"I thought you were more discerning in choosing your friends." When talking about Harry and his friends, Professor Snape was like a venomous snake, hissing and spitting out no kind words.
"Professor, do you not think Miss Granger is one of the top students academically?" Draco calmly countered.
"Top of the class? You mean she just copies the answers from the textbook verbatim every time she answers a question in class?" Snape said dismissively.
"Not everyone has such groundbreaking talent as you," Draco said slowly. "She is already quite intelligent compared to other young wizards her age."
Snape snorted coldly.
"As for Mr Potter and Mr Weasley, there is no doubt that they are first-rate at getting into trouble—" He glanced furtively at Professor Snape, finding him to be fairly composed.
"But they are not bad people, and they have been fairly friendly to me," Draco said with a shrug.
"A proper Slytherin should be able to assess the situation and avoid getting himself into unnecessary trouble," Professor Snape said softly.
"Of course, Professor," Draco agreed. "However, I also believe that even the most cunning Slytherin needs one or two true friends."
"True Friend? All I see is an ignorant, arrogant, troublemaking, reckless, and brainless jerk." Snape shifted his gaze to the now-ceased bubbling potion and said in a low voice.
Draco remained silent. He knew he should not argue with Professor Snape—it would not do him any good.
But for some reason, perhaps because Professor Snape's attitude was not as intense as he had expected, or perhaps because he had just brewed a potion that would earn Professor Snape's praise, he could not help but ask, "Do you know where I first met Potter?"
"Why would you think I am interested in such trivial things?" Professor Snape frowned, waved his wand, and put the remaining plantain in the cabinet at the other end of the room.
Draco ignored him, tidying up the potion supplies around the cauldron as he continued, "At Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. He was wearing ill-fitting, worn-out Muggle clothes, staring nervously at the automatic measuring tape, as if he had never seen a magical item before... He did not even know how many Houses Hogwarts had back then... He had never even eaten a Chocolate Frog..."
He keenly noticed the fleeting look of displeasure on Professor Snape's face.
Why? Draco did not have time to think further and could only continue, "To say he is ignorant? I agree that he is ignorant. He is a household name in the wizarding world, yet he knows nothing about his own origins. He does not even have a picture of his mother."
Professor Snape paused in his stirring of the potion. He asked casually, his tone even, "Are you pitying him?"
"No. I just mean that his ignorance and even recklessness have their reasons. He does not know what the consequences of his actions will be, nor does he know the dangers of the magical world," Draco explained cautiously.
This was his honest opinion. This was the truth he gradually came to realise over the two years he spent with Harry.
He glanced at Professor Snape, who seemed lost in thought, and then boldly continued, "The Potter family is an ancient wizarding family, and its sole heir has fallen to such a state of being without guidance and losing his lineage. I am just... feeling sorry for him. I just wanted to remind him occasionally, lest he go astray."
"It is astonishing that a Slytherin could be so compassionate," Professor Snape said, emphasising each word.
Draco chuckled awkwardly but did not reply.
Know when to stop, lest Professor Snape's anger be directed at you.
"Of course, I respect the freedom of Slytherin students to choose their friends. But do not bring shame to Slytherin House, and do not cause any trouble." Professor Snape remained expressionless. "You may leave."
Draco bowed politely to him, then walked briskly out of the dungeon classroom, closing the heavy door behind him.
He did not see the indescribable heartache that appeared on that stern face the instant the door closed.
The door to the Headmaster's office opened.
A figure in a billowing black robe, exuding a chilling aura, rushed into the Headmaster's office. Snape strode in, his chest filled with rage, his black cloak billowing behind him.
"Severus, I did not expect you to arrive so quickly." Dumbledore sat with a smile on his face in the large armchair behind the Headmaster's desk, still stroking his beloved phoenix Fawkes.
Snape stood in the centre of the Headmaster's office, his eyes blazing with fury, saying nothing. The air around the carpet where he stood grew icy cold.
If Harry saw this scene, he might think that the sharp-tongued Potions professor had acquired a new skill—the function of an ice maker.
"Well?" Dumbledore's blue eyes peered curiously at Snape through his half-moon spectacles, seemingly unconcerned about the dark aura emanating from his face, instead trying to discern a conclusion from his cold expression. The phoenix also cried out, its gaze following Dumbledore's as it scrutinised him.
"I am really curious why this phoenix has not turned into a bald chicken yet," Snape said ominously. Fawkes, as if understanding, squawked at him in annoyance.
