On August 4th, when the latest issue of The Daily Prophet was delivered to thousands of wizarding households across Britain, the public finally learned about what had happened on Azkaban Island the day before.

One of the highest-priority fugitives listed by the Ministry of Magic, second only to the Dark Lord himself, and whose notoriety far exceeded that of Barty Crouch Jr., Sirius Black had also escaped from prison!

The name 'Sirius Black' was familiar to every respectable wizarding family.

"We are working hard to recapture Black." Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold, announced that morning, "We urge the wizarding community to remain calm! The escape of these two criminals will not bring about the same chaos as eight years ago. The Wizarding World is different now… Aurors will protect the public and ensure they do not cause further trouble!"

However, her words did little to reassure the British wizarding community.

It was clear that Black's reputation was vastly different from that of the younger Barty Crouch Jr.

Before his arrest, Black had once killed thirteen people with a single curse… a horrific massacre!

On a London street, a massive explosion had reduced his close friend Peter Pettigrew to nothing but scattered remains, along with twelve innocent Muggles who had died on the spot!

The news that such a dangerous criminal had escaped, and rumors that he had broken out due to his fury over Severus's public repentance, left the public in shock.

Even old grudges from over a decade ago at Hogwarts were dug up by gossipmongers.

From their student days of fierce rivalry, to their youthful mistakes after graduation, to now… one turning over a new leaf while the other remained irredeemably dark.

Combined with recent news that the Ministry was petitioning the Wizengamot to award Severus the Order of Merlin, the dramatic contrast between these events made headlines, with multiple newspapers covering Sirius's escape while also giving Severus a surge of attention.

At the same time, certain members of the International Confederation of Wizards criticized Bagnold for informing the Muggle Prime Minister about Sirius's escape.

Bagnold responded angrily at noon that same day, declaring that those who said such things clearly did not value Muggle's lives as human lives!

Sirius had slaughtered Muggles before, and there was no guarantee he wouldn't do so again now that he was free.

For example, the Muggle Granger family, who had worked with Severus to uncover the werewolf case, were now under heavy Auror protection.

This news even led some British witches and wizards to panic and temporarily leave England, fearing Sirius and seeking refuge elsewhere.

Bagnold was under immense pressure at this time.

Not only from public opinion in the Wizarding World and the meddling of certain International Confederation's members, but also from the Dementors of Azkaban.

Barty Crouch Jr.'s escape had already enraged the jailers, who had demanded to leave Azkaban Island to hunt him down on the British mainland… a request Bagnold had consistently denied.

Now, Sirius's escape had further provoked them, to the point where they attempted to leave Azkaban without Ministry's approval.

Faced with this crisis, Bagnold, who had been elected Minister during the darkest years of Voldemort's war, immediately dispatched a team of Aurors skilled in the Patronus Charm to blockade and drive the Dementors back to the island, stationing a squad there permanently.

She then personally visited Azkaban to warn the Dementors face-to-face: as long as she remained in office, not a single Dementor would set foot on the British mainland.

This news sparked polarized reactions among the public.

Some believed that since Aurors couldn't capture Sirius and Barty Jr. quickly, the Dementors should be allowed to try.

But most supported Bagnold's firm stance, understanding the horrors of Dementors. If these creatures left Azkaban and failed to catch their targets, where would they turn for sustenance?

Amid the uproar and fear sweeping Britain's wizarding world, in a hidden corner of Knockturn Alley, London, a large black dog clutched a stolen newspaper in its jaws.

It retreated to a secluded spot, spreading the paper open to search for any recent information about Severus Snape and his student Dudley Dursley… but found nothing useful.

Instead, it came across an article vehemently condemning Sirius Black's 'evil nature', which had 'manifested even in his school days', while portraying Severus as a pitiful victim of bullying since youth.

The author even speculated that Severus's later descent into darkness was a direct result of Sirius's persecution.

The black dog snarled in fury, tearing the paper to shreds with its teeth before slinking away through the shadows of the alley.

'Since public sources yielded no clues, I would have to resort to other methods, such as...'

'Finding that greasy git's friends and allies!'

French Ministry of Magic.

The events unfolding in Britain had not yet reached France.

After enjoying a lavish French dinner hosted by Yuma the night before, Harry and Draco had settled into the dormitory arranged for them by the Auror Office.

Not surprisingly, the two of them shared a room.

Harry merely rolled his eyes and said nothing, but Draco exploded.

"Do you have any idea who my family is? The Malfoys! The British Malfoys! And you expect me to share a room with him? This is an insult!"

Yuma, hearing the commotion, sighed.

