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The moment Hermione collapsed onto the cold floor of the infirmary, her mind was a blur. She had no idea how to explain herself for eavesdropping on a professor's private conversation. But then, Hermione acutely noticed a problem. How did Snape recognize her, in her current state, before the door even opened? And, was "cat-eared girl" describing her?
Hermione truly wished she had Harry's Invisibility Cloak. That way, she could hide and not have to face this suffocating situation. And just as her mind raced, a strong, steady hand grasped her arm, helping her up. Hermione fearfully looked up and found it was the young wizard who had been talking to Professor Snape.
"Th-thank you, Professor."
"Heh, don't misunderstand, Miss Granger, I am not a professor at this school." Armostad smiled gently. He looked with interest at the droopy ears on the young witch's fluffy hair, and the whiskers on her black-furred cheeks. It didn't take him long to realize that this was probably the result of mistakenly using Polyjuice Potion for animal transformation. As expected of the most important intellectual in the protagonist's group, truly an expert at having fun.
Although he couldn't recall the plot of the Harry Potter books, it didn't mean Armostad knew nothing about the key characters in the books. Snape's previous sarcastic remark had already let Armostad know that the young witch who had undergone a botched transformation in front of him was the highly popular Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, a very intelligent and perceptive young witch, which aroused a little curiosity in him.
"Miss Granger," Snape's slightly sarcastic voice was particularly grim in the quiet of the infirmary late at night. "Even I must admit, your current appearance is far more amusing than usual. However, I still wish to know why you are in this state, and did Minerva give you the courage to eavesdrop on my conversation?"
He actually didn't recognize this as a case of Polyjuice Potion misuse? That's not like you, Professor?Ā Snape understood the surprised look Armostad gave him. He glared at Armostad, his grim gaze falling back on Hermione. "Answer my question, Miss Granger, or do you prefer Minerva to explain for you?"
Upon hearing this, Hermione, who was already like a startled bird, trembled. The current situation was already bad enough. If Professor McGonagall found out, she simply couldn't face Gryffindor's dwindling hourglass. "My current appearance... is because I overestimated my Transfiguration skills, Professor Snape," Hermione lowered her head, staring intently at her toes, her voice tearful. For a moment, she was glad she had a face full of black fur. Otherwise, she was sure her flushed cheeks would expose her lie.
"I had pre-readĀ Advanced TransfigurationĀ and thought I could cast the human transfiguration spells described in the book... I'm very sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation with this prof... I mean, this gentleman. I was reading in bed at the time, researching how to cure my magical injuries faster, but the commotion outside caught my attention.
I thought it was the Chamber... You know, the attacks have made us Muggle-born wizards very nervousā" Armostad noticed Snape's face turn ashen, his breathing growing heavier. If the young witch continued to make up stories, a tragedy might very well occur in the infirmary.
"No need to explain, Miss Granger," The Golden Viper of the underworld was a cold, sharp, murderous wizard who walked the line between dark and light, but Armostad Blaine, without his black robes, was a very friendly and gentle person. It was hard to say which side was his true self and which was a disguise.
Perhaps, it was all the truest Armostad Blaine. Hermione, who was desperately trying to make her words believable, looked up blankly, seeing a pair of very beautiful purple eyes and a gentle smile on a young, handsome face. She was dazed for a moment. Hermione felt that the young wizard's smile somewhat resembled Headmaster Dumbledore's. Kind, tolerant, yet containing the wisdom to see through the truth.
"I'm sorry, sir, what I said was..."
"My name is Armostad Blaine, you may call me Mr. Blaine," Armostad interrupted Hermione's explanation again, smiling pleasantly. "No matter why you ended up looking like this, Miss Granger, I imagine you've learned a painful lesson, so Professor Snape won't punish you further, right?" Armostad looked at Snape, receiving only a disdainful snort.
"As for eavesdropping on our conversation, that's not a serious offense for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old witch at a curious age. Professor Snape and I have very magnanimously decided not to pursue the matter. You don't need to worry too much~" In terms of authority, Armostad clearly couldn't compare to the long-established Snape. Although Mr. Blaine said he wouldn't mind the eavesdropping, Hermione still didn't dare to relax. She carefully watched Snape, fearing her Potions professor would object.
Perhaps it was due to Armostad's plea, perhaps due to Dumbledore's instructions, in any case, Snape turned and left without another word. This also saved Gryffindor from the tragic fate of losing fifty points during the Christmas holiday.
"Well then, see you later, Miss Granger." Armostad smiled slightly and turned to leave as well.
Hermione, who had barely had time to feel relieved after surviving the ordeal, just regained her senses when she noticed the mysterious man who called himself Blaine was already about to step out of the infirmary door. "Please wait, sir... I mean, Mr. Blaine!" Hermione instinctively blurted out. When Armostad turned back, his face showing surprise, she realized what she had done. "Mr. Blaine, are you a Healer?"
Hermione's face flushed. She didn't know why she had called out to Blaine, but at the crucial moment, her nimble mind once again saved her. "I just heard you and Professor Snape discussing Colin and Justin's condition. Can... can you cure them?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, I do not possess that ability." Armostad shook his head and said calmly, "Since Headmaster Dumbledore already has a way to cure them, I don't think you need to rush. After all, lying in a hospital bed is also a form of protection for them."
Armostad turned to leave again, his voice continuing to filter through the closing door to Hermione's ears, "Also, Miss Granger, I am an investigator."
...
That night, Armostad stayed overnight in Snape's staff quarters. The two conversed late into the night by candlelight. He meticulously questioned Snape about the details of the three attack scenes and how the victims were discovered. Among them, Filch's Mrs. Norris and Finch-Fletchley's first witness after being attacked was Harry Potter. Armostad was not surprised by this point. He was the protagonist, after all. Even if he stayed home, trouble would automatically find him.
What astonished him was Snape's scathing expression when he commented on Harry Potter. "You can tell what kind of person he is from Hermione Grangerāa mouth full of lies, mediocre, arrogant, prone to violating rules, attention-seeking, impudent!"
A few feet away, Armostad, who was writing and sketching at a desk, looked up in surprise. "How strange, Professor. A wizard who earns such a review from you is rarer than one who earns your praise. I'm starting to feel a little curious about that boy."
"You'll know when you meet him, Armostad," Snape said coldly, half-reclining on his bed, staring at the fiercely burning flames in the fireplace. "His self-important, 'I can handle everything' style is simply cut from the same cloth as his father!"
"Ahā" Armostad flipped over the wornĀ Ancient Charms: A Simplified TheoryĀ (by Uric the Oddball) before him and continued to write equations on the parchment. He occasionally waved his wand, sending ripples through the air, attempting to build effective spell models. In the past two years, he had spent most of his time traveling, squeezing out time for research and self-improvement.
"Understood, so it's a feud from the previous generation." Armostad didn't press further about what grudge Snape had with Potter's father, because he clearly knew that everyone had pasts they didn't wish others to touch. Why forcibly reopen someone else's wounds, which had just barely healed, for a bit of insignificant curiosity of his own?