Richie, You've Ruined My Reputation in the Education World

Professor Snape looked up, his expression unreadable. "Nicolas Flamel?"

Did he know?

She just knew Professor Snape was the most amazing!

Eliana leaned in, her eyes sparkling like a puppy catching the scent of a bone.

"I've flipped through so many, many books, but I haven't found anything at all."

She clutched the edge of Professor Snape's desk with both hands, resting her chin on the back of her hands, and said pitifully.

Professor Snape said nothing. The tip of his quill lifted slightly as he looked down at Eliana, who was crouched by his desk.

The atmosphere suddenly became quiet and heavy. Eliana shifted uncomfortably, but quickly adjusted her expression, baring her two small canine teeth as if she were an innocent, oblivious little fool.

"Miss Richie, could you perhaps answer me: if you knew nothing about Nicolas Flamel, where did you hear his name, and why are you so astonishingly enthusiastic about flipping through... so many, many books?"

He mimicked Eliana's tone, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Eliana froze on the spot.

"Ah... this... um..."

She stammered.

She couldn't say she'd secretly broken curfew and dueled Malfoy in the middle of the night. She couldn't say Malfoy had stood her up, leading her to trespass into the forbidden area where the three-headed dog was kept. She couldn't say she'd set Professor Quirrell's robes on fire. She probably couldn't even say she'd coaxed information out of Hagrid.

She had a feeling that if she confessed, she'd be kicked out of Hogwarts even sooner than Quirrell.

...Then what could she say?

Professor Snape's gaze grew increasingly stern.

"I don't think Quirrell is a good person!" she decided instantly, slamming the blame onto the bald professor's head. "I heard him muttering the name, and I suspected he was plotting something sinister, so I wanted to investigate."

Professor Snape let out a cold laugh and stood up without a word, walking directly towards a large wardrobe in the corner that took up almost an entire wall.

Eliana was confused, but her body moved before her mind could catch up.

Professor Snape spun around abruptly, his billowing cloak nearly slapping Eliana in the face. His fingertips held a small crystal vial.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked softly.

Eliana took the vial of clear, transparent liquid and said hesitantly, "It looks like water... Hellish Draught?"

She glanced at the expression on Professor Snape's face and quickly corrected herself, "Uh, a Soothing Solution?"

"It seems Miss Richie's mind, besides harboring lies, has also, by sheer luck, retained some knowledge of potions. I am truly flattered," Professor Snape said mockingly, though his expression softened slightly. "Truth Serum."

He turned his back, his voice carrying a chilling malevolence. "Just three drops, and it will make anyone reveal their most hidden secrets, even in front of everyone—Richie! What are you doing!"

He spun around suddenly, catching Eliana red-handed as she was sneakily trying to pocket the Truth Serum.

His wand whacked the back of her hand with a crack. "Did you think I was giving you a gift?"

Eliana yelped and retracted her hand, her gaze still lingering reluctantly on the crystal vial.

"Now you know it's not," she mumbled under her breath.

Professor Snape let out a cold laugh and said with chilling softness, "Unfortunately, it cannot be used on students."

Eliana suddenly sat bolt upright like a startled marmot.

Professor Snape seemed pleased by the startled reaction of the little brat, a malicious yet gleeful light flickering in his dark eyes.

He hissed like a snake, "You need to be—" exceptionally careful, or if I accidentally spill it into your mushroom soup, you won't be able to lie for the rest of the week.

"I understand, Professor Snape!" Eliana exclaimed excitedly. "Thank you for being willing to believe me!"

Professor Snape: ???

He showed a rare look of confusion. He was thinking—which word, which tone, had he used that indicated he believed Eliana?

But seeing how excited Eliana was, her lips trembling, she seemed genuinely moved.

Professor Snape began to wonder if he was getting senile, to the point where he forgot what he had said.

He began an unusual period of self-reflection, while the Eliana in front of him was already energetically exclaiming:

"I'll find an opportunity to figure out how to get it into Professor Quirrell's pumpkin juice!"

Professor Snape: ??

Self-reflection over.

He understood—Eliana's brain was broken.

He turned back towards his potion cabinet. He remembered that dittany had a calming effect on the brain.

The excited, noisy, and chattering young Mandrake with a broken brain behind him began to share her poisoning plan: "The food in the Great Hall appears directly in the goblets, so it's hard for me to tamper with it directly. Perhaps I can smear the Truth Serum on the rim of Quirrell's goblet beforehand. You just said, only three drops—that's not obvious at all."

"Maybe I can pretend to come talk to you during dinner, get some Truth Serum on my fingernails, and flick it into his goblet without anyone noticing!"

The veins on Professor Snape's forehead throbbed.

He discovered, without surprise, that this exceptionally talented young witch was just as resourceful when it came to doing bad things.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Miss Richie," he said with a fake smile, "but are you discussing drugging one of his colleagues in front of a professor? And attempting to drag your professor into it?"

Eliana stared at him with her big, clear eyes, her innocent and guileless expression giving no hint that she had just proposed a terribly dark suggestion.

"Professor, don't you also think I'm right—that Quirrell isn't a good person, which is why you hinted I should investigate him with a Truth Serum? It can't be used on students—but it can be used on professors, right?"

She scratched her hair in confusion.

Does he really not know who I was hinting at giving the Truth Serum to?

Why is he so confident?

"Silence, Richie," Snape said, unable to bear it any longer. "You pose no threat to me academically, but you could disgrace me in the educational world and ruin me in the legal one."

"From now on, don't say I'm your professor. Your humble professor is genuinely afraid that one day I'll end up in Azkaban because I taught you."

Eliana: "Huh?"

Snape grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and strode towards the door.

"Listen, Richie, whether it's Quirrell, Nicolas Flamel, or whatever little secrets you're secretly investigating—it has nothing to do with you! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have some talent; mind your own business!"

"If I ever find out you're secretly planning to get involved in these matters again, Richie, your empty Gryffindor hourglass will cheer for you."

He threw Eliana out of the dungeon like trash and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Eliana got up, wincing as she rubbed her backside. Just as she was about to sneak away, the door in front of her was yanked open with a snap.

"Truly, one can't guard against everything, Miss Richie," Snape said, his face grim as he snatched the Truth Serum she was trying to sneak away again. "Stealing a professor's dangerous potion, Gryffindor loses five points."

He slammed the door shut forcefully once more.