Chapter 140: Snape's Grudge and Resentment

Chapter 140: Snape's Grudge and Resentment

Harry followed George and Fred into an empty classroom nearby.

"Why didn't you go to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked, puzzled.

George and Fred exchanged a glance and said with a mischievous grin.

"We decided to give you an early Christmas gift, Harry. Once we're done, we'll head off."

As they spoke, Fred pulled out an old piece of parchment—the Marauder's Map—from his pocket.

Then they taught Harry how to use it. Harry was stunned as he looked at the map that recorded all the routes in Hogwarts and showed the movements of everyone in the castle.

George continued to give him a rundown of the taboos when using the map.

"Remember, don't let any teacher see this map except Professor Forrest."

Harry snapped out of his daze and asked, puzzled.

"Why can Professor Forrest know about it?"

"Because last year, he already knew about the Marauder's Map", Fred shrugged.

George added, "Yes, it was the first day of school. We had just pranked Filch, who was waiting to catch us, and we were sneaking out of the Gryffindor common room with the Marauder's Map when we saw Professor Forrest standing right in front of the door."

Fred still shuddered at the memory of that terrifying moment.

"We were so scared that we forgot to hide the map, and Professor Forrest took it away."

"However, Professor Forrest gave us a chance. He promised to return the map if we behaved properly."

"Yes, that period was almost the most well-behaved time for me and George in school", Fred reminisced. "If our mother had seen us, she would have been very pleased, thinking we had improved."

"Later, even though Professor Forrest extended the time a bit, he returned the map to us at the end of the semester."

"However, before he gave it back, he seemed to have used some magic to remove his name from it."

Hearing this, Harry noticed that the Marauder's Map indeed did not have Sherlock's name on it.

George patted his shoulder.

"It only lacks Professor Forrest's name, but it still works perfectly. We don't need it anymore, so we decided to give it to you!"

They handed the Marauder's Map to Harry, said their goodbyes, and prepared to leave for Hogsmeade through the main gate.

Harry looked at the Marauder's Map in his hand, his eyes gradually lighting up!

Despite all the lectures from Sherlock, Harry's restless heart was not so easily tamed.

He had always envied others who could relax in Hogsmeade on weekends while he was stuck alone in the castle.

Now, his chance to escape was finally here.

The Marauder's Map recorded all the secret passages from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade, and Harry could easily leave.

The entrance to a secret passage was right behind the hunchbacked old witch where he was standing.

With a mix of excitement and a slight sense of guilt, Harry entered the secret passage.

However, his Hogsmeade trip did not turn out as pleasant as he had imagined.

As Harry was making his way through the secret passage to Hogsmeade, Sherlock was gently knocking on Snape's office door.

When the somber voice inside called out, "Enter", Sherlock pushed the door open and walked in.

Even as Christmas approached, Snape was not idle. A cauldron was simmering on the fire in front of him, and the potion inside was bubbling and steaming.

Seeing his visitor, Snape's expression was one of surprise, but there was also a hint of a mysterious smile on his lips.

"What brings you here?"

Sherlock didn't care about Snape's mood and pulled out a list from his pocket, placing it on the desk.

"I need these ingredients. Of course, I won't take them for free; I'll pay the regular price."

Snape picked up the list from the desk.

Sherlock had not hidden anything about the potion ingredients, and with Snape's expertise, he could easily tell what potion Sherlock was planning to brew.

“Billywig sting, buzzing beetle secretion, and moonlight herb picked on a full moon. You want to brew a Sadness Potion?”

Sherlock remained silent.

“So, do you have these ingredients?”

Snape looked at him with a proud, yet hollow and cold gaze. His greasy hair hung down, indicating that it hadn't been tended to in a long time.

“Ah, Forrest, it’s a rare day when you have to come to me for help. You want three sets of these ingredients. As a colleague at the school, I’ll charge you fifty galleons. How about that?”

Sherlock looked at him with disdain.

“You’re really milking this.”

“Do you want them or not?”

Sherlock took out a money pouch from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“I have thirty galleons here, and I’ll give you the remaining twenty next time.”

These ingredients weren’t worth that much, but some of them were hard to find in the Wizarding World, not because they were rare, but because it wasn’t the right season for them. Only a potions master like Snape would have a supply of these materials year-round.

So, even though Snape was charging more than the market price, as long as it wasn’t too excessive, Sherlock decided to bite the bullet.

Snape retrieved three sets of Sadness Potion ingredients from his storage and handed them to Sherlock. Just as Sherlock was about to leave, Snape called him back.

“Don’t you want to know what potion I’m brewing?”

It was rare to hear such a tempting question come from Snape’s lips.

Sherlock stopped and turned to look at the cauldron, where the potion was already boiling. After a moment of thought, he understood what Snape was up to.

A slight smile curved his lips, and he sat down in one of the chairs in Snape’s office.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have the same deep knowledge of potions as Master Snape, but I might have some understanding.”

Sherlock made a show of examining the cauldron.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is a Wolfsbane Potion, right?”

Snape’s tone betrayed a hint of impatience.

“Yes, the effects of this potion are quite unusual.”