"It seems the outcome was not as good as I expected." Dumbledore glanced at him nonchalantly and shrugged.
"Quite the opposite. Our young and foolish Mr Malfoy considers Potter a friend," Snape said through gritted teeth.
Snape's words caused Dumbledore to show a slight look of surprise. However, he quickly composed himself.
"As I said before, never underestimate a Slytherin," he said with a smile. "We might find surprising friendships amongst them."
"Perhaps I should not have overestimated Gryffindor!" Snape raised his voice, his usually slow speech suddenly accelerating. "What did you promise me? You promised to take good care of him! To take good care of Lily's bloodline! And then what? Abused by Muggles, completely ignorant of our world, and this is what you call taking good care of him? How dare you…"
"We reached a consensus from the beginning. Early fame and immense recognition would ruin him," Dumbledore said calmly. "It was the best option we could have made."
"Isolation from the magical world does not mean he should be completely ignorant of magic or anything about himself. You are ruining him! No wonder he did not know anything when I asked him questions at the beginning of the school year! I thought he was just lazy and ignorant… I should have known! How could Lily's son be lazy and ignorant… The ridiculous thing is, he does not even know what Lily looks like!" Snape stood straight in front of the Headmaster's desk, his dark eyes looking down at Dumbledore in his armchair, his anger overflowing.
A flicker of vulnerability crossed Dumbledore's blue eyes. He remained seated, unmoved, but his smile vanished. "In this respect, it was indeed my oversight... I did not expect his aunt's family to be so averse to magic, even blaming their own nephew for Lily's death."
"Do not make excuses! I warned you long ago what kind of person Petunia Evans is—" Snape said angrily.
"At least he will have the protection of blood magic. At least he is alive, is he not?" Dumbledore said calmly.
"Alive? Just like an ignorant pig, alive is enough?" Snape sneered.
"Severus, do not be silly. You know how dire the situation was back then." Dumbledore rubbed his temples and closed his eyes wearily. "At that time, many Death Eaters had not yet been captured, and people thought Voldemort would make a comeback… It was a stroke of luck that we were alive."
Snape stopped looking at Dumbledore. He pursed his lips tightly and stared blankly at the dark Hogwarts grounds outside the Headmaster's office window.
"And now, I am afraid Voldemort is already stirring." Dumbledore stood up and paced around the room. "I think you should remember that last year, when Quirrell was Petrified, Voldemort's fragmented soul remained in his body. We still have not found an ideal way to solve Quirrell's Petrification problem and trap that soul so that he cannot escape."
Snape remained silent. The surging waves of anger subsided somewhat, and the shoals of reason returned to his mind. Somewhere deep down, he knew Dumbledore was right.
"This year's Chamber of Secrets incident is also closely related to Voldemort. He used a diary from his youth as a medium to bewitch people, and it is very likely that he also used the knowledge of Horcruxes that I mentioned to you earlier today." He tapped the charred diary on the table with his finger—he had been keeping it close at hand to study and examine it recently.
"According to Harry's account, Voldemort in the diary wanted to kill him. I am not sure exactly how many of Voldemort's Horcruxes are still out there, but one thing is certain: if they were activated, the first thing they would likely do is kill Harry Potter." Dumbledore frowned.
Snape's gaunt face turned ashen. He turned away, no longer looking out the window. "So?"
"As long as Voldemort is not completely defeated, Harry will always be in danger. The future will only be more dangerous, more dangerous than ever before. He needs friends. He should be surrounded by friends, not enemies. I think we should respect young Mr Malfoy's right to make friends. Of course, there are also Mr Weasley and Miss Granger; they can both help him," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
Snape let out a disgusted snort from his hooked nose.
"For the foreseeable future, I will be spending a great deal of time investigating any Horcruxes Voldemort may have left behind. I have a feeling this will be a massive undertaking. I can no longer keep an eye on the school every day as before. During this time when I am unable to attend to Hogwarts, you must protect Harry, as a teacher at Hogwarts, and even more so as Lily's friend," Dumbledore said.
"...like a dutiful old woman," Snape said sarcastically. "A nanny."
"Yes. That is one way to put it." Dumbledore's blue eyes gazed at him calmly, as if he knew he would agree.
"Do not tell anyone." Snape's face was ashen. He coldly uttered these words and strode away from Dumbledore's office.