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Chapter 719: Snape's Scar
Chapter 719: Snape's Scar
As expected, by the end of the last Potions class on Friday, the bottle of Felix Felicis ended up in Connor's pocket.
Her brewed compound potion was almost perfect, and even Slughorn couldn't find any faults with it.
Though Kyle's potion was similar, the color of the concoction in his crucible was slightly darker.
This was because he had added the African serpent skin a little later than Connor, which didn't affect the potion at all. If it hadn't been for her, he would have undoubtedly come in first place.
However, to be honest, neither Kyle nor Connor particularly cared about the Felix Felicis that Slughorn had offered as a reward.
They both already had some of the luck potion, and they also had their means of obtaining more if needed.
As for Connor, it went without saying that if she asked, Snape would surely be more than happy to provide her with a few bottles.
As for Kyle, his relationship with Healer Sascia, the director of St. Mungo's, was already quite good. Additionally, with the supply of those Acromantula materials he had sent before, it wouldn't be difficult at all to get his hands on some Felix Felicis.
So naturally, this reward wasn't that attractive to them. It would be nice to have, but they didn't mind if they didn't get it.
More importantly, ever since Kyle had worn the Ravenclaw crown, he had become wary of things like Felix Felicis.
That feeling of being able to control everything was indeed a little intoxicating, and Kyle was afraid that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation...
Unless necessary, he was content with things as they were now.
...
During the first weekend of the new school year, a misty drizzle fell from the sky, chilly and damp. However, this was also the day for the Quidditch team to select new members, and there were many people on the field.
Aside from those who genuinely wanted to join the team, most were there to watch the excitement. If possible, they might also try to gather some intelligence on the rival teams from the other houses—a twofold purpose.
Since the morning belonged to Gryffindor, Kyle didn't go to the pitch. Instead, he and Connor walked across the grounds together toward Hagrid's hut.
Kyle had been feeling a bit off these past few days, always wearing a frown, and he hadn't even been going to the Great Hall for meals lately.
Taking advantage of the weekend, Kyle wanted to see what was bothering him.
When they arrived near the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid was absentmindedly watering the pumpkin patch by the door.
Inside the patch were pumpkins almost as large as cartwheels. By the time Halloween came around, they would be used as decorations in every corner of the castle.
However, Hagrid seemed to be thinking about something else, as he poured an entire bucket of water onto the same pumpkin, creating a small puddle on the ground.
"Hagrid, if you don't pay more attention, we'll have to buy pumpkins from outside for Halloween," Kyle called out, snapping Hagrid back to reality.
"Oh, it's you, Kyle, and Connor too," he greeted them, still holding the bucket. "Hello."
"Hello," Kyle said as he walked up beside him and asked directly, "What's been bothering you lately?"
"I... I'm fine..." Hagrid replied, his eyes darting about uncertainly as he took a couple of steps forward to water the other pumpkins.
"Come on, don't you know how bad you are at lying?" Kyle said. "Also, if you didn't have something on your mind, why would you be out here watering the pumpkins in the rain?"
Rain?
Hagrid just then noticed that his hair was completely soaked.
"Oh, why didn't you tell me earlier?" he said, hastily putting down the bucket and trying to scoop the water out of the puddle with his hands.
"Is it really necessary for someone to tell you that it's raining?" Kyle muttered.
However, seeing Hagrid's flustered state, he took out his wand and helped to clear the excess water from the pumpkin patch.
Though he felt it wasn't really necessary, Hagrid must have had his reasons for doing this, so Kyle decided to lend a hand.
...
"Come on, tell me what's going on," Kyle said again when they returned to the hut. "What's been bothering you lately?"
"I don't know..." Hagrid said softly. "Maybe it was a mistake for Professor Dumbledore to choose me to teach Care of Magical Creatures."
"Why would you think that?" Connor asked.
"Because only five people chose my advanced class this year," Hagrid said, as if he had finally mustered the courage to admit it.
"Five?!" Connor exclaimed, incredulous. That would mean only one person from each house had chosen Hagrid's class, and the number was indeed too small.
After all, even Divination had over a dozen students.
"Hagrid, have you set the bar too high?"
"If an 'A' is considered high, then yes," Hagrid sighed.
Kyle fell silent. An 'A' was the bare minimum passing grade, and it was already the lowest standard for the advanced class. There was no way to lower it any further.
"Are Harry and the others among those five?" Kyle asked tentatively.
"Harry, Hermione, and Ron, they all chose my class," Hagrid said, finding some solace in that fact, though he couldn't bring himself to smile.
This meant that aside from those three friendship votes, only two other people had chosen his class. Thinking of this, Hagrid felt even more dejected.
"It must have been a mistake for Professor Dumbledore to make me a professor!" he said, his voice shaking.
"Er... well, you can't say that..." Kyle stammered, not knowing how to comfort Hagrid.
After all, this outcome was partly due to his own doing.
