Snape's Secret

Umbridge delegated everything to Filch, perhaps because she found the work tedious, and perhaps also because she genuinely didn't have the time.

When Kyle and Kanna followed the stone steps of the underground classroom to the Potions Classroom, they suddenly discovered Umbridge sitting in a dark corner at the back, holding that familiar writing board.

Everyone else saw it too, and a murmur of discussion immediately filled the classroom.

"Strange, why is she here again..."

"Should the investigation of the professor be conducted twice?"

"That can't be right, all the other classes are only once..."

"Perhaps Professor Snape is different; you know, he's not that likeable."

"Nonsense, Professor Snape is the best!" The last speaker was clearly a Slytherin.

Regardless, everyone was curious and couldn't understand why Umbridge had investigated Professor Snape in Potions Class, and then came back again in less than two days.

Umbridge herself was equally curious. Listening to the whispers around her and looking at the contents of her whiteboard, she was somewhat bewildered.

Why does everyone say she came, even though there's no investigation result about Snape on the whiteboard?

"Quiet!"

Just then, the classroom door was suddenly pushed open.

The entire classroom fell silent instantly.

Snape strode in, glanced at the corner, and his face immediately turned very ugly.

Kyle noticed their expressions and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

But immediately, upon hearing the noise, Snape turned around and glared at him fiercely.

Kyle quickly shut his mouth, but his shoulders continued to shrug, clearly struggling to hold it in.

Kanna looked at him and asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?"

"This is hilarious. Professor Snape seems to have backfired," Kyle said in a low voice.

He knew perfectly well that Umbridge only needed to investigate the other professors once; there was absolutely no need for him to attend two lectures.

Her reappearance in the Potions Classroom can only mean one thing... she forgot she was there.

In other words, Snape used Memory Charm on her, causing her to forget some things, including the results of her investigation into Snape.

To be honest, the Memory Charm isn't very effective. Umbridge has forgotten too many things, even things she attended classes for, and now she's come back again.

This completely failed to achieve the intended effect of the spell.

Anyway, Kyle felt that if it were him, he would only make Umbridge forget some necessary things... like the questions she asked after class.

This is the solution.

However, Kyle was quite curious about what Umbridge had said that would warrant Snape using Memory Charm on her.

But just as Kyle was about to tell Kanna these things, he looked up and met Snape's eyes.

His eyes were cold and devoid of emotion, as if he would kill someone to silence them at any moment.

Having no other choice, Kyle wisely kept quiet and said nothing.

Snape's expression softened somewhat.

"Today we learned about Cheering Potion..." He composed himself, as if nothing had happened.

"This is a potion that requires a great deal of patience to brew successfully, because you must constantly monitor the color changes of the potion in the crucible. Only in this way can you complete the next step of the process at the right time..."

"The instructions..." he waved his wand, "...are on the blackboard. Now, let's begin."

Everyone immediately forgot about Umbridge and got busy.

"Albizia flower... Unicorn Hair... Peppermint..."

After checking his materials and confirming that everything was in order, Kyle began grinding the roots of the mimosa flower.

For the first half hour, Umbridge remained quiet, but Kyle knew she was about to make her move.

Because it was like this the last time she came.

Sure enough... as if an alarm clock was strapped to the chair, half an hour later, Umbridge immediately stood up and walked from between the two rows of tables toward Snape.

She glanced at the crucibles belonging to the students on both sides.

"The students in this class seem to be very talented," Umbridge said. "The Cheering Potion is a wonderful Potions; it makes us happy, and we need a little happiness in our daily lives."

"But this pleasure is illusory," Snape said slowly. "And if you take an overdose, there will be side effects..."

"I don't think that's a problem," Umbridge said lightly. "Just drink a little bit. If the Cheering Potion were really that dangerous, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't have allowed it in the curriculum, would it?"

Snape chuckled coldly.

"So, you're at Hogwarts...?"

"I've been teaching here for fourteen years," Snape interrupted before she could finish.

Umbridge paused for a moment, but didn't pay much attention, simply making a few strokes on the whiteboard.

Kyle observed them while crushing the mimosa petals with the back of his knife.

Seeing Umbridge put down the writing board, he subconsciously whispered:

"Did you apply to Defence Against the Dark Arts first?"

The next second, Umbridge asked the same question, without changing a single word.

really...

This further confirms Kyle's conjecture that Snape cast the Memory Charm on Umbridge.

However, at this point, the preparation of the Cheering Potion had reached its most crucial stage, and everyone's attention was focused on the potion in the crucible. Except for Kyle, no one else noticed this.

The same question was asked again, which annoyed Snape greatly, but he was powerless to do anything about it. In order to avoid attracting more attention, he could only cooperate with Umbridge and answer the questions that he considered meaningless.

What happened next was exactly the same.

After questioning Snape, Umbridge began pacing around the classroom, pretending to inspect everyone's Potions.

The reason it's considered pretentious is that Umbridge knew absolutely nothing about the process of brewing the Cheering Potion, yet she praised a student whose crucible contained only pink liquid.

The real Cheering Potion should be blue before the Unicorn Hair is added.

The pink color is because the order in which the ingredients were added was wrong; the dried petals of the mimosa flower were added first, instead of its juice.

A burst of snickers came from the surroundings. The student who had brewed the Potions was flushed, his head bowed and he remained silent. Even Snape, who was at the front, slightly curled the corners of his mouth, as if mocking Umbridge's ignorance.

Only Umbridge stared blankly, not understanding what the others were laughing at.

By the time class ended, everyone had poured the completed Cheering Potion into bottles.

Almost everyone's Potions was a pale gold color, except for the one she had praised, Potions was a different color from the others. Umbridge then realized that she had praised the wrong person.

But she pretended that nothing had happened and walked towards Snape again.

Kyle's eyes lit up.

Snape must have used the Memory Charm on her during their private conversation last time... She'll definitely say the same thing again this time.

Kyle deliberately lagged behind, loosened his grip, and threw several pieces of parchment on the ground, hoping to delay leaving the classroom.

That's exactly what he did during the last Transfiguration Class.

However, before he could even pick it up, Snape suddenly swung his wand.

The parchment on the ground, including Kyle's own, was immediately blown out of the classroom by a gust of wind.

then...

Snap!

The classroom door was slammed shut.