Hogwarts: Harry Potter’s Return from the Witcher World

"Like Lily, meddling in everything?" Sirius asked, his tone peculiar. He struggled to imagine James sternly stopping him from pranking someone.

"No, like Lily, being intelligent," Lupin said with a sigh, his voice tinged with exasperation. He paused briefly, carefully choosing his words as he turned to Harry. "James, in his younger days, could indeed go too far."

"He would sometimes pull rather nasty pranks on innocent people."

"But—"

Sirius turned his head away, clearly disliking the direction of the conversation, though he couldn't deny the truth of it.

"You can drop the 'perhaps.' I'm not that fragile," Harry interjected coldly.

Lupin raised a hand and placed it gently on Harry's shoulder. "James had his flaws, but he was a good man."

"And he loved me," Harry continued. "He was a wonderful father."

Lupin exhaled in relief.

Sirius slumped, looking guilty.

"So you're saying you don't know if Snape was involved in my mother's death?" Harry asked, steering the conversation to another topic.

Lupin looked surprised. "You suspect Snape? But he—"

Sirius clenched his fists.

"It's just a hypothesis," Harry clarified, shaking his head. "If you don't know, I'll find an opportunity to ask Dumbledore."

"No need to ask! That greasy git—I already know!" Sirius roared, his voice indignant. "He's incapable of being a good person. Just go ask him outright!"

"Last night, I heard Lupin mention that you know a truth spell. Just use it on him!"

"That spell wouldn't work on Snape," Harry said calmly. "He's a master of Occlumency."

Sirius was stunned. "Him?!"

"Then we'll just string him up! I remember, Remus, you know how to brew Veritaserum, right? Pour a bottle down his throat and make him spill everything!"

Lupin sighed deeply.

Harry corrected Sirius. "First of all, Veritaserum is useless against a master Occlumens."

Sirius froze in disbelief.

"Secondly, Snape is formidable," Harry continued. "It'd probably take all three of us to stand a chance of killing him. Capturing him alive would be even harder."

"Impossible!" Sirius exclaimed, leaping to his feet from the bed. "There's no way that slimy git could be that strong."

"Snape really is that strong now," Lupin confirmed.

"He's a certified Potions Master," Lupin added. "Recognized and respected—without question."

"I question it!" Sirius retorted stubbornly.

"Then you'll need to become an accomplished potioneer, at least as skilled as Lily was," Lupin said casually, hitting Sirius where it hurt.

Sirius's eyes darted to Harry. "Harry, if you inherited Lily's intelligence, you must be good at potions, right?"

Harry nodded. "But I don't question Snape's achievements in potions."

Sirius slumped back onto the bed. "So even you and Remus agree that Snape is... really strong now?"

Both Harry and Lupin nodded.

Sirius groaned, clutching his messy hair. "Fine. I'll head to Diagon Alley today. Harry, want to come with me—"

"Not yet," Harry and Lupin said in unison.

Sirius's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why not? Peter's already dead."

"The Ministry took his body," Lupin explained patiently. "Right now, only the Ministry knows the full story. They need to review the case, hold a proper hearing, and then decide whether to clear your name."

"My name? I still have charges against me?" Sirius asked, thoroughly confused.

Harry responded calmly, "Breaking out of Azkaban and being an unregistered Animagus."

Sirius's mouth fell open. "Oh... right. That's a thing."

He looked pitifully at Lupin and Harry, his voice tinged with despair. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Just don't act impulsively. Fudge will handle it for you," Harry said, pausing briefly. "Assuming his brain is still functioning at the level it was last time I saw him."

Sirius frowned, sensing an ominous undercurrent.

"Dumbledore will help too, but you'll need to register as an Animagus with the Ministry," Lupin added gently.

Sirius scowled. "I'd rather not."

"Think about it—being dubbed 'the last Animagus of the century.' That's a pretty impressive title," Harry pointed out, trying to encourage him. "Better than going back to Azkaban."

The title made Sirius grin despite himself.

Harry felt a twinge of satisfaction. At least he's easy to cheer up.

"Fine, I'll just wander around Hogwarts for now," Sirius relented. "It's been ages since I've been back to the castle."

"Stay in Animagus form," Lupin reminded him firmly.

Sirius pouted, looking aggrieved. "Why? I'm not going to Diagon Alley, just staying in the castle—"

"Your wanted posters aren't restricted to the castle walls," Harry interrupted, speaking in a soothing tone as if to a child. "Even the students know what you look like."

