At eight o'clock that evening.
Severus Snape's office was in the dungeons, adjoining the Potions classroom. It was an exceedingly gloomy place, filled with specimens and glass jars.
It had all the hallmarks of Slytherin.
"Very good. Better than I expected."
Looking at Klein standing before him, Snape folded his arms across his chest. A trace of satisfaction flickered in his dull eyes.
Punctuality was always a fine quality.
"Good evening, Head of House."
Klein bowed slightly, every inch the modest, well-behaved student.
"Grindelwald, your task today is to dust the specimens."
Snape raised his chin slightly, his expression as cold as ever.
Then he paid Klein no further attention, continuing to frown as he scribbled on a sheet of parchment, as though there were no one else in the room.
Klein shrugged and pulled the wand from his sleeve pocket. But before he could cast a spell, Snape's characteristicly sinister voice rang in his ears.
"No spells, Grindelwald. My collection is extremely valuable."
No spells?
Klein froze, then smiled in understanding.
He glanced at Snape, who was bent over his desk, writing furiously, rolled up his robe sleeves, and dutifully picked up the feather duster in the corner. Then he got to work.
"Swish, swish."
As he studied the bizarre specimens and brushed the dust from them, Klein moved gently. Aside from the faint swish of the feather duster, he made hardly any sound.
Time passed, little by little.
"That will do, Grindelwald. You're done for today."
At the moment the Magic Clock's short hand pointed to nine, Snape looked up, set down his pen, and spoke without a trace of emotion.
"Then, good night."
Klein bowed and took his leave, setting down the feather duster and turning to go.
But just then, several sheets of parchment suddenly swooped down from above and hovered in midair, blocking his way!
"Hmm?"
Klein caught the parchment and turned around, looking slightly surprised.
"I thought I'd have to spend a whole month dusting specimens before I earned any extra instruction from you."
"Knowledge is precious, Grindelwald. You and I both know that."
Snape folded his arms again behind his desk and stared coldly at Klein.
"So you'll have to pay a price."
"Fair enough. That's perfectly reasonable."
Klein tucked away the parchment and nodded in agreement.
There might be such a thing as hatred without reason in this world, but there was certainly no such thing as affection without reason. He didn't think there was anything about him that would make Snape treat him with special consideration.
"Good. You're an intelligent boy. I like dealing with intelligent people."
After scrutinizing Klein, who stood with his hands at his sides, Snape drawled,
"From now on, I'll assign you extra work—spells or Potions. Whatever it is, the results must satisfy me."
"Uh, I don't understand. What price do I have to pay?"
It was rare for Klein to be confused, but he truly couldn't figure out the point Snape was trying to make.
"That's the price, Grindelwald. Your free time will be greatly reduced. If you can't satisfy me, you won't even be allowed to rest!"
Snape frowned, his tone still cold.
"This..."
Klein stared at him, stunned, and his expression turned strange. He tried to hold it in, but in the end, he couldn't help bursting out laughing.
He'd made it sound so terrifying, and that was all?
Klein privately warned himself never again to use conspiracy theories to guess what a tsundere was thinking.
"Sorry, Head of House. I'm just so happy."
Seeing Snape's expression turn increasingly hostile, Klein quickly reined in his laughter and apologized with utmost meekness.
"Hmph."
Snape snorted, his face dark.
For some reason, though, that snort sounded a little strange to Klein.
"Now take your homework and get out of my office."
Realizing that his authority didn't seem to intimidate the accursed Bear Kid across from him, Snape set his face and opened the office door with a wave of his wand.
He was dismissing him.
"Of course, Head of House."
Klein knew better than to push his luck.
He nodded obediently and headed for the door without a second thought.
"And get a good night's rest. The Ministry of Magic's maggots will surely have plenty of questions for you tomorrow. You can embarrass yourself all you like, but I won't let you bring shame upon Slytherin."
Just as Klein stepped through the doorway, one foot outside, Snape's gloomy voice rang out again.
"Of course. Good night."
Klein wasn't surprised. From the few words Bloody Baron had let slip that afternoon, he'd already guessed something was up. It had been five days since the Healing Spell was improved, so the Ministry of Magic was due to show up.
"How unpleasant."
After Klein left the office, Snape lowered his arms and gazed up at the rough stone ceiling.
"Klein's situation is very unusual, Severus."
Dumbledore's words echoed in his mind once more. He gently closed his eyes.
Nine hours earlier, in the Headmaster's office.
"Klein's situation is very unusual, Severus.
Someone who has wandered the world with only half a spellbook and a broken wand—though he's only eleven, you can't treat him like an ordinary child."
When Dumbledore said this, his expression was as warm as ever, but beneath that warmth was a solemnity Snape couldn't understand.
"Almost every professor except you has privately asked me whether this child's 'Grindelwald' is that 'Grindelwald.' Every time, I've told them with complete certainty that it is that 'Grindelwald': Klein is the last direct descendant of that family."
"That has nothing to do with me."
Snape sat across from Dumbledore, impatience showing on his gloomy face.
Whether he was or wasn't, what did it have to do with him?
"He's in your Slytherin Academy."
The old man's voice rose slightly.
"And he's ambitious!"
"With all due respect, 'ambition' isn't an insult. It's one of the fine qualities all Slytherins possess."
Though Snape didn't care much about the outside world, he felt a strong sense of belonging and pride in the house he came from.
"Severus, I'm the headmaster of this school. Of course I know Slytherin's traditions, but Klein is different."
Dumbledore thought of those clear blue eyes and sighed softly.
"People like him can't be bound by the rules of the world. They'll only do what they want to do..."
"Just like you."
Snape interrupted him.
"Heh, that's right. Much like I was when I was young."
Dumbledore blinked in surprise, then laughed heartily and nodded.
"So when he grows up, I want him to become this school's headmaster!"
"What? Are you insane?"
At that, Snape's expression finally changed in a major way.
What was this, some kind of joke?
"You don't understand, Severus. You don't understand."
Meeting Snape's astonished gaze, Dumbledore smiled mysteriously.
"He said he's very interested in Potions, so I'd like you to teach him a little about the subject."
"No."
Snape rejected the suggestion without a second thought, his expression grave.
He wasn't Dumbledore's yes-man. He had the right to decide whether to pass on his own knowledge.
"I knew you'd say that."
Dumbledore wasn't surprised. He waved the Elder Wand, and a sheet of parchment floated from his desk to Snape.
"Take a look at this. You'll change your mind."
"Hmph."
Snape snorted and glanced down at the parchment.
Second by second, time passed. He fell into a long silence.
After a long while, Snape nodded, his expression complicated.
"All right. I'll do it."
James Potter?
No.
In Klein Grindelwald, he saw a reflection of himself.
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