Patrol

Time slipped quietly by, and before he knew it, September 1—the first day of term—had arrived.

By evening, the Great Hall had been freshly decorated. Thousands of candles floated in midair, brightly illuminating the grand space and reflecting off the velvet-black ceiling studded with twinkling silver stars.

The four long house tables were already filled with students chatting excitedly as they awaited the start of the feast. The hall buzzed with voices and energy.

Earlier, Lin Du had helped the caretaker, Filch, complete the final preparations.

Seeing the Squib caretaker's unusually less gloomy expression, even with a trace of relief in it, Lin Du felt the time had been well spent.

There was still some time before the feast officially began, so he intended to use it to familiarize himself with the nighttime patrol routes.

In the Entrance Hall, he encountered Professor McGonagall, who was giving instructions to several prefects.

"Everything has been arranged, Professor McGonagall," Lin Du reported briefly before adding, "I'd like to familiarize myself with the nighttime patrol routes before the feast."

Professor McGonagall looked up from her parchment and adjusted her glasses, her gaze sweeping across the Entrance Hall. "That is a good idea, Professor Lin. However, for your first official patrol, it would be best to have a colleague accompany you."

Her gaze passed over Lin Du's shoulder, just in time to see the black-robed Potions Professor descending the marble staircase.

"Severus," she called, "your timing is perfect. Could I trouble you to show Professor Lin the nighttime patrol routes? It is his first time on duty, and he needs someone to guide him."

Snape's steps paused, but no emotion showed on his sallow face.

His black eyes lingered on Professor McGonagall for a moment before slowly turning toward Lin Du. At last, he gave a slow nod.

"Fine," he said dryly.

Professor McGonagall sighed in relief, gave the prefects a few more instructions, then hurried toward the Great Hall, leaving the two male professors standing in the somewhat empty Entrance Hall.

For a moment, the atmosphere stiffened.

"Then," Snape said, turning first as his black robes swept in an arc, "follow me, Professor Lin."

The two walked one behind the other in silence through the castle corridors, which were gradually being swallowed by the dusk.

The people in the portraits curiously examined this unusual pair—the newly appointed Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and the ever-gloomy Potions Professor.

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

The silence was a little too heavy.

Lin Du thought that, since they would be colleagues from now on, it would not do to remain this awkward forever.

He quickened his pace by half a step, drawing level with Snape as he attempted to break the impasse.

"The castle does not seem to have changed much in the past ten years," Lin Du said calmly. "Even the positions of these suits of armor are exactly as I remember them."

Snape kept his eyes ahead, his voice utterly even. "Hogwarts is sturdier than most people imagine. It does not change easily merely because certain people have left or returned."

The remark sounded rather barbed, but Lin Du chose to ignore its possible implication.

He continued trying. "Speaking of which, Professor Snape, I have always been curious. How do you maintain such mastery over the properties of potion ingredients? Especially those with exceedingly strict requirements for timing during preparation..."

"Observation, patience, and... talent." Snape's answer was so brief it was nearly stingy.

He glanced sideways at Lin Du, his expression seeming to say, Is that not obvious?

The conversation once again reached a dead end.

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

Yet it was Snape who spoke first this time, his tone carrying his characteristic slow, probing manner. "What I find more curious, Professor Lin, is how a Gryffindor who was... from what I observed, an exemplary student during his school years,"

He deliberately emphasized those two words. "Could have embarked after graduation on a path of... in-depth research into Dark Magic, even going so far as to oppose Ministry of Magic Aurors. Such a transformation is perplexing."

Lin Du considered his words briefly, feeling this might be an opportunity to explain himself. His tone became more candid.

"My original purpose in researching it was not to pursue power or destruction, Professor Snape. It was more a matter of... academic inquiry. For instance, I have been trying to understand the underlying magical logic of the Unforgivable Curses, especially the Killing Curse."

Snape gave a very soft snort and looked sideways at Lin Du, his eyes openly conveying, You are dreaming.

Yet for some reason, Lin Du keenly caught a trace of something almost bitter in that brief scoff.

Lin Du did not miss the complex emotion that flashed through the other man's eyes.

"Perhaps," Lin Du said without anger, his tone instead becoming even calmer because he had caught that faint bitter smile.

"But understanding how a spell becomes twisted is precisely the first step toward finding a way to counter it. Even if no so-called counter-curse can ultimately be found, the process itself can give us a deeper understanding of the boundary between the magic of life and the magic of death."

Snape fell silent for a moment, his black robes swaying faintly with his steps.

When he spoke again, much of the mockery had faded from his voice.

"Wishful thinking..."

He paused, his black eyes fixed straight ahead. "But it cannot be denied that such an almost obsessive spirit of inquiry... does deserve a certain degree of..."

He considered his wording. "...respect."

Such restrained acknowledgment, in these circumstances, was almost equivalent to a measure of understanding.

The atmosphere between them seemed to ease subtly after that brief exchange.

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

He raised a hand and pointed toward a massive tree not far away, which appeared especially towering in the twilight, its branches moving without wind.

"Do you see that Whomping Willow?"

For once, Snape's voice carried the faintest, almost imperceptible trace of pride, as though he were introducing a prized personal collection.

"This is not the sort of ordinary vegetation one finds everywhere at Hogwarts. It is exceptionally rare and highly aggressive. Planting and maintaining it require tremendous skill. It could be said to be one of our school's..."

Lin Du followed his gesture and cut in, "It truly is impressive. I only stayed here for one year back then, so I did not have time to learn much about many of the castle grounds' 'special features.'"

"Hmph, naturally." Snape's tone rose slightly, and that barely noticeable sense of pride became clearer. "This Whomping Willow has gone through..."

At that very moment, the corner of Lin Du's eye abruptly caught a highly unusual black shape racing through the air!

It was hurtling crookedly toward the castle at tremendous speed, aimed directly at the precious tree currently being introduced!

"Watch out!"

Almost on instinct, Lin Du shouted and seized Snape's arm, yanking him forcefully backward!

Both men staggered back several steps at once, and Snape's black robes billowed violently from the motion.

The next instant, accompanied by a piercing screech of metal scraping and the teeth-grating crack of breaking branches, the battered Ford Anglia crashed completely out of control into the incomparably "precious" Whomping Willow Snape had been about to describe in detail!

The tremendous impact and the howling of the Whomping Willow's wildly thrashing branches, utterly enraged, instantly tore apart the quiet of the night.

Snape steadied himself, and the muscles in his face seemed to have frozen.

He stared at the car trapped deep within the raging willow branches, its wheels still spinning uselessly, then slowly turned to look at the equally stunned Lin Du beside him. Nothing remained in those black eyes but surging fury and an incredulous gloom.