Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 45 Coming of Age
The weather in December turned unusually cold, with howling winds and snowflakes swirling outside the window once again, pounding against the icy windowpanes. The surface of Black Lake was already frozen solid, shimmering with a cold, iron-blue light.

Christmas is just around the corner. Hagrid's tall figure was busy in the auditorium again, carrying in twelve fresh Christmas trees all by himself.

The stair railings were wrapped with emerald green holly and shimmering metal foil; ever-burning candles flickered inside the helmets of the armor; and every so often in the corridor, large bunches of mistletoe hung like strings of tiny bells, swaying gently in the breeze.

"You weren't invited to the old snotty man's Christmas party?" Abbot asked in surprise.

They were walking through vegetable fields, their feet sinking into the frozen earth, toward the greenhouse.

As Abbott walked, he turned to look at Snape beside him and teased, "Looks like he's finally realized your evil nature."

“Indeed,” Snape said smugly, “so I decided to spend the whole day with you and drag you into an impenetrable abyss.”

"No—" Abbot exclaimed dramatically, his eyes widening as he waved his hand vigorously. "You know I have plans!"

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Snape said with a smile. “I’ll just keep an eye on you from the side.”

Abbott glanced at Snape with disdain, snorted softly, and quickened his pace.

The strong winds that had lasted for a week finally subsided today, but the strange thick fog returned, and it took them longer than usual to find the greenhouse where they had class through the fog.

“I’m serious,” Abbott said in a low voice, “Are you really planning to spend Christmas alone?”

They were gathered around the gnarled roots of a knotted vine, preparing to put on protective gloves. The knotted vine was part of their coursework for the semester.

As Abbot put on his gloves, he gestured to the side where Pandora was standing not far away, intently putting on her sap-proof mask.

“I’ll call her to come and keep you two company,” Snape said in a muffled voice through the resin shield.

"I swear, I'll make sure you don't find me then, ouch—" Abbot said angrily. But he was in such a hurry when he put on his protective goggles that he let go too quickly, causing the goggles to bounce back and hit his eye socket hard.

“Be careful, buddy,” Snape sighed insincerely. “Lady Pomfrey can’t cure a damaged eye. If you lose it, you’ll have to get the Magic Eye in your place—”

"No more talking here!" Professor Sprout's voice suddenly rang out. Her steps were hurried and her expression stern as she interrupted their conversation. "You're falling behind. The other students have already started working. Pandora has even gotten a pod!"

They turned their heads and, sure enough, Pandora was sitting there, blood dripping from her lips, and several bloody scratches on half of her face, looking rather frightening.

But she stared with great interest at a disgusting little thing that was throbbing and wriggling in her hand. The pod was about the size of a grapefruit, twisting and turning in her hand.

"Okay, Professor, let's get started!"

When Abbott saw the professor turn away, he quickly whispered to Snape, "I take back what I just said. If you two spend the whole Christmas together, I'm afraid next time I'll only be able to greet you as you lie quietly in your wooden box, broken into pieces."

"Alright, hurry up...we'd better get going..." Snape rolled his eyes, looking helpless. "Don't forget, my protective magic is already better than Professor Grapple's."

They took a few deep breaths and then plunged down to deal with the lumpy, broken root in the middle.

The stubble instantly sprang out like a monster suddenly awakened, its long thorny vines whipping and whistling through the air. One of the vines wrapped around Abbott's hair, and Snape quickly swatted it back with a pair of shears.

Abbot finally managed to grab two vines, and with a strong pull, he tied them together in a knot.

Among these tentacle-like branches, a small hole finally appeared. Snape seized the opportunity and quickly reached his arm into the hole, which immediately clamped down on his elbow like a mousetrap.

Seeing this, Abbott desperately dragged and twisted the vines, finally managing to reopen the opening. Snape managed to pull his arm out, clutching a pod that looked like the one Pandora had just acquired.

Instantly, all the thorny vines retreated inside, and the knotted, broken roots lay there quietly, like a lifeless piece of dead wood.

"Cough," Abbott nearly choked on his own cough, coughing a few times before recovering. "How did she do that all by herself? It's terrifying."

“Good question,” Snape said with disdain, looking at the wriggling, pale green caterpillar-like pod in his hand. “I’ve always been curious about how her experiments worked.”

"That makes absolutely no sense. She can even make sage more ferocious than biting kale..."

"Don't hold back, squeeze out the juice quickly, it's best when it's fresh!" Professor Sprout's voice rang out again. She paced back and forth in the greenhouse, constantly urging the students.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before…” Abbot continued the conversation that had just been interrupted, pressing the pod tightly with both hands and squeezing it with all his might, trying to squeeze the juice into the bowl.

"Although it frightens me a bit, after visiting her experiments last time, I have to admit that I have never seen any wizard or witch who can do what she does."

"Wouldn't it be even more terrifying if you saw more of that?"

Snape flipped through "The Complete Book of Carnivorous Trees," looking for the correct method to squeeze juice from the pods of the gnarled vine.

"Don't waste your energy. Look at this. We need to pierce them with something sharp."

"Pass me that, Severus." Abbott reached out and took the pair of scissors Snape offered. "By the way, I heard that a few days after the holidays, we'll be attending an Apparition class taught by the Ministry of Magic's Apparition instructors. Are you interested?"

“Of course. I wish time would fly by,” Snape said expectantly. “I’ll be seventeen on January 9th next year.”

“I am March,” Abbott put down the pod in his hand, “which means we can all participate in the training.”

"How awesome would that be? If only I could—" Abbot snapped his fingers to disappear, a bright smile spreading across his face, "Once I learn it, I can go wherever I want when I go to Hogsmeade on weekends..."

“Yes,” Snape said, lost in his daydreams, “then we’ll be able to run around everywhere, and the filaments on our bodies will disappear…”

　Thanks to those who controlled the car's speed and didn't have a chance to win a prize for their monthly pass.

　　I'm sorry, I probably won't have time to write another chapter today. Business trips mean no rest...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)