A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 46 Pomfrey, the Logical Genius (Third Update)

Both remained silent, as if the one who spoke first would lose in terms of momentum.

After what seemed like an eternity, Minister Fouchi finally couldn't hold back any longer and began to speak.

"Albus, is the weather terrible?" Fudge asked nervously. "I came all the way from the Ministry of Magic. I'm sorry to interrupt your Halloween dinner, but I wrote to you beforehand."

Everyone looked at Dumbledore in surprise; it seemed he knew Fudge was coming.

Dumbledore said calmly, "Yes, Cornelius, I replied to you. You shouldn't have come now."

He waved his hand, signaling Professor McGonagall to lead the students out.

The Great Hall erupted in noise again, everyone wanting to stay and listen. After all, it was a conversation between the Minister of Magic and the Headmaster of Hogwarts, a matter of great importance concerning the safety of the wizarding world.

But under Professor McGonagall's stern gaze, all the students reluctantly walked out.

After all the students had left, Fudge sat down in Professor McGonagall's seat.

“But you see, Albus,” Fudge said awkwardly, “I’m under a lot of pressure right now. On the night of the incident, Lucius was caught by Alastor… to be honest, it wasn’t a very serious matter, and it proved his innocence.”

Lucius is innocent. He's also very shrewd; he bribed many powerful politicians and even donated a building to the Ministry of Magic… I have no reason to keep him imprisoned.”

"Of course, we can be certain that Malfoy has nothing to do with this incident," Dumbledore replied curtly, "but that doesn't mean Professor Snape is guilty."

Snape's smile froze; he had just been looking at Hagrid with schadenfreude.

Upon hearing Snape's name, Hagrid finally stopped trembling, straightened his back, and picked up a bottle of mead.

Fudge chuckled awkwardly, wiping the sweat from his brow, and said, "Of course, we'll investigate, we'll hold a trial. The problem is, Snape wasn't at school that night; he was at…"

Dumbledore interrupted Fudge: "That day, Snape was on my orders to investigate Professor Robert's death. It wasn't him who showed up at the Ministry of Magic."

Fudge seemed to be pricked by a needle. He stood up, squinted, and said, "Was Robert's death not an accident?"

Dumbledore shook his head: "It was indeed an accident, but his identity gives me some doubts, and I need to confirm it, so I asked Professor Snape to verify it."

But the Ministry of Magic's attack had nothing to do with Snape...

"Albus, you should have informed me about your private investigations so I could have sent Aurors to help, shouldn't I?"

Fudge's expression was inscrutable. He suddenly hardened and said seriously, "Snape's criminal record is very detrimental to him. Albus, although you testified in that trial, now that such a big thing has happened, the Ministry of Magic has to take some measures—I have already contacted the Board of Governors."

"Cornelly, I'm telling you—taking Snape away won't do any good," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes flashing with anger.

"Look at it from my perspective," Fudge said, fiddling with his top hat. "I'm under a lot of pressure. I have to make sure people see that I'm working hard."

If it turns out he wasn't Snape, he'll come back without saying a word. But I have to take him away.

"Take me away?" Professor Snape's voice was icy. "Take me where?"

"It's a short time," Fudge said, avoiding Snape's eyes. "It's not punishment, just a precaution. If we catch someone else, we'll release you and offer a full apology."

With that, Fudge stood up and walked out first, while Dumbledore shook his head slightly at Snape.

……

……

Disturbed by the Ministry of Magic, this Halloween was destined to be terrible, and the discussion was still going on until the next day.

According to everyone's opinion, Hagrid should be taken away by the Ministry of Magic, after all, he was clearly out of sorts when the Aurors arrived.

However, everyone discovered that it was Professor Snape who had disappeared.

This is quite dramatic; while Hagrid was terrified, Snape was gloating over his misfortune.

The lion cubs were as excited as if the final exams had been canceled.

Professor Snape's departure means that Gryffindor has moved away from its all-time low.

And indeed, the water level in the scoring funnel has begun to slowly drop, and it's believed that the long-awaited red gem will appear soon.

Professor Snape's disappearance seems like a happy thing for everyone, except Slytherin House.

The little snakes of Slytherin hung their heads; without their snake king, they were somewhat melancholy.

Speaking of which, Snape had a pretty rough time. He was attacked by a smelly shoe on the first day of school, and ended up in the school hospital on his very first day of class... Not long after he came out, he was taken away by the Ministry of Magic.

Could the terrible curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class have transferred to Potions?

Many rumors circulated for a time.

The prevailing view is that Professor Snape was involved in the attack on the Ministry of Magic.

This is easy to make the connection between: the Ministry of Magic had just released Malfoy, and then immediately took Snape away, with the Minister of Magic himself leading the operation.

It's impossible to say that these two things are unrelated!

Whether Snape was the mastermind, a participant, or simply cooperating with the Ministry of Magic's investigation remains unknown.

The professors kept their mouths shut and didn't reveal anything about what happened after that night!

The Potions class has been temporarily taken over by Madam Pomfrey, who is said to be a Potions Master as well.

This claim remains to be verified, because the unpalatable potion in the school hospital must have been made by Professor Snape!

Only he would add disgusting yet harmless ingredients to potions.

Everyone was quite happy about Madam Pomfrey's arrival, at least they wouldn't have to endure Snape's sarcastic remarks and numerous unwarranted point deductions.

However, everyone quickly regretted it.

Mrs. Pomfrey, dressed in a purple robe, entered the warm underground classroom.

It was really heartwarming...

As soon as Professor Snape left the hospital, he immediately added a fireplace, which he would keep lit even on the hottest days, just in case.

This change was hard to say whether it was good or bad. The cold weather was indeed very comfortable, but Snape would often grab a burning piece of charcoal and wave it in front of his face, while also giving the young wizard a malicious look.

The little wizard's potion failure rate is 30% higher than before!

Mrs. Pomfrey glanced critically at the classroom facilities; clearly, she was not satisfied with the environment.

She'll probably do some minor renovations while Professor Snape is away.

"Now," Mrs. Pomfrey said quickly, "take the crucible and get the quill."

Most of the students exchanged strange glances.

The command "Take away the cauldron" seemed particularly strange in Potions class.

Without a crucible, how do they brew potions?

William folded up the crucible and took out a quill, ink, and parchment.

Madam Pomfrey opened her handbag, took out her wand (which was very short), and poked the blackboard with it. Some words appeared on the blackboard:

A wizard's post-injury care!

"Alright, now, this course has been taught by Professor Snape." Mrs. Pomfrey turned her face toward the classroom.

"Potions class is undoubtedly a very difficult subject, and many young wizards encounter some problems after taking it..." Madam Pomfrey carefully considered her words.

"In Muggle terms, it's a mental illness; in severe cases, it can even lead to autism!"

"Therefore, Potions is a very dangerous subject."

William looked at Madam Pomfrey with a puzzled expression. This was clearly Professor Snape's problem, so why was it being attributed to Potions?

Madam Pomfrey is a true logical genius; Hogwarts has struck gold!

……

……

(Third update, please vote!)

(End of this chapter)