"Due to recent overtime demands, many of our colleagues are also staying overnight at the Ministry. We can only accommodate two per room at the moment… please bear with us."

Draco tried to argue further, but Severus clamped a hand over his mouth from behind.

"Two to a room is already generous treatment, and the dinner was excellent. Thank you for your hospitality, Yuma… and please convey my gratitude to Girald as well."

Before leaving, Yuma gave each of them a French Ministry's badge.

"Wear these while inside the Ministry, and the guards won't stop you. Our atmosphere here is relaxed… just pay attention to the enchanted signs and avoid restricted areas. Make sure the children don't wander where they shouldn't."

"Mr. Snape, the specific tasks requiring your participation will be assigned tomorrow by a dedicated staff member who will guide you and Mr. Lupin. For tonight, please rest early."

"Lastly, good night to you all."

After shaking hands with Severus and bidding farewell, Yuma finally left the Ministry.

The moment he was gone, Harry and Draco immediately started bickering.

The two nearly came to blows over who would get the bed farther from the bathroom. In the end, Severus came up with a solution… he drew a grid on a piece of paper and taught them how to play Gomoku (T/N: Five in a Row), with the winner claiming the better bed.

Draco won by sheer luck, and Harry, being a good sport, conceded.

Since they had spent the entire day traveling, neither of them had much energy left to argue. Once their beds were settled, they quickly dozed off on the surprisingly soft mattresses.

They slept straight through until morning.

Draco rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed.

He wasn't sure if it was because yesterday's emotional rollercoaster and the long journey had exhausted him, or if, contrary to what he'd expected, he hadn't actually hated this impromptu trip with Severus as much as he thought he would.

Either way, he hadn't dreamed at all, sleeping soundly through the night.

After sitting in bed for a while, lost in thought, he finally noticed that Harry seemed to have woken up much earlier and was now sitting on the sofa in the room, reading a book.

"Snape isn't even here. Who are you trying to impress, you little teacher's pet?"

The classic Malfoy greeting… starting the day with a sneer.

Harry barely glanced up from his book as he replied, "The real baby is the one who just woke up."

He gestured toward the coffee table, where fresh fruit and drinks had been placed, "The house-elves brought these earlier. They even gave me a menu to choose breakfast from. You were still asleep, so I already ate in Professor Snape and Remus's room."

Draco glared at Harry for a moment before finally getting out of bed and asking, "Where are Snape and the others?"

"They were already gone when I woke up. But Professor left a note in his room saying they had work to do and that we could explore the place if we got bored… just don't cause trouble."

After washing up, Draco settled into the other armchair and eyed the menu and a small bell on the table.

He rang the bell, and a house-elf draped in a tea towel appeared instantly, bowing respectfully as it asked for their requests.

After ordering and eating, Draco rang the bell again, and the house-elf promptly cleared everything away.

Curious about what Harry was reading but unwilling to ask outright, as it would make him appear weak, Draco tried to peek at the book from the corner of his eye.

But after several failed attempts, all he managed to catch was the word [Spells] on the worn cover before Harry, noticing his efforts, deliberately turned the book away.

"Tch."

Draco pretended not to care, letting out a disdainful scoff.

He had the house-elf fetch him parchment and a quill, then borrowed one of the French Ministry's owls to send a letter home, lest Lucius and Narcissa worry.

When Dobby had first dragged him out of the manor, the young master had secretly vowed never to speak to his 'heartless' parents again.

But a child's temper is as fleeting as it is fierce. And, just as Severus had said from the beginning, Draco wasn't truly malicious… just spoiled rotten.

Now, in an unfamiliar place, he found himself missing his parents. He wrote about his journey to France with Severus, then handed the letter to the owl to deliver back to England.

With the letter sent, Draco had nothing left to do.

A nine-year-old boy was bound to get restless. Soon, he couldn't stand sitting in the room any longer.

But when he opened the door and saw the bustling Auror Office outside, his fear of unfamiliar surroundings, and the language barrier, made him hesitate to venture out alone.

After a long internal struggle, he finally turned to Harry, mustering all his pride to ask: "Hey! Don't you want to see how these French guys arrest and interrogate criminals?"

Harry, who had been secretly practicing a few spells with his wand earlier while Draco was asleep, had also grown bored of reading.

He'd been waiting for Draco to crack first, so he put on a reluctant expression and set his book aside.

"Sigh. Well, Professor did tell me to look after you. Since you're too scared to go alone, I guess I'll reluctantly agree to come with you."

Draco slammed the door in frustration.

"Who said I was inviting you?! I was just asking if you wanted to come!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know, no need to explain, Young Master Malfoy." Harry said, grinning as he stood up, "Let's go."