If it hadn't been for his insistence that Hagrid give up on bringing Blast-Ended Skrewts into the classroom, those five students might not have chosen his class at all. Those creatures were truly unlikeable.
Kyle turned to Connor, giving her a look that pleaded for help. But Connor just spread her hands and quietly averted her gaze.
"Well, um... don't be discouraged, Hagrid," Kyle said, steeling himself. "I think it's just because most people don't understand magical creatures well enough."
"But when Professor Kettleburn was here, many people chose his advanced class.
"Different? What do you mean?" Hagrid asked, puzzled.
"The mysterious person." Kyle said, "This year, the Ministry of Magic announced the news of the mysterious person's comeback, so most students would subconsciously favor subjects that improve their strength when choosing classes, which is why they neglect Care of Magical Creatures."
"Is that so?" Hagrid looked up.
Thank goodness, his voice no longer held the hint of tears, as Kyle was truly bad at comforting a half-giant.
"Of course." Kyle said seriously, "Just think about it, quite a few people chose your class last year. How could it be because of your incompetence?"
"But..." Hagrid still looked doubtful, "Magical creatures are obviously very useful. Didn't Dumbledore use Fluffy to guard the Philosopher's Stone? How could they not be helpful to them?"
"Because you can't bring Fluffy into the classroom." Kyle said, "Think about what they're learning—bowtruckles, fairies, nifflers... The slightly better ones are unicorns and fire lizards. They can't expect to ride a unicorn to fight Death Eaters, can they?"
Hagrid was somewhat convinced, and even Kyle and Connor believed this reasoning. After all, quite a few students, around twenty or so, had chosen Hagrid's class last year.
And the only change during this period was the Ministry of Magic publicly announcing Voldemort's resurrection. Perhaps it really was because of this.
Divination class could predict the future, even if it wasn't always accurate, but it was at least a comfort. As for Care of Magical Creatures, well...
Before their fifth year, students were only allowed to learn about XXX-level magical creatures or below, so it was normal for them to look down on the subject.
More importantly, most witches and wizards wouldn't carry magical creatures with them and would rely more on their wands.
"It's their loss, Hagrid." Connor chimed in.
"That's right." Kyle nodded, "One day, they will regret this decision."
"Yeah."
Hagrid was persuaded and cheered up, "Give up on Care of Magical Creatures? They'll never know what they missed out on. I've decided to show those five students something different."
"Something different?" Kyle pondered, "Wait, Hagrid, you're not thinking of bringing Fluffy to class, are you?"
Actually, with Hagrid's personality, he very well might do something like that.
There was also another troublesome matter. Kyle had secretly taken Fluffy out, and he hadn't had the chance to return it to the Forbidden Forest yet.
If Hagrid found out about this, it would be a bit hard to explain.
"No, of course not."
Fortunately, Hagrid didn't plan to do that. He shook his head and said, "Ever since Fluffy got familiar with the environment in the Forbidden Forest, I haven't seen it in a long time. And Dumbledore wouldn't agree to students facing overly dangerous magical creatures.
"So, I plan to introduce them to Thestrals in the first class."
"Thestrals?"
Kyle was taken aback. If he remembered correctly, they had also learned about Thestrals around this time last year, and Umbridge had even attended the lesson... So, what's the difference?
Seeming to understand Kyle's confusion, Hagrid explained, "This year, instead of just observing from a distance, I've decided to let them touch and understand Thestrals up close. I'll also teach these five students how to ride them.
"That way, when they encounter danger at school, they can come to the Forbidden Forest for help right away!" Hagrid said, clenching his fist with newfound confidence.
...
"Kyle, do you think Hagrid will succeed?" On the way back to the castle, Connor asked curiously.
"Hard to say." Kyle shrugged, "To be honest, Hagrid's idea is not bad, but he doesn't seem to be good at thinking things through."
Connor couldn't help but laugh, "If Hagrid heard what you just said, he'd definitely be angry."
"That's why I didn't say it earlier." Kyle glanced back, "This is Hogwarts. If students need to come to the Forbidden Forest for help, it means the Death Eaters have completely taken over the school.
"Instead of running across the grounds to the forest, they might as well grab a broom from the broom shed and fly away."
"Also, not everyone can see Thestrals."
Connor thought about it and realized this was indeed the case. Hagrid's decision could only be considered marginally better than nothing.
"Never mind, as long as Hagrid cheers up." Kyle waved his hand, not too concerned.
He didn't plan to make Care of Magical Creatures class more meaningful anyway; that wasn't realistic. As long as Hagrid had something to do and stopped worrying about only having five students in his advanced class, that was enough.
...
When they reached the castle gates, the Gryffindor Quidditch team was also returning from the pitch.
"Hey, Kyle." Harry waved and walked over. "By the way, I haven't thanked you yet."
"Thank me for what?" Kyle asked, puzzled.
