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Thinking back to her earlier encounter with Professor Lockhart...
Hermione was afraid that she had exposed herself.
She was so nervous that she clenched her fists tightly, and Snape's expression stiffened slightly. After all, he knew all too well that Professor Lockhart loved making him miserable.
That idiot writer might not be skilled at magic, but his observational abilities were razor sharp. This term alone, Snape had already been caught off guard by him several times.
Just as the air grew tense...
"Professor Snape? Are you in there? I heard from students that they saw you come back to your office." Lockhart's cheerful voice sounded again, accompanied by a light knock.
Inside the office, the air practically solidified.
Hermione, who desperately wanted to pretend she wasn't there, panicked instantly.
There was no way she could pretend that Snape wasn't there.
If Professor Lockhart called in the young wizards who had seen her return, her impersonation of Snape would definitely be exposed.
"Damn it..."
Hermione lost all composure.
She turned toward Snape, silently begging for help.
Snape was obviously thinking the same thing. He believed that if he didn't respond, Professor Lockhart would bring a bunch of young wizards to expose the lie. It wouldn't be the first time, either.
Snape suspected that Lockhart was doing it on purpose, but he had never found proof.
"I'm here, but I'm busy. Don't disturb me," Snape called coldly toward the door.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the presence of a professor outside triggered—
"Mm-mm-mm~!"
Ron immediately tried to cry for help. Even with his mouth stuffed, he refused to give up, kicking wildly, hoping desperately that Professor Lockhart would notice something was wrong inside the room.
Honestly...
Any student in his place would have done the same. Ron and Neville had been caught that morning and had been stuck there for half the day.
They had imagined countless horrifying futures.
"Mm-Mm-Mm...!"
Ron went berserk, trying to make noise. Snape's eyes narrowed. His wand flicked silently. Ron dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Snape had simply Stupefied him.
Naturally...
Neville didn't know that.
Watching the scene, cold sweat instantly formed on Neville's forehead. He didn't know if Ron had been killed. He only felt a crushing wave of danger.
When Snape's icy gaze swept over him, Neville immediately rolled his eyes, collapsed backward, and went stiff as a plank. He even held his breath.
Clearly, Neville hoped that by playing dead so obediently, Snape would spare him. Honestly, he showed surprising cleverness in a moment of crisis.
Sure enough...
Snape didn't cast any charms on him. He tacitly accepted Neville's surrender. He didn't intend to torture him, only to prevent them from ruining his plans.
"I just wanted to ask you some questions about potion refining. It won't take long," Lockhart continued outside, completely unaware.
His tone was sincere.
"I...I'm very busy! I don't have time to waste on you. Don't bother me." Hermione hurriedly replied in Snape's low voice, though her voice trembled unnaturally.
After a full day of practice, Hermione had adapted somewhat to imitating Snape's speaking style.
"It'll only take five minutes," Lockhart stretched out his words.
"You wouldn't want me to tell the students that even Professor Snape couldn't solve my potions problem, would you?"
"There are a dozen students waiting for me in my office to do potion experiments. If I go back and say that, they'll think I'm lying. And if they come to you for confirmation, wouldn't that waste even more of your time?"
This was unmistakably a threat.
But Lockhart spoke as though he was considering Snape's convenience. That was one of the reasons Snape hated him the most.
This damn self-absorbed, petty man...
Ever since Lockhart arrived at Hogwarts, he had repeatedly threatened Snape in underhanded ways.
Snape's face turned pitch black.
"Open the door for him! Do not let him in."
Snape had somehow cast a spell so that only Hermione could hear him, his voice didn't travel through the air.
Only Hermione could hear him.
"Ah?" Hermione really didn't want to open the door. Facing students and facing a professor were two different things, and she had heard plenty of "legendary tales" about Professor Lockhart since school started.
He was considered one of the top wizards in the wizarding world. Many believed he would someday become as great as Dumbledore.
