Chapter 214: A Season for Mischief
Chapter 214: A Season for Mischief
"What... what is going on?"
Snape opened his hazy eyes, waking up from his slumber. He found himself in his familiar room and closed his eyes again, trying to recall fragmented memories.
"Did I... have a nightmare last night?" Snape furrowed his brows, trying to recollect the events of the previous night. He vaguely remembered hearing an eerie wail, and then... everything else was a blur.
It barely qualified as a memory, but Snape could only faintly recall the crying before he lost consciousness. What had happened?
As Snape pondered the reason, his eyes suddenly drifted to the mechanical clock in the corner of the room, and he bolted upright in bed.
"How could I have overslept until 9:30 in the morning?"
As a strict Potions Master who demanded discipline, this was an unforgivable sin.
Snape hastily got out of bed, donned his robe, and rushed towards the Potions classroom.
There was no doubt that the Potions Master was late for class.
Soon, the news of Snape standing up his students spread throughout Hogwarts.
This was indeed a rare piece of gossip, and everyone found it hard to imagine that someone like Snape would ever be late for a class. It was a fresh incident that hadn't occurred in a decade.
It took less than half an hour for this news to spread across Hogwarts, creating an even bigger stir than the foolish Slytherin student who had been caught wandering the castle at night earlier that morning.
It was unimaginable, and there was no other topic that could compete with this.
Of course, no one dared to openly discuss this matter.
No one wanted to be caught by Snape and made an example of. Moreover, everyone noticed Snape's gloomy expression, as if someone owed him ten thousand galleons, so naturally, no one wanted to tempt fate.
"What an eventful day!" Albert yawned, covering his mouth with his hand as he munched on a slice of jam-smeared bread. He casually listened to the group of gossipy girls next to him, sharing interesting tidbits.
The ghostly happenings in the castle's basement the night before were a popular topic. Some claimed that the eerie wailing came from Moaning Myrtle in the second-floor bathroom, while others speculated it might have been a Peeves prank. Of course, there were other theories as well, but Albert was delighted by the cloud of smoke screens he had created. A few distractions never hurt anyone.
As for the Slytherin student who had been caught red-handed by Filch, most students were simply enjoying the show. They relished seeing Slytherin House lose points, and students from the other three houses felt a sense of schadenfreude, as if they had just guzzled a large bottle of butterbeer.
Fred and his friends, who knew the truth, struggled to contain their laughter. They were well aware that the unfortunate Slytherin student had undoubtedly become Albert's scapegoat.
However, they took pleasure in witnessing the misfortune of someone they disliked. There was nothing more satisfying than seeing your enemies stumble.
"I wonder when Snape will realize something's missing," one of Fred's friends mused.
At that moment, Fred and his gang were gathered in the Room of Requirement, examining the Mandrake that Albert had obtained from Greenhouse 3.
George couldn't hold back his laughter anymore and was bent over, clutching his stomach.
"Not so soon," Albert casually explained. "But Snape will likely grow suspicious eventually. Unless they notice that a Mandrake is missing from the greenhouse, but I doubt Professor Sprout will realize it that quickly. After all, she has too many magical plants to tend to, and she teaches classes daily. There's no way she can keep track of the exact number."
"Makes sense," George agreed, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "If Professor Sprout only had to take care of those Mandrakes, she might notice the discrepancy. But she has so many other responsibilities, it's impossible for her to remember every single detail."
"Do you plan on returning this Mandrake to the greenhouse?" Li Jordan suddenly asked. With Albert's abilities, he certainly had a way to stealthily return the Mandrake without a trace.
Once the Mandrake was returned, there would be virtually no flaws in their plan. Even if Snape suspected that the crying came from the Mandrake, he would have no evidence to support his claims.
"No, I still have a use for this," Albert replied, already planning to turn the Mandrake into a Dark Magic artifact. As for the salt issue, he was confident he could resolve it. After all, it wasn't the ancient times, and table salt wasn't expensive.
"What if Snape guesses the truth?" George couldn't help but ask. He believed Snape wasn't foolish. If he connected the castle's rumors with a visit to Professor Sprout, he might piece things together eventually, even if it took a few days.
"It's impossible for him to use Legilimency on every student," Albert explained. "And ordinary students don't have the ability to stealthily obtain a Mandrake from the greenhouse and knock Snape unconscious. Snape has protective charms on his office, and it's unlikely that a second-year student could break through those charms and intrude."
"Besides, it rained yesterday, and there were no footprints left on the ground," Albert added, winking at the trio. "Furthermore, with Fat Lady's absence last night, even if Snape suspects a Gryffindor student, he won't be able to get any evidence from her about students sneaking out of the dormitory in the middle of the night."
"Unless Snape uses Veritaserum on every student, but the use of Veritaserum is restricted by the Ministry of Magic, and the ingredients are rare. Even if he wants to brew more, it won't be easy."
"My god, have you thought of everything?" Fred exclaimed.
"Of course," Albert replied, then continued after a moment's thought, "Now, the three of you are the only potential weak links. Act as if you don't know anything, and don't discuss this matter. In short, don't do anything to attract Snape's attention; that's very important."
"We know what to do," the trio said, looking at each other and grinning.
"Snape will go crazy if he can't find the culprit," the four of them laughed together.
"By the way, when are we going to look for the Jumping Umbrella Mushroom?"
"This week, if it rains," Albert said after a moment's thought. "After the Dark Arts class in the afternoon, let's go to the library to find information about the Jumping Umbrella Mushroom."
While the book One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi did introduce the Jumping Umbrella Mushroom, the information wasn't complete. They needed to find a book called The Complete Guide to Poisonous Mushrooms in the library to obtain relatively safe methods for picking and storing the mushroom.
Before leaving the Room of Requirement, Albert reminded them again, "Remember, you know nothing. Don't let Snape notice you."
There was no helping it; they had Potions class soon.
"We know," the three said solemnly, and then they all burst out laughing.
"Okay, okay, I think you'd better laugh your fill here before you go out," Albert said helplessly, covering his face with his hand, a faint smile on his lips.
The Ministry of Magic prohibited the misuse of Veritaserum, and it was rarely used even when interrogating criminals.
Legilimency could only obtain limited information if it wasn't cast directly on the target, especially when the caster lost eye contact with the subject. A skilled Legilimens could judge whether someone was lying based on their conversation habits.
(End of Chapter)
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