Arthur turned toward Ranni and asked softly,
"Do you want to rest for a while?"
Spending twelve straight hours analyzing the Underworld Core had not been an easy task, even for Ranni.
Ranni nodded gently.
Then she asked:
"My king… shall we rest together?"
Arthur instantly caught the meaning hidden within her words.
He blinked in surprise.
"Right now?"
Ranni nodded once more.
"Now is the perfect opportunity."
At this point, if Arthur still hesitated, he truly wouldn't deserve to call himself a man.
Without another word, he scooped Ranni into his arms and carried the blushing princess into his room.
The noble Dark Moon Princess of the Carian Royal Family…
Finally welcomed the transformation that would turn her into a queen.
…
Some time later, Hermione returned to the house.
The Underworld had not been nearly as interesting as she imagined.
Aside from the breathtaking sea of soul-stars illuminating the heavens like a galaxy…
The rest of the realm was nothing but endless desolation.
The longer she stayed there, the more unsettling it felt.
So after briefly wandering around and greeting Roderika, who was still adapting to her new responsibilities, Hermione quickly left the Underworld behind.
The moment she stepped back into the Zen Garden residence—
She heard strange yet extremely familiar sounds coming from Arthur's room.
Far too familiar.
After all…
She herself usually made those exact same sounds.
Hermione's face instantly turned scarlet.
She hurriedly covered her ears and sprinted into her own room before slamming the door shut behind her.
Inside the bedroom, Arthur's movements paused slightly when he heard the sound of Hermione's door closing outside.
Only three people lived in this house:
Arthur.
Ranni.
And Hermione.
Normally, nobody else ever entered.
Combined with the fact that Arthur hadn't expected Hermione to return so quickly…
He had completely forgotten to block the sound.
Ranni had forgotten as well.
Still—
Since Hermione had already heard everything, there wasn't much point worrying about it now.
Ranni wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck and whispered softly:
"My king… continue."
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
He genuinely hadn't expected Ranni to be this bold.
But if it was Ranni's request—
He certainly wasn't going to refuse.
And thus…
Hermione's suffering truly began.
Ever since mastering Animagus transformation, Hermione had inherited the hearing of a cat—
At least three times sharper than an ordinary human's.
For the very first time in her life, she felt that gaining this ability had not been a blessing at all.
In the end, Hermione simply couldn't take it anymore.
She fled the Zen Garden entirely.
Even after escaping, however, her emotions refused to calm down.
She tried distracting herself by reading.
Unfortunately, after an entire afternoon passed…
She still hadn't managed to finish even a single page.
…
By dinnertime, Arthur and Ranni finally reappeared.
At the moment, Hermione was sitting on the sofa inside the Granger family living room.
The moment she saw Arthur, she rolled her eyes irritably and muttered under her breath:
"Broad daylight, seriously…"
Of course, both Arthur and Ranni heard her perfectly clearly.
Ranni's elegant face flushed faintly once again.
Clearly, she still felt slightly embarrassed about Hermione overhearing everything earlier.
Meanwhile, Arthur merely teased Hermione through mental transmission:
"So… should I come see you tonight?"
This time, it was Hermione's turn to blush furiously.
The little witch screamed internally.
What was wrong with her cousin?!
How could he already be thinking about the next meal right after finishing the previous one?!
Hermione refused to respond.
Instead, she shot him another glare before standing up and storming into the dining room for dinner.
…
Time passed quickly.
Soon, the first day of the new Hogwarts term arrived.
What?
You're asking whether Arthur ended up visiting Hermione that night?
Of course he did.
After all—
Hermione never actually refused him.
And silence meant consent… right?
Anyway—
Let's return our focus to the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
After an entire summer break, the students finally gathered there once more.
This year, however, something was different.
The person seated in the Headmaster's chair was no longer Dumbledore.
Instead—
It was the Head of Slytherin House.
The legendary Half-Blood Prince himself.
Professor Snape.
Surprisingly, none of the students looked particularly shocked.
The wizard-born students had already learned about the change through newspapers circulating throughout the magical world.
And the Muggle-born students had naturally heard the details from their classmates.
"Quiet."
Snape's calm voice echoed across the Great Hall, amplified by a Sonorus Charm.
He stepped forward to the podium.
"I will keep this brief."
"Although most of you already know…"
"I will repeat it officially."
"During this summer, your former Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was successfully elected Minister for Magic."
"As a result, he has resigned from the position of Hogwarts Headmaster."
"And from this day onward…"
"I will serve as the new Headmaster."
The moment those words fell—
Thunderous applause erupted from the Slytherin tables.
The little snakes held enormous respect for their Head of House.
In complete contrast—
The Gryffindor table immediately descended into wailing despair.
Even the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws looked miserable.
After all, Snape's favoritism toward Slytherin was infamous.
Now that he had become Headmaster…
Wouldn't he become even more outrageous when awarding House points?
The other three Houses suddenly felt like they had no chance whatsoever of winning the House Cup anymore.
Snape raised one hand slightly.
The hall instantly quieted again.
"There is one more announcement."
"This year's Defence Against the Dark Arts and Countermeasures course will also be taught by myself."
Originally, that position should have gone to Alastor Moody.
After all, he had merely been imprisoned and impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr., not killed outright.
Once Snape rescued him and Moody recovered for a period of time, his condition improved rapidly.
However, Dumbledore later persuaded Moody to return to the Ministry of Magic due to staffing shortages and resume leadership of the Auror Office.
Meanwhile, Snape simply couldn't be bothered searching for another unfamiliar professor to fill the role.
(Mainly because Snape's social connections were nowhere near as broad as Dumbledore's. He genuinely couldn't find anyone.)
So in the end, he decided to teach the class personally.
Truthfully, this suited Snape perfectly.
He had wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts position for years.
Although his mastery of Potions was extraordinary, Snape's greatest talent had always been the Dark Arts themselves—and the magic used to counter them.
After all—
This was the same genius who invented a spell like Sectumsempra while still a student.
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