Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 108 Do you know how I've spent the last two months?

After dragging his weary body back to the castle from the Forbidden Forest with the headmaster, Snape had only one thought on his mind—to take a hot bath and then lie down on the bed and sleep until dawn.

After entering the foyer, Dumbledore headed towards the marble staircase. Snape hesitated for a moment, then followed him.

"What are you doing following me, Severus?" Dumbledore asked without turning his head.

“Oh, I’m not following you, Professor,” Snape said. “I just want to take a bath. It’s the same way to the prefect’s washroom.”

"Alright then." Dumbledore chuckled softly and said nothing more.

The two walked in silence for a while.

"Good night, Severus. Remember not to soak too long." Dumbledore stopped at the top of the stairs on the sixth floor. "Don't forget you have classes tomorrow."

“Good night, Professor,” Snape replied, watching Dumbledore continue upstairs, his robes flashing past the corner.

After parting ways with the headmaster at the stairwell, he walked along the moonlit corridor and came to the statue of Boris the Fool—a wizard with a blank expression and his gloves on backwards.

Just as he was about to look for the bathroom door, a faint light in the corner caught his attention.

Looking down, he saw that they were like two small lamps, glowing in the darkness.

“Good evening, Mrs. Lorris,” Snape said in a low voice. “Don’t call out to me.”

Mrs. Lorris was raising her tail, her fur bristling, as if preparing to sound an alarm.

"Stop!" Snape darted forward and grabbed her by the back of the neck.

Mrs. Lorris froze as if petrified, her four paws dangling helplessly in the air, her yellow eyes wide with shock.

"Shh—" Snape whispered, bringing his face close to the kitten's. "Don't meow, okay? I can give you something delicious."

Mrs. Lorris blinked, seemingly genuinely considering his proposal.

Snape carefully set her down, one hand expertly scratching under her chin, the other pulling a small bag from his pocket. These were the snacks he had prepared for a long time.

“See, I was prepared,” he said, opening the bag and the rich aroma of fish immediately filled the air. “This is a special delicacy made by house-elves, much better than the meat that Filch smuggled from the table for you.”

The kitten's nose twitched, and the wariness in its eyes was gradually replaced by curiosity.

Snape placed a small dried fish on the ground. Mrs. Lorris hesitated for a moment, then pounced on it and quickly snatched it into a corner.

In less than a minute, she finished her food with a slurping sound, and even rubbed her head against Snape's wrist, asking for more.

“Good girl,” Snape said with a slight smile, continuing to massage the kitten’s ears, “I knew you would like it.”

In less than five minutes, Mrs. Lorris was completely won over. After finishing the dried fish, she even rolled over on the floor, exposing her belly, and had Snape tickle her.

Looking at her like this, Snape couldn't help but think that if Filch knew that his "sweetheart" was so easily bribed, he would probably go crazy.

“Alright, little cutie,” Snape picked up the kitten, “why don’t you come and enjoy yourself with me?”

To his surprise, Mrs. Lorris did not resist at all, but instead found a comfortable spot in his arms and curled up.

Counting four to the left from the statue, Snape arrived at the entrance to the washroom, leaned in, and whispered the command: "Fresh Pineapple."

The door creaked open. Snape, carrying the kitten, slipped inside, turned around and locked the door, finally having a chance to take a look at the legendary prefectural washroom.

His first reaction was regret. Why hadn't he come here secretly before?
The prefect's washroom was far superior to the regular student bathrooms, at least three times more spacious. His previous bathing area consisted of only a few rudimentary showerheads and two always cramped bathtubs; this place was practically a mini-spa.

A luxurious chandelier with lit candles cast a warm, soft light into the room, and everything was made of snow-white marble, including the rectangular bathtub in the center that sank into the floor, large enough to be called a swimming pool.

Around a hundred golden faucets lined the edge of the bath, each with a handle inlaid with gemstones of different colors. There was even a diving board suspended in the middle of the bath.

