To celebrate the kids' graduation from Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley had prepared a grand dinner.
She invited quite a few people—Sirius, of course, as well as Cedric, who lived on the other side of the village, and the Lovegood family.
Even Hermione’s family arrived before dinner began.
Her father, Mr. Granger, drove into St. Catchpole Village, filled with curiosity. Although he had visited Diagon Alley and King's Cross Station—both famous landmarks of the wizarding world—this was his first time in a village where wizards actually lived.
But when he saw The Burrow—with its crooked, patchwork architecture that looked like a pile of bricks held together by chance—Mr. Granger froze on the spot.
He blinked in confusion and turned to Mr. Weasley, who was admiring his car.
“I heard there are non-wizards living here too. Don’t they ever think this place is... strange?”
As he spoke, his eyes instinctively drifted to another house not far off.
From his current angle, that house looked perfectly normal.
No lopsided attic stuck on like glue, no bizarrely shaped roof—it was so ordinary it didn’t even seem like a wizarding home.
“Don’t worry, wizard dwellings all have Muggle-Repelling Charms. They can’t see any of this,” said Mr. Weasley without turning around. “Oh, this car’s fantastic! Can it fly?”
Mr. Granger hadn’t yet recovered from one shock when he was hit with another.
“What’s going on?” Kyle hurried over. “Why are you all out here? Don’t tell me they’re fighting inside?”
“No idea,” Fred said, frowning. “Someone locked the door, and none of us can get in. We’re just stuck waiting.”
“It’s Sirius…”
Everyone turned to look at Lupin.
“You mean Sirius locked the door himself to keep Snape from escaping?” Fred asked, sounding way too excited.
George pressed his face against the window next to the door, trying to catch a glimpse inside. He squished his face so much his features almost blurred—but still, he saw nothing.
“I’m not sure if that’s what he meant to do…” Lupin sighed. “I offered to stay, but Sirius turned me away.”
“They’re not seriously fighting in there, are they…” Fred suddenly looked up.
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, look,” he said, seriously analyzing the situation, “Remus wasn’t allowed to stay because Snape isn’t a Death Eater anymore. If Sirius kills him, the Aurors are definitely going to show up...”
At that, he suddenly glanced at Tonks and Kingsley, who had just arrived.
Come to think of it, they were both Aurors—and one of them was the Head of the Auror Office.
That was convenient. The moment the fight ended, the Aurors could arrest someone on the spot. No waiting needed.
Kingsley looked conflicted.
Fred wasn’t wrong—Snape was no longer a Death Eater. Killing him now would absolutely violate wizarding law.
What made it worse was that Snape was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He’d passed along crucial intel, making him a hero operating in the shadows... well, half a hero.
Sirius was also a member of the Order.
If they really were fighting, who was he supposed to help?
Or should he help neither?
Kingsley stood there, visibly torn.
Tonks, however, had no such doubts. She was family to the Blacks, and with both Lupin and Sirius being her closest friends, she didn’t care if Snape was in the Order too.
She would always stand firmly with Sirius.
She had already started thinking about how to casually stall Kingsley later, just long enough to give Sirius a chance to slip away.
Kyle was thinking too—but his thoughts ran opposite to Tonks’s. He was wondering whether Snape being arrested would affect Kanna.
It probably wouldn’t. After all, Kanna hadn’t come here today.
Besides, if Snape had chosen to come voluntarily, he couldn’t be stupid enough to actually kill Sirius here. Even if things got heated, he’d most likely try to escape rather than fight to the death.
“Wait a minute—you’re not actually buying into his nonsense, are you…” Seeing both Kingsley and Tonks deep in thought, Lupin quickly spoke up, “I think Sirius just wants to talk to Snape…
“Honestly, if he really meant to fight him, he wouldn’t have left Harry in there too, would he?”
Only then did everyone realize—Harry was still inside the house.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier…”
Fred and George looked visibly disappointed, while Kingsley exhaled in quiet relief.
“Sorry, I only just realized it myself,” Lupin said, tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“So… are we staying out here, or heading back to the Ministry? I doubt it takes this many people,” he added.
“Forget it, we’re already here. Might as well wait it out,” Kyle said first.
He’d had a blissfully quiet few days—not worrying about Voldemort jumping out at him with a wand, no classes, the dragons were Hagrid’s responsibility, the Horcrux work was entirely in Rosier’s hands… he was completely free.
Lately, Kyle had been spending most of his time at home on another project, occasionally wandering to Diagon Alley to unwind.
As a side note, during the peak of the Death Eaters’ activity, his shop had briefly shut down.
But it was back open now. Dobby had finished his part-time stint and returned to Newt, and the new shop assistant was a House-elf Kyle had recruited from the Hogwarts kitchens.
Normally, House-elves were fiercely loyal and wouldn’t leave the families they served—it would feel like betrayal. But thanks to Kyle’s position as a Hogwarts professor, the elves had agreed without hesitation.
Hermione had been particularly interested when this came up last night.
After graduation, she’d restarted her work with the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, but with a new focus this time.
