Chapter 520: Sirius’ Transformation

Until today, Kyle had never imagined that Sirius Black would come to Hogwarts as a professor—let alone as the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts.

No wonder he had become the first Gryffindor in the Black family. He truly had the courage for it.

Kyle could only hope that by the end of the semester, Sirius wouldn't find himself back in Azkaban for some inexplicable reason. Then again, if that did happen, Kyle wouldn't be surprised.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was a notoriously cursed position in the wizarding world. Nothing about it could shock Kyle anymore. Professor Dumbledore struggled to find someone willing to fill the post each year, and the curse on the position had tarnished his reputation further in recent years.

Still, Kyle quickly realized that Sirius had probably been on Dumbledore's list of potential candidates for a long time. If he hadn't taken the job this year, Dumbledore would likely have asked him again in the future. After all, it wasn't easy to recruit for such a dangerous role. And given Sirius's bold personality, there was a good chance he wouldn't have refused.

After the introductions wrapped up, the welcome feast came to an end.

Snape was the first to rise, striding out of the Great Hall with his usual dour expression. As he passed Sirius, an unmistakable sneer escaped his lips.

"Haha..."

Snape halted mid-step, turning sharply to glare at Sirius with cold disdain.

"Oh, if it isn't our hero," Snape said with a blank expression, his voice dripping with venom. "I thought you'd be hiding at home, crying over the deaths you caused. But I see I was wrong—you don't seem to care much about Potter, after all."

Sirius's expression turned icy in an instant. "Shut up, Snivellus," he snapped. "You know exactly who killed James and Lily. If you hadn't gone crawling to your master—"

"Professors."

Professor Dumbledore's calm yet firm voice cut through the tension as he appeared beside them.

"I don't believe the Great Hall is the best place for this discussion," he said with a weary tone. "Perhaps you'd both care to join me for a cup of tea? I recently came across an excellent black tea I've been meaning to share."

"No," Snape replied with a sneer. "I've no interest in tea with the meal of a Dementor. The stench alone would turn my stomach."

"Me neither," Sirius shot back without missing a beat. "I'd rather drink tea with a Dementor than sit across from the likes of you."

Dumbledore sighed heavily, rubbing his temple. He had anticipated some friction between the two, but he hadn't expected it to escalate this quickly—or this publicly. Thankfully, their voices were low enough that the surrounding chaos of the hall drowned them out for most of the students.

Cedric, who was busy organizing the younger students into lines, glanced toward the teachers' table and whispered, "Kyle, it looks like Snape and Black don't get along very well."

"That's hardly surprising," Kyle replied casually. "Snape doesn't get along with any of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professors. Don't glare at me like that, Kanna—it's true."

"Just think about it," he continued. "From Oren in our first year to Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin... Hasn't it always been the same?"

Kanna stammered for a moment, searching for a counterargument, but eventually sighed in resignation.

Kyle wasn't wrong. While Snape's relationships with the other professors could hardly be called warm, they weren't outright hostile—except when it came to the Defence Against the Dark Arts instructors. Snape never missed an opportunity to make biting remarks about them, and Kanna couldn't deny it.

Fortunately, the conversation didn't continue much further. As the seats in front of them cleared, the trio escorted the younger students back to the common room.

...

The next day.

"I watched your match that day," Sirius said, stopping Kyle in the entrance hall as he headed to breakfast. "It was amazing. That old tortoise Karkaroff actually deducted a point from you. I'd like to teach him a lesson."

"You're a professor now—you have to be careful," Kyle reminded him.

"Yes, I'm a professor now," Sirius said, almost as if testing the words himself. "I never thought I'd be back here again, and as a professor, no less. When Professor Dumbledore said yes, I thought I was dreaming."

Dreaming? If it had been any subject other than Defence Against the Dark Arts, maybe. But for this cursed position, Dumbledore would have welcomed anyone willing to volunteer. An extra candidate was practically just a spare, waiting in the wings in case the current one didn't make it through the year.

Kyle gave Sirius a quick once-over. He was dressed in a brand-new robe, and his once untidy hair had been neatly combed back. After some time to recuperate, his complexion was much healthier, the waxy pallor replaced with a rosy hue that hinted at the handsomeness of his youth.

"Aren't you worried?" Kyle asked. "This position hasn't been held by anyone for more than a year. Not once."

"I've thought about that," Sirius replied confidently. "But I'm joining midway through the year, and there's still Alastor Moody ahead of me. Even if the curse exists, it shouldn't fall on me."

"Besides, most of the previous professors had their own problems—they were the reason they left Hogwarts. That's not the case with me, or with Moody. The two of us are good at what we do. So, even if we run into trouble, like Death Eaters or anything worse, we'll be able to handle it."

Seeing Sirius's confidence, Kyle decided not to press further. After all, even if he did, Sirius probably wouldn't listen. Best to let it go.

"Have you seen Harry?" Kyle asked, changing the subject.

"Ah, yes," Sirius said, his face breaking into a smile. "We talked for a long time last night. He even wanted to stay in my office. Of course, I was happy to let him, but my office is empty—I just got here! I couldn't let him sleep on a bench.

"By the way," he added, laughing, "I never noticed before how old the Hogwarts furniture is. Those chairs look older than I am."

"It's always been like that," Kyle said with a shrug. "That's the problem with Hogwarts. If something breaks, it's just fixed with magic—no need to buy anything new. And the Governors aren't going to spend extra money on desks and chairs."

The two walked together toward the Great Hall, casually chatting about various things, including the Triwizard Tournament.

"How's your search for the second clue going?" Sirius asked. "If you need anything, just let me know. But be discreet. The rules say professors can't help."

"There's still three months to go, so there's no rush," Kyle replied. Then, with a smile, he added, "By the way, I haven't thanked you yet. That Firebolt was a big help. If I'd had my old Nimbus 2000, there's no way I could have dodged all 29 Bludgers, let alone escaped the dragon."

"It's a funny story," Sirius said with a grin. "I was going to give you a set of pure gold astrological decorations as a gift for being a Champion, but Dumbledore told me you'd probably prefer a broom. And when I went to the Quidditch shop, they said the Nimbus 2000 was long out of date."

"Professor Dumbledore?" Kyle said, surprised. "He suggested you give me a broom?"

"Ah... yes," Sirius said, shrugging. "We met at the Ministry of Magic when I was helping with the Crouch investigation.

"Thankfully, he mentioned it—look how useful it turned out to be."