White linen curtains hung from the window at the far end, and a stack of soft white towels lay in the corner. The only painting on the wall was framed in a gilded frame; it depicted a blonde mermaid sleeping soundly on a rock, her long, flowing hair cascading over her face and trembling slightly with each breath.

“This is what life is all about,” Snape murmured to himself, placing Mrs. Lorris on the ground.

The kitten immediately began to explore curiously, sniffing here and there, showing great interest in this new and exciting environment.

Snape walked toward the bathtub, his footsteps echoing in the empty bathroom. He was eager to try out some of the faucets and reached for his robes, but suddenly froze.

“Wait a minute…” He narrowed his eyes, scanning the empty bathroom warily. A thought flashed through his mind—Hogwarts has a famous female ghost with a strange fetish for peeping at people taking baths.

"Myrtle!" He cleared his throat and called out in a deliberately raised tone, his voice echoing between the tiled walls, "I know you're here, come out now!"

Mrs. Lorris was startled by the sudden shout and let out a howl.

Apart from that, only his voice echoed in the bathroom. The mermaid in the painting rolled over on the rock, undisturbed, and mumbled a few unintelligible words in her sleep.

Snape frowned. Knowing Myrtle as he did, she was very likely hiding somewhere, waiting for him. So he decided to conduct a more thorough search of the bathroom.

He took out his wand and chanted the "Reveal" spell over every corner and faucet in the bathroom, but no hidden person or ghost appeared.

“Am I overthinking this…” Snape straightened up, his gaze falling on the mermaid mural.

He went to the painting, lifted it up, and wanted to check if there was anything hidden behind it.

The mermaid was startled awake by his movements, tumbled off the rocks, and fell into the water in the painting with a splash, letting out a cry of surprise.

When Snape put the painting back, the Little Mermaid emerged from the water. Her long, beautiful hair was soaked and clung to her face, still dripping wet.

Upon seeing Snape, she angrily swung her tail, splashing water and letting out a series of sharp, piercing screams.

Immediately, unpleasant screams filled the bathroom, echoing and reverberating between the marble walls.

"Quiet!" Snape roared, covering his ears with his hands. Mrs. Lorris's fur stood on end, she arched her back, and let out a whimpering sound.

He pointed his wand at the mermaid and swiftly stabbed her: "Silent and still!"

The mermaid's cry suddenly stopped halfway through. Her mouth was still opening and closing angrily, but no sound came out; she could only glare at Snape with a huff.

“Sorry to disturb your rest,” Snape rubbed his ear, his tone softening. “Go back to sleep.”

The mermaid rolled her eyes, climbed onto the rock, and lay down again with her back to him. After a thorough search, Snape was finally certain that there was only one person and one cat in the bathroom.

"It seems he really isn't here." He breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in satisfaction.

Finally relieved, Snape took a soft towel, placed it by the edge of the large bathtub, then knelt down and turned on several faucets.

He immediately noticed that the faucets were spraying out all sorts of bubble bath liquid mixed with hot water, something he had never experienced before.

The first faucet spewed out pink and blue bubbles the size of footballs; the second spewed out crystal clear, dense, and thick foam—Snape thought that if he were willing to try, these bubbles should be able to keep him afloat; the third faucet spewed out a fragrant purple mist that permeated the water's surface.

"It's amazing!" he exclaimed, turning on a few more taps. One tap in particular caught his eye with its arc-shaped jet of water, the water flowing across the surface like an arched bridge.

Hot water and bubbles filled the deep bath at an astonishing speed, and steam quickly filled the room.

Snape turned off all the taps, quickly took off his shoes and all his clothes, and tossed them aside carelessly.

He walked confidently to the diving board, stood naked on it, made a less-than-perfect diving motion, and plunged into the pool with a splash.

"Ah—" Snape let out a satisfied sigh as he was immersed in the warm water.

The prefect's bath was indeed extraordinary; it seemed as if a muscle-relaxing potion had been added to the water, and he immediately felt the fatigue from his journey through the Forbidden Forest begin to dissipate. The hot water enveloped him, as if countless gentle hands were massaging his aching muscles.