“Unusual, indeed,” Sherlock nodded. “While it can’t completely cure a werewolf, it is certainly a lifeline for them.”

Snape’s impatience was becoming more obvious.

“Yes, a lifeline for werewolves. So, if everyone in the castle were normal, why would I be brewing this potion?”

Sherlock shrugged.

“How should I know?”

Snape’s face fell, his expression turning dark.

“Can’t you use your brain and think about it!”

In the past, Sherlock would have pointed at him and teased, “He’s getting desperate, he’s getting desperate.” But this was Snape’s office, and if he really said that, the next day’s Daily Prophet headline might read, “The Tragedy of Magic Education: The Truth Behind a Hogwarts Professor Brawl.”

“I’m quite busy every day and don’t have the time to think about such things. Why don’t you just tell me, Snape? Why are you brewing this Wolfsbane Potion?” Sherlock said calmly.

Snape glared at Sherlock, who was still putting on a show. He wasn’t a fool and could see through the ruse.

“You already knew, didn’t you?”

Sherlock, realizing he was caught, stopped pretending.

“Thanks to your hints, you went to great lengths to cover so much about werewolves during your substitute lessons.”

Snape stared at him.

“Now that you know, why haven’t you exposed him? Don’t you think having a werewolf at Hogwarts is a danger to the students?”

Sherlock scoffed.

“You knew before me. Why didn’t you expose him yourself? Why are you trying to get me to do it?”

Snape’s teeth were practically grinding, but his expression was hard to read.

“I promised Dumbledore I would keep this a secret and not tell anyone.”

“You’ve already broken that promise. Even if it was just a subtle hint, it’s still a hint. You’ve made me an accomplice.”

Sherlock suddenly looked at him with curiosity.

"Tell me, what exactly do you have against Lupin? He seems like a decent enough person. Why do you hate him so much that you want his identity exposed and him expelled from Hogwarts? Is it jealousy over the Defense Professor position? But that doesn't make sense, he's just an assistant. If you're going to be jealous, you should be jealous of me."

In the office, a boiling potion was bubbling and steaming, while Snape stood under the dim light, his hands tightly clenched into fists.

"A decent person? That's what you think of him?"

He didn't angrily kick Sherlock out or coldly tell him to leave.

"Do you know what he almost did back then? He turned into a Werewolf, and his friends lured me into a room and locked me in with him while he was transforming! If one of them hadn't chickened out at the last moment, fearing expulsion for my death, I wouldn't be standing here in front of you now as Severus Snape!"

Snape stared at Sherlock. His words weren't particularly agitated or angry, but the hatred in his voice was unmistakable.

Sherlock was stunned by what he heard. He hadn't expected Snape's hatred for Lupin to be so deep-seated.

He had initially thought Snape was just petty, harboring a grudge over some trivial incident from their student days.

But from what Snape described, his hatred for Lupin was far from baseless.

Sherlock sighed, losing his playful mood.

"Even if he almost killed you back then, it wasn't his intention. As a Werewolf, he had no control. If you're going to hate anyone, it should be those who tricked you into that room."

Snape replied coldly.

"What's the difference? Just because he had no control, almost killing me means I can't hold a grudge? Could you be that magnanimous?"

Sherlock was speechless.

He had intended to mediate between Snape and Lupin, but it was clear that their conflict was irreconcilable.

The events from their past were far more complex than Snape's account, and Sherlock had no interest in arguing over who was right or wrong. He took the potion ingredients and left.

As Sherlock walked in a daze to his office, he noticed a familiar figure standing at his door.

Draped in a black robe, the wide hood obscured most of the face, leaving only the pale lower half visible.

Sherlock, surprised to see Silke waiting, said:

"I thought you were just pulling my leg and wouldn't come back. You really didn't abandon me here?"

Silke ignored Sherlock's banter and said coolly:

"I found some useful information, though it's only somewhat useful."

Sherlock pushed open the door to his office and walked in with Silke.

He sat down and pulled out the pendant box from under his robe.

"So, what exactly is this thing?"

Silke gently recounted her findings.

"The Ministry arranged a meeting with an old goblin who has lived since the Goblin Rebellion. He told me that during the most difficult times, the goblins considered the possibility of losing the war."

"They discussed it and gathered the most skilled goblin artisans of the time to create an alchemical artifact that could turn the tide if they were defeated. They hid it in the deepest secret command center underground."

"However, for some reason, the goblins never activated this artifact after their defeat. The goblin I spoke to wasn't part of the leadership back then; he only heard about such an item."

"Within the goblin community, it is widely believed that this artifact represents the pinnacle of alchemical skill over nearly a thousand years. However, the goblins who knew its exact appearance and function are all dead."

Sherlock looked at the unassuming pendant box, surprised that it could be such a symbol of the highest alchemical achievement.

After hearing Silke's information, he couldn't help but wonder:

"Since this is a goblin artifact created to turn the tide of war, how did the Straw Golem know about it? What does he want with it?"

Silke shook her head.

"I'm not sure, but that's what the Ministry is currently researching. They're trying to get some information from Fidelius."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end