In the Apocalypse, I Can Enter Hogwarts

Chapter 68 Midnight Duel

……

Meanwhile, Hermione was trying her best to persuade the two boys in front of her, trying to make Harry and Ron realize how absurd it was for first-year students to run out at midnight to duel with someone.

She also thoughtfully listed a total of twenty-seven school rules for them, hoping that they would turn over a new leaf.

She was just feeling really tired. Harry was alright, at least he could stay quiet and listen to her, although he seemed more like he was spacing out.

Ron's defiant expression and occasional sarcastic tone made Hermione want to leave in a huff, but the thought of losing points for her house made it hard for her to accept.

"You don't understand the situation at all. You had to agree back then, you couldn't refuse, otherwise Harry would never be able to hold his head up in front of Malfoy again. Do you know about the honor duel between wizards?" Ron looked at Hermione with dissatisfaction.

"That's no reason for you to choose a midnight duel. You can find the professor and have the duel under his supervision and permission. Besides, Malfoy is not trustworthy; this could even be a trap. He might have informed Filch to be waiting for you there."

Hermione completely ignored Ron's absurd reasoning and turned to Harry, advising, "Harry, think about it yourself. What will happen if Filch finds out about you...?"

Before Harry could reply, Ron interrupted, "What consequences could there be? At worst, we'll lose points and get locked up. Only you care about that. Miss Know-It-All, you should really be in Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor."

These words were a bit harsh; even Harry felt they were inappropriate. Just as he was about to say something to ease the tension, he saw Hermione's cheeks flush red with anger as she spoke in an unusually furious tone:

"Yes, that's right. If I had known I had a classmate like you, I should have been sorted into Ravenclaw." Hermione said, then turned and left, completely ignoring the two people behind her.

"You don't need to call her, just let her go. That way you won't have to listen to his nagging anymore." Ron grabbed Harry, who was about to say something but hesitated.

"But... we haven't even asked her about the curse yet, and you've already made her leave in a huff," Harry said, somewhat helplessly.

"Don't worry, I guarantee Malfoy won't be able to cast many spells. It'll mostly come down to fists. And if you're really worried, I can go find my brothers. You know I have three brothers here, so don't be afraid of Malfoy."

Ron patted his chest and solemnly assured Harry.

"Alright..." Seeing that things had come to this point, Harry had no choice but to believe Ron.

Harry actually trusted Ron's older brother more. After all, his experience in Muggle primary schools taught him that if there was an older brother in a school, no one would dare to bully their younger brother, especially since Ron had three older brothers in his school.

……

Under the moonlight, the crystal glass cases displaying the prizes gleamed. In the dark, quiet room, the trophies, shields, medals, and statues all reflected gold and silver light.

Harry and Ron huddled close together, their eyes fixed on the dark corridor. Harry had his wand ready in advance, in case Malfoy suddenly rushed out and challenged him to a duel.

If Ian were here, he would surely marvel at how much everything had changed. It wasn't just the postponement of the midnight duel; more obviously, Hermione and Ron had a falling out beforehand, causing her to miss the duel.

Time slipped by, second by second.

"Maybe Malfoy is too scared to come," Ron whispered, growing impatient.

"Maybe... Hermione is right, maybe this is a trap..." Harry muttered to himself.

"What trap?... " Ron wanted to say something more, but with a quick glance, he saw a terrifying figure that made his soul tremble.

"Snape, Professor Snape..." Ron stammered, tugging at Harry's sleeve to make him turn around and look in their direction.

At this moment, Ron felt like he wanted to die. Running away was out of the question; after all, he was facing Snape, not Filch. Even third-year wizards like George and Fred would be helpless in this situation, let alone first-year students like them.

Snape was genuinely greeting Dumbledore at that moment... If it weren't for the task Dumbledore had assigned him, he wouldn't have had to come out so late at night to play games with these young wizards.

Especially when Snape saw Harry with his eyes closed and a resigned expression, and Ron trembling beside him, without the gaze of the Emerald Eyes, only the blessing of the Potter family's appearance, the last bit of mercy in Snape's heart slowly disappeared.

"Ha! The great savior, with his entourage, is strolling around the prize room at midnight. Are they already dissatisfied with their current fame? Are they planning to save Hogwarts? Or are they going to rename all these trophies after themselves? Hmm? Harry Potter!..."

"It's...it's Malfoy, Professor..." Ron still had some sense of responsibility. Although he was trembling with fear, he still mustered up the courage to try and explain.

"Shut up, Weasley! Nobody gave you permission to speak here." Snape rudely interrupted Ron's explanation.

Upon hearing Snape's words, Harry also opened his eyes and glared at Snape, as the other man's words had truly stung him.

Harry truly didn't care about fame at all. If he could, he would trade all his fame and all the Galleons in Gringotts for a chance to meet his parents, even if it was just for a short day together.

Sure enough, Harry's open eyes were Snape's weakness. Staring into those familiar emerald green eyes and those thoughts that could be read without needing to absorb divine sense, Snape's compassion and guilt once again took over.

"Gryffindor loses 100 points. This is punishment for the great savior and his henchmen, 100 points each! And from now until the Christmas holidays, you must come to my office for solitary confinement every weekend."

After Snape finished speaking, he flapped his wide wizard robes and left.

"Phew...that scared me to death, Harry. Luckily you had your eyes closed and didn't see the old bat's expression. At first, I thought he might even kill us..."

Ron let out a long sigh of relief and whispered to Harry, feeling somewhat relieved.

Harry nodded, still shaken, but didn't forget to defend Hermione again: "Hermione is right, I think we need to apologize to her."

"Don't even think about it, she just guessed right. Besides, I've had enough of that lecturing tone and expression she uses. Unless she contacts me, I won't talk to her anymore."

Seeing that his friend was still stubbornly refusing to admit his mistake, Harry could only sigh helplessly and say, "Let's go back first, otherwise we'll be in big trouble if Filch catches us again."

"I think you're right, let's go."

Ron was still a little unsteady on his feet from what had just happened, so he could only hold Harry's shoulder tightly with one hand and lean on him. With Harry's support, the two moved forward slowly.

In the darkness, Snape stared at their figures until they disappeared from sight.

If Ian saw this scene, he would understand why Snape treated him so well.

On one hand, it might be Ian's talent in potions, but more so it's Snape's way of repaying kindness; clearly, Snape knew something from Dumbledore from the beginning.

There is no such thing as love or hate without a reason in this world.

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(End of this chapter)