Chocolate Frog

Silas returned directly through a portal to the empty classroom he often used on the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts Castle. He clapped his hands, satisfied that he had dealt with a troublesome matter, and prepared to find something to eat while checking on Hermione.

He had barely left the classroom when he ran headlong into Hermione Granger, who was hurrying around the corner.

The instant Hermione saw him, her eyes reddened. Her face was a mix of overwhelming worry, lingering fear, and barely restrained anger. Without a word, she rushed forward and raised her hand—

Smack!

A crisp slap echoed through the corridor.

Silas clutched his slightly numb cheek, completely stunned. "Hermione... ow! Why did you hit me?!"

Hermione's chest heaved violently, her eyes rimmed red. Her voice trembled with emotion as she fired off a barrage of words:

"I heard everything from Professor McGonagall! Quirrell! That Quirrell! He wasn't a good person at all! He was an incredibly powerful, incredibly dangerous dark wizard! He might even have been connected to The Dark Lord! How could you?! How could you rush in alone?! Do you know you could have died?!"

Her voice was filled with lingering fear and concern. Clearly, she had learned part of the truth from Professor McGonagall—albeit an altered version—and knew that Silas had faced down and subdued an extremely dangerous dark wizard by himself. It had left her both shocked and terrified.

Only then did Silas understand why Hermione was so furious. He rubbed his cheek and looked at her as if she might cry at any moment. The little bit of grievance he felt over being slapped vanished instantly, replaced by a touch of embarrassment.

"Oh, that's what this is about..." he said, trying to sound casual. "It wasn't that dramatic. That guy was just a paper tiger. He looked impressive, but he couldn't take a hit. I tied him up in no time. It was fine."

"Fine?!" Hermione's voice rose even higher. "Professor McGonagall said Headmaster Dumbledore had to intervene personally! And you call that fine?! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?!"

Seeing Hermione's reddened eyes and clenched fists, Silas knew she had truly been frightened. He scratched his hair, which had gradually returned to light brown, and softened his tone.

"All right, all right, I know I was wrong, okay? Next time... next time, I'll tell you before I do anything? Or take you with me?"

"You still want there to be a next time?!" Hermione was so angry she nearly raised her hand again, but in the end, she lowered it and merely glared at him fiercely. "Silas Cyril! You are not allowed to go off and take risks by yourself again! Do you hear me?!"

"I hear you, I hear you..." Silas hurriedly nodded, putting on a solemn expression. "I promise I'll try not to charge in alone from now on, all right?"

Hermione looked at his perfunctory expression and knew he had not truly taken it to heart, but there was nothing she could do about him. She gave a heavy huff, turned around, and stomped forward in a sulk. Still, her pace slowed slightly, clearly waiting for Silas to catch up.

Silas watched her back, touched his still-aching cheek, and found the corners of his mouth curling upward. Having someone worry about you... wasn't so bad, was it?

He quickened his pace and caught up, gently bumping Hermione with his shoulder. "Hey, don't be mad. How about I treat you to a Chocolate Frog as an apology? I just brought back the latest kind from Honeydukes..."

Hermione ignored him, though she secretly slowed her pace again.

The two walked one ahead of the other—soon side by side—bickering all the way toward the Great Hall. Hermione did most of the scolding, while Silas kept cracking jokes. Although she was still angry at him, she could not withstand his constant culinary temptation. When Silas pulled a beautifully wrapped Honeydukes Chocolate Frog from his pocket—he always carried snacks with him—Hermione's tense expression finally softened slightly.

Silas tore open the wrapper. The Chocolate Frog immediately began hopping about, trying to escape, but he snatched it up with quick reflexes and stuffed it into his mouth. Then he picked up the wizard card included in the box and gave it a casual glance.

"Huh?" He let out a surprised sound and held the card before Hermione. "Look, this Chocolate Frog card is from Slytherin! Salazar Slytherin himself!"

Hermione's curiosity was instantly piqued. Forgetting her anger for the moment, she leaned closer to examine the card. It showed a stern old wizard with a goatee and sharp eyes, with his name and a brief introduction written beneath.

"It really is Salazar Slytherin!" Hermione said excitedly, like a researcher making a discovery. "Chocolate Frog cards do randomly include famous wizards from every era, but getting one of the founders is extremely rare! Especially Slytherin. There are relatively few portraits and records of him; only some ancient books once owned by the Gaunt Family contain any information."

She took the card and studied it carefully. "It is said that he placed great emphasis on blood purity, and that... well, his personality was rather obsessive." Her tone once again carried her disapproval of Slytherin's ideals.

Silas smiled as he watched Hermione focus intently on the card, then took out another Chocolate Frog and handed it to her. "Here, this one's for you."

Hermione hesitated before accepting it. "Thank you," she said quietly. She opened the wrapper, swiftly caught the Chocolate Frog as it jumped out, and then picked up the card.

"It's Morgana!" Hermione's eyes lit up. "A famous witch from the Middle Ages, said to have mastered Transfiguration and prophecy!"

Silas watched Hermione's expression brighten instantly as she immersed herself in the joy of gaining knowledge, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I've soothed her.

"Looks like you're pretty lucky today," Silas said with a smile. "At least you didn't get Voldemort."

Hermione burst into laughter at the teasing remark and lightly punched him. "Don't say that name!"

As they shared the chocolate and discussed the wizards on the cards, the tense atmosphere from earlier completely faded away. To Silas, being able to quell Hermione's anger with a piece of chocolate and a discussion over a little card was an absurdly good deal. And Hermione proved once again that when it came to knowledge and friends, her temper flared quickly and faded just as fast.