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After the confrontation with Snape, everyone was divided into pairs.
To prevent Hermione from helping Harry, Snape deliberately placed her with Erwin on the opposite side of the classroom.
Erwin's roommate, Michael Corner, was paired with Hermione's roommate, Lavender Brown.
The boy in question looked at the bushy-haired girl before him.
Her messy hairstyle couldn't hide her delicate features.
It gave her a certain endearing quality.
'She's rather cute, actually.'
Nodding to Hermione to show his friendliness, Erwin began handling the potion ingredients on hand.
Hermione, however, seemed hesitant, as though struggling with something she wanted to say.
Finally, she spoke.
"Erwin Gaunt, did you attend Garden Elementary School?"
Erwin looked up in surprise.
"Yes, I graduated from Garden Elementary. How did you know?"
Hermione let out a long sigh of relief, as if a suspicion had been confirmed.
"I knew it. When I heard your name at the Sorting Ceremony, I thought it might be you."
She extended her hand generously.
"I'm Hermione Granger, your elementary school classmate. I was in class four. I'd heard about you. You rarely came to school, but when you did take exams, you always scored perfect marks."
Erwin's eyes widened in realization.
He and Hermione had attended the same elementary school.
He hadn't recognized her because he'd been so focused on building his investment company that he'd skipped school constantly.
Erwin extended his own hand and shook hers.
"It's good to meet you properly, Miss Granger. It seems fate keeps bringing us together."
"Just call me Hermione. And I want you to know, you may have beaten me in elementary school, but now that we're at Hogwarts, I won't lose to you. I'm going to surpass you."
The girl looked at him with utter seriousness, her declaration almost solemn.
Erwin smiled, unconcerned.
The earnest determination in her expression was rather endearing.
"Mr. Gaunt, if I were you, what I would be doing now is not chitchatting with your classmate, but immediately adding the powdered Viper Fang to your cauldron."
Snape's cold voice came from directly beside him, causing Hermione to panic.
Erwin, however, possessed a considerably thicker skin.
Without missing a beat, he calmly added the powdered Viper Fang to his cauldron and began stirring.
Seeing that Erwin remained completely unfazed, Snape abandoned his targeting.
Like an enormous bat, he floated over to Harry's workstation and began watching the boy's every move with predatory intensity, ready to criticize at the slightest mistake.
An hour later, a group of dejected young wizards filed out of the Potions classroom.
Harry looked particularly devastated, having been verbally eviscerated by Snape until his mind went blank.
His expression was utterly lost.
Snape had just deducted five points from Gryffindor for his "irregular procedure."
Erwin, however, remained behind.
Seeing Harry's miserable condition, he felt the need to speak with Snape privately about his own situation.
He had no desire to be constantly targeted by the old bat.
Though he wasn't afraid, it would certainly be troublesome.
"Mr. Gaunt, I believe you should leave my classroom immediately. Are you hoping to earn detention by lingering?"
There it was, Snape's characteristic acidity.
Erwin got straight to the point.
"Professor, I think we should talk."
Snape said nothing, simply fixing the young wizard before him with eyes like pools of stagnant water.
Erwin continued.
"I apologize for what happened at the Sorting Ceremony, Professor. I didn't want that outcome, but you saw how it happened; the Sorting Hat spoke too quickly."
"As you yourself said, despite being from the Gaunt family, I'm a half-blood. And as far as I understand, Slytherin doesn't exactly welcome students like me."
"Ravenclaw was the better choice, for me, and for the other Slytherin students."
He looked at Snape expectantly, waiting for a response.
Snape's expression didn't change.
He simply stood there, watching Erwin in profound silence.
The entire classroom fell quiet.
Erwin could even hear the professor's measured breathing.
After what felt like an eternity, Snape finally spoke.
"Mr. Gaunt, there are certain matters where I can... exercise discretion. However, the behavior of some students is beyond my control, even as their Head of House."
Erwin breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
The issue was finally resolved.
More than that, he hoped to build a better relationship with Snape and perhaps learn more about Potions from him.
"Of course, Professor. Then I'll take my leave."
After a slight bow, Erwin departed the classroom.
Snape watched him go, saying nothing for a long time.
His dark eyes stared into the distance, filled with thoughts known only to himself.
'"If... if I could have been like him back then, Lily, would we have had a different ending?"'
The words were barely a whisper, and moisture gathered at the corners of his eyes.
****
Whatever Snape was thinking, Erwin couldn't know.
The moment he left the dungeons, Fred and George intercepted him.
"Ah. Good afternoon, Master Gaunt."
The twins executed exaggerated, theatrical bows.
Erwin rolled his eyes.
"Stop fooling around. What do you want?"
Fred grinned and threw an arm around Erwin's shoulders with easy familiarity.
"George and I would like to cordially invite you to join the Hogwarts Night Tour Society this Saturday. Twelve o'clock midnight, right-side corridor on the fourth floor. Don't be late."
Erwin was curious about what the twins were planning.
Since he had nothing else scheduled, he might as well see what mischief they intended.
He agreed immediately.
Seeing his ready acceptance, Fred and George departed with matching grins.
After bidding farewell to the two troublemakers, Erwin hurried to the Great Hall and grabbed a quick lunch.
He had History of Magic that afternoon, and time was running short.
In History of Magic, Erwin almost fell asleep almost immediately.
The professor was a ghost, Professor Binns, whose monotone lecture droned on endlessly without the slightest variation in pitch or tone.
Within minutes, every student fought to keep their eyes open.
Erwin couldn't resist.
After ten minutes of valiant effort, and despite Hermione's reproachful glare from across the room, he succumbed to sleep.
Meanwhile, in the headmaster's office on the eighth floor, Snape and Dumbledore sat facing each other.
A conversation about Erwin Gaunt was about to begin.