Snape's Threat

There was still some time before dinner, but the nights in the British winter always arrive particularly early. By not even five o'clock, it was already too dark to see the path ahead without artificial light.

Therefore, Tver cast a guiding Lumos charm to hasten the lingering students back to the castle. Meanwhile, he made some minor adjustments to the area, reducing the size of the field by half and setting up an impish charm. Only after all this did he leisurely return to the brightly lit castle.

However, upon entering the castle gate, he encountered an unexpected person—or rather, someone who seemed to be waiting for him deliberately.

"Well, well, well, isn't our beloved Professor Fawley?" Snape stood sideways at the dim entrance, half his body shrouded in shadows, revealing only his face with a sardonic smile and those cold eyes.

Tver was startled, almost drawing his wand at the sudden, eerie voice. "Beloved is an overstatement. At least I'm busier than Professor Snape, who seems quite ease here," he said, slipping his wand back into his robe pocket. He then adjusted his robe and smiled at Snape.

Snape scoffed, not taking Tver's sarcasm to heart. "I'm curious, Professor Fawley, given you only teach three grades, why have you been so busy? You've been missing since yesterday morning, only to appear now?"

His smile remained, but his eyes hardened, suggesting that Tver's response better satisfy him, or else his wand might be drawn the next second.

Tver caught off guard by being on Snape's list of suspects, wondered if Quirrell, that fool, steered Snape his way.

"Unlike Potions class, the Defense Against the Dark Arts often requires me to gather creatures for teaching, so I took a trip to the Forbidden Forest. Is there a problem with that?"

Snape scanned Tver from head to toe, his gaze finally resting on Tver's empty hands. "And where are these creatures?"

"Died," Tver said nonchalantly, his expression slightly eerie under the torchlight.

The smile vanished from Snape's face. He narrowed his eyes slightly and took a small step forward, stepping into the light but also obscuring it on Tver's face. "You should be aware of your position and avoid engaging in suspicious activities."

"Thank you for the reminder. I suppose I haven't been as outlandish as you, Professor Snape, right?" His eyes were no longer cold, Tver's gaze was playful.

Snape leaned in and whispered, "I don't know what you're up to, nor do I care about your schemes with Quirrell. But rest assured, if I find out you're up to no good, I won't hesitate to add a dose of Veritaserum to your dinner."

"That might be interesting to taste," Tver murmured back casually. "But be careful, I wouldn't want to reveal things the students aren't ready to hear. Such as, your dealings with the Dark Lord."

Snape's gaze hardened instantly. With Dumbledore's assurance, he wasn't afraid of his past being exposed. However, he knew his actions within the school had to be restrained, as any deviation could jeopardize his critical mission. Glaring menacingly at Tver, his voice rose in intensity.

"I don't care what you know, but if you dare to—" His accusation was cut short as his gaze suddenly shifted to the corner of the corridor. "Who's there?!"

Within a second, three small figures emerged from around the corner.

"Uh," Harry stammered, "we just finished dinner and came this way to... um..."

"Walk it off!" Ron interjected loudly, nodding confidently while theatrically patting his rounded belly as if to lend credence to his claim.

Hermione could hardly bear it, pulling at the back of his shirt, "Stop talking, Snape's glare could kill you!"

"If no one has taught you manners, perhaps you should seek lessons from the troll from Halloween; he has much to teach you," Snape sneered menacingly. "Five points deducted, each!" He cast one last glance at Tver before storming off, steps heavy with anger.

Harry and the others exhaled in relief. They were accustomed to losing points, and though the deduction was steep this time, it was not significantly impactful.

"Three essays," Tver said with a smile, turning to them unexpectedly, "three papers each, to be completed by the end of next week. Otherwise, your Christmas gift will be a complete set of exams, enough to keep you busy until the end of the school year."

Not just Snape, Tver too had been careless. Though partly due to physical fatigue, his recent surge in power had made him a bit too complacent. As someone who held himself to high standards, he could not afford such elementary mistakes. Handing out the nine papers, he too made his departure.

Thinking of dinner but too exhausted, he decided to retire for a nap instead. This decision, however, left Harry and his friends with grim expressions.

Hermione skimmed through the papers, noting the complexity of the content, filled with many discursive questions. She didn't mind, even somewhat looking forward to the professor's Christmas gift, but for Harry and Ron, it was a different story.

"Three papers, that's too much!" Harry complained, eyeing the stack in his hands as soon as Tver had left.

Ron sighed, "Let's just deal with it. Each of us can take one paper. Given how Professor Fawley looked just now, I didn't dare ask for any favors!"

"This is the first time I've heard of doing papers after class. The professor surely won't leave any loopholes," Hermione said, shaking her head as she showed them the questions on the papers.

"Also," she added cautiously, glancing in the direction the professor had gone, "it's the first time I've seen the professor so angry. Were they discussing something important here?"

"That's obvious!" Ron exclaimed loudly. "Snape must be forcing the professor to steal that thing, and that's why the professor has been out of sight all day!"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Exactly, Snape even reminded the professor to watch his status. Maybe the professor has been compromised and Snape is using that leverage against him!"

Hermione looked skeptically at her two indignant friends. The professor's demeanor didn't seem like someone who was being threatened; how could they concoct such elaborate theories?

But she didn't have a better explanation either, so she just responded noncommittally, "Then, for now, our priority is to find out who Nicolas Flamel is."

"And what exactly is going on with Professor Fawley!" Ron emphasized.

"Alright, if possible, let's also look into what leverage might be held over the professor," Hermione said resignedly.

"And then help the professor sort it out!"

"..."