Chapter 386: Snape's Credibility
Chapter 386: Snape's Credibility
The facts indeed aligned with what Dumbledore had said.
The Ministry of Magic had not managed to suppress the news of Azkaban's fall, nor could they have, even if they had tried.
The next day, almost every wizard in the British magical community saw the news on the Daily Prophet during breakfast.
At the same time the news spread, the Death Eaters, who were now openly walking in the sunlight, clashed with the Aurors in the first major conflict since Voldemort's return.
According to Scrimgeour's plan, the Aurors used the Ministry of Magic's Apparition detection magic to track the location from which the large-scale prison break had occurred. Surprisingly, Voldemort and the Death Eaters did not immediately relocate but instead lay in ambush at a manor in Wales.
Despite the Aurors' caution, a battle involving over a hundred people erupted near the manor.
The wounds Voldemort had sustained two months ago, inflicted by Sherlock, seemed to have fully healed. Under the leadership of this top-tier dark wizard, the Aurors were forced to retreat after a grueling battle.
The outcome of the battle could not be hidden. Even though the name Voldemort still struck fear into the hearts of most wizards, there were still many followers in this land.
Before the Daily Prophet's news broke, the news of the Death Eaters' victory had already spread widely.
This easily shattered the stability and public opinion that the Ministry of Magic had struggled to maintain for over two months, plunging the British wizarding community back into a state of panic.
This anxiety even affected the students at Hogwarts.
During the first week of the semester, the castle was abuzz with discussions about the conflict between the Death Eaters and the Aurors. Even some professors were privately discussing the matter.
Dumbledore spent even less time in the castle.
He had to continue searching for clues about the Horcruxes and coordinate the actions of the Order of the Phoenix.
Fortunately, even without him, Deputy Headmistress Professor Mcgonagall managed to keep things under control at Hogwarts, preventing any major disruptions.
The only potential issue was the students from Slytherin House, who came from pure-blood families. The entire house had become unusually quiet in this environment.
This was a stark contrast to their usual confrontational stance with Gryffindor. Many of these students were devout followers of Voldemort, raised on the teachings of pure-blood ideology, making them stand out even more among their peers in the castle.
Even Professor Sherlock had noticed this change.
In his classes, the Slytherin students had become increasingly silent and withdrawn, their enthusiasm significantly diminished.
A few students even looked at him with hostile expressions.
This group naturally included Draco Malfoy, who had become a Prefect this year.
While Sherlock was not particularly concerned about their attitudes, the change still put him on high alert.
Given Voldemort's ruthless nature, he might very well use these students to carry out some minor operations within Hogwarts.
In early September, Hogwarts experienced several days of drizzling rain.
Amidst this gloomy weather, Harry and his classmates completed their first Potions class of the fifth year.
Initially, seeing Snape attend the Order of the Phoenix meeting during the summer, Harry had hoped that his Potions classes this semester would be more bearable. However, reality proved to be the opposite.
During the potion-making process, Harry made a minor mistake, and Snape immediately seized the opportunity to make an example of him.
This class was combined with Slytherin, and Draco's shrill laughter and Snape's cold taunts echoed in Harry's ears.
“I see you forgot the Shrivelfig, Potter. This means your entire cauldron of waste is useless. Vanish without a trace.”
Harry's potion disappeared instantly, leaving him standing awkwardly beside an empty cauldron. Snape didn't even spare him a glance, turning to walk back to the lectern with a cold tone.
“Those who read the instructions carefully, bottle your potion samples, label them with your names, and bring them to my desk for inspection.”
“Homework—write a twelve-inch essay on parchment about the properties of Moonstone and its uses in potion-making. Due Thursday.”
Around Harry, his classmates were bottling their potions. He packed up his things, feeling furious.
His potion wasn't any worse than Ron's, whose cauldron now emitted a foul smell of rotten eggs. It wasn't worse than Neville's either, whose potion had hardened like freshly mixed cement, forcing him to scrape it out of the cauldron.
Yet, it was Harry who received a zero for today's assignment.
Hermione and Ron, after handing in their potions, walked beside him, expressing their doubts about Snape.
“I thought he might be a bit more lenient with you this year,” Hermione said discreetly, aware of the other students around them. But even so, Harry and Ron understood her meaning.
Ron complained, “I’ve always thought Dumbledore is mad to trust Snape. What proof is there that he’s no longer working for the Dark Lord?”
As they talked and walked out of the classroom, they saw Sherlock in the corridor, who seemed to have been waiting for a while. His expression changed when he saw the three of them.
“I was going to ask a student to deliver a message, asking you to come to my office after today’s classes, Harry. I didn’t expect Severus to be teaching this class, which saves me the trouble of finding someone else. Come by after dinner, don’t forget.”
Harry was puzzled by Sherlock’s words, but this wasn’t the place to ask questions. He could only agree and say goodbye to Sherlock with Ron and Hermione.
Just as they were about to climb the stairs, Harry and his friends saw Sherlock approach Snape, who had just finished the class.
Clearly, Sherlock had been waiting here not for Harry, but for Snape.
“I don’t understand why Professor Forrest and the others trust Snape so much,” Ron said again. “Don’t they care about what Snape has done in the past? I’m sure he has that person’s mark on his arm!”
“I think Dumbledore and Professor Forrest have enough evidence, even if they haven’t shown it to you, Ron,” Hermione said bluntly.
(End of Chapter)
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