Snape's Awkwardness

Regulus could feel Lily's gaze shifting back and forth between him and Snape.

The little witch is clever; she probably knows what happened last night. The news spread so quickly that the Gryffindor table was discussing it this morning.

She also noticed Snape's unusual behavior today.

Lily had noticed that Severus had been acting strangely this semester. When he was around her, he always seemed guilty, as if he was hiding something.

He started asking Regulus more often, and each time she answered, his expression was strange, as if he disagreed, wanted to refute, but held back.

Dinner time is approaching.

Regulus closed the book and began packing his things.

He had just stood up when Snape also jumped up, his movement so sudden that the chair legs scraped against the floor with a screeching sound.

Madam Pince peeked out from behind the bookshelf and glared at her sternly.

Snape ignored her and reached out to gently press down on Lily's shoulder as she was about to get up.

Lily looked up at him, puzzled.

Snape didn't say anything, but gave her a look that told her not to move.

Lily blinked, sat back down, and reopened her book, but her eyes kept glancing this way, and her ears perked up.

Regulus found the scene amusing. He smiled gently at Lily, picked up his bag, and headed towards the nearest bookshelf.

Snape followed.

The two stood in the shadow between two rows of towering bookshelves, the setting sun shining obliquely through the window, turning the dust into floating golden particles.

Snape pursed his lips, trying to make his eyes appear sincere. "Thank you."

Regulus raised an eyebrow but didn't respond immediately.

He looked at Snape, who grew increasingly uncomfortable under his gaze, his shoulders hunching, his sincerity almost bursting forth.

Regulus seemed to see right through him. "You think I did that for you?"

Snape's eyes hardened; there was something else in them.

A vague possessiveness, or rather, an impulse to take credit for oneself.

He thanked me, subconsciously trying to frame the incident as, "You only helped me because I asked for your help, so the indirect protection Lily received is thanks to me."

That way he could tell himself, "I still protected Lily, even if it was through someone else."

This kind of psychology is twisted, but it fits Snape's character.

He was both insecure and proud, yearning for power yet afraid of losing what little he had.

He couldn't publicly protect Lily, so he used this method to make amends.

I asked for help, Black stepped in, so I'm credited.

Regulus smiled, but it wasn't anything in particular; he just found the scene amusing.

He has met many kinds of people.

The fanatical Bellatrix, the shrewd Narcissa, the impulsive Avery, the cowardly Alex, and the melancholy Hermes.

But this is the first time I've seen someone as awkward to the core as Snape.

He didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Reaching the end of the bookshelf, he turned his back to Snape and said in a moderate voice, "You're welcome."

Then he went to Lily's desk and said to her, "See you tomorrow."

Lily's eyes lit up, and she nodded. "See you tomorrow."

Regulus left the Library.

Lily waited until his footsteps disappeared down the Corridor, then immediately approached Snape, who had just returned, and whispered, "Severus, what were you talking about?"

Snape ignored her green eyes, his gaze fixed on the wood grain of the table. "The Slytherin affair."

"Oh."

Lily sensed that he didn't want to talk, her eyes darted around, and she made up her mind.

She wanted to find an opportunity to ask Regulus about what happened last night.

Regulus's reputation is now polarized; he is almost universally admired in Slytherin, but quite a few in other houses dislike him.

The Gryffindor table was cursing Black this morning, calling him a pervert for making his classmates kneel all night. Who does he think he is?

Even if the one kneeling is also a Slytherin, it doesn't stop Gryffindor scolding him.

Lily didn't believe Regulus was that kind of person.

Having known Regulus for so long, she could sense that he was calm, restrained, and logical in his actions, unlike James Potter who would bully people just for fun.

But she also wanted to ask for herself why they did that, and whether there were any reasons she didn't know about.

She closed the book, stood up, and said, "Let's go, it's time for dinner."

Snape nodded and followed behind her.

As the two walked out of the Library, the setting sun bathed the stone walls of the Corridor in an orange-red hue.

Lily walked ahead, her red hair shining like a burning fire in the light.

As Snape watched her retreating figure, the faces of those people at the rally, their slogans, and their fanatical gazes flashed through his mind again.

He clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.

