A Certain Magical Hogwarts

Chapter 58 The Sad Professor

As Dumbledore left, the Great Hall immediately erupted in excited, buzzing chatter.

The Ravenclaw students were busy telling the other students what had just happened.

"Everyone, get into your sleeping bags!" Penelope shouted. "Ravenclaw students, get to sleep now, and no one is to speak!"

Prefect Robert had become a useless dog, squatting listlessly on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the auditorium.

The loss of the door knocker was a huge blow to him; he was even dragged there by his roommate when he arrived at the auditorium.

Penelope had no choice but to temporarily assume the duties of prefect in place of Robert.

"Come on," Cedric said to Cho and William.

They grabbed three sleeping bags and hid in a corner, and the twin brothers squeezed in as well.

Qiu recounted what had just happened to the three of them, and they all fell silent.

"Do you think that Death Eater is still in the castle?" Qiu asked quietly after a moment.

"That's obviously what Dumbledore thinks," Cedric said.

"That person is really bold. I don't think he suddenly broke into Hogwarts. It's more likely that he sneaked in while Dumbledore was away for Christmas."

"But we're all monitoring the school during Christmas," Fred said.

"There are only a few students. If there are strangers, we will definitely be able to spot them."

The five of them, fully clothed, crawled into their sleeping bags and then rested their upper bodies on their elbows to chat.

"What do you guys think about Peeves?" George asked.

"He's lying," Cho denied. "Professor Snape was sitting perfectly fine in the hall; everyone saw that."

“But I don’t think he’s lying.” Fred shook his head. “No one would dare lie to Professor Dumbledore, not even Peeves.”

“That’s right!” George straightened up. “Remember the trial at the Ministry of Magic? Minister Fudge and the others also saw Snape at the scene of the attack.”

"But Snape was in Dorset at the time," Cedric said. "Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Newt Scamander both provided crucial evidence."

“Yes, but I don’t think the Ministry of Magic is lying.” Fred frowned. “Does this mean that someone is really impersonating Snape to commit the crimes?”

"Possibly." William nodded. "I know several ways to impersonate someone else, such as compound decoctions."

"That Death Eater and Professor Snape probably have a grudge," Qiu analyzed. "But I still don't understand why he would steal a worn-out door knocker."

"Could that thing possibly revive... the mysterious person?"

No one could answer that William had vaguely seen the words "Ravenclaw Ring" somewhere, but he brought the book "Hogwarts: A History" home for Christmas.

"Lights out now!" the male student council president yelled. "Everyone needs to get into their sleeping bags and stop talking!"

All the candles went out immediately. Now the only light came from the silver ghosts, who wandered around and spoke solemnly with the prefects. The enchanted ceiling, like the sky outside, was filled with stars.

Even in this situation, whispers still filled the auditorium, and William felt as if he were sleeping outdoors in a gentle breeze.

Bobo Tea nestled in his arms, already fast asleep; it was quite carefree.

Every hour, a teacher would appear in the auditorium to check if everything was alright.

Around three o'clock in the morning, many students finally fell asleep, and that's when Professor Dumbledore came in.

Dumbledore was searching for Robert, who had eaten chocolate and, although still listless, had almost recovered.

Robert was not far from William, Cedric, and the twins, so they quickly pretended to be asleep.

At that moment, Dumbledore's footsteps grew closer.

"Any sign of a door knocker, Professor?" Robert asked in a hoarse voice.

"No, how's it here?"

"Everything is under control, Professor."

"Alright, there's no need to move them now. I've already replaced the door knocker at Ravenclaw House, so you can tell everyone to go back tomorrow."

"What about the original... door knocker, Professor?" Robert's voice trembled.

"It will return when needed," Dumbledore said solemnly. "No one can take away the common property of Hogwarts."

The door to the hall opened with a bang, followed by a soft footstep.

You don't even need to open your eyes to know it's Snape; it's just that when he walks, he looks like a ghost.

"Headmaster?" Snape asked as he entered.

They all remained lying quietly, listening intently, including Qiu.

"We've checked several secret passages; they're not there. Filch checked the main castle building, but it's not there either."

"What about the Astronomy Tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The place where the owls roost?"

"I've checked everything..."

"Very well, Severus, I don't think a Death Eater will stay."

"How did they manage to do that? What's your take on that, Headmaster?" Snape asked.

William raised his head slightly so that he could hear more clearly with his other ear.

"Many, Severus, each one is different."

William opened his eyes a crack and peeked furtively at where they were standing.

Dumbledore had his back to him, but he could see Robert's face, who was completely absorbed in his work, and he could also see Snape's profile, who seemed angry.

Snape glared at Robert, who immediately tactfully walked away.

"What did the Ministry of Magic say?" Snape asked after a moment, "What exactly did the Department of Mysteries lose?"

"Connelly said the planetary chamber was attacked..."

"Ha! Another lie," Snape scoffed.

"I think so too," Dumbledore said.

Snape paused for a moment, then whispered, "You remember our conversation, Headmaster, it was—oh—a week after the start of term, wasn't it?"

When Snape spoke, his lips barely opened, as if he didn't want others to hear their conversation.

"I remember, Severus," Dumbledore said.

"It seems—the title 'Dark Lord'—is only used by his followers—"

"It's just a title; it doesn't prove anything. We can't let that lead us to suspect innocent people," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Innocent? What about me?" Snape's voice suddenly became shrill. "Headmaster, someone is deliberately framing me, retaliating against me..."

"I'm sorry, Severus," Dumbledore said, a hint of guilt in his voice. "I will never let you enter Azkaban again, to face those Dementors, I promise..."

Snape scoffed, seemingly mocking, then turned his back to Dumbledore and said coldly, "It's nothing. Dementors are useless against me. You know I haven't been happy in a long time."

Dumbledore opened his mouth, but found himself speechless. He remained silent for a moment, then patted the man in front of him on the shoulder.

Snape stared blankly out the window, lost in thought. From William's angle, he could see the professor's hands trembling, and tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

The scene is both comical and sad.

……

……

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(End of this chapter)