"For telling us to buy the Potions book, of course." Harry said, "Professor Slughorn insisted that I attend his class, and I wouldn't have known what to do without the book.
"By the way, did you know in advance that Slughorn would be teaching Potions?"
"It's nothing." Kyle said matter-of-factly, "Slughorn is one of the few famous Potions masters, and he's especially good at self-preservation. In any case, he wouldn't have taken the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
The two returned to the castle.
"Kyle, hey, Kyle!"
Kyle turned to see Susan Bones rushing towards him, a scroll of parchment in her hand.
"This is for you." She handed the parchment to Kyle, breathless as she asked, "Have you heard about Hannah?"
"Yes, I have." Kyle nodded.
On the third day after the start of school, Death Eaters had launched several attacks, killing many people, including Hannah's family. She hadn't shown herself for quite some time.
"I hope she's holding up." Susan said worriedly, "And I don't think going home is a good idea right now. There's nowhere safer than Hogwarts at the moment."
"Yeah." Kyle nodded.
After Susan left, he unrolled the parchment and saw a line of slender, slightly slanted writing.
Dear Kyle,
Please come to my office after lunch. I hope your start to the school year has been smooth.
Your faithful
Albus Dumbledore
P.S. The password is Acid Pops.
...
"Professor Dumbledore wants to see you?" Connor peeked over Kyle's shoulder at the note, "I hope it's not something dangerous."
"Who knows." Kyle said as they walked towards the Great Hall.
The note said after lunch, so there was no rush.
...
Meanwhile, on the eighth floor, in the Headmaster's office.
The atmosphere was a little off. Dumbledore sat there while Snape stood before him, his face as gloomy as ever.
"So, this was your intention, wasn't it?" His voice was indifferent as he spoke, "To have Harry or Kyle, find out what's hidden in Slughorn's mind."
"We must know how many Horcruxes Tom has made." Dumbledore tapped the table, "You know, Severus, this isn't really that dangerous."
"Not dangerous?" Snape's voice rose involuntarily, "Slughorn has been hiding this secret for years. As far as I know, ever since the Dark Lord's resurrection, he hasn't dared to stay in one place for more than three months, moving from one Muggle's empty house to another... And you call this not dangerous?"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, "I never expected, Severus, that you would be concerned about Kyle."
"Don't talk nonsense." Snape glared at him, "You know who I'm worried about."
"Yes, I know." Dumbledore said softly, "This guilt has tortured you for sixteen years, ever since Lily..."
"Don't mention that name!" Snape roared, his voice loud enough to wake Fox, who flapped his wings in protest.
In the painting, Phineas Black opened his eyes slightly, then pretended to go back to sleep.
However, Dumbledore didn't seem to mind. He stroked the ring on his finger and asked gently,
"Do you want to see her again? Perhaps you can get her forgiveness."
"Are you mocking me?" Snape looked at Dumbledore coldly, trying to suppress his anger, "She's dead. How could I possibly see her... Wait... "
At that moment, he noticed the ring on Dumbledore's hand.
"That's..."
"Yes, it's the one we found in the Gaunt shack." Dumbledore took off the ring and held it out to Snape, "But... the curse on it has been lifted."
"It has?"
"Indeed, I wore it at the start-of-term feast, if you recall." Dumbledore placed the ring back on his finger, "Perhaps you didn't notice."
The Resurrection Stone...
Snape's mind was filled with only one thought.
The Resurrection Stone, which could bring back the souls of the departed, was right before him. He could use it to see Lily again, to speak with her, and to... apologize...
Unconsciously, Snape took a few steps forward.
But for some reason, the closer he got to the Resurrection Stone, the heavier his steps became.
When he finally stood before Dumbledore, close enough to touch the stone, he found himself unable to move a single finger.
He was afraid.
He was afraid to see Lily, afraid that she would look at him with disappointment... or even hatred.
What if she refused to forgive him?
It was his fault that the Potter family had been killed. He had told Voldemort about half of the prophecy he overheard in the Hog's Head Inn, and Lily might never forgive him for that.
Snape had tried not to think about this for years, focusing instead on how to atone for his sins.
Using the Resurrection Stone would mean reopening that scar in his heart.
Staring at the Resurrection Stone, Snape's face contorted with emotion, and he finally took two steps back.
He bumped into a table, knocking over several silver instruments.
"Take it away!" Snape shouted hysterically, "Get it away from me!"
Dumbledore, however, didn't seem too surprised by this reaction, or perhaps this was what he had expected.
"Severus..." Dumbledore took off the ring and placed it back on his finger, "Sometimes we need a little extra courage. While reopening old wounds can be painful, it also means there's a chance for them to heal."
"Shut up, Dumbledore, shut up!" Snape panted, unable to listen to what Dumbledore was saying.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Sorry, I have something to attend to." Snape quickly moved towards the door, his steps hurried, and he didn't even glance at Kyle, who had just entered.
(End of Chapter)
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