"Just like his father, arrogant, self-righteous, loves to violate discipline, likes to be in the limelight, meddling in other people's business, impudent and rude —" Snape looked at the three people in the distance and scolded them. His eyes were firmly fixed on Harry, and there was a deep hatred in his eyes.
"Judging from Slytherin's values, he is indeed not very likable. Well, all three of them. " Felix said softly, "But you also heard that they only knew the last few sentences, and there was no beginning or end... So I told them that we were talking about my new wand, and that I gave it a fairytale name."
Snape did not speak. His black eyes were still staring at Harry's back. From this angle, he looked very much like his father.
After a moment, he said coldly, "Felix, I will reveal the information about your wand to that person."
Felix said calmly, "I expect that. You decide how much to say."
"You think I can make the decision?" Snape said unhappily. His black robe fluttered as he walked through the layers of rain. His figure blurred.
...
"How unlucky." Ron muttered as he stepped on the stairs.
"Oh, don't say —"
They stood at the door of the staff lounge. Harry knocked on the door nervously, sincerely hoping that no one was inside. The few seconds of waiting felt like years. Finally, a familiar voice said from inside, "Come in."
Contrary to his wishes, Harry heard two sighs. He mustered up the courage to open the door and walk in. It was a long room, and soft light shone from the ceiling. The temperature in the room was higher than outside, probably because of the fireplace in the corner. Professor Mcgonagall raised her head from a pile of parchment, and her sharp eyes looked over from under her square glasses.
"Potter, Weasley, Granger, what can I do for you?"
"We were asked to come and see you because … because of some mistakes." Harry handed over the note in his hand. Professor Mcgonagall frowned and took the note. The paper was stuck together. It was the Phoenix Society's method. Her eyebrows furrowed even deeper. She took out her magic wand and tapped on it. The paper automatically unfolded.
Professor Mcgonagall quickly read through it and remained silent for a long time.
"Is it true?" she said. "Eavesdropping on professors?" In addition to a general explanation of the process, the note also mentioned the background of the conversation in obscure handwriting. The two of them were discussing confidential information of the Phoenix Society.
"We didn't do it on purpose," Harry said. "I … uh, I came out for some fresh air after lunch, and then …" Professor Mcgonagall snorted. Harry braced himself and continued to explain. Ten minutes ago …
"Did you hear that? Sirius' class is very popular. "Hermione said thoughtfully. She, Harry, and Ron had just come out of the auditorium and were ready to take a breather.
"He said it was a secret." Harry's tone was indignant, and he stamped his feet. "He said it was a surprise, and we don't have his class until tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it. "
Hermione and Ron laughed.
"What's wrong?" Harry looked at them blankly.
"You sound like a child who quarreled with his parents … Be careful!" Hermione said. A freshman ran over and almost bumped into them.
"Running is forbidden in the castle. You'll bump into other people." Hermione said sternly at first, and then her tone softened. "What's the matter?"
The freshman looked frightened and kept looking back, as if someone was chasing him.
Harry and the other two looked at each other in dismay.
"Hey, kid, we're prefects. If someone bullies you, don't hesitate to say it." Ron straightened his chest, making the prefect badge on his clothes more conspicuous. "I have the right to detain and deduct points …"
"Come on, Ron, we can't abuse this right." Hermione said sternly. She looked at the freshman, who said with a frightened expression, "I, I just met the professor of Magic Potions in the courtyard. His eyes were so scary!"
"Is this the first day you know … Well, it's true." Ron muttered.
"Professor Snape … Well, he's really strict," Hermione said slowly. "If he inadvertently reprimands you, you don't have to take it to heart —"
"Yeah, there's still a long way to go." Ron said again. Hermione glanced at him and he immediately shut up. When her attention returned to the freshman, he began to wink at Harry. Harry felt that Ron's words were quite accurate.
"No, no, Professor Snape is talking to another professor. I think … they don't want to be disturbed." The freshman's face turned red and he stammered. He looked like he was about to cry and turned to run away.
…
"So you want to find out what's going on?" Professor Mcgonagall said sternly.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded woodenly.
"We're prefects, we have to, we have to …" Ron scratched his head. Professor Mcgonagall glanced at him. "With all due respect, Mr. Weasley, there's nothing in the prefect code that can explain your behavior today. Needless to say, this isn't the first time."
The bell rang. Professor Mcgonagall stood up and stuffed the parchment paper on the table into the drawer. "I completely agree with Professor Snape's actions. Deducting marks …" She pursed her lips. "And confinement, starting from this week —"
Harry and Ron looked up in horror. They both thought of the same thing. The Quidditch selection was on Friday afternoon.
"— Every Saturday night until lights out, process the potion materials until the end of the month."
After that, they were kicked out of the door by Professor Mcgonagall and hurried to the Potions classroom. Ron nagged along the way. "We're going to be late again. I bet that old bat will definitely give us trouble … Why didn't Professor Mcgonagall say a few words for us? Snape was making a mountain out of a molehill. Great, he finally found someone to help him process the potion materials for the new semester …"
Harry suddenly felt a little nauseous. He recalled the dark classroom, the disemboweled toad, the stinking ginger, peppermint, horseradish, the secretion of the mottled mango, the spleen of the bat and rat, the sticky slugs … His scalp tingled.
They dragged their feet back to the lounge at night.
"I told you, Snape isn't going to let us off so easily. Everyone will be deducted ten points for being late, and it's all because of him … Together, it's close to two hundred points." Ron wailed, almost catching up with the crying Myrtle. They listlessly went to the most remote spot in the lounge.
Harry and Hermione were also not in the mood.
"Do you guys think we can deduct points from the other academies?" Ron said on a whim. The other two ignored him. Harry and Hermione were used to Ron's daily unreliable suggestions. He would give up anyway.
