Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman

For a moment, the Great Hall descended into an eerie silence.

Malfoy's voice trembled as he stammered, "Say that again?"

"Professor Snape was bitten by a dog!" the young Slytherin declared loudly. "It was that big black dog Professor Lupin brought to school!"

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"

Malfoy's disbelief was palpable. Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin, bitten by a dog? It was inconceivable.

If anything, Snape biting a dog would make more sense.

For Malfoy, this wasn't just a bizarre incident—it was a blow to Slytherin's pride.

He could already hear the taunts:

"Your house head was bitten by a dog."

There'd be no comeback for that.

"I don't believe it!" Malfoy snapped. "Where is he? I want to see him!"

Malfoy was livid, but Harry was even more so. In a flash, Harry was in front of the young Slytherin, his face etched with genuine concern.

"Take me too!" Harry demanded. "How did it happen? Where was he bitten? Is he seriously hurt?"

The barrage of questions left the younger boy dumbfounded. He had only wanted to be the first to spread the gossip; he had no answers for Harry's interrogation.

Realizing he wasn't getting anywhere, Harry clenched his fists and urged, "Take me there now! I don't care how bad it is—even if he's completely disfigured, I need to see him!"

With the young Slytherin leading the way, Harry and Malfoy took off in a hurry.

No one else followed—not even Ron.

After all, not everyone was invested in Snape's well-being.

Some students were quietly discussing whether it might actually be better if Snape didn't recover.

"I should probably go as well," Bruce thought to himself. Not for Snape, but for the Half-Blood Prince.

After all, Snape's annotated textbook had been a great help to him.

"Hermione, you go to class first," Bruce said. "I'll check on the professor."

"But…"

Hermione hesitated, wanting to remind him that they might be late.

Then she remembered that, this year, lateness wouldn't be an issue for either of them.

"Alright. I'll save you a seat," she said with a sigh.

Though curious, Hermione opted not to follow. Being more mature than the boys, she realized that Snape, freshly bitten, might not want visitors.

---

In the Hogwarts infirmary, Madam Pomfrey was just finishing applying medicine to Snape's wounds.

"Twenty minutes," she said briskly. "At most, twenty minutes, and your injuries will be fully healed."

"Thank you. Hsss—"

Snape lay on the hospital bed, wincing with every slight movement.

He looked genuinely pitiful.

Aside from him and Madam Pomfrey, two other people were present: Dumbledore and Lupin.

"My apologies, Severus," Lupin said earnestly. "Black is a dog of freedom and justice. He has a mind of his own and never harms people. I have no idea why he attacked you this time."

Lupin casually mentioned the name "Black," but neither Snape nor Dumbledore reacted.

After all, "Black" could just as easily refer to the dog's color as it could to a surname. Naming a pet "Black" was as common as calling it "Shadow" or "Midnight."

"Is that supposed to be an apology? Ow!"

Snape's legs and arms were covered in bite marks. Every word he spoke seemed to send a fresh wave of pain through his body, but he pressed on.

"Headmaster, a dog that attacks people cannot be allowed to stay on school grounds. It must be removed immediately!"

"And I'm not saying this because I was bitten. I'm thinking of the students' safety!"

Dumbledore didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Lupin, silently asking for an explanation.

Snape's argument wasn't without merit.

At Hogwarts, student safety was paramount.

The castle might tolerate a basilisk, but a dog that bites? Absolutely not.

"I understand," Lupin said, not pushing back. "I've already sent Black to stay with Hagrid. He won't be allowed back into the castle without permission."

Snape sneered. This was barely a solution.

He opened his mouth to object when a commotion erupted outside the infirmary.

"Professor!"

"Professor Snape!"

Snape's expression shifted instantly. He wanted to stop them from entering, but it was too late.

Three students burst into the room like a whirlwind—Harry and Malfoy leading the charge, with Bruce following behind.

"Are you alright?"

"Were you really bitten by a dog? Did you get your revenge?"

Harry and Malfoy bombarded Snape with their respective forms of concern, while Bruce stood back, pulling out a camera to capture the moment.

The resulting photograph was titled:

"Professor Snape, Bitten by a Dog, Comforted by His Students."

---

Lupin sighed and left the infirmary. The atmosphere inside was no longer suitable for him to stay.

After rounding a few corners, the black dog suddenly appeared by his side.

"You went too far this time," Lupin scolded.

He seemed to have a special way of communicating with Sirius in his Animagus form, able to understand the dog's thoughts.

