who you are. Iâm starting to think your Animagus form shouldâve been swapped with Peter Pettigrewâsâa rat suits you better.â
At the mention of Peterâs name, the black dogâs eyes blazed with fury.
A ferocious glint sparked in his gaze, and he let out a weak but fierce growl, leaving no doubt that if Peter appeared, heâd be torn to shreds.
âLook at that, still so full of vigor,â Snape said, his lips curling into a mocking, humorless smile. âJust like when you decided to relieve yourself on my office floor. Merlin, I can hardly believe itâthe Sirius Black who once ruled the school is now, quite literally, a dog.â
âYouâre saying heâs Sirius Black?â Poppy pressed. âThe Sirius Black Harryâs been looking for? His father James Potterâs friend?â
Sirius turned and barked twice at Poppy.
Seeing the urgency in his expression, Poppy struggled to process it.
This black dog?
Harryâs godfather?
Merlinâs beard... his godfather was... eating raw rats and live spiders?
For a fleeting moment, Poppy wished she hadnât witnessed this.
âIs he stuck in his Animagus form?â she asked.
âOh, no,â Snape said lazily. âJust a rope around his front paws preventing him from transforming back.â
As he spoke, Remus Lupin burst in, stumbling as he rushed to Siriusâ side.
Without a word, he reached down and untied the ropes binding Siriusâ front paws.
In an instant, Sirius reared up, transforming into a gaunt, scruffy middle-aged man.
âMoony?â he asked, disbelief in his voice.
âPadfoot!â Lupin, heedless of Siriusâ filth, pulled him into a tight embrace. âMerlin, twelve years! Youâre finally back!â
âForget about me, Moony!â Sirius cried. âWe need to catch that traitor Peter! Heâs with the Weasley boyâturned into a rat! I saw it in the Daily Prophet! That ratâs missing a toe!â
âLook at that, such touching friendship,â Snape sneered from a distance. âIâm positively nauseated.â
âShut it, Snivellus!â Sirius shot back weakly.
Snapeâs lips twitched as he fired back without mercy.
âOh, look at that. The black dog seems to have forgotten I just saved his miserable life, yet here he is, barking at his savior. They say dogs are loyal, but this one? Clearly an ungrateful beast.â
Poppy stared at the three middle-aged men before her, feeling like she was watching a drama unfold among old rivals.
âWhat just happened?â Lupin asked, sharp enough to catch the crux of Snapeâs biting sarcasm.
Snape smirked.
âOh, let him tell you himselfâwhat he decided to eat.â
âWhat did you eat?â Lupin asked, looking down at Sirius with concern. âMateââ
âThe priority right now is catching that rat Peter!â Sirius said, trembling. âIâve waited for this day too longâtwelve years in Azkaban!â
âHeâs already been dealt with,â Lupin said with a sigh. âTwo nights ago, after you were bitten by a Sphinx, Harry used our Marauderâs Map and caught Peter Pettigrew in his rat form.â
Sirius froze.
Then a relieved smile spread across his face.
âHaha, it was Harry,â he said, covering his face with a joyful laugh. âMerlin, heâs brilliant, isnât he? Just like his father.â
âI wish your eyes werenât so blind,â Snape said coldly from the side. âIf youâd spent any time with Potter, youâd see heâs nothing like his big-headed father.â
Poppy opened her mouth, ready to defend Harry, but then realized Snape wasnât insulting Harryâhe was targeting James Potter.
Well, that had nothing to do with her, she thought.
Lupin continued recounting the events to Sirius, who listened quietly, not saying a word.
âAlright, if you two old lovebirds want to catch up, I suggest you take it to the Headmasterâs office,â Snape said icily. âThe Potions office isnât your romantic hideaway, understood?â
âLetâs go,â Lupin said, patting Siriusâ shoulder. âProfessor Dumbledoreâs waiting for us in his office.â
Before he could finish, Siriusâ face twisted.
Clutching his stomach, he bolted out of Snapeâs office without a word.
Lupin blinked, puzzled, then shot a suspicious glance at Snape, half-convinced the old bat had slipped something into Siriusâ potionâjust like how his Wolfsbane always had a faint whiff of... well, excrement.
Snape, however, flashed a cryptic smile and gestured toward the office door.
