Harry shivered; Snape's shout made his skin crawl.
It was common knowledge that love for one person was impossible to hide, but if you loved two, you had to keep them well-concealed.
Snape had once been a textbook Death Eater, but his love for Lily had eclipsed everything—surpassing even his own ambitions and beliefs. It had driven him to become a double agent among the Death Eaters, all for the sake of keeping Lily safe.
Sadly, he hadn't been able to protect her.
Harry's eyes were the exact same as those of his mother, Lily Potter. Looking at them brought back such vivid memories that Snape's suppressed emotions were impossible to hide.
In Snape's eyes, those emerald-green pupils were like the freshest leaves of a spring morning, as if painted by an elf's purest magic. They were as deep as a silent, ancient forest, with a green hue that seemed to flow like ghostly light. When the sunlight fell upon them, they shimmered with a gemstone's brilliance, much like dewdrops hidden among dense foliage, glowing with an intoxicating radiance in the dawn.
As his vision returned, the blurry figure gradually sharpened. The smoke dissipated, revealing Harry's face.
'What a loathsome face! It's practically identical to James Potter's.'
"Professor?" Harry shivered, taking a step back to avoid Snape's hand as he called out softly.
Snape snapped back to his senses instantly. Looking at Harry's face, his expression became more unsightly than if he had just swallowed a whole bag of booger-flavored Every Flavor Beans.
He stepped forward and gripped Harry's hand tightly, looming over the boy. His gaze swept across White Ivory and Ebony. "Playing with gimmicky toys and attacking a professor... 50 points from Gryffindor!"
Snape flicked his wand. Everywhere the yellow light touched, the smoke vanished, revealing the absolute chaos within the hall.
Countless stools lay overturned. Long tables had been pushed aside to serve as cover, with plates and cups scattered everywhere.
On both sides, injured students lay on the floor groaning. Having already been treated with Essence of Dittany, their lives were in no danger.
"Good, very good!" Snape looked around the Great Hall and gave a cold smile. "Brawling in a group and harming your fellow students... another 50 points from Gryffindor!"
"Professor!" Harry shouted angrily. "Malfoy and his lot started it! Why are we the only ones losing points?"
"It is not your place to tell me how to discipline my students, Mr. Potter." Snape's eyes narrowed slightly. "Talking back to a professor... another 20 points from Gryffindor!"
Harry: "!!!"
He glared at Snape but didn't dare say another word.
Snape was satisfied with Harry's reaction. He let go of Harry's arm with a cold smirk. "Go find Head of House McGonagall. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to give you detention."
With that, he turned toward his own Slytherin students. "Using foul language to insult classmates and brawling... 50 points from Slytherin."
He pointed at Malfoy and the other two. "The three of you, follow me to my office. The rest of you will spend the next month cleaning the Potions classroom and the Trophy Room."
Seeing them still standing there in a daze, Snape said sarcastically, "What are you waiting for? Do you expect me to call a carriage to escort you out?"
The Slytherins exchanged glances and hurriedly stowed away their firearms and projectiles, bowing their heads as they filed out of the Great Hall.
The Gryffindors were even more miserable. Having lost 120 points in one go, they had effectively bid farewell to this year's House Cup.
But in the face of Snape's wrath, no one dared to protest further.
Harry lowered his head and returned to his friends. They looked completely dejected as they left the Great Hall, lining up to head toward Professor McGonagall's office.
For the first time, Hermione wasn't angry with Harry for the point loss. Instead, she took hold of Harry's arm and whispered words of comfort.
After everyone had left, Snape lingered for a moment, his gaze suddenly sweeping over the staff table as he frowned.
After observing the area several times and finding nothing unusual, Snape whipped his cloak and turned to leave the hall.
In his invisible state, Makiya patted his chest. He had thought for a second that Snape had seen through his Disillusionment Charm.
After waiting a while longer, Makiya quietly slipped out of the Great Hall.
Inside Snape's office, the atmosphere was oppressive.
The flickering candlelight only illuminated Snape's chin, leaving most of his face shrouded in shadows.
Malfoy and his two lackeys were huddled together like frightened chicks, shivering where they stood.
"Can someone tell me..." Snape's silky, low voice reached their ears, "who said that word?"
"What word?" the dim-witted Goyle asked.
"Don't play dumb!" Snape's voice rose. "No matter how much you despise Muggle-born wizards, you should never have used that word. Now, tell me, who said it?"
Malfoy looked left and right, then said tremulously, "Pro... Professor, I... I said it, but the others said it too!"
"Very well, Mr. Malfoy." Snape gave a sinister smile and patted Malfoy's shoulder. "Go and bring those others here. I have some... special Potions knowledge I intend to impart to you all."
Malfoy: "...Yes, Professor."
After Malfoy left, Snape looked at Goyle and Crabbe. He picked up one of the alchemical firearms and inspected it. "Where did you get these things?"
Goyle and Crabbe didn't dare hide anything and immediately spilled everything they knew.
Snape's eyes narrowed slightly.
The next day, a pleasant Saturday morning, most students chose to sleep in.
Autumn rain lashed against Hogwarts, and the temperature dropped sharply. The already cold castle became even more chilling, making it perfect weather for sleeping.
Makiya uncharacteristically woke up early. He was huddled in his small room with the fireplace lit, wrapped in a blanket as he flipped through a copy of the Miraculous Alchemy journal.
Suddenly, the flames in the fireplace flared up, and a faint magical ripple echoed within them.
Whoosh!
The fire seemed to come alive, flying into the air. Under Makiya's watchful eye, it gradually formed letters, composing a few short lines of text.
The message was simple: Headmaster Dumbledore invited Makiya to his office for a chat and asked him to bring some of his alchemical works.
Makiya complied and brought his creations to the top floor of the Hogwarts main tower, finding the stone gargoyle.
"Password!" the gargoyle barked in a low voice.
Makiya recalled the flaming letters and said, "Fizzing Whizbees."
"Correct. Please enter." The gargoyle slowly turned, revealing the spiral staircase hidden behind it.
Climbing the spiral staircase to the top floor, Makiya pushed open the door to the Headmaster's office. Before he could take in the room's contents, a sarcastic voice rang out.
"Oh my, look who it is. Our little genius, Mr. Makiya, has arrived!" Snape leaned against the window, squinting at Makiya.
Makiya frowned. 'What's his problem all of a sudden? Is he looking for trouble?'
He looked around. Albus Dumbledore, with his head of silver-white hair, sat behind the headmaster's desk, observing him with interest.
On the desk lay two alchemical firearms he had made, along with a smoke drone.
"Professor Snape flatters me," Makiya replied with a smile. "Even geniuses need mediocre people as a foil. In that regard, the students of Slytherin have done an excellent job."
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