Nothing is better than a cup of hot tea on a rainy day.

In He Shenyan's office, the torrential rain outside lashed against the windows with a constant, rhythmic clatter, yet the interior remained as warm as spring. A fire crackled in the hearth, and Dumbledore sat in a rocking chair, cradling a steaming cup of honey tea.

He remarked contentedly, "There is nothing better than a cup of honey tea in weather like this. It would be even better with a few biscuits."

The white-bearded old man looked as cheerful as a child.

This was the final day of the holiday; most of the teachers had returned, with only Severus Snape still missing.

He Shenyan was hunched over his desk, grading assignments. He had taken the time during the past two weeks to visit Romania, where he had paid a visit to the dragon keepers and a few vampires. The trip had been fruitful; he had even dissected a blind female vampire, though the conclusion was unremarkable.

He suddenly paused his pen and turned to look out the window. As a bolt of lightning struck, a smile curled the corner of his mouth: "It seems he succeeded."

He Shenyan turned to look at Dumbledore. Dumbledore did not even look up; he lowered his head to take a sip of tea and said, "No, I will not do that."

He Shenyan laughed even more brazenly, but he said nothing and continued grading his papers.

Dumbledore continued to sip his honey tea until the cup was empty, at which point he said, "I will be leaving for a while soon."

He Shenyan acted as if the previous statement—'I will not do that'—had never been spoken. He set down his pen and shook his head with a smile: "Remember to hand in your thesis before you go; you still owe me three papers on magical reactions."

Harley and Hermione arrived at the school on the final night of the holiday. They parted ways in the entrance hall; Hermione had to head to the Gryffindor tower, while the Slytherin common room was located in the dungeons.

The sights of Hawaii were still fresh in her mind; Harley had enjoyed herself immensely there.

Hermione's family were wonderful people. Although Harley had insisted on paying her own way, she could not win against Mr. Granger, who had booked the rooms in advance. Thinking of this, she said goodbye to Hermione with a smile.

She carried her black suitcase, which contained a few small toys and some fruit brought back from Hawaii. She planned to read for a while before bed tonight. The benefit of living alone was not having to care about a roommate's feelings—not that she had any.

Though she didn't know what others thought, she was happy to enjoy the peace. What was wrong with that?

Harley walked down the long staircase, the flickering candlelight casting her shadow against the walls.

She reached the basement level, which was both gloomy and cold. It was said that it had once been used as a dungeon, and many Slytherin students liked to play horror pranks there at night—only to be scared half to death by a passing ghost.

They never seemed to learn.

Harley hummed a tune as she continued forward, the surrounding lights gradually dimming.

She stopped before a blank, damp stone wall and said, "In the name of magic."

The stone wall dissipated, revealing a stone door. Behind it lay the Slytherin common room. The exquisite Gothic decor and the green lighting gave the place a mysterious, perhaps even slightly terrifying, atmosphere at any hour.

Harley walked into her room, kicked the door shut, and placed her suitcase on the table.

She noticed the chandelier on the ceiling had turned green again; it seemed the house-elves, in their quest for a 'unified style' during cleaning, had enchanted the magical candles back to a green glow.

She frowned, closed her eyes, and channeled her magic. It took over a minute to turn the candles back to a warm hue. It was better to have warmth; how was one supposed to read in green light? Did these house-elves have no common sense?

Her window did not offer a view like the one in Gryffindor. Thanks to the rather abnormal aesthetic of Slytherin himself, every student in the house had to endure the sight of aquatic creatures swimming past their windows for seven full years.

Harley was no exception. Last time, she had looked up while eating a midnight snack only to find a squid staring at her; its slimy body had instantly ruined her appetite. Now, Harley kept the curtains of that window pulled tight.

She took off her leather shoes and tossed them into the corner behind the door. After changing into the fuzzy slippers she had received for Christmas, she let out a comfortable sigh and sat at her desk to read A History of Magic—although it wasn't on the first-year exam, she found it quite interesting.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she stretched. Just as she was preparing to wash up and go to bed, a house-elf teleported into her room and said in its characteristic voice, "Ms. Potter! Professor Severus Snape wishes to see you! In his office!"

It vanished with a pop immediately after, leaving Harley no chance to ask questions.

She had no choice but to put her leather shoes back on and smooth her hair. Harley hesitated for a moment, thinking the walk to the office would be quite cold, so she put on her wool coat before heading out.

Truth be told, no matter which house you belonged to, if you had never wandered the halls at night during your seven years at Hogwarts, your time there was incomplete.

The magical stone door at the entrance to the Slytherin common room seemed to know she had been summoned by the Head of House; it opened as soon as she approached. Snape's office was on the same level as the common room, deep underground.

There was no scenery here; it wasn't a great spot for night-wandering. The Astronomy Tower, where she, Ron, and Hermione had snuck off to in the middle of the night, had a much better view.

As she walked, Harley wondered why Professor Snape would summon her to his office in the middle of the night.

The journey ended quickly. She stood at the door to Snape's office and knocked. Snape's voice, sounding somewhat weak, came from within: "Come in."

She pushed the door open. A roaring fire burned in the hearth, making the room very warm. Snape was wrapped in a thick blanket, sitting weakly in his chair while clutching a cup of hot tea.

On the other side of the desk, a strange yet familiar red-haired woman looked at her with an expression she had never seen before.

Strange, because they had never met.

Familiar, because Harley had seen her in photographs.

The beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes wore a black dress. She sat there, carrying the scent of dampness and earth, looking like a lifelike painting.

But a painting is just a painting, no matter how lifelike. Yet, the person sitting here was a living, breathing human being. The woman offered a gentle smile and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Harley, who rushed forward and threw herself into her arms.

Sobs erupted. Unlike the suppressed tears she shed when bullied, this was the first time she cried recklessly, without a care in the world, buried in her mother's embrace. If this were a dream, she would gladly drown in it and never wake up.

Snape watched them with a complex gaze. He said