Snape, the Newly Appointed Nanny

By the time the Little Badgers reached the fourth floor, the crowd had already dispersed.

The Black Swan common room was still fairly intact.

But the four lying on the ground looked ready to kill, while those standing wore strange expressions.

Division was the first word that came to Justin's mind.

He looked toward the Owl Court common room behind him and spotted several people at the entrance excitedly discussing what had just happened.

"The moment Vincent walked in, they obediently made way..."

James exaggerated slightly. "You know Marcus, the troll-like guy? He was so scared he threw away his wand himself and didn't even dare resist!"

The Little Badgers all knew he was bragging.

"If you don't believe me, ask Neville. After just a couple of moves, Malfoy didn't have any fight left in him."

"Really?" Hannah blinked her bright eyes.

Neville looked toward a table in the corner.

Vincent was over there talking to Byron and the others. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

"Y-yes." Neville timidly held his hands together. "Just like that. Malfoy and Zabini both went down."

Ernie exchanged a glance with Justin.

They had the result, but what was the reason?

James and Alfred both grinned wickedly.

"You all know what Vincent is like, right?"

"Yeah."

"Last year, when Neville got bullied, he even got revenge on girls."

Hannah's large eyes drifted toward another corner.

Pansy and Daphne had once...

Hmm? Boys couldn't enter the girls' dormitory, so could it only have been Hermione, who was sitting across from them?

Did he not hold grudges?

"That's what makes Vincent terrifying." James lowered his voice as much as possible.

"No matter who stands in his way, he'll clear away every obstacle."

Justin asked what he did not understand. "So who was it this time?"

"Well..." James and Alfred both gave him looks that said, You know if you know.

"Greengrass?"

"Shh—"

"Could it be Granger too?"

James gave him a thumbs-up, then lightly patted Neville on the shoulder.

"They are girls, after all, and you weren't hurt last time."

"Huh?" Neville scratched his head. "Why do I keep feeling like you're hinting at something?"

"How could someone standing at the top of Hogwarts not have a girlfriend?"

Alfred hurriedly shook his arm to warn him. "Stop talking, old James. You're in deep trouble."

James seemed to sense something and turned around, only to see Vincent standing behind him with a smile.

"Ah—old Vincent, how do you always show up at just the right time?"

"I put a tracking spell on you. No matter which corner of the world you hide in, I can hear every bad thing you say."

"Y-you're joking, right?" James felt a chill run down his spine.

"Of course." Vincent's smile was meaningful. "I've just been keeping an eye on you lately."

Neville and Alfred both observed a silent three seconds of mourning for him.

Until dinner, a figure could be seen running through the castle.

Such a serious incident at school naturally could not be kept from the headmaster.

After dinner that day, Dumbledore invited the two Heads of House.

Before entering the Headmaster's Office, they already had a rough idea of what had happened.

If Fred and George had not been spreading rumors, then the Black Swan had indeed behaved poorly this time.

Snape had nothing to say.

McGonagall said nothing either. She merely told him to manage his students properly and not let the same thing happen again.

"Compared to greater gains, he made a choice that could be called irrational."

Dumbledore spoke to himself. "To go that far for a companion proves that he has not been affected by Dark Magic."

Snape narrowed his eyes. "You want to use a Horcrux to lure that person out?"

"If we can find one that is intact."

McGonagall neither agreed nor disagreed.

In last year's Quirrell incident and this year's Lockhart incident, Vincent had played a crucial role.

On Voldemort's kill list, he was not much lower than Horace or Lucius.

Rather than live in fear, they might as well use him as bait.

As long as Vincent and one of the Horcruxes were "accidentally" exposed to the public eye, Voldemort would most likely move quickly to confirm whether the remaining Horcruxes were safe.

It would save time and effort, so naturally Snape had no reason to object.

Since Dumbledore was not pursuing what had happened today, the reason he had summoned them became interesting.

"Minerva, Vincent's safety is in your hands."

Snape's expression darkened. He had a feeling something even more troublesome was coming.

"Severus, since you already know that Harry carries one of his soul fragments—"

"No, Dumbledore!" He looked somewhat agitated. "I will not be anyone's nanny!"

Dumbledore smiled softly. "Severus, it seems you have misunderstood something.

Although he can no longer sense the other soul fragments, Harry is not a Horcrux in the true sense."

No matter how the situation changed, the chances of Harry being affected would only grow higher.

Quirrell and Lockhart were examples.

Even if Voldemort did not know now, he would certainly learn eventually.

If he wanted to use Harry...

"Fine." Snape agreed.

He knew Dumbledore had no time before finding the Horcruxes, and he also knew Vincent could not teach anyone.

"Please do it as soon as possible, Severus."

Snape left without saying a word.

Before Harry was mentally prepared, Occlumency was a backup option.

"Albus, I have something else to discuss with you." McGonagall deliberately glanced toward the portraits of the former headmasters.

Dumbledore picked up the Elder Wand and gave it a light wave. "Go on, Minerva."

"This concerns news I just heard from an old friend..."

A well-known reporter from The Daily Prophet had already learned about what happened today.

According to her old friend, many people seemed to want to make an issue of it.

Lucius probably would not dare, but Madam Zabini, who was about to marry for the seventh time, might not be so restrained.

She possessed beauty that drove men mad, as well as the vast inheritance left behind by her first six husbands.

Her only son had been beaten today. Could she really swallow this insult?

Dumbledore gently pinched the bridge of his nose.

Pure-blood lords like Lucius might care about their reputations, but Madam Zabini would not care about such things.

For the time being, Vincent was still safe.

But the Greengrass Family...

"Minerva, please ask that child to come here."

McGonagall nodded and left.

Everyone had moments of carelessness. Dumbledore was no exception.

His opinion of Vincent had not changed. He even felt somewhat fortunate that something like this had happened sooner rather than later.

As status and power rose, people often blindly believed in themselves.

When that happened, a small oversight could become a fatal weakness.