章 50: Confinement by Snape

...

After the day's long and exhausting ceremony, Dyroth returned to Hogwarts. As soon as he stepped into the school grounds, a familiar prompt echoed in his mind:

[Congratulations to the host for establishing a business group in Diagon Alley and obtaining the achievement: The Settlement of a Business Giant]

[Achievement Point Reward: 100]

"Establishing ?" Dyroth mused. "What I want to do is far more than just establishing."

His thoughts wandered as he made his way back to the Slytherin common room. Upon entering, Draco immediately rushed over to him.

"Dyroth, where were you all day? I couldn't find you anywhere!"

Dyroth, still exhausted from the day's events, waved him off. "I was busy. We'll talk later." Without further delay, he made his way to his dormitory and quickly drifted off to sleep.

---

The next morning, Monday.

The weekend had ended, and many students were sluggishly getting back into the rhythm of school. The Great Hall buzzed with morning chatter as owls swooped in, delivering the latest issues of the Daily Prophet.

"Merlin's beard!" a student exclaimed loudly, capturing the attention of the hall. "The cover of today's *Daily Prophet*... it's Dyroth!"

A murmur spread through the hall. Students were in awe, astonished that their peer had made it onto the front page of the most prestigious newspaper in the wizarding world.

"Look at this! He's standing next to Minister Fudge!"

"And the directors of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement!"

The students who had grabbed a copy quickly passed it around, sharing in the excitement.

Ron, sitting at the Gryffindor table, was seething with jealousy.

This was a sight Ron had only witnessed in his dreams—grand and far beyond his current reach. But now, it was happening to the person he hated the most!

How could he possibly accept this?

Harry, sensing Ron's dark mood, glanced between Dyroth and Ron, unsure of how to console him. All he could do was bury his own discomfort and pretend not to notice the growing tension.

Draco, however, had a different focus than everyone else in the room. Even he couldn't resist commenting, though his tone was less enthusiastic.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to Diagon Alley yesterday?" Draco complained, staring at Dyroth with a mixture of envy and frustration. "You should've taken me with you!"

Dyroth, however, was too tired to engage in the conversation, carefully cutting a piece of steak for breakfast. Before he could respond, a dark shadow loomed over him.

"Mr. Grindelwald," came the familiar, cold voice of Professor Snape. "I believe you owe your Head of House an explanation."

Dyroth froze, realizing in an instant that he had forgotten something crucial. Snape, as stern and imposing as ever, continued.

"I don't recall approving any permissions for you to leave school."

"Professor, I… well, Professor Dumbledore knew about it…" Dyroth stammered, trying to salvage the situation.

"Ah, but does his approval override mine, Mr. Grindelwald?" Snape's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Or perhaps you think I'm incapable of making such decisions for my own students?"

Dyroth wisely chose not to argue any further. Snape's gaze lingered a moment before he added coldly:

"It seems you have plenty of free time. From now on, after class each day, you will report to my office for an hour of potions work. Starting today."

With that, Snape turned and swept out of the hall, leaving a stunned silence behind him.

The Weasley twins, always ready to lighten the mood, sauntered over with grins on their faces. "How's it going, Lord Donor?" Fred teased. "Our gift came in handy, huh?"

"Guess it did! Snuck out the very next day!" George added with a chuckle.

Despite their playful jabs, Dyroth found the twins amusing and refreshing to talk to. "How's the progress on your new products?" Dyroth asked, changing the subject. "I've got my shops open now, so we can stock them anytime."

"Not to worry, mate!" Fred said, puffing out his chest. "With your Galleons backing us, we'll be done in no time."

"Now that we're not at the Burrow, Mum won't be snooping around trying to confiscate everything!" George added.

Dyroth smiled. "Speaking of which, I think you should have a serious talk with Mrs. Molly. She only worries because she wants what's best for you. If she knew you had a real business set up and could support yourselves, she would probably come around."

Fred and George exchanged looks, their usual mischievous expressions fading as they considered Dyroth's words. "We'll think about it," Fred said more seriously.

"By the way," Dyroth continued, "I've finished reading Percy's notes. I'll pass them to him after class."

"Better you than us!" George laughed. "He's been a right pain lately."

---

After classes, Dyroth made his way to Snape's office as instructed. He knocked on the door, bracing himself for what was to come.

"Enter," came Snape's cold, clipped voice.

Dyroth opened the door and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, filled with the smell of various potions bubbling away in cauldrons. Snape stood at his desk, his expression unreadable as Dyroth entered.

"Mr. Grindelwald," Snape began, not looking up from the parchment he was reading. "Since you seem to have energy to spare, I trust you won't mind spending your afternoons helping me prepare ingredients for the upcoming potions lessons."

Dyroth nodded. "Of course, Professor."

Snape finally looked up, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "Let's hope your potion-making skills are as impressive as your... business ability."