At this moment, Mrs. Lorris stretched out her paws at the edge of the pool and cautiously probed the water's surface.

Snape swam over and unexpectedly pulled her into the water. Mrs. Lorris struggled in panic for a moment, her four paws flailing wildly in the water. Snape held her far away to prevent her from being scratched.

“Relax,” he said softly. “The water isn’t that scary.”

The kitten gradually calmed down and seemed to find that soaking in the warm water was quite comfortable.

Snape released her, and Mrs. Lorris began to awkwardly wriggle her limbs, swimming around him.

“See, it’s not that bad, is it?” he said with a smile.

Colorful wisps of mist floated around them, and the kitten gradually got used to paddling, finding it a truly wonderful experience.

Watching the kitten thrashing about in the water like a little ball of fluff, chasing the floating bubbles, Snape had a strange feeling that something about Filch had gently broken.

He swam back and forth in the water twice before returning to the edge of the pool. He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and let the steam redden his cheeks. The colorful bubbles in the water gathered automatically and gently touched his skin.

Just as Snape was dozing off, a soft voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

"Severus, were you ringing your ear for me just now?"

Snape shivered, opened his eyes abruptly, and choked on a mouthful of bubble water.

A translucent face was just inches from the tip of his nose—Myrtle was floating on the water, her large, melancholy eyes staring straight at him.

"Myrtle!" he spat, coughing as he sank into the water, only his neck and above remaining above the surface. "Where did you come from?!"

Myrtle chuckled and deliberately twirled in front of him, her pearly ghostly form passing through the sculptures on the edge of the bathtub.

“I was waiting for you outside. I only came in after the mermaid stopped screaming.” She covered her eyes with her transparent fingers, feigning shyness. “Don’t be so nervous, Severus. I didn’t miss anything exciting.”

"What did you see?" Snape couldn't help but ask.

“I saw everything,” Myrtle said smugly, “what I should have seen and what I shouldn’t have seen.”

“Oh, don’t be so shy,” she floated closer, tilting her head, her thick glasses gleaming, “especially when you’re standing on the diving board, honestly, your hips are really—”

“I’m honored.” Snape rolled his eyes at her, suddenly realizing that he had been outmaneuvered by a female ghost who was actually only a teenager.

“Look,” he said bluntly, standing up from the edge of the pool, water droplets sliding off his body. “Look all you want, what’s so interesting about it?”

Myrtle let out a piercing scream and darted into the nearest dragon head.

"Hurry up and put on your clothes." Her voice sounded muffled through the tap, carrying obvious panic.

"You're too scared to look when I actually show you, so you have to peek, right?" Snape shook his head, climbed out of the bath, and began to dry himself. "Look at this mess."

After getting dressed, he pulled Mrs. Lorris out of the bath and thoughtfully used magic to dry her hair.

The kitten purred contentedly, rubbing against his legs.

"Come out, Myrtle," he said, picking up the kitten. "If you don't come out now, I'm leaving."

Myrtle immediately popped out of the dragon's head again, looking at Snape with a resentful expression.

"Summer vacation lasts for two whole months... Severus... Do you know how I spent those two months... Do you know?"

"Hey, don't do that." Snape quickly put Mrs. Lorris down and scratched his head guiltily.

He suddenly realized that for Myrtle, the entire summer vacation might have been a ghost of her own, all alone in the castle, counting the days and waiting for her first friends to return to school.

“I’ll graduate next year, and after that…” he said, “Well, why don’t you just leave Hogwarts and come with me?”

"Really?" Myrtle exclaimed in surprise, her pearly body seeming to brighten even more. "You're willing to let me follow you?"

“As long as you don’t keep scaring me,” Snape said. “I can’t handle too many frights.”

Myrtle nodded happily.

"Goodnight, Severus." She smiled happily and disappeared from the ceiling.

After leaving the washroom, in the dark corridor, Snape stroked Mrs. Norris's smooth fur and fed her two small dried fish: "This is our little secret, don't tell anyone else."

The kitten rubbed against his hand, seemingly agreeing.

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(End of this chapter)