Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 213 The Eavesdropping Scandal

Putting the goblin coin in Snape's office wasn't difficult; Harry just needed to muster the courage to step into that room again.

Last time Snape confiscated his copy of Quidditch Origins, and he only saw Snape's bitten leg because he wanted the book back. This time, he can use the same excuse to go in again, and at most he'll just be yelled at again.

Despite thinking this way, Harry was so nervous and distracted throughout the entire Potions class. When get out of class finally ended, with his friends encouraging him, Harry clutched the goblin coin and knocked on Snape's office door.

"Come in." Snape was organizing the various potion ingredients on the shelf. Although there had been fewer cases of people smuggling ingredients in since his strict prohibition last time, he still felt that the amount of ingredients being used recently was more than normal.

Turning his head, Snape saw Harry and frowned, clearly annoyed. "What are you up to now, Pott?"

Harry tried to get as close as possible to Snape's desk, and according to Tom and the others, he should stick the gold coin he had just cast a Permanent Sticky Charm under the desk.

"Professor, I want my books back..."

He had already reached the desk, and took the opportunity to slip the hand holding the gold coins under the desk.

"Get your dirty hands off me, Pott! Don't touch my things!"

Harry was startled and, without thinking, pressed the gold coin down. Not sure if it stuck to the table, he quickly pulled his hand back.

His nervous demeanor aroused Snape's suspicion. "What are you up to?"

"No, no, Professor, my...book..." Harry stammered nervously.

Snape scrutinized him for a while, then grabbed the book "Quidditch Origins" from the messy shelf beside him and slammed it on the table. His gaze never left Harry's face the entire time. "Take your book and get out of my office!"

Harry quickly grabbed the book, but before leaving, he was surprised to find that half of the gold coin was sticking out of the edge of the table.

But there was no way to salvage the situation now. He hurriedly ran out and started sprinting as if Lu Wei was chasing him.

That's terrifying, Snape is terrifying.

Harry would bet his Nimbus 2,000 that if he delayed even a second longer, Snape would tear him to shreds on the spot.

……

They were lucky; Snape didn't seem to have found the goblin coin.

The group gathered together again for dinner.

"Remember," Tom said, placing a goblin coin on the table, "that as long as we channel magic, we can hear each other. But if we speak then, Snape will hear us too! So, while we're eavesdropping on him, no one can make a sound! We must find a sufficiently quiet place."

This effectively eliminated their time during classes and meals. Considering that Snape also had classes, the only time they could eavesdrop was when neither of them had classes.

"I should have put the gold coins in Snape's clothes," Harry said.

"Do you want to hear Snape going to the toilet?" Ron said. "Ugh..."

Harry imagined the scene and couldn't help but shudder. It was terrifying. Luckily, it was placed in the office...

They calculated the time and found that Saturdays were the only suitable time when neither they nor Snape had classes.

Ultimately, they chose an empty underground classroom to conduct the eavesdropping.

That day, the four children secretly gathered in the underground classroom, guessing that Snape should be in his office at that moment. They locked the classroom door, sat around a table, held their breath, and finally, Tom pressed his finger on the gold coin, infusing it with magic.

The sound came out quickly, but it was a kind of rustling sound. After a while, a loud thud came out, which startled all four of them.

Tom quickly pulled his finger back.

"He must have put something on the table, like a gold coin stuck to the table. The vibrations would make it very loud..." Tom said.

"Okay, continue."

"Aconite... half a pound short... Jumping root... half a pound... Bubble stem... one pound! Humph!" Snape seemed to be counting potion ingredients.

Harry felt inexplicably guilty because he had contributed to it.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Everyone was startled, and Tom pulled his finger back again.

The knocking stopped immediately.

"Not here, someone's knocking on Snape's door! Quick, listen to who it is..."

Tom infused the magic once more.

"Professor, it's time to change the medication..."

Harry rolled his eyes. It was Filch!

"These fangs are really potent, but with the antidote made by Madam Pomfrey, the wound should heal in two or three days... Sorry, I'll be careful..."

"That Hagrid, he always brings back such dangerous things!"

"Your materials are missing again? In my opinion, you should hang them all up, interrogate them one by one, and give them a few lashes so they'll learn their lesson..."

As Filch applied the medicine to Snape, he muttered to himself, discussing with Snape how to punish students, and Snape seemed to be listening with great interest.

"Bang!" Another sound, like something hitting the ground.

Tom instinctively pulled his hand back, but then, thinking there must be something on the table, he pressed his finger on the gold coin again.

"What's that sound?" came a questioning voice from the gold coin.

Before the four children could figure out what was going on, a voice came from above them, "What are you guys doing?"

They looked up and saw a short man dressed in brightly colored clothes, wearing a bow tie and a hat, hanging upside down in mid-air, grinning at them with a malicious smile. "Playing a prank?"

Mischievous Ghost!

……

"You dare to eavesdrop on me!" Using the gold coins, Snape used some kind of magic to quickly locate their position, and then had Filch tie them up and take them to Professor McGonagall's office.

Several professors rushed over. It was unheard of for a student to install fairy coins in a professor's office to eavesdrop on their privacy!

Holding the gold coin he'd found under his desk, Snape said, "Potter, what else do you have to say?"

Harry was filled with despair. He knew he couldn't escape this time. Snape had caught him doing something wrong, and he was definitely going to be expelled.

"It was all my own idea, it has nothing to do with them," Harry said.

He was the one who insisted on getting involved in this matter; everyone else was just being led astray by him. He didn't want to implicate his friends.

Tom looked at Harry, frowning. "I should have been more careful. I should have devised a more cautious plan instead of so recklessly starting to eavesdrop. I should have realized the problem when Peeves made that sound and pulled my hand back. Or perhaps I should have made them drop the coins in time..."

"Professor, the idea was mine," Tom said.

As soon as he said it, he suddenly regretted it.

What am I saying?

What if I get locked up in solitary confinement?

What if I get fired?

Should we go back to the orphanage?

But suddenly, Murphy's image inexplicably appeared in his heart.

Even if I get expelled, if it were Mr. Murphy, he could definitely help me.

He didn't know why he had this thought.

Perhaps it was because of the prophecy in that diary entry.

Perhaps it was the warmth he had never felt when he held her in the orphanage, perhaps it was the earnest expression on his face as he taught her how to handle old books in Diagon Alley, perhaps it was the resolute look on his face when he asked, "Is it right just because it's always been this way?", perhaps it was the enlightened feeling when he taught her scientific methodology, perhaps it was because he was the first to discover her leg injury on Halloween night, perhaps it was because he took on the responsibility of challenging the trolls for her...

He seemed to have developed a special trust in Murphy at some point.

He almost believed that no matter how miserable he was, his teacher would stand behind him and eventually pull him out of the mire.

This seemed to give him courage, so he said, "This was my idea, it has nothing to do with Harry."

"No! I made the plan! Punish me if you must!" Hermione suddenly said.

"I...I didn't stop them either, I also have a responsibility..." Ron said.

"Fine!" Snape roared in fury. "You're all playing the loyal card, aren't you! None of you will escape! You're all going to be expelled!"

Dismissal...

Tom's heart sank again.

If I get fired, where will I go?

Orphanage? Or will they end up homeless?

Fear made him tremble uncontrollably.

But at that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Murphy appeared behind him without his noticing, and patted his shoulder with a warm hand, as if to encourage him or to comfort him.

"Professor Snape, it seems you don't have that authority," said the perpetually gentle voice.

Then the tall figure walked past him, blocking them behind him.

"Good job, leave the rest to me."

Suddenly, Tom's fear vanished.

(End of this chapter)