Patrol

Time slipped by quietly, and in the blink of an eye, it was September 1st, the start of the school year.

As evening fell, the Great Hall had been newly decorated. Thousands of candles floated in mid-air, illuminating the grand space and reflecting off the velvet-black ceiling dotted with twinkling silver stars.

Beside the four house tables, students were already seated, chatting excitedly and waiting for the feast to begin. The hall buzzed with energy.

Earlier, Lin Du had assisted the caretaker, Filch, with the final arrangements.

Seeing the rare, less gloomy expression on the caretaker's face—even a hint of relief—Lin Du felt the time spent was worthwhile.

There was still some time before the feast officially began, so he planned to use this period to familiarize himself with the routes for the night patrol.

He encountered Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall, who was giving instructions to several prefects.

"Everything is arranged, Professor McGonagall," Lin Du reported briefly, then added, "I'd like to familiarize myself with the night patrol routes before the feast."

Professor McGonagall looked up from her parchment, pushed her glasses up, and scanned the Entrance Hall. "That's a good idea, Professor Lin. However, for your first official patrol, it would be best to have a colleague accompany you."

Her gaze swept over Lin Du's shoulder, just as Professor of Potions, clad in his black robes, descended the marble staircase.

"Severus," she called out, "you're just in time. Would you mind showing Professor Lin the night patrol routes? It's his first time in charge, and he needs guidance."

Snape paused his steps, his sallow face unreadable.

His dark eyes lingered on Professor McGonagall's face for a moment before slowly turning to Lin Du. Finally, he gave a slow nod.

"Certainly," he said dryly.

Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief. After giving the prefects a few more instructions, she hurried towards the Great Hall, leaving the two male professors standing in the somewhat empty Entrance Hall.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

"Well then," Snape said first, turning around, his black robes swirling in an arc. "Follow me, Professor Lin."

The two walked one after the other, silently, through the castle corridors gradually being enveloped by dusk.

The figures in the portraits observed the peculiar pair with curiosity—the new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and the perpetually gloomy Potions Professor.

Only the sound of their footsteps and the crackling of burning torches echoed between the stone walls.

The silence was a bit too heavy.

It's awkward to remain this stiff when we'll be colleagues from now on, Lin Du thought.

He quickened his pace slightly, falling into step beside Snape, attempting to break the ice.

"The castle doesn't seem to have changed much compared to ten years ago," Lin Du began, his tone calm. "Even the positions of these suits of armor are the same as I remember."

Snape looked straight ahead, his voice devoid of emotion. "Hogwarts' resilience is beyond most people's imagination. It doesn't change easily just because some people leave or return."

The remark felt a little pointed, but Lin Du decided to ignore the potential subtext.

He continued to try. "Speaking of which, Professor Snape, I've always been curious how you maintain such a thorough knowledge of potion ingredients' properties? Especially those that require extremely precise timing for handling..."

"Observation, patience, and... talent," Snape's reply was curt, almost stingy.

He glanced sideways at Lin Du, his expression seeming to say, Isn't that obvious?

The conversation fell into silence again.

They were walking along a corridor connecting the main castle building to the outer grounds. Through the tall arched windows, they could already see the deepening night outside and the dark silhouette of the Forbidden Forest in the distance.

At this moment, Snape spoke first, his tone carrying his characteristic slow, probing inquiry. "I'm more curious about this, Professor Lin. A student who came from Gryffindor, and... from my observation, behaved like a 'model student' during his time here."

He deliberately emphasized those words. "How is it that after graduation, you embarked on a path of... in-depth research into Dark Magic, even to the point of confronting the Ministry of Magic's Aurors? The transition is perplexing."

Lin Du pondered for a moment, feeling this might be an opportunity to explain. His tone became a bit more candid.

"My initial intention in researching was not to pursue power or destruction, Professor Snape. It was more out of a... scholarly pursuit. For example, I've been trying to understand the underlying magical logic of the Unforgivable Curses, especially the Killing Curse."

Snape let out a soft scoff, glancing at Lin Du. His eyes held an undisguised "You're dreaming" expression.

But for some reason, Lin Du keenly detected a hint of bitterness in that short scoff.

Lin Du didn't miss the fleeting complex emotion in the other man's eyes.

"Perhaps," Lin Du didn't get angry. Instead, catching that hint of a wry smile, his tone became even more peaceful.

"But understanding how a curse is twisted is the first step in finding potential ways to counter it. Even if we can't find a so-called 'counter-curse' in the end, the process itself can deepen our understanding of the boundary between the magic of life and death."

Snape fell into a brief silence, his black robes swaying slightly with his steps.

When he spoke again, the sarcasm in his tone had faded considerably.

"Wishful thinking..."

He paused, his dark eyes fixed straight ahead. "But undeniably, this almost obsessive spirit of exploration... does deserve a certain degree of..."

He chose his words carefully. "...respect."

In this context, this restrained acknowledgment was almost equivalent to a degree of understanding.

The atmosphere between the two seemed to subtly ease after this brief exchange.

They had reached the end of the corridor. Snape pushed open a side door, and the cool night air, carrying the scent of grass and earth, rushed in.

He raised his hand and pointed to a particularly tall, ancient tree not far away, its branches swaying in the twilight as if moved by an unseen force.

"Do you see that Whomping Willow?"

Professor Snape's voice carried a rare, almost imperceptible hint of pride, like someone showing off a treasured collection.

"This is no ordinary vegetation you'll find scattered around Hogwarts. It's extremely rare, highly aggressive, and requires immense skill to cultivate and maintain. I'd say it's one of our school's..."

Lin Du's gaze followed his guidance. "It certainly is magnificent. I only stayed here for a year back then, so I didn't have the chance to delve deeply into many of the 'specialties' around the castle."

"Hmph, naturally," Professor Snape's tone lifted slightly, the subtle "pride" becoming more apparent. "This Whomping Willow has endured..."

At that very moment, Lin Du's peripheral vision caught an extremely unusual, high-speed black silhouette in the air!

It was lurching erratically towards the castle, moving at incredible speed, its target aimed directly at the precious tree being introduced!

"Watch out!"

Almost on instinct, Lin Du let out a low cry and abruptly reached out, grabbing Professor Snape's arm and yanking him backward with force!

Both stumbled back a few steps, Professor Snape's black robes billowing violently.

In the very next second, accompanied by a grating sound of metal friction and the sickening crack of snapping branches, the battered Ford Anglia crashed squarely into the incredibly "precious" Whomping Willow that Professor Snape had been about to describe in detail!

The immense impact and the howling of the Whomping Willow's branches, whipped into a frenzy after being thoroughly provoked, instantly tore through the night's tranquility.

Professor Snape regained his footing, the muscles in his face seemingly frozen.

He stared at the car, deeply embedded within the furiously thrashing willow branches, its wheels still spinning uselessly. Then, he slowly turned his head to look at Lin Du, who stood beside him with an equally astonished expression. His dark eyes were now filled only with surging rage and an unfathomable, gloomy disbelief.