"Yes, but it should be mentioned that Lily's cooking is really delicious," Sirius said nostalgically. "When I was in Azkaban, I often thought of Lily's cooking, but every time I did, the Dementors would swarm around, and I had to forcibly interrupt my thoughts."
"Ah." Hagrid suddenly remembered something and quickly stood up, saying, "Speaking of Lily's recipes, she taught me one—I've often used it to cook something for myself. Want to try it?"
"Sure," Sirius and Lupin said together.
Harry's brow twitched fiercely as he felt a foreboding sensation well up inside him.
Just as expected, Hagrid walked over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out four enormous Rock Cakes.
Sirius and Lupin were clearly unaware of the gravity of the situation. They eagerly accepted the Rock Cakes, and Sirius, being greedy, bit into one.
"It's so hard, my god," he said, holding his mouth, "It feels like I'm biting into a rock..."
"You should soak it in water, it's more suitable to eat when softened," Harry advised Sirius. "You haven't had regular food in a long time, so it's normal for your teeth to struggle. Like me."
Saying this, Harry used a magic spell to cut the Rock Cake into small pieces and soaked them in a large basin of water.
The Rock Cake absorbed water rapidly, and before long it transformed into the familiar appearance Harry knew.
He picked up a fork and took a small piece into his mouth; the softened Rock Cake was indeed delicious.
"Really?" Sirius frowned and tried Harry's method...
"I misjudged you, Hagrid," Sirius said to Hagrid with a smile. "It's actually quite tasty, no worse than what Lily made back then—"
He added silently in his heart, it's just bloody hard.
Hagrid beamed, delighted like a five-hundred-pound child receiving affirmation.
"By the way, Hagrid." Harry said to Hagrid, "Professor Dumbledore needs some Three-headed Dog fur, and he asked me to get some from you—if you have any, please send it to his office."
Since Harry said so, Hagrid didn't question it and agreed happily.
"But you'll need to wait a bit," he said. "The latest I'll get some for you is the first of next month; it's not easy to acquire—"
"No problem." Harry gave an OK gesture.
Time passed quickly, and October was nearly over in the blink of an eye.
As the end of October approached, winter arrived in the Scottish Highlands.
The weather was undoubtedly cold, but the inside of Hogwarts Castle was as warm as spring, so at least in class, students wouldn't catch a cold from the chill.
As Trelawney predicted, a flu outbreak swept through Hogwarts—but it was a month later than she foretold.
Some students caught it, and they had to visit Madam Pomfrey's school hospital to take some medicine—the effect of Madam Pomfrey's Magic Potion was quite good, consuming it made one's head feel as if it were boiling, with steam hissing out.
Professor Lupin also appeared to have caught the flu and had taken leave since the 27th.
Everyone was eagerly discussing how the new assistant would teach the class—they all knew that Assistant Professor Sirius Black and Professor Lupin were good friends during their school days, and there was no reason the excellent Professor Lupin's friend wouldn't be just as capable.
In fact, Sirius's level was indeed impressive, as everyone who attended his classes gave a thumbs-up in approval.
Good.
After recuperating at Hogwarts for a significant period, Sirius gradually regained his health. He was no longer as frail as when he was in Azkaban and was gradually returning to a wholesome state.
It's fair to say that the members of the Black family were indeed handsome men and beautiful women, like Draco's mother Narcissa, who was a first-class beauty.
And Sirius—he truly was a handsome man.
The female students of Hogwarts were certainly getting an eyeful, and they even actively sought out Sirius to consult on various matters. For a time, he became the most popular person at Hogwarts.
Snape was not happy, his temper worsening day by day, as if someone had spilled his Euphoria Potion, and it seemed he couldn't smile anymore.
Anyone with eyes could tell he was envious of Assistant Professor Black's popularity.
"Can't he learn from Professor Black?"
This was the murmur of the Ravenclaw girls behind his back, with the overall sentiment being—no wonder Professor Snape is still single up to this point; it's inseparable from his bad temper and that unwashed hair of a hundred years.
"Very well," Snape appeared behind them, "Ravenclaw, twenty points off."
Specter bettering its reputation, Ron looking at Hermione with a "I told you so" expression as he shrugged.
It was uncanny; Hermione agreed with Ron's suspicion that Snape might have cast a Dark Magic on his own name, enabling him to find out who was badmouthing him from behind in a timely manner.
"So, it's best to leave anything unsaid to the common room and dormitory." Ron braced his chest and said, "He wouldn't appear in a place not belonging to Slytherin, right?"
While saying this, Ron almost blurted out "old bat," but he held back.
As he turned around, he saw Snape giving him an icy stare.
When he turned back, Snape grinned at him before turning and walking away.