The conflict continues, and he doesn't know what to choose.

Or rather, he wanted both, but the world wouldn't let him have them at the same time.

In the days that followed, Hogwarts fell into an eerie tranquility.

The reason for this change is hard to pinpoint; it may be related to the Regulus incident.

After Arnold Belmont was taken away, the restless atmosphere within Slytherin cooled down instantly, and even the Gryffindor side calmed down considerably.

The competitive rivalry among lower grades has almost disappeared, leaving only occasional minor skirmishes.

Of course, the famous Gryffindor second-year group of four— James, Sirius, Lupin, Peter —are still active.

They seem to be born without knowing the word "restraint," and will still target Slytherin they don't like, usually with some kind of prank.

Turn a schoolbag into a toad, petrify a person and leave them standing still, or use Adhesive Charm to stick a person to a chair.

Perhaps because they are young, they haven't developed a fetish for looking at other people's underwear.

Slytherin wasn't idle either; last Friday, two second-year students ambushed Peter and James, who were alone, in the Corridor.

No one witnessed the process, and when Filch found them, all four were lying on the ground.

Peter was under the Slug-Vomiting Charm and kept S.P.E.W.. A dozen slugs were crawling around his head, trailing slime. James was petrified from the waist down and crawled on the ground on his arms.

One of the Slytherin was fast asleep, under Stunning Spell, while the other's hair, dyed bright pink, was still smoking.

Professor McGonagall was furious. She sent the four to the Hospital Wing, deducted twenty points from each of the two colleges, and added a week of confinement.

Overall, however, the atmosphere at Hogwarts can be described as peaceful.

On sunny afternoons, you can see students sunbathing on the lawn or reading by the lake.

Younger students were chasing and laughing in the Corridor; their laughter was clear and harmless.

That carefree atmosphere, like the early summer breeze, swept through every corner of the Castle.

Then June 10th arrived, three days before the exam, and the peace vanished instantly.

The pace of walking in the Corridor changed; the usual leisurely steps became hurried, as if everyone was being chased by Fire Dragon.

During the meal, someone at the long table was holding a book and only realized it when their fork poked their nose.

The Library was packed, and Madam Pince had to change the "No Talking" sign to "No Breathing Too Heavy."

Regulus did not experience exam anxiety. He got up at 6:30 as usual, had breakfast in the Great Hall at 7:00, and went to the Library to read books unrelated to the exam after class.

Avery was a little nervous, but not seriously.

Hermes didn't care about exams at all; apart from the required papers, no one in the Dormitory ever saw him studying.

The only one in the Dormitory who was truly worried was Alex, who had a blister on his lip that hurt terribly to the touch.

A pot of Calming Flower sits in the corner of the desk. Its petals are pale purple and its stamens shimmer with Silver Light. It is a common calming plant in the Wizarding World.

Alex stared at the textbook, his eyes scanning the words, but his pupils were unfocused, clearly not absorbing anything.

He tapped his fingers nervously on the table, the frequency increasing.

Regulus stood up from his desk and walked over to Alex.

Alex looked up, his eyes blank, unsure of what Regulus was up to.

Regulus ignored him, and reached out, his palm hovering three inches above the pot of Calming Flower.

The Magic Perception reached the petals, stems, leaves, and roots.

The Plant Magic Power is gentle, like a stream flowing between rocks, neither hurried nor slow.

He followed the trajectory and found the point where the Magic Power was most concentrated, the center of the flower's stamen, where the Silver Light was brightest.

Then he gently swayed his own Magic Power in rhythm with the Calming Flower, searching for a point of Magic Power.

Then, with a slight thought, the Silver Light at the center of the flower began to move, guided by his Magic Power, leaving the flower and rising into the air.

The Silver Light stretched into thin threads in the air, which converged and condensed into a bright blue bead, no bigger than a grain of rice, hovering above his fingertip.

Avery peeked over from the desk, his eyes wide.

Regulus simply placed his hand on the plant and drew out a glowing ball of Magic Power?

He had never seen Natural Magic before, but he vaguely guessed what it was: the direct use of plant Magic Power.

Regulus drew his wand with his left hand and aimed it at the crumpled parchment on Alex's desk.