A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 212: Worries and Speculations

As Felix Harp stepped out of the Headmaster's office, he was still contemplating Dumbledore's final piece of advice: never attempt to toy with people's hearts.

Shaking his head, he made his way to check on Hagrid's giant dog. That creature must have grown to about five or six feet by now.

Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor Common Room, many were still discussing the recent events. Right before their eyes, Professor McGonagall had dragged away Navi Longbottom with a fearsome-looking old woman.

From the helpless expression on his round face, it seemed he was about to face the gallows.

"That's Navi's grandmother. I met her during the holidays," Harry explained, "She's quite strict with Navi."

Hermione whispered, "Professor Snape must have convinced her, so she's taking Navi to get a new wand."

The three of them were aware of the incident involving Professor Snape's suggestion for Navi to change his wand, and they had even helped Navi send out the letter.

Ron astutely pointed out, "He should've done it ages ago. You have no idea how great it feels after I got my new wand! By the way, Navi's grandmother seems quite authoritative. Why aren't his parents here?"

Harry replied, "They might have been killed by Death Eaters. Navi's grandmother mentioned it briefly, saying that Navi's parents were tortured by Death Eaters without revealing any information."

"Death Eaters..." Ron said with disgust, "Truly a bunch of heinous criminals."

"Yeah," Harry said with a touch of bitterness, "just like that Sirius Black."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance. Since Thursday night, Harry had been acting rather strangely.

Ron said, "Harry, I've already sent my letter, but my dad hasn't replied yet."

"Well, thanks," Harry replied listlessly.

Glancing at the time, Hermione said, "Sorry, I'll be right back." She hurriedly left and returned about seven or eight minutes later, yawning and looking around, passing their seats twice.

Ron grumbled, "Hermione, I thought you were Navi for a moment there. Your memory seems to have deteriorated a lot."

"What? Oh, I was lost in thought. We were discussing Thursday night's information. Harry, let's go over it again. Honestly, I don't know what's bothering you so much."

Harry said in frustration, "I've always wondered why Snape hated me so much... Just a little over ten days ago, I thought it was because he and my father were arch-enemies at school. Then suddenly, my mother got dragged into it."

Hermione opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. Ron said, "You've been overthinking this, Harry. If you think about it, it's pretty understandable. Snape and your mum were neighbors and had some kind of relationship. He might even have had a secret crush on her. But they drifted apart after being sorted into different houses. Your dad and Snape, on the other hand, are a different story altogether."

He concluded, "Basically, Snape knew two people: a neighbor and an enemy, and they just happened to be your parents."

Harry said, "It still feels weird. I never thought I'd be connected to Snape in this way."

"Just old relationships and grudges from the previous generation. Don't dwell on it too much, Harry," Ron advised, "If I wanted to, I could claim any Death Eater as a relative. I mean those pure-blood... If I obsessed over that all the time, I'd probably go mad." He made a disgusted face.

"But, according to what you're saying, if Snape liked my mother," Harry couldn't help but shiver, as if he were covered in slimy Floo Powder, "why didn't they end up together?"

Ron looked puzzled, "Is there a connection? Are you secretly hoping Snape would become—"

Harry frustratedly covered his mouth, and Ron teased, "Still brooding? Letting your thoughts run wild."

Harry, with irritation in his voice, retorted, "If you say that again, I'll stuff Uncle Vernon's smelly socks in your mouth while you're sleeping." Then, he stammered for a while, trying to explain his uneasy feelings but eventually gave up, "I just feel off, that's all!"

Hermione pondered beside them, "Harry, I think your worries are completely unnecessary. They couldn't possibly end up together."

"Why?" Harry asked urgently. These past few days, he had been plagued by this strange sensation, even surpassing his hatred for Sirius Black. He was eager to find more evidence.

"Because of the war," Hermione explained, "Don't forget the context. That was the era when the Death Eaters were rampant, and Slytherin House was practically a training ground for new Death Eater recruits."

"So what?" Ron asked with interest, taking out a pack of juice-flavored jelly beans and offering them to Harry and Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "Didn't you think about the issue of allegiance? Do you really think it's child's play? According to Voldemort's ideology, Harry's mother was Muggle-born, the lowest of the low, naturally opposed to Voldemort. And Snape... is he pure-blood or half-blood?" She looked at Ron, unsure.

Ron thought hard, "I don't recall a Snape family. Maybe he took his father's name?"

"Then he should be a half-blood," Hermione continued, "But either way, he aligns with Voldemort—"

Harry interjected logically, "He doesn't. If he were a Death Eater, he wouldn't have escaped Dumbledore's notice."

"Fine," Hermione revised her statement, "According to Professor Lupin, Snape at least partially agreed with Voldemort's ideology, right? Think about it, Harry. How could they ever be together? They belong to completely opposing factions!"

Suddenly, it all made sense to Harry, and his question that had been bothering him was resolved. They quickly transitioned to a heated discussion about how Sirius Black managed to escape Azkaban.

"The only thing that can ward off Dementors is the Patronus Charm, but he couldn't possibly have his wand," Hermione mused.

Ron speculated, "Maybe it's some advanced Dark magic, something Voldemort taught him?"

Thinking of the stack of Dark magic books in Professor Harp's thinking room, Hermione decided to ask him privately if he knew anything about it. "By the way, Harry, have you been carrying that Sneakoscope with you?"

"Yeah," Harry said, taking out a walnut-sized gold Sneakoscope from his pocket, "It looks like it's broken or something. It's never reacted."

Ron hastily said, "Don't even joke about that. If it did react, we'd be in trouble."

The trio continued working on their homework in the common room. During that time, Wood came to find Harry once, informing him of the latest Quidditch training schedule. Wood took Harry aside, speaking animatedly in hushed tones.

When Harry returned, Ron couldn't help but ask, "He looked pretty pleased. What was that about?"

"Exactly," Harry said cautiously, tucking a parchment full of training plans into his book, "According to him, Slytherin's Captain, that big bloke, might be kept behind by the professor. Wood's planning to keep an eye on that."

After about an hour, Navi returned, his face not showing much expression.

"Navi, over here!" Harry waved to him, "How's the new wand?"

Navi mumbled, "It's alright." He pulled out two wands from his pocket—one new, one old—that seemed strikingly similar apart from their conditions.

Hermione examined them closely, "Cherry wood, needless to say. Unicorn hair core. As for the size..." She measured, "Thirteen inches. Am I right?"

Navi looked at her in surprise.

Hermione said with a cheerful mood, "I spent quite a bit of time studying wands last year."

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