"Not at all, Remus," Sirius growled. "Snape is a creep. Do you know what he's done to Harry?"

His voice trembled with rage as he continued, "He got his hands on a potion that can turn Harry into a girl! Do you understand how twisted that is?"

"And I've heard that when Harry transforms, he looks exactly like Lily!"

"I can't believe Snape would stoop to something so vile!"

Lupin's expression turned grave.

"Is this true? Who told you?" he asked seriously.

"A very clever owl," Sirius replied. "The one that was in our compartment on the train. It can talk to me."

Lupin nodded. "That is indeed remarkable."

A talking owl that could communicate with a dog was rare indeed.

"If that's the case, then Snape deserved what he got," Lupin admitted. "But you'll still have to face the consequences of your actions.

"I've reached an agreement with Snape: you'll spend the year living in Hagrid's hut. Is that acceptable?"

"Fine," Sirius agreed. "Hagrid and I get along. He still has my motorbike."

"Good," Lupin said, though his thoughts lingered on the scene in the infirmary.

"Still, I think you might be wrong. Did you see how Harry reacted? He genuinely cares about Snape.

"That means Snape must care for Harry as well. In some ways, he's filling the void left by James and Lily."

He paused before adding, "Snape's never married, you know. Maybe he really sees Harry as his own."

Sirius knew this much already.

Children were simple—they gave affection where it was earned. Harry's concern proved Snape had done enough to win his trust.

Even so, Sirius couldn't let go of his grudge.

The role of Harry's godfather wasn't up for grabs.

"Snape isn't pressing charges," Lupin continued. "He's only grumbled a bit."

"Wonderful," Sirius sneered. "I'll bite him again next time."

---

After visiting Snape, Harry was relieved to learn his injuries weren't as severe as expected.

Feeling reassured, he hurried off to his first class of the year: Divination in the North Tower.

The trek through the castle to reach the North Tower was long.

Though Harry had been at Hogwarts for two years, he didn't know the castle like the back of his hand and had never been to the North Tower.

The tower featured a narrow spiral staircase. By the time Harry reached the top, he was gasping for air.

He entered one of the strangest classrooms he had ever seen.

It looked less like a classroom and more like a cross between an attic and an old-fashioned tearoom.

There were at least twenty small, round tables surrounded by armchairs draped in floral fabric and overstuffed cushions.

The room was cluttered with divination tools: crystal balls, tarot cards, teacups—and even a pile of bones.

Harry spotted Ron saving him a seat at one of the tables.

At a nearby table sat Hermione and Bruce.

The class hadn't started yet, and the professor was nowhere in sight.

Sitting cross-legged on a cushion, Harry whispered to Ron, "Where's the teacher?"

From the shadows came a soft, hazy voice.

"Welcome," it said. "How wonderful to finally meet you all in the material world."

Harry turned and recognized Professor Trelawney from the séance he had witnessed last year.

"Welcome to Divination," she said, seated by the fire in an armchair. "I am Professor Trelawney. You likely haven't seen me before because I find that venturing into the noisy, chaotic world of the main school dulls my Inner Eye."

Not true. I've seen you before, Harry thought.

Last time, she had seemed more eccentric than intimidating—a far cry from the mystical presence she exuded today.

Trelawney wasted no time in playing to her strengths.

She greeted Neville by mentioning his grandmother and warned Parvati Patil that she would be hurt by a red-haired boy, making Parvati glance nervously at Ron, who sat behind her.

"This year, we will study the basics of Divination," Trelawney announced. "In the first term, we will focus on tea leaf reading. Next term, we will move on to palmistry."

"Tea leaves hold great significance in Divination. They can foretell your fortunes and misfortunes. For instance, this student—perfect! You've already finished a cup of tea."

Trelawney stopped at Bruce's table and noticed his empty cup.

The leaves inside formed a distinct pattern.

"Let me demonstrate," she said, picking up Bruce's cup and peering inside.

"A bat. How intriguing."

She set the cup down and patted Bruce on the shoulder.

"Child, try to keep a sunny disposition. Otherwise, your future will be as dark as your heart."

Bruce nodded solemnly, pretending to take her words to heart.

"Is that true?" Hermione whispered. "Is your heart actually dark?"

"Of course not," Bruce whispered back. "I arranged the tea leaves on purpose. I didn't even drink the tea."

"My heart is bright and sunny—not a trace of darkness."

Divination, it seemed, was easy to outwit.

Bruce suspected the professor's next move would be a dramatic prediction of misfortune for one of the students.

But it won't happen, Bruce thought with certainty.

---

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