Chương 68: Chapter 68: Snape’s Intuition
Before the afternoon Quidditch match was set to begin, Professor Snape approached Madam Hooch, requesting a postponement on the grounds that the physical and mental health of his house's players had been affected.
Madam Hooch, already aware of the chaos that had unfolded at noon, didn't question his request. Without further discussion, she agreed and began preparations to have Ravenclaw replace Slytherin in the match.
However, Snape wasn't done. "Madam Hooch, I don't think Gryffindor is fit to compete today either," he added, glancing toward the Gryffindor team. "There's something urgent I need to discuss with the Weasleys."
Madam Hooch frowned in frustration. "Can't it wait until after the match?"
If both teams were replaced, it would throw the entire tournament into disarray, making the rescheduling process a nightmare.
"It's urgent," Snape replied, his voice unwavering. As a full professor and head of Slytherin, Snape had enough authority to intervene, and Madam Hooch reluctantly agreed.
"All right, but let's hope this doesn't happen again," she warned him. "Rescheduling matches is a serious inconvenience."
Snape, with his usual cool tone, replied, "Believe me, I don't want this to happen either, but I can't fathom what they were thinking..." With that, he strode toward the Gryffindor team and, without hesitation, pulled Fred and George away.
Charlie Weasley quickly stepped forward, trying to intervene, but Snape shut him down immediately. "Disobeying a professor? Ten points from Gryffindor, Weasley," Snape said coldly. "If you don't step aside, I'll dock twenty next time."
Charlie clenched his fists, his face turning red with anger. The veins in his arms bulged as he considered arguing further, but after taking a deep breath, he grudgingly stepped aside. "Professor Snape," he said tersely, "take care."
Snape, his grip on his wand slightly loosening, gave a derisive snort before leading Fred and George away from the Quidditch Pitch. As he did, Charlie cursed under his breath, his frustration boiling over. Without wasting another moment, he stormed off, heading straight for Professor McGonagall's office.
The Slytherins had gone too far this time, not only setting them up but also throwing around insults. But in Charlie's mind, Gryffindor had a trump card—their Deputy Headmistress, McGonagall, who outranked Snape. He'd make sure she heard about this.
Meanwhile, Snape led Fred and George back to the castle, taking them straight to the Potions Office. But the twins, far from nervous, seemed more amused than anything, taking in the surroundings with curious eyes.
The office was unimpressive. It felt cramped, with old-fashioned desks and creaky floorboards. If it weren't for the shelves of potion ingredients lining the walls, the room might have been mistaken for a second-hand furniture shop. Compared to Professor McGonagall's elegant office, Snape's workspace was disappointingly ordinary.
"Professor Snape, what can we do for you?" Fred asked, breaking the silence.
Snape didn't answer immediately, his voice slow and deliberate as he finally spoke. "What's the story with the package you received this morning?"
"We don't know, Professor," George replied smoothly, pulling a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and placing it on the nearby table. "There was no signature. We assumed the owl delivered it to us by mistake."
Fred nodded in agreement. "We searched for the rightful owner, but we couldn't find them. We were actually about to hand it over to Professor McGonagall when it disappeared."
George leaned forward slightly. "Professor, do you happen to know who stole the package?"
He placed deliberate emphasis on the word stole, pausing for effect. But Snape, unfazed, ignored the bait and continued his interrogation.
"So, you didn't purchase the package yourselves?" Snape asked, his voice sharp. "Don't try to fool me. I know it came from Zonko's. I'll be heading to Hogsmeade later to ask around."
Fred remained calm, his expression unchanged. "That's your prerogative, Professor."
George added with a polite smile, "But if you happen to find out who stole the package, we'd appreciate you letting us know. After all, it was lost while in our possession, and we'll have a hard time explaining that to the owner if they come asking for it."
Snape's eye twitched ever so slightly at George's not-so-subtle dig, but once again, he pretended not to notice, maintaining his cold demeanor.
"Weasley, you—"
"Knock, knock, knock..."
At that moment, a knock sounded on the door. Professor McGonagall entered from outside.
"Severus, I heard you took Fred and George with you," Professor McGonagall said, lips pursed and expression serious. "Did they do something wrong?"
"We didn't, Professor McGonagall!" Fred protested loudly.
George quickly followed, "Professor Snape asked us about the package."
Professor McGonagall paused, thinking for a moment. "Is it the one you told me about earlier? The one without a signature?"
"Yes, that's the one," Fred replied. "But it's gone, and we suspect someone may have stolen it."
"Stolen? At Hogwarts?" Professor McGonagall's lips pressed into an even tighter line. "If I find out who it was, I'll deduct a hundred—no, two hundred points."
"Ahem..." Snape coughed twice, interrupting. "Actually, it belonged to one of our Slytherin students. He brought it to me after he found it."
Professor McGonagall looked momentarily surprised. "From your house?"
"Yes, from our house," Snape confirmed, his face taking on a slight greenish tint as he gritted his teeth. "I called the Weasleys here just to confirm the situation."
"I see..." Professor McGonagall's face softened somewhat, though she still appeared displeased. "You could have explained this at the pitch. Why did you have to interrupt the match?"
Snape remained silent, cursing Rosier inwardly for his foolishness.
After that, Professor McGonagall left, taking Fred and George with her. Snape didn't stop them.
In fact, he had never really suspected the Weasleys. The style didn't match. He had only wanted to gather some information from them and maybe dock 30 or 50 points to lighten his mood. He hadn't expected McGonagall to show up so quickly, and Fred and George had been well-prepared, turning the situation into a "theft" right in front of her.
He couldn't even dispute it. After all, it was the truth. If the Slytherins hadn't stolen the package, the rest of the incident wouldn't have occurred.
"Rosier, that idiot is practically related to a troll!" Snape cursed in his mind once more.
Still, the whole exchange left Snape more certain that the Weasleys had nothing to do with the theft, or at the very least, they weren't the masterminds. The Weasleys just weren't clever enough for something like this.
As he stood there, lost in thought, a sly, hypocritical face suddenly flashed in his mind, replacing the honest and trustworthy image he'd first considered.
"Kyle Chopper..." Snape muttered to himself.
Even though, by all accounts, Kyle had nothing to do with the situation—not even remotely—Snape's instincts screamed otherwise. He was sure Kyle wasn't entirely innocent.
Yes, it was intuition—and it had nothing to do with Kyle corrupting Kanna.
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