âLetâs go, Professor Lupin,â Poppy said from the side. âMerlin, I never wouldâve guessed the black dog was Harryâs godfather, Sirius Black... How did you know he was here?â
âMiss Grindelwald told me,â Lupin said with a smile.
âOh, I see,â Poppy said, nodding knowingly and beaming at Lupin. âWell, thatâs no surprise. Veratiaâs the best.â
Moments later, Sirius staggered back from the bathroom, looking utterly drained.
As the saying goes, even a hero canât withstand three bouts of diarrhea, and Sirius was definitely feeling it.
He was starting to regret it nowâif heâd known spider venom glands were off-limits, he wouldnât have eaten them. It was his fault for mistaking them for something sweet, like rich hot cocoa...
âYou alright, Padfoot?â Lupin asked, steadying him with concern.
âIâll live,â Sirius sighed, looking up at Lupin.
âSo what happened? Why did Snivellus say he saved you?â Lupin asked curiously.
Sirius let out another long sigh.
âBlame that damned Slytherin woman! The one always hanging around Harry!â
Poppy and Lupin exchanged a glance, intrigued. âSlytherin woman? Which one?â they asked.
Sirius paused.
Which one?!
Was there more than one around Harry? Oh, right, there were two.
âThe one whoâs always smiling,â Sirius grumbled. âYou can tell sheâs no good just by looking at her. Merlin, Iâm telling you, Moony, when we see Harry, we need to warn him to stay away from her.â
âIt was Veratia who told us to come save you,â Poppy said to Sirius. âShe saw you on the road, looking rough, so she brought you to Professor Snape to get some potions.â
âShe definitely knows something!â Sirius closed his eyes in anguish. âMerlin, Snapeâs potions were so greasy, I swear he dripped his hair oil into them.â
âSo what happened to you?â Lupin pressed.
âOh,â Sirius said, a bit sheepish. âThis morning, I caught an Acromantula and thought its venom gland looked tasty, so I ate it with some snakeberries.â
Lupin and Poppy exchanged a look, their expressions indescribable.
Poppy felt a twinge of guiltâafter all, sheâd been the one to find the snakeberries for Sirius.
âSounds like Veratia really did save you, Padfoot,â Lupin said gently. âI think youâre prejudiced against Slytherins. Sure, your family was a bit extreme, but Miss Grindelwaldâs different. If you got to know her, youâd see sheâs actuallyââ
âNo good either,â Sirius cut in quickly.
âYouâre jumping to conclusions, Padfoot,â Lupin sighed. âBut either way, she saved you.â
Sirius felt a bit stifled, unsure how to respond.
Should he just admit that heâd interrupted Veratia and Harryâs close moment with a few jealous barks from behind, like some lonely dog?
That wouldnât do, would it?
Itâd make him sound petty.
âListen, Padfoot,â Lupin coaxed. âWhen we see Miss Grindelwald, just thank her, alright? She and Harry are quite close, after all.â
Sirius sniffed, deciding to take Lupinâs advice.
But he was still determined to make Harry see that womanâs true, wicked nature!
âBy the way, thank you, Miss Poppy,â Sirius said, turning to her. âYou really helped me out, bringing me food so I didnât starve.â
âItâs nothing, Mr. Black,â Poppy said with a nod. âYouâre Harryâs godfather, and I know how much you love him. Merlin, eating rats for him? I could never.â
âHaha...â Sirius scratched the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly. âYou know Harry too?â
âWeâre friends,â Poppy said, then added, âReally, really, really good friends.â
âI see,â Sirius said with a grin. âI was even thinking of introducing you to Harry.â
âBut I owe you an apology, Mr. Black,â Poppy said glumly. âI didnât know about the snakeberries... Merlin, I messed up.â
âOh, itâs fine,â Sirius said cheerfully. âIt was my fault for being greedy.â
As he spoke, Sirius thought to himself that this unicorn was quite nice.
If only she were human, he mused. Sheâd be perfect for Harryâgentle, innocent...
Leagues better than those conniving Slytherin women! He could chat with her so easily...
They talked and laughed as they made their way to the Headmasterâs office.
T/N: If you find any typos or incorrect names, please leave a comment. Thanks, and enjoy reading!
