Fred and George took the shortcut through Hogsmeade.
They emerged from the secret passage on the fourth floor and rushed towards the Great Hall on the first floor.
Tragedy struck.
They ran into Snape, who had an unfriendly expression.
"Whoa—it's you guys."
"Hello, Professor!" Fred stood obediently.
George pulled a small ball out of his pocket. "Goodbye, Professor!"
Snape had already drawn his wand before it hit the ground.
He gripped the small ball, his expression terrifyingly grim. "Very good, Gryffindor dunk—"
"Severus, the opening banquet hasn't even started yet." McGonagall strode over.
She gave the twins a cold glance, then met Snape's even colder gaze. "You know why the two Mr. Weasley did this."
Snape handed her the small ball in his hand. "There won't be a next time."
His expression showed no disappointment or regret; he simply walked stiffly toward the staff table.
McGonagall, who caught the small ball, had no intention of returning it. "Gentlemen, dinner—please come to my office after class tomorrow."
She managed to keep her House Points, but she didn't intend to let those two go.
Fred and George kept pouting until they saw Vincent walk into the Great Hall.
"How did you guys get here so fast?"
Vincent smiled and sat down without saying a word.
The twins looked at Hermione upon seeing this.
She placed Gu Gu on the long table and recounted what had just happened in a low voice.
Snape leaned slightly forward at the staff table.
The Thestral did not resist?
And they still let that brat Wayne ride on top of him?
Impossible!
He once tried to pluck a feather from the tail and almost got kicked away, so why does this little wizard who's only in second grade have the nerve to do that?
"Because I have a kind heart," Vincent replied casually, as the twins kept pressing him for answers.
Snape sneered and stopped paying attention to the Gryffindor table.
He's a bit of a jerk, but he's reliable when it counts.
She has a quick mind and her analysis is quite insightful.
Everything about him is just unpleasant to look at, especially his high-profile act of riding Thestral.
After Hermione explained the whole story, the other students arrived at the Great Hall.
Percy was the first to enter.
After the students were all seated, he came over to Vincent.
"How is the situation?"
Hermione was about to repeat herself when Fred and George beat her to it.
"My dear brother, Professor Dumbledore has already gone there. They might already be on their way back."
Percy looked toward the entrance to the Great Hall and soon saw Dumbledore.
There was no one behind him.
"Could it be—"
"Probably not." Vincent squinted as he watched Dumbledore walk toward the staff table.
He approached Snape, bowed his head, and spoke a few words to him.
The Chosen One Development Plan 3.0?
When Snape stood up without a word, it seemed to mean that his guess was correct.
Percy relaxed.
"They broke the school rules, and I think Professor Dumbledore must be trying to use this opportunity to teach them a lesson."
He said this while looking at Fred and George.
"We wouldn't secretly drive Dad's car."
"Um?"
"Even if they come, they definitely won't be discovered."
"Don't even think about it!" Percy shook his head and turned back to his seat.
Although the death penalty can be avoided, the punishment of imprisonment is inescapable.
As Snape walked out of the Great Hall, his smile grew even brighter.
Not long after the first-year Sorting Ceremony began, he finally saw the two who had arrived late.
Why isn't Snape up there?
"Perhaps he's ill," Ron said hopefully. "Or perhaps the curse has come true."
"That's great." Harry leaned against the door, smiling from the bottom of his heart. "I hope he stays sick until the end of the school year."
"Maybe he got fired!" Ron said, getting more and more excited. "Think about it, Quirrell is locked up in Azkaban, maybe—"
"Perhaps he's waiting for you—" a chilling voice came from behind the two of them.
"Tell me why you didn't get on the school bus."
Harry and Ron stiffly twisted their necks.
A long black robe swaying slightly in the night breeze, greasy black hair draped over his shoulders, and a hooked nose matching his sallow complexion.
The sinister smiles and the intense malice in their dark eyes told the two that their current situation was extremely precarious.
"Come with me." Snape led the trembling Harry and Ron down into the underground.
He opened his office door and pointed into the darkness inside. "Go in!"
A faint light suddenly appeared, illuminating the many large glass jars displayed on the shelf.
Harry and Ron saw all sorts of disgusting things floating in the jar, and they instinctively felt even colder inside.
Snape closed the door, turned around, and stared into Harry's timid eyes.
"Ah—did the famous Harry Potter and his good friend Weasley find trains not exciting enough, so they wanted to try something more thrilling?"
"No, it's the partition wall at King's Cross Station, it—"
"Shut up!" Snape's cold gaze shifted to Ron. "What exactly did you do to the car?"
Seeing that the two were speechless, he unfolded a newspaper on his desk.
This is a copy of the Evening Prophet, not exactly fresh, but it's definitely from an hour ago.
"You have been seen."
"Impossible!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "We had already flown out of Surrey before the cloaking device malfunctioned!"
"Foolish confidence." Snape's fingertip tapped a headline that had a chilling undertone.
Merlin appears? Muggle cars can fly!
He turned the newspaper, and Gao Sheng read the contents aloud:
"Mr. Al Pembos, who was conducting magical experiments in Surrey, claimed that he saw a car suddenly appear overhead at noon today and disappear into the clouds at a very high speed..."
While observing the trajectory of Mars with an alchemical telescope, Mr. Bruno Cavitt, a resident of London, unexpectedly spotted a flying Muggle car in the clouds...
Mrs. Lisa Joy, who was teaching children to fly broomsticks in the Scottish Highlands, couldn't believe her eyes. She took this precious photo with her camera...
Snape flipped the newspaper over, revealing the bottom image of a car leaving the clouds and entering another.
"I remember your father worked in the Muggle Artefacts Office, right?"
He looked down at Ron, "Two sons received the Order of Merlin, and one drove a contraband vehicle that should have been confiscated."
"And that's not all." His dark, malicious eyes swept over Harry.
"I just discovered that a particularly precious 'Whomping Willow' has been severely damaged while I was inspecting the garden."
Ron blurted out, "That's because the car suddenly fell down! And the tree caused us damage—"
"Shut up!" Snape chuckled with obvious regret. "Unfortunately, you are not students of my house, and I have no authority to expel you."
He gave a sinister smile. "Wait here. I'll go and fetch the person who has this delightful privilege right now."
Harry and Ron stared at each other, their faces pale.
They all realized the seriousness of the situation.
The glory Fred and George brought to the Weasley family will likely be squandered all at once.