She no longer insisted House-elves be paid in Sickles or Galleons. Instead, she’d written an article encouraging wizards to treat elves with kindness and respect.
Now, “payment” meant better food and useful tools.
The article had only been published in The Quibbler, but she’d already received several letters in response.
Half were full of criticism—but the other half supported her views.
That gave Hermione a huge boost of confidence. At least now she had allies—unlike back at Hogwarts, where it seemed everyone had been against her.
Kyle blinked, setting the thought aside.
After a short discussion, the group decided to keep waiting outside, ears tuned for any sound from inside. Some even drew their wands, ready to break in at the first sign of trouble.
But it remained utterly silent inside. Even the Weasley twins’ pride and joy—their Extendable Ears—picked up nothing.
No one knew how much time passed before—
Bang!
The door swung open from the inside.
George, who had been leaning against it to listen in, lost his balance and stumbled straight into Snape’s chest.
For a moment, even the air seemed to freeze.
Then came a tense silence—until George recovered first. Before Snape’s arm could lash out, he ducked and bent sideways, casually scooping something ear-shaped from the floor as if nothing had happened.
At the same time, he neatly dodged Snape’s sweeping cloak and arm.
“Oh, here it is. No wonder I couldn’t find it. I’d better go check if it’s broken...” He muttered something unintelligible, turned, and hurried off, quickly disappearing down the corridor.
Snape’s face darkened.
But seeing the people still gathered outside, he said nothing. With a cold snort, he vanished on the spot.
“Apparating in front of so many people, in plain sight of Muggles?” Tonks never liked Snape—still didn’t.
She deliberately raised her voice so Kingsley would hear every word.
Kingsley did hear—but chose to ignore it.
It was just Apparition. Even if a Muggle had seen it, the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad could handle it in seconds.
Besides, there were no Muggles left on this street.
Worried they might come to blows, Kingsley had already evacuated the surrounding Muggles twenty minutes earlier and placed Muggle-Repelling Charms around the area.
More than a decade ago, Sirius and Peter Pettigrew had blown up an entire Muggle street during a chase.
He wasn’t about to let something like that happen again.
Ironically, it made things easier for Snape—no Muggle saw him Apparate.
Tonks grumbled under her breath, muttering complaints about someone abusing authority and neglecting duty.
Kingsley kept pretending not to hear.
“You guys…” Sirius stood in the doorway, looking at the crowd outside. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. After a pause, he stammered, “I didn’t expect... Well, come in and have a seat.”
“No thanks,” Kingsley shook his head. “I’ve got other things to do. Maybe next time.”
With that, he Apparated away—along with Tonks, and Mr. Weasley and Chris, who still had work to finish.
They had all rushed over after getting the news, and now that everything seemed fine, it was only natural for them to return to their duties.
Kyle, however, stayed. He happened to have something to discuss with Sirius.
The two entered the house, and sure enough, Harry was there.
Whatever he and Snape had talked about, Harry was now sitting on a chair in the hall, completely dazed, not even noticing anyone else had arrived.
“He... um...” Sirius looked at Kyle, wanting to explain but clearly hesitant.
“It’s fine. No need to explain—I can guess,” Kyle said.
Snape coming to see Sirius... no, more likely, he’d come to see Harry. It had to be about Lily Evans.
As for what exactly they discussed, Kyle neither knew nor cared.
Fred and George had also stayed behind, doing things their own way to snap Harry out of it. George lit a Weasley Whizbang and slipped it into Harry’s shoe.
A few seconds later, twin jets of flame shot from under Harry’s feet, launching him into the air like a rocket.
In an instant, he was no longer dazed—he was shrieking and bouncing off walls in a wild frenzy.
“Sorry, Sirius,” Fred said cheerfully. “We just thought Harry needed a little cheering up.”
“And don’t worry,” he added, “Weasley Wizard Wheezes are thoroughly tested and completely safe…”
He didn’t get to finish—Harry drifted midair and crashed headfirst into a moth-eaten velvet curtain.
“Filth! Scum of the Black line...!”
Mrs. Black’s portrait began to scream, her voice echoing throughout the house.
“Uh... occasional side effects,” George said sheepishly. “But Harry’ll be fine.”
“All right.” Sirius rubbed his forehead, tacitly approving their efforts.
Truthfully, he also wanted Harry to get his mind off things.
And looking at it now—Fred and George’s method, while a bit reckless, was actually effective in its own chaotic way. Let them be.
Afterward, he took Kyle down to the basement.
“I got your letter last night,” Sirius said as they walked. “You asked me to help find books on soul-related magic. I haven’t had time to search—Snape showed up at the worst possible moment.”
“No worries. As long as you’re okay with me accessing the Black family’s private library,” Kyle said.
“Of course! Go right ahead—you can even take the whole lot if you want,” Sirius said without hesitation. “But, uh, what do you need soul magic for? No judgment, but most of it is dark magic. You’re better off staying away from that stuff.”
“It’s nothing,” Kyle said. “I just want to try making a Horcrux.”