Chapter 376 |
Chapter 376: He Wants to Be Harry’s Dad!
"Being able to deal with a troll as a first-year student and protect your classmates is no easy feat. Although this is not something to be encouraged, I must say, Draco, you did very well. For that, Slytherin will receive five points," Professor McGonagall said to Draco with a somewhat complicated expression.
"As for you two!" McGonagall shifted her tone, looking at Harry and Ron. "Although your intentions were understandable, what you should have done was notify a professor instead of recklessly running out on your own. For that, you will each lose five points...five points each!"
Faced with McGonagall’s penalty announcement, Harry and Ron couldn’t help but lower their heads.
Losing points was bad enough, but seeing Draco steal the spotlight was even more painful—almost worse than being killed.
Especially Ron, who, looking at Hermione standing next to Draco, inexplicably felt as if he had lost something important, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.
Under McGonagall’s urging, the two had no choice but to leave the scene and return to their dormitory.
As for Hermione, McGonagall didn’t urge her much. She could tell the young girl had been quite frightened and was now somewhat relying on Malfoy.
After McGonagall watched Harry and Ron leave with her gaze, the pretentious Professor Quirrell also left.
"Well done, boy!" Severus Snape, who remained behind, very rarely patted Draco on the shoulder in praise, but when his gaze passed over Hermione, it revealed a hint of complexity.
A Gryffindor girl, a Slytherin boy...heh...
"Professor, are you injured?" Just as Snape was about to leave, Draco noticed his awkward way of walking.
"That’s none of your business. Just take care of Miss Granger!" Snape’s expression changed, and after covering his wound, he tried to leave.
"Professor, regardless of your responsibilities, everyone needs a healthy body. This is Moonwell Water, it can quickly heal injuries!" Ignoring Snape’s stubbornness, Draco handed him a glass bottle.
Snape was immediately amused. A prestigious potions master like himself, needing medicine from this kid?
And what was this Moonwell Water that could heal injuries? He’d never heard of it. Was this boy being deceived?
So Snape took the bottle rudely and uncorked it.
As soon as the bottle opened, a surge of natural magical energy burst out, instantly changing Snape’s complexion.
The magical power contained was probably far beyond even unicorn blood!
"Where did you get this potion?" Snape couldn’t help but ask.
"Professor, everyone has their secrets, don’t they?" Draco smiled without answering directly.
No way he was going to tell Snape it was a specialty from the elves of another world.
"Everyone has their secrets? Fine, fine. Students nowadays, each one is more arrogant than the last!" Snape, somewhat amused and annoyed, took the potion and left without looking back.
"Is it really okay to talk to Professor Snape like that? He’s quite petty," Hermione said to Draco after Snape left.
"Haha, don’t worry. Professor Snape is actually cold on the outside but warm inside," Draco laughed.
"But he always targets me and Harry..." Hermione muttered.
"…Trust me, Snape only targets Harry. You’re just caught in Harry’s mess," Draco said sympathetically, patting the girl’s shoulder to comfort her.
He had already learned from Josh about the complicated love and hate between Snape and Harry’s parents’ generation. He could only say it was more exciting than Gilderoy Lockhart’s novels—though Draco also knew Lockhart was a fraud, his books were still somewhat entertaining as fiction.
"Caught in Harry’s mess? Why?" Hermione was puzzled.
"Well, I’ll tell you secretly, but don’t tell anyone, okay?" Draco looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then whispered in Hermione’s ear.
At first, Hermione was a bit uncomfortable with Draco’s closeness, especially when his warm breath made her blush.
But soon, she was shocked by what Draco said, her eyes growing wider and wider…
Neither Draco nor Hermione noticed that a translucent figure had quietly been hiding in the wall beside them for some time.
…
The next morning, Harry and Ron arrived at the dining hall for breakfast as usual and saw Hermione sitting alone.
"Some people just don’t know their place. A Muggle-born wizard trying to be friends with Slytherin? Ridiculous!" Ron mocked.
Ron already disliked Hermione’s usual top-student attitude, and after yesterday’s rescue attempt failed and Draco stole the spotlight, he felt even more frustrated.
A teenage kid could hardly hold back such a cruel remark.
In Gryffindor, anyone who was known to be friends with Slytherin would definitely be ostracized.
Of course, the same applied to Slytherin.
Sure enough, as soon as Ron spoke, the Gryffindors eating nearby all turned their gazes to Hermione, wanting to see how she would respond.
Unexpectedly, Hermione did not refute but instead gave Ron and Harry a somewhat pitying look.
"What’s that look for?" Ron was furious!
"Thank you both for risking breaking school rules to save me yesterday, but it’s clear now that we are not suitable to be friends. So there’s no need for much more interaction," Hermione sighed.
"Ha, so you still want to be friends with that blond pretty boy!" Ron’s face flushed as he accused her, not realizing he was pushing Hermione further away as a friend.
"I make my own friends. No one else’s business!" Hermione said calmly. After yesterday’s experience, she seemed to have matured a lot. Then she looked at Harry, who was about to speak, but Snape arrived.
"Good luck, Potter. Hope you perform well in the Quidditch match today!" Snape said coldly, then glanced at Hermione before leaving without waiting for a response.
"…His injury healed so quickly?" Harry watched Snape leave, feeling strange.
"Injury? What injury?" Ron asked curiously.
"I suspect Snape dealt with the troll last night so he could sneak past the three-headed dog to steal something, but probably failed…I saw his leg was injured and bleeding a lot," Harry explained.
"Wow, that sounds scary. But what was he trying to steal?" Ron was surprised.
Hermione twitched at the corner of her mouth, thinking whether to recommend Harry see Sherlock Holmes.
"Before school started, Hagrid took something from the goblin vault, said it was top secret!" Harry replied. "Snape must want that thing!"
"Harry, many things aren’t as they seem on the surface…" Hermione sighed.
"Or what? You think Snape genuinely wishes Harry well? Don’t forget, he’s been targeting Harry since day one! I think you’ve been hanging with Slytherins too much and have been influenced by them!" Ron interrupted before Hermione could finish.
"Why not? If you don’t trust him, do you trust Dumbledore?" Hermione said helplessly.
"Huh? Then how do you explain Snape always targeting Harry?" Ron scoffed.
"Because he wants to be Harry’s dad!" Suddenly, Peeves appeared behind them, shouting, "Snape wants to be Harry’s—"
"SHATTERED TO PIECES!!!!" Before Peeves could finish, the hall echoed with Snape’s angry curse, blasting Peeves away!
That idiot even dares to mess with Snape…Nearly Headless Nick shook his head as he passed by.