The moment Snape stepped out, three little heads peeked through the gap of the office door in perfect synchronization, their bright eyes fixed curiously on Charles.
"What are you three doing out there? Come in already."
Charles couldn't help but chuckle, waving them inside.The trio immediately scampered in, sitting obediently on the chairs while Mr. Mime served them small treats.
"Professor, are you all right?" Hermione asked, her tone full of concern.
"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Charles asked, puzzled by their sudden visit.
"Um… Harry said that Snape was trying to poison you…"
"I won't deny he's probably thought about it," Charles said dryly, "but you three should be more respectful—address him as 'Professor Snape' or 'Sir,' at the very least."
"But if he's trying to kill you—or Harry—how can he still be called a professor?" Ron blurted. "Dumbledore should fire him, and then you could take over as Head of Slytherin!"
Gryffindors had long suffered under Snape's bias. The idea of replacing him with someone fair was music to their ears.
"Professor Snape hasn't tried to murder anyone," Charles said patiently. "Doing something like that would bring him no benefit. He may be unfair, but he wouldn't intentionally harm a student."
"But—I saw it with my own eyes!" Hermione protested anxiously.
"Yeah!" Ron added. "He hates Harry! Professor, you probably don't know what he's like with him—it's like they're sworn enemies!"
Harry didn't speak, but his resolute gaze confirmed Ron's words.
Charles sighed. There was no avoiding some explanation.
He'd just promised Snape not to reveal his secret, but this much would hardly remain hidden for long. Even if Charles kept quiet, Sirius would eventually tell Harry.
Looking seriously at the boy, he said,"Snape doesn't like you because he and your father were rivals when they were young. But that's all—he wouldn't go so far as to take your life."
Of course, that was only half the truth.The other half was that Snape's behavior toward Harry had been orchestrated by Dumbledore himself.It was just that whenever Snape saw Harry's face, his hatred for James Potter made him carry out Dumbledore's plan with double enthusiasm.
Bully the son of James Potter?Snape did that without a shred of guilt.
"Then how do you explain him trying to poison you?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"Oh, that." Charles pulled out the potion Snape had given him earlier. "This is one of his new brews—he's been experimenting with ingredients derived from Pokémon hair. It does have a bit of toxicity."
He lifted the vial and explained,"This one's made from Gloom's mucus. It smells nice enough, but if you drink it, you'll be vomiting uncontrollably for two weeks. Snape's made quite a few of these, but honestly, most aren't much better than existing potions."
He uncorked the vial, and a faint herbal fragrance filled the air.Though Gloom was notorious for its stench, its saliva was actually used in the Pokémon world as a perfume ingredient—a sticky kind of floral nectar.
Charles had even confirmed the formula directly with Snape earlier—earning only scorn and the remark that he was "wasting his talent."As for the potion's effects, Charles had tested it on a dark wizard. The results had been… convincing.
"Would you like to try a sip?"He held the potion toward them.
The three students recoiled instantly, shaking their heads in horror.
Charles sighed, corking the bottle again. "See? Even if Professor Snape did try to 'poison' me, it would only be with something as disgusting as this. Besides, he knows I'd never drink it."
"Fine, but even so, I'm sure Snape wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone!" Harry said firmly.
He recounted what he had seen on Halloween night—Snape sneaking around, the injury on his leg, and all.
Ron nodded in agreement."He must be after the Stone! It can turn anything into gold and grant immortality! Of course Snape would want it—he looks like he can't even afford shampoo! My family's got seven kids and we still manage better than that!"
Charles couldn't help laughing. Ron was such a little miser. To him, the Stone's power to make gold was far more exciting than eternal life.
"You're mistaken, Ron. Someone like Professor Snape could easily make plenty of money—one bottle of his potion could sell for a fortune. He doesn't use shampoo because, well, most wizarding shampoos used to be made by the Potter family.There are some new brands now, but I suspect he's simply used to not washing his hair."He smirked."At least I know Lockhart endorses one of those new ones."
"Anyway," he changed the subject, "how's your badge collection going? No one's challenged me yet, you know. Don't forget, the Hogwarts Cup will be held at the end of the term."
"I've got two badges already, same as Harry," Ron said quickly. "But Professor Quirrell's badge was basically free. He didn't even summon a Pokémon."
"Um… I don't think I'll participate in the end-of-term tournament," Hermione said softly.She didn't care much for Pokémon battles—in fact, she found the idea of commanding them to fight rather cruel. She was even considering forming a Pokémon Protection Club.
But Pokémon loved battling by nature; forbidding them from doing so might actually make them unhappy.
"No one's challenged you because we all think you and Dumbledore are the strongest," Harry said. "We planned to wait until we earn our fourth badge before trying."
"I won't be fighting with full power," Charles said helplessly.
It was natural that the young wizards' levels were still low—they'd only recently received their Pokémon. And not many people at Hogwarts had Pokémon to begin with.If he fought seriously, there'd be no point in holding the Cup at all.
Improvement would come with time; there was no rushing it.
"How about it, then? Want to try earning the Creation Badge?" he offered.
Harry and Ron both looked tempted, excitement flickering in their eyes.
But just as they were about to agree, another visitor arrived at Charles's office.
"Professor Gold—" Draco Malfoy's voice came from the doorway. He opened the door and froze mid-sentence when he spotted Harry and his friends."—Potter? What are you doing here?"
Harry turned his head away pointedly, refusing to answer.
This annoying Malfoy even talked like Snape.
"What brings you here, Malfoy?" Charles narrowed his eyes slightly.
He hadn't paid attention to whether Lucius Malfoy had been involved in the recent attack, but judging from Draco's expression, it seemed his father was unharmed.
The real question was whether the Malfoy family knew about the incident—or worse, whether they had a hand in it.
And for Draco to show up now, of all times…That could only mean one thing.
It was a test.
(End of Chapter)