💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎
🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch
⏰ Resets Monday!
------
After the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match, December arrived.
The weather grew colder. Lead-gray clouds stacked layer upon layer over Hogwarts. Sunshine diminished day by day—like the gems in each house's hourglass. The gloomy weather soured students' tempers. Professors constantly encountered students fighting before their eyes. However, when points were deducted, everyone claimed they were "wizard dueling."
In all of Hogwarts, only Anthony and Quirrell had professor offices on the castle's second floor (Note 1). Professor McGonagall requested they patrol the second floor during their free time.
After catching two Gryffindors scribbling on walls, Anthony lost interest and rarely went out.
His deterrent effect on Slytherin students remained potent—he never encountered rule-breaking Slytherins. As soon as they saw him appear in the corridor, whether they'd violated school rules or not, they all packed up and quickly left his sight.
According to reliable sources, to preserve their remaining green gems, Slytherin had been quite well-behaved lately. Their point deductions were even fewer than Hufflepuff's. Hufflepuff, the house with the most students, mainly lost points for "forgot the essay, will submit tomorrow"—both true and false claims.
Perhaps because the responsible Slytherins suppressed the matter, almost no one in school knew exactly how Anthony had deducted so many points at once. What baffled Slytherin most was that they believed Snape must have protested, yet this massive deduction hadn't been reversed.
Professor Sprout told him that Slytherin's internal view was that Anthony was ruthless. To curry favor with the Gryffindor-born Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, he'd gritted his teeth and deducted all the points. Besides, Anthony's background must be terrifyingly solid, making those who knew the details extremely secretive.
After Anthony saved Harry Potter at the pitch, this viewpoint gained more supporters.
Yes, saved Harry Potter. After Madam Hooch agreed to a rematch, the rationality that had flown away with the players and Golden Snitch suddenly returned. Except for Harry, who still felt he'd been one step from victory, everyone believed Professor Anthony had protected their precious talented Seeker at the critical moment, and they were immensely grateful.
"Look how popular he is at school now!" Slytherin said alertly after two Gryffindors cheerfully let Anthony deduct their points. "He actually deducts Gryffindor points. He'll be even harsher catching Slytherins!"
Once, the Slytherin Quidditch captain was clearly heading to a third-floor class. Seeing Anthony pass the staircase, he unhesitatingly descended back to the first floor.
Professor McGonagall, patrolling the first floor, stopped him. "I recall Slytherin has Charms class now. Return to the classroom. Don't skip."
The large figure glared at Anthony with false bravado, carefully stepping onto the stairs. His athlete's qualities showed brilliantly at this moment—that creaky old wooden staircase made no sound at all. Anthony was quite shocked.
"No need to be so nervous," Anthony smiled. "I'm not your Head of House. I won't deduct points because your left foot stepped on the stairs."
The other looked down and switched his right foot to his left. Just as Anthony wondered if he was being provocative, that foot jerked back as if scalded.
The tall, burly upper-year Slytherin asked worriedly, "...Which foot is the left foot?" Seeing Anthony's expression, he added, "Professor."
Now Anthony only patrolled corridors when going to or from the library. He currently had no interest in watching Slytherins scatter like frightened birds.
Returning from the library with his notebook, he unexpectedly heard Snape's voice.
"You know what I'm talking about, Quirrell," Snape hissed, his voice echoing off the corridor's empty walls. "Don't think I haven't noticed your little interests... quite skilled at dealing with trolls, aren't you?"
Professor Quirrell stammered, "I—I don't know what you're t-talking about, Sn-Sn-Snape."
"Oh really?" Snape said icily. "Shall I help you recall Halloween's story? When I entered your room following the Deputy Headmistress's request, what potion was on your bedside? How could you—how dare you—think I wouldn't recognize it?"
Quirrell insisted, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Snape said smoothly, "Don't play dumb, Quirrell. You're a clever man. Not stuttering now, hmm? No need to try covering up... I see through it. I didn't have to warn you—really wanted to see the Headmaster's face when he discovers he trusted the wrong person—but I'm sick of your pitiful act."
Anthony found this somewhat familiar... He felt Snape had used this same rhetoric on him in the staff room before. If students dared submit two essays with such similar reasoning, Anthony would seriously consider plagiarism.
He couldn't help pitying Snape. Living with persecution complex must be difficult.
After Snape left, Quirrell still stood timidly against the wall, seemingly trapped in panic.
Anthony approached to comfort him. "I heard."
Quirrell's whole body shook. He looked at Anthony in terror. Anthony quickly said, "It's all right. He said similar things to me before." Gaining Snape's favor was perhaps the most difficult yet meaningless task in the entire castle.
Professor Quirrell asked quietly, "Similar...?"
Anthony patted his sweat-soaked back reassuringly—if he didn't know what a professional Defense Against the Dark Arts expert Professor Quirrell was, he might, like others, overlook Quirrell's knowledge and focus only on his garlic-scented turban.
"Yes, almost identical," Anthony said. "So don't worry. I'm on your side."
Professor Quirrell nodded. "I believe you, Professor An-Anthony." He proactively asked, "How is your t-topic about resurrection progressing?"
Anthony looked at him in surprise. After Snape's scare, Quirrell barely stuttered.
"The resurrection one? Going well enough," Anthony answered. "I encountered some problems researching the soul's nature, so I've temporarily set it aside. But otherwise, no major issues... oh, right, thanks for lending me that book last time. It helped tremendously. That one was indeed very enlightening."
Quirrell said with certainty, "Yes, a good book. Besides it, there's another book about s-souls... should have been in the Restricted Section, but can't be found now. That one is also very—very good."
"Oh, I should know which one you mean," Anthony said. "Though it's an old book, its perspective sounds very novel. But I haven't found it since joining the staff either. What was it called..." He tapped his head, trying to remember the magical theory book's name that neither he nor Madam Pince had found before term started.
Quirrell didn't say the title. "Very novel," he said. "Very cutting-edge."
Note 1: This fanfiction's castle map uses the ground floor counting method. The so-called "second floor" office is actually the third floor by domestic definition.
------
🔥 Want to read the next 30 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 Join on -
✨patreon.com/GoldenLong