Upon returning to the Ministry's main atrium, Severus immediately spotted Harry sitting on a bench against the wall to the right of the famous magical fountain.

The atrium was as bustling as ever, filled with wizards coming and going.

By now, Severus had clearly achieved a level of celebrity status, as nearly every wizard who passed by smiled, nodded, or greeted him.

"Brilliant speech, Professor Snape."

"Even though you tore into me mercilessly in Ravenclaw, I still support your change."

"Congratulations, Professor Snape."

"Slytherin students will always stand by you, Professor."

"Good morning, Professor."

"At the next Hufflepuff alumni gathering, I'll definitely speak up for you, Professor Snape."

Severus returned their greetings with polite nods and faint smiles.

Because of this, it took him almost five minutes to reach Harry, even though the distance was only a few hundred meters.

"It seems you've been doing well at Hogwarts these past few days, Harry."

The familiar voice made Harry jerk his head up. His eyes met Severus's amused gaze, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out-

"Professor!"

"Are you here alone? Even Dumbledore isn't that careless, surely?"

Harry had thought he'd have so much to say when he saw his teacher again… maybe congratulations, or an explanation about his choice not to return to the Dursleys.

But Severus seamlessly picked up the conversation as if their reunion here was the most natural thing in the world.

This made Harry swallowed his words, and then, as if the four days apart had never happened, as if his choice in Dumbledore's office hadn't changed anything, he fell back into their usual rhythm without hesitation.

"He had a Mr. Weasley stay with me… George and Fred's dad, I think. He just ran into a colleague from the Ministry and went to talk to them!"

Harry pointed in a direction. Severus turned and spotted a tall, thin, red-haired wizard with slightly thinning hair and glasses glancing their way.

Meeting Severus' eyes, Arthur quickly excused himself from his colleague and hurried over.

"Dumbledore told me you might be a while."

Arthur looked at Severus with a slightly curious look and a smile on his face:

"William and Charlie used to complain at home that their Potions Professor would've happily tossed them into a cauldron. But ever since George and Fred came back from Diagon Alley the other day, they've been insisting that was unfair."

"Today, I finally understand why my sons have such different opinions about you, Professor Snape."

Arthur extended his hand, and Severus took it.

"Your children are all exceptional, strong-willed and full of character, Mr. Weasley."

It was clear that Severus and Arthur had never interacted much before.

When Severus entered Hogwarts as a student, Arthur was only a couple of years away from graduating. The age gap was significant, and during that period, Slytherin and Gryffindor were even more fiercely opposed than usual.

As for what happens afterwards, that went without saying.

One is a Death Eater, the other is a staunch Dumbledore supporter. If there was no outright enmity between them, that was already fortunate. Building any kind of positive relationship was out of the question.

This meeting was clearly their first proper interaction.

"Before coming, Dumbledore mentioned that you might be heading to Nottinghamshire soon. When do you plan to set off? The Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office happens to have some business to handle there as well. We could travel together."

"How about 3 p.m.?" Severus suggested a time and place, "At the Leaky Cauldron, we can use the fireplace there."

"No problem."

Just before parting, Arthur suddenly slapped his forehead, as if remembering something. He pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to Severus.

"Dumbledore asked me to give this to you. He said it might offer some inspiration."

After completing the handover, Arthur hurriedly said goodbye as he had other Ministry work to attend to.

"Where are Sanguini and Eldred? And Miss Patty, where did they go?" Harry couldn't help but ask once Arthur had left.

Severus began opening the envelope in doubts as he answered Harry's question.

"After the trial, I told them to leave first. But we'll be meeting up with them soon at a German restaurant."

As he finished speaking, Severus finally pulled out the six or seven sheets of parchment from the envelope.

The yellowed pages were densely covered with text, and at the top of the first page was the title of the article:

[On the Commonalities and Differences Between Dragon Blood and Aconite]

The moment he saw the title, Severus understood the significance of Dumbledore's letter. Ghost Snape within him also stiffened, clearly grasping its implications.

Aconite, the core ingredient of the Wolfsbane Potion, one of the greatest potions of the 20th century.

'This job falls to you. If you come up with any ideas, you can find me for potion testing.' Severus said decisively in his mind.

Ghost Snape merely glared at him with a look that could kill.

[I wish him dead! And you expect me to help improve the potion for him?!]

"Stop being a tsundere. You'll help." Severus replied confidently as he led Harry toward the Ministry's public fireplace.

[Your confidence is wildly misplaced!] Ghost Snape sneered.

'You know this is Dumbledore's intention. After everything, you didn't even care about your own life anymore. Just because of some schoolboy grudge, would you really sabotage Dumbledore's plans?'

Severus's pointed remark left Ghost Snape scowling in silence.

Not bothering to press further, knowing he would take on the task regardless, Severus and Harry arrived at a secluded German restaurant in a London alleyway.

The place had been chosen by Worple, clearly somewhere he and Sanguini had visited before.

When Severus and Harry pushed open the door and entered, they spotted Worple, Sanguini, and Patty waiting for them at a long table near the corner.

"Over here, Dudley! And Mr. Snape!"

Seeing the beckoning Sanguini, Severus and Harry joined them at the table.

Patty, who sat in a wheelchair, was meeting them properly for the first time. She bowed deeply to Harry and Severus with sincere gratitude.

"I've learned everything from Sanguini. Thank you, Mr. Snape, and Mr. Dursley! You gave me a new life, and you protected Sanguini and Eldred!"

Young Harry, who is unused to such earnest expressions of thanks, flushed bright red, unsure how to respond.

As for Severus, he head raised his beer glass at that moment.

"Between friends, no words are needed. Let's have a drink first!"

Glasses were lifted, and even Harry raised his orange juice.

Sunlight streamed through the restaurant's window, falling across Harry's face.

The crisp clink of glasses touching and the droplets that flew from them refracted the light, casting a shimmer over the adults gathered around the table.

They smiled with genuine, heartfelt smiles, making the already vibrant world shine even brighter with its inherent beauty.

Harry laughed sincerely.

He had never doubted the choices he'd made.