Hogwarts Diary: Snape Goes Crazy

Chapter 187: Chapter 186 — Just to Deduct Points from My Score?

Harry wanted to say that he was the one who found the situation even more uncomfortable, but in the end, he kept quiet.

Dumbledore smiled.

”It seems you have no more questions. In that case, my boy, I think you should get some rest. We also have a celebratory feast to attend, so there’s plenty of time to celebrate.

”I still have plenty of things to deal with here. For instance, we’ll need a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor next year. I sincerely hope we don’t end up with someone like Lockhart again. He’s thoroughly exasperated everyone!”

Harry nodded, stood up, and walked towards the door.

But the moment he put his hand on the handle, the door suddenly swung open with such force that he nearly got knocked over.

Lucius Malfoy strode in furiously, glaring at Dumbledore.

Cradled in his arms was Dobby, who was trembling all over.

The house-elf was covered in bandages and looked utterly miserable.

Dobby also glanced fearfully at Harry. Then he repeatedly pointed at Lucius and at the diary lying on Dumbledore’s desk.

Harry was confused, but he watched Dobby closely, trying to work out what he was attempting to tell him.

”So, Dumbledore, you’ve returned without permission. Have you forgotten that you’ve been removed from your position?”

Lucius demanded angrily.

”It’s quite simple,” Dumbledore replied leisurely. ”This morning, eleven members of the Board of Governors wrote to me. They informed me that the youngest Weasley girl had been taken away and asked me to return as soon as possible.

”They believed I was the only person capable of dealing with such a situation. They also told me that you had threatened to curse their family members if they didn’t agree to remove me from my position.”

Lucius’s expression grew unpleasant.

”So, have you found her?”

”Of course!”

Dumbledore pointed at the destroyed diary on his desk.

”It was the same culprit as before. Voldemort used this diary to carry out everything that happened, but the matter has now been resolved.

”We have Vesey, her brother Harry, and their friends to thank for that...”

Lucius wanted nothing more than to give Vesey a vicious beating. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find her, so he could only glare fiercely at Harry instead.

”So that’s how it is,” Lucius said slowly.

”Just imagine what might have happened!

”If Vesey and Harry hadn’t been clever and brave enough to uncover the truth, everyone would have believed that the youngest Weasley girl was responsible for everything. Can you imagine the consequences for Arthur?

”Perhaps even his beloved law prohibiting the misuse of Muggle artefacts would have been affected. How fortunate that you didn’t see the expression on Arthur’s face when he left. He was practically beaming with joy!”

In reality, before leaving, Mr Weasley had been worried about Ginny and distressed over his apparent failure to educate her properly.

Dumbledore had simply added the rest to his account.

Lucius believed every word.

His face twisted unpleasantly.

”That really is fortunate...”

As he spoke, he was practically grinding his teeth.

Harry finally understood what Dobby had been trying to tell him.

He looked at the diary, then suddenly turned to Lucius.

”Mr Malfoy, don’t you want to know who gave Ginny that diary in the first place?”

Lucius glared at him.

”How would I know?”

”You gave it to her! At Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley, you slipped the diary into Ginny’s books!”

”Nonsense! I did no such thing!” Lucius denied it immediately.

Dumbledore laughed.

”Of course, we no longer have any direct evidence. However, if you continue distributing items from Riddle’s school days, Arthur Weasley will eventually discover that they originated from you—”

Before Dumbledore could finish, Lucius stormed out of the office in a rage, still carrying Dobby.

He kicked the house-elf viciously, using him as an outlet for his anger.

Listening to Dobby’s cries, Harry turned towards Dumbledore.

He hesitated before asking, ”Sir, I’ve had an idea. Could you give me that diary?”

”Certainly!” Dumbledore replied with a nod.

Harry immediately rushed out with the diary.

Once outside the office, he took off one of his shoes and stuffed his smelly sock inside the diary.

Then he called out to Lucius and threw the diary towards him.

”Take your belongings and get out!”

Lucius caught the diary. With a dark expression, he was about to put it away when he noticed something inside.

He opened it.

A smelly sock fell out.

He flung it away in disgust.

Dobby caught the sock with lightning speed.

”Dobby is free!”

At the same time, back in the office, Dumbledore stood up.

He picked up the pocket watch on his desk and was about to make a move when Snape entered from outside.

”I wonder if you intend to take me along this time?”

Dumbledore asked.

”All right, all right. Let me think... How many turns should I make?”

He muttered to himself.

---

Harry arrived at the hospital wing and went straight to Vesey’s bed.

She was still asleep.

After feeling her warm breath, Harry finally relaxed.

”Where’s Snape?”

After checking on Vesey, Harry turned towards Ron, who was standing nearby and seemed to want to say something but couldn’t quite bring himself to speak.

Ron covered his face with his hands.

Harry was about to ask what was wrong when he heard Snape’s unmistakable voice.

”How curious. Your professor is standing right behind you, yet you still have to ask where he is.”

Harry’s mouth fell open in shock.

*Why is Snape here?*

When he had arrived just moments earlier, Snape hadn’t been there!

At least, Harry certainly hadn’t seen him.

”Addressing a professor by his surname without the proper respect? Twenty points from Gryffindor!”

After deducting the points, Snape left in an excellent mood.

Harry stared at his retreating back in disbelief.

”What just happened? Was he really standing there the whole time? Is he deliberately messing with me?”

Ron was equally bewildered.

”Although he went out once earlier, he came straight back and has been standing there ever since.

”You came over to Vesey without even noticing him. Your eyesight really has deteriorated!”

Harry knew his eyesight wasn’t perfect, but how could he possibly fail to notice someone standing right there?

Especially when that someone was Snape!

He thought for a moment before suddenly asking suspiciously, ”Tell me, do you think he used some kind of spell on me? Something that makes me unable to notice him? There are all sorts of strange spells. Maybe one like that exists!”

Ron stared at him, dumbfounded.

”How is that even possible? Why would he do something like that?”

*Why indeed?*

Harry thought hard.

Was it simply so Snape could deduct twenty points from him?

Wait. Twenty points?

Harry suddenly remembered that after Dumbledore had awarded them their bonus points, Gryffindor had been twenty points ahead of Slytherin.

Mystery solved!

”He’s just afraid Gryffindor will come first! I see through him now. I’ve never met such an unfair professor!”

Harry trembled with anger.

How could anyone be so unreasonable?

Ron could only shake his head helplessly.

Harry’s resentment towards Snape followed him to the celebratory feast that evening. For much of the meal, he looked as though someone owed him a huge pile of Galleons and had run off with the money.

Of course, they eventually began smiling again, particularly after Hermione and the other petrified students returned to the feast.

Their tense feelings finally began to ease.

”I heard Vesey might have to sleep for another two weeks. By then, it’ll almost be time for us to go home...”

Hermione was anxious after hearing everything that had happened while she was petrified.

Then she suddenly became astonished.

”Wow! You learned so much while I was petrified! And Harry, you can even conjure a stretcher now!”

She was so excited that she didn’t even bother eating. Instead, she immediately picked up her book and began studying.