Facing a wizard like that face-to-face... Would she be exposed instantly? She had already experienced firsthand just how sharp Dumbledore's eyesight was.
"Ahhh..."
Hermione sighed miserably. There was nothing she could do. Cold sweat soaked her back, but she could only grit her teeth and walk toward the door.
She could only hope that Lockhart was young enough to not be as all-seeing as Dumbledore. Encouraging herself, the little witch slowly approached.
"After you open the door, stand to the right," Snape's voice rang in her ear through the sound-transmission charm. He clearly didn't trust her to face Professor Lockhart directly. "Do not let him see inside."
Hearing this...
Hermione drew a deep breath and nodded toward the upside-down Snape. Then, mentally prepared, she stood by the door and finally opened it very carefully.
Of course, she was even more cautious than Snape had instructed. She only opened the door enough to block the view of the office interior and revealed less than half of her face through the narrow gap.
Her gloomy expression looked even gloomier from such an angle. Outside stood Lockhart, wearing a violet robe and sporting his trademark dazzling smile.
He held a copy of Advanced Potion-Making.
As if he truly cared about potions!
"Good evening, Professor Snape." Lockhart beamed, his bright blond hair sparkling under the hallway torches and his teeth shining brightly.
"The weather's lovely today, don't you think? I just saw the most marvelous mandrake in the greenhouse earlier..."
He looked so relaxed and chatty; it was infuriating.
"Do not talk about these useless things." Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes and forced herself to maintain Snape's cold tone. "I am busy."
She didn't stutter but her voice dragged out unnaturally long.
She was trying to hide how panicked she was.
Fortunately, Lockhart didn't seem suspicious at all.
"Ah! Even when you're this busy, you still make time to respond to me. Truly the mark of our friendship! Perhaps I should call you dear Severus!"
He opened his arms wide in a dramatic gesture.
"Oh, come now. Don't be so serious."
He was trying to squeeze into the office.
However, Hermione braced the door firmly with her foot. Nodding stiffly at Lockhart, she dug her fingers into the doorframe, absolutely refusing to let him slip inside and "embrace" her.
Lockhart looked a little disappointed, but that didn't stop him from rambling on.
"Students are so difficult to teach these days. Yesterday, Potter asked me if vampires or werewolves fear garlic more. Hahaha! I heard the weather is going to get worse the next few days. Though it'll be chilly, I think it'll be the perfect time to spark the students' fighting spirit. Don't you agree?"
Lockhart spoke as if he were discussing how to motivate students with a colleague.
"Mhm." Hermione nodded stiffly.
"They've been far too lazy lately. Half of them wrote about 'how to fight a werewolf' for yesterday's homework, even though we clearly talked about dealing with ghouls."
"Ah, young people these days...such a headache! They're so ignorant of the world. When will schools restore the tradition of teachers taking students on trips for education and training? It's dangerous, yes, but they'd grow up far stronger than they are now."
He was now chatting about school policy.
"You... exactly..." Hermione forced the words from between her teeth. Her gaze fell on the potions book in Lockhart's hands. "What potion problem do you actually have?"
She just wanted to get rid of him.
Lockhart finally stopped rambling. He opened the book earnestly.
"I'm studying a potion called the 'Nightshade Coagulant.' It's supposed to enhance memory restoration, but I just can't find the right proportions." I heard you're talented in this field. Could you take a look?"
Hermione glanced at the page... and froze.
It was a fragment from an obscure, ancient potions text stuffed inside the textbook. She had never seen or heard of this formula before!
Ancient potions!
She forced herself to stay calm, lowering her head as if studying, but her mind was completely blank.
Just as she was about to crumble, a deep voice murmured in her ear,
"Tell him the ratio he needs is 0.3 grams of dragon-tongue herb powder, five drops of moonlit water, and a pinch of silver dust. The proportions must be strictly controlled, or it will explode."
It was Snape's voice!
Thank Merlin for the timely guidance!
Relief washed over Hermione as she followed his instructions.
And—
Following Snape's prompts, she pointed out several details to Lockhart.
"Add the dragon-tongue herb powder slowly, at a ratio of 0.3 grams. Then, add five drops of moonlight water. Finally, sprinkle a small amount of silver dust. Make sure the order is not reversed."
This was undeniable proof of Snape's extensive knowledge.
Hermione followed Snape's instructions, repeating every detail in a detached, uninterested tone. She couldn't help but marvel at his vast mastery inwardly.
He was indeed a true Potions Master.
Even ancient potions couldn't stump him. Hermione's perception of Snape rose yet again. Setting aside his personality, Snape was undeniably outstanding.
"Wow, you remember it that clearly? Incredible! Professor Snape really lives up to his reputation!"
Lockhart stared at Hermione with genuine amazement and admiration.
Hermione forced a smile.
"Thank you."
It was her reflexive response to being complimented.
Usually, Snape wouldn't reply like that; he'd just scowl and slam the door. Luckily, Lockhart didn't seem to suspect anything from Hermione's slip.
"If that's all, I'll get back to work."
Hermione realized her mistake and hurried to close the door.
The less she said, the fewer mistakes she'd make.
However... Lockhart's questions weren't done.
"Oh, wait just a moment. This next question is personal. It has nothing to do with the students." Lockhart suddenly lowered his voice.
"I'm studying a very special potion."
He leaned in mysteriously, his face nearly pressed against the small crack in the door. Hermione immediately pulled her head back. From the gap, she saw Lockhart whisper cautiously.
"Do you know how to use mooncalf tears and Veela hair as ingredients for a stronger love potion?"
This wasn't just beyond Hermione's knowledge, it made her want to report him to the Aurors.
But...
Just as her brain began racing with horrible guesses about what Lockhart wanted a super-strong love potion for...
...Snape's voice slid into her ear again like a spider thread:
"Tell him that mooncalf tears must be refined in a gold cauldron and mixed with moonlight water and left to settle for three hours. As for Veela hair, if he can get some, I'll handle it."
Hermione had to admit...
Snape was still absolutely omnipotent in Potions.
She could feel how helpful he was trying to be, though she suspected he simply wanted the Veela hair for himself.
After a brief moment of overthinking, Hermione repeated his words exactly: "Mooncalf tears must be refined in a gold cauldron, then mixed with moonlight water and left to settle for three hours."
"If you manage to obtain Veela hair, I suppose I'll have time to process it for you. There will be a slight loss, of course."
Snape did not yell at her afterward.
Clearly... Hermione had accurately guessed Snape's personal motive.
"Excellent, excellent, no problem at all—Professor Snape, you're amazing." Lockhart's eyes suddenly lit up like stars.
"Brilliant! What if I add Niffler dreamgrass?"
[IDIOT! That'll make you fall in love with the same sex!]
Snape's spell voice nearly ruptured Hermione's eardrum.
"It will make you...fall in love with the same sex."
Hermione blurted out.
"Oh my!" Lockhart clutched his chest. "That actually sounds...even better."
Hermione froze, unsure of how to respond.
Just as she opened her mouth, Lockhart reached through the door crack, seized her hand, and shook it vigorously.
"Someday, you must try my lemon cake! Even Dumbledore says it's divine!"
With that, he turned and left, his footsteps light as he disappeared down the corridor. As his dazzling blond hair finally vanished around the corner, Hermione slammed the door shut and leaned heavily against it, gasping for breath.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Only after she calmed down did she notice...
There was a small, inconspicuous piece of folded paper in her hand, left there when Lockhart grabbed her.
It had been left there when Lockhart grabbed her.
"Fall in love with the same sex...?"
Hermione's eyes widened.
"Is this a love letter?"
"Does Lockhart like Snape?"
She had a wild imagination, but, unlike Ron's, hers usually had some basis.
(End of chapter)
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