"If they see you, they'll inform their parents out of concern, and that'll just cause a bigger mess."

Sirius sighed heavily.

"Don't worry. The Ministry will sort this out soon," Harry reassured him.

The Ministry, in this instance, acted with surprising efficiency.

By Wednesday, Sirius received a notice summoning him to the Ministry for a review of his case. By Saturday, the long-overdue hearing for events thirteen years ago would finally take place.

Everything was resolved before Christmas.

On the 19th, The Daily Prophet ran the story, delivering a bombshell to the wizarding world.

Sunday Morning, Gryffindor Common Room

Most students didn't bother going to the Great Hall for breakfast. In this frigid weather, who could resist the comfort of a warm blanket?

Those who managed to rise huddled by the fireplace.

Harry and his friends sat at a corner table, the magical flames keeping them warm.

Hermione was reading the newspaper, her expression growing more sour with every line. "The Ministry is utterly shameless! How can they write this drivel?"

"What does it say?" Ron asked curiously.

Hermione handed him the paper, stroking Crookshanks with a stiff expression. "The Ministry did absolutely nothing—yet they put Dementors in the castle, endangering everyone."

"It was Harry who caught Peter, Harry who killed him, and Harry who came up with the plan to clear Sirius's name."

"But not a single mention of Harry in this article! Instead, half the words are spent praising Cornelius Fudge—that idiotic Minister!"

Her voice rose, each word laced with frustration.

"That's fine," Harry said, glancing at the paper. "Sometimes Fudge's stupidity can actually do some good."

"Good?" Hermione blinked, startled.

Ron nodded thoughtfully. "Not everyone trusts Harry like we do. Even if it was revenge, people might still judge him for killing someone."

"You have to understand," Ron continued, "some wizards are completely off their rockers. They'd call someone a dark wizard for killing a chicken, let alone a person."

Hermione's jaw dropped, her worldview momentarily shaken. "Are you serious?"

"Some of them probably think all food is conjured by magic," Ron said, shaking his head. "What a waste of learning Transfiguration."

Hermione froze, clutching Crookshanks's tail. Her face was a picture of disbelief. What kind of world is this?

Crookshanks yowled in protest, startling her.

"Don't worry, Sirius will be back soon," Harry said, answering the cat before Hermione could apologize.

Crookshanks growled, clearly dissatisfied.

"He's in Diagon Alley buying you food," Harry explained, taking the paper Ron handed him. "Besides, after being chained up for thirteen years, he needs some time to run free. He'll be back before Christmas."

Ron's expression twisted. "Harry, he's your godfather."

"I know," Harry replied, puzzled.

"Calling him a big dog seems..." Ron trailed off, conflicted.

Harry shook his head. "His Animagus form is a black dog. You know that. And he actually likes being called a big dog."

Crookshanks meowed again, standing up on Hermione's lap.

"I told him already," Harry said, "but he's convinced he can find better food than what Aunt Petunia makes."

Crookshanks jumped down and curled up by the fireplace, clearly displeased.

Hermione stared at Harry in shock. "You do speak cat!"

"I don't," Harry said innocently.

"Then how—?" Hermione looked between him and Crookshanks, baffled by their seamless communication.

"Crookshanks has been picking fights with Sirius lately," Harry said, setting down the paper and flicking his wand to add more fuel to the fire. "It's about that time again."

Hermione remained skeptical.

"Did Crookshanks win?" Ron asked eagerly.

"Not everyone fights like you do," Harry replied tactfully. "Even with Hedwig and Bows helping, they all got thrashed by Sirius."

Ron clicked his tongue, deep in thought, before picking up Crookshanks and flipping through a book, whispering strategies on how to fight a much larger dog.

Crookshanks occasionally meowed in response, seemingly offering his own suggestions.

With the Daily Prophet report published, the Dementors were removed from Hogwarts.

Christmas was just five days away, and the festive atmosphere was growing.

However, until the holidays officially started, there was still work to do.

Monday Night, Headmaster's Office

During his nightly "detention," Dumbledore greeted Harry with a warm smile. "Harry, tonight we'll begin a new lesson."

"This place won't do. We need somewhere larger," he added, gesturing for Harry to follow.

"Fawkes, I'll need your help."

The phoenix trilled, reluctantly flying to Dumbledore's shoulder.

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Powerstones?

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