"It's been a long time, Xenophilius."

Severus smiled as he greeted the editor of The Quibbler, who was known for being unorthodox and not following the mainstream.

However, the sound of Severus's voice startled Lovegood, who visibly panicked. He instinctively tried to shut the door, but before he could react, Severus had already grabbed the door handle.

"No! Snape! Let go! Spare my family, and I'll pretend I never saw you today! Never! And I won't report you to the Ministry either!"

Lovegood pleaded desperately.

"Have mercy on me! I didn't write much against you in the paper… I even defended you! You saw it, didn't you?"

Seeing his reaction, whether it was Worple, Sanguini, or even Harry, all of them stared wide-eyed at Severus.

They distinctly remembered Severus saying earlier, before they arrived, that the person living here was his friend.

'Was this how friends treated each other?'

Severus paid no attention to their bewildered gazes. Instead, he patted Lovegood on the shoulder with his other hand.

"Don't be afraid, old friend. I'm not the same as before. Didn't your articles say as much? After I joined Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's supervision, I've been dutifully serving as a proper Potions Professor. If you believe I've reformed, then you shouldn't be so afraid of me now."

Lovegood had a bitter look on his face. He glanced at Severus and the others behind him, then turned to look at his daughter, who was curiously peeking her head out from behind him.

He knew that today, whether he wanted to or not, he would not be able to stop Severus and his group of uninvited guests.

So he released his grip on the door and sighed.

"Fine, come in, then. Come in."

Though he relented, he still kept his daughter firmly shielded behind him.

Even as the girl, with her dreamy, wandering eyes and restless movements, kept tilting her head to look around, Lovegood guarded her like a mother hen protecting her chick, never letting her stray from his side.

The interior of the house matched its exterior. It's a standard cylindrical room, like a pepper shaker. To fit the curved walls, all the furniture was arched, including the stove, sink, cabinets...

The ground floor was clearly the kitchen. Lovegood led the way as they ascended a cast-iron spiral staircase at the center of the room to the second floor, a space that served as both a living room and a workspace.

"Sit down, make yourselves at home."

Lovegood swallowed nervously as he gestured for them to sit. Then, from beneath the cluttered table, he dug out a tattered cloth and draped it over a wooden printing press.

The machine, powered by magic, was covered in turning gears and emitted a constant creaking noise.

Before he covered it, Severus and the others caught sight of fresh copies of The Quibbler being churned out from inside.

The room fell into an awkward silence. Lovegood busied himself with tidying up the mess around him, which is a task that would likely take an entire day, making the already uneasy Worple and Sanguini shift uncomfortably in their seats.

Meanwhile, Severus looked at the little girl who finally had a chance to stare back at him and broke the silence.

"This must be yours and Pandora's daughter, right? Time flies. When we first met, you two had just started dating. But now, your child is already this big."

"May I have your name?"

Hearing Severus ask for his daughter's name, Lovegood stiffened as if struck by lightning. He immediately pulled his daughter closer, as though Severus's mere words could snatch her away.

"Luna." The little girl replied softly, showing no fear as she lifted her head.

"Luna?" Severus pushed Harry, who had been sitting behind him, forward slightly, "Could you take Dudley to the yard and introduce him to those plants? He's a little shy. He wants to learn but is too embarrassed to ask."

Harry was baffled.

He himself didn't know that he had such a strong thirst for knowledge, or that he was shy, for that matter.

But Lovegood seemed to understand Severus's intention, and released his grip on his daughter's arm.

"Go on, show him around, Luna. You don't get many visitors, do you? Have a chat with him."

The two children eventually left together, leaving only the adults in the room.

"Let me introduce them properly. These two are Sanguini and Eldred Worple."

Severus began the formal introductions between the two parties.

"And Xenophilius, well, you two probably know of him already. The editor of The Quibbler, a rather... unconventional journalist."

At this time, Worple finally couldn't hold back any longer. He glanced between the two of them and asked, "You two... are friends?"

Severus looked at Lovegood, but the editor-in-chief, who was somewhat in tune with him, avoided his gaze.

"Back when we were at Hogwarts, we used to discuss and research spells together… Him, his wife, and I." Severus said quietly, then he asked, "By the way, where is Pandora? Why didn't I see her?"

"She's in Diagon Alley, buying some supplies."

"You should talk to her. Some of those spell experiments she does are too dangerous and reckless. It's easy for accidents to happen."

"That's just how she is. I can't convince her otherwise."

As the conversation deepened, Lovegood suddenly seemed to notice something. The look in his eyes as he stared at Severus became increasingly strange and unbelievable.

"I came here today not just to discuss certain matters with you, but also to apologize."

The moment Severus said this, the surprise on Lovegood's face became even more intense, 'Is this really the same Severus Snape I remembered?'

Even Sanguini and Worple turned to look at Severus in surprise.

"After I started associating more with those people at school, we grew distant. But that wasn't the worst of it. After graduation, when you publicly criticized the Death Eaters in the Wizarding World, it angered them. That man sent me to teach you a lesson. I threatened and intimidated you and Pandora, even blew up your home and left you both hanging in midair for an entire day."

"That was neither just nor kind, and certainly no way to treat a friend. For that... I'm sorry, Xenophilius."

Such a statement made Lovegood a little overwhelmed. He and Snape had known each other since they were young, and he knew very well what kind of person Snape was. He never thought that there would actually be a day when Severus would actually take responsibility for his past actions!

But the reality now lies before Lovegood.

Lovegood stared at his old friend, someone he had once shared common ideals with, in stunned silence. After a long pause, he finally patted Severus on the arm.

"You've changed more than I ever expected. It seems these years teaching at Hogwarts have truly made you reflect! I'm... glad for you, Severus!"

The two of them had finally broken through some of the barriers between them. But it was clear Lovegood still had lingering doubts.

"But if that's how you feel now... then what about recent events?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you." Severus's expression turned serious as he looked at Sanguini and Worple, "Now, let me properly reintroduce these two. The true culprits behind the recent potion-poisoning case… the vampire, Sanguini, and the Wizarding Author, Eldred Worple."