"We can't do that. Besides, you still have to write a lot of reports." Hermione could not help but correct him in the end.
"If it's Malfoy's gang …" Ron's eyes flashed, then dimmed. "Oh, no, I forgot that he's also a prefect."
At this time, Harry, who had been silent, suddenly asked.
"That story … It's the one Professor Heip picked out to name his new wand. It's called The Legend of the Three Brothers, right? Hmm, is it very famous …"
"It's like thunder to my ears, buddy. I grew up listening to it." Ron said without hesitation, "It's a short story in 'The Tales of Beedle the Poet.'"
"Wait, I think I've seen this name somewhere. Peter the Poet — Beedle, somewhere else …" Harry said slowly. He subconsciously looked at Hermione. Usually, at this time, Hermione could always give an accurate answer.
But this time, Hermione also showed a thoughtful expression.
"Have you really seen it, Harry?" She could not help but ask.
Harry returned a look of obvious confusion.
Ron, who was next to them, held back his laughter and said, "That's a rare thing. Even Miss Know-It-All can't find the answer one day. "
Hermione glared at him. "If you know, hurry up and say it."
But Ron enjoyed the process very much. He shook his head and said, "Think about it. What is it that Harry and I know? Hmm, there's a chance to come in contact with it, but you just happened to miss it —"
Hermione's eyes seemed to become as confused as Harry's.
Harry, on the other hand, had an idea. It was definitely not something related to learning, because Hermione would not leave any corner of the textbook or reference book behind. She had this ability. So it could only be something that he and Ron came across when they were killing time …
"I remember now." Harry's eyes lit up. Hermione immediately stared at his face. He said in an affirmative tone, "It's' The Adventures of the Little Wizard, Mikki. 'It mentioned this book, but I don't remember where exactly it was."
"But I've also read … a few volumes." Hermione slowly came back to her senses. She and Harry looked at Ron together. Ron wanted to keep them in suspense, but he immediately raised his hands in surrender when both of them looked at him at the same time.
"Well, that's the content of the last volume. The little wizard, Mikki, and his friends were in danger. In the nick of time, he used magic, which exposed his identity as a wizard. Mikki was very sad because he lost a group of friends when he received the notice from the Hogwarts. But on the day Mikki left, his friends came back. They didn't care whether he was a wizard or not, and they sincerely wished him well. After that, Mikki told his friends the story of 'The Wizard and the Jumping Pot'. "
Ron made the final decision. "That's where the name 'The Tales of Beedle the Poet' was mentioned, just once."
"You're really something," Harry praised.
Ron grinned.
Hermione was still thinking about what Roland had said. "The Wizard and the Jumping Pot … What's it about?"
This stumped Ron. He thought for a moment and stammered, "It's about … well, a kind old wizard is dying. When he was alive, he was very kind to Muggles and always helped them as much as he could. The neighbors loved him very much. But his son didn't understand him, so the old wizard left behind an enchanted crucible before he died. The old man must have been an alchemist. Ahem, I'll continue. After the old man died, his son refused to help the poor neighbors anymore. Anyway, he had a heart of stone. Then the crucible began to torture the old man's son, making him unable to eat or sleep well. So the son decided to follow his father's example and continue to help the neighbors as much as he could. "
Ron was a little out of breath after saying so much in one breath. He took two deep breaths and finally concluded, "I guess this story is trying to express that wizards and muggles can live in peace and help each other... That's what my mother told me." He added in the end.
Hermione stared at him.
"Don't look at me. I was only a few years old at the time. It's good enough that I have some impression of it," Ron said.
"But …" Hermione bit her lip, still puzzled. "I don't see them living in peace. I mean, the old wizard definitely counted, but his son was forced to do good under the influence of the crucible."
Ron shrugged. "I don't know either."
At this time, a voice suddenly interrupted. "Don't give him a hard time. He was still holding a teddy bear and drooling." Fred and George walked over happily. "Sold seven retractable ears. The first day of school! "
"Are you still short of money?" Harry asked.
"Not really," Fred sat next to him and said casually, "but we need some testers. They promised to give us feedback on the product."
"Like what you did with the quick-acting truant candy?" Hermione suddenly said sternly.
"What?" Fred asked in surprise.
"I saw it all! You posted the notice of recruitment of testers on the bulletin board. If I didn't find it when I went to post the list of assessment spells … "She pursed her lips, and her expression looked very much like Professor Mcgonagall.
Fred and George looked at each other.
"It won't be long before you change your mind, Hermione." George said disapprovingly. "You'll definitely need it. This is the year of the O.W.S. Every year, there are a few breakdowns. Others don't feel good either. The better the grades, the more likely they are to fall into the trap … Remember, Selton was wearing an onion-flavored amulet?"
"Of course I remember," Fred said solemnly. "After all, we sold it to her. Unfortunately, the concentrate of the Euphoric Potion doesn't seem to coexist with onions." He stood up and tilted his head at George. "Let's go. Let's go find Li. Maybe he can find something —"
When he saw Hermione looking at him angrily, he vigilantly shut his mouth and smoothly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, about your previous question, George and I also asked about it. Dad said that there are always good and bad wizards, so people like him have a purpose in existing."
"You mean —" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"Dad was making a law to protect Muggles at that time," George said concisely. While Hermione was thinking, the two left together.
Harry now felt very conflicted. On the one hand, Mr. Weasley's approach of legislating to protect Muggles was very admirable, just like the old wizard in the fairy tale who used the crucible to restrict his son. However, when these words came out of Fred and George's mouths, it felt a little strange, especially when they were sneaking away …
As he lay down on the four-poster bed, he pushed these messy thoughts aside. He was full of anticipation at the thought of being able to attend Sirius' class tomorrow.
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