"No, I can't. I still have some things to do later."
In the glow of the setting sun, Patrick Abbott's face seemed slightly flushed.
After bidding Patrick farewell, Snape hurried toward the library on the fifth floor of Hogwarts Castle. In just over an hour, the library would be closing.
"Good evening, Madam Pince."
It took Snape quite some effort to find Madam Irma Pince dusting in one of the narrow aisles between shelves.
"What is it you need, child?"
"I'd like to know where the Daily Prophet issues from 1940 to 1950 are kept," Snape said.
"Follow me." Madam Pince tucked her feather duster under her arm and led Snape through the rows of shelves.
At a remote corner of the library, Madam Pince pointed at a neatly stacked pile of newspapers.
"Here they are,the Daily Prophet from the entire 1940s. Be sure to return them when you're finished, or else you know what will happen."
Thanking her, Snape quickly hauled a stack of newspapers over to a desk and began flipping through the issues arranged by date.
The light outside the windows had already grown dim. Candles protected by glass covers lit up on the desk beside him.
Finally, in the Daily Prophet dated June 15, 1943, he found an article..
"Mysterious Murder at Hogwarts, Chamber of Secrets Rumors Spread Panic":
The investigation into the mysterious death at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on June 13 is still ongoing. Reports suggest that several other students had previously been injured in similar mysterious attacks.
Headmaster Armando Dippet stated that the victim died in a bizarre accident, dismissing the legend of the Chamber's monster as pure nonsense. He also declared that security measures had been strengthened and that the school would make every effort to ensure student safety.
However, one of the school governors, Cassius Malfoy, revealed that so far, every victim had been a Muggle-born witch or wizard.
"I don't want to criticize the Headmaster or the school's policies," Mr. Malfoy told this reporter, "but for the safety of all students, unless the perpetrator of these attacks is caught, the Board will consider closing the school if necessary."
Reliable sources indicate that the Ministry of Magic has dispatched officials to Hogwarts to oversee the investigation.
The Daily Prophet reminds all readers to remain vigilant about their own safety.
May this poor girl rest in peace in another world.
Snape turned to the following issues.
In the June 22 issue of the Daily Prophet, he found the continuation of the story:
"After investigation, the culprit behind the 'Hogwarts Serial Attacks' was revealed to be a 'giant spider.'
A fifth-year Slytherin student, for his 'extraordinary courage and wisdom,' played a decisive role in resolving the matter and was awarded the Medal for Special Services to the School.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic and school officials confirmed that the student responsible for setting off this incident was officially expelled from Hogwarts, and his wand destroyed on the spot."
This was exactly the information Snape had been looking for.
He secretly tore out several of the relevant newspaper pages and stuffed them inside his robes, then carefully stacked and returned the rest of the papers.
At that moment, Madam Pince's magically amplified voice echoed through the library.
"Closing time! Please pack your belongings and leave within five minutes."
At exactly eight o'clock, Madam Pince extinguished all the lights and drove the remaining students out of the library.
The crowd flowing out was mostly Ravenclaw students. Among them, Snape spotted a small boy with a head of golden curls,Gilderoy Lockhart.
Back in the dungeons, Snape read for a while in Practical Potion-Making Mastery, then went to bed.
Until he drifted off into a hazy sleep, Patrick Abbott still had not returned.
Later that week, in several Potions classes, Slughorn was effusive in his praise of Snape's abilities.
He said that in all his years of teaching, he had rarely encountered a student more naturally gifted at potion-making than Snape.
So, after the fourth Potions lesson, Snape asked Patrick to go on ahead while he deliberately lingered, slowly packing his schoolbag.
At last, only he and Slughorn remained in the classroom.
"Professor, I'm curious,what became of the more talented students you once taught? If I could meet one, that would be amazing."
"Ah, I don't know where he is now," Slughorn said regretfully. "Many years ago, I tried to recommend him to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but he turned me down.
"I can't imagine why he chose to go work as a shop clerk at Borgin and Burkes. I haven't heard a word about him in years."
"Borgin and Burkes?" Snape's eyes widened, his voice tinged with astonishment. "Isn't that a Dark magic shop in Knockturn Alley?"
"Yes, such a pity," Slughorn said as he finished tidying up and headed out the door. "Such a talented young man.
"Well then, Severus, I'll see you Saturday. Remember to bring Patrick along."
"Professor," Snape called after him, "what was his name?"
"What? Oh, yes,his name was Tom Riddle."
...
On Saturday at noon, Snape shared his discoveries with Patrick.
Although he didn't want to draw his friend into danger, some unexplainable impulse kept him from hiding the truth from Patrick.
"So, just like you, Riddle was old Sluggy's favorite?"
Patrick, still bent over a parchment titled The Principles of Ghost Manifestation, didn't even look up.
"Keep your voice down." Snape quickly cut in, worried that even the name might bring Patrick trouble. "Do me a favor, as a friend,don't say his name, all right?"
"But it's not like-"
"I know it's not that name, the one we can't say, but just treat this as my unreasonable request. From now on, call him Little Tom." Snape added, "After all, I don't need another rival on the way to becoming Head Boy."
"Fine." Patrick didn't sound entirely convinced, but he agreed anyway. "Now hand me your essay. This is giving me a headache."
Snape pulled a roll of parchment from his bag and passed it over, then bent his head to work on his own Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment.
Free periods in sixth year were nothing like what Snape and Patrick had imagined,time to act freely as they pleased. Instead, almost all of it was consumed with trying to complete the massive piles of homework assigned by their teachers.
Though everyone complained about the workload, every teacher insisted that their assignments only took "a few hours," as if students could somehow use the same hours to finish multiple classes' work.
By dinnertime, Snape had only managed to complete about half of his tasks.
"Maybe we should leave the rest for tomorrow," he set down his quill and said to Patrick. "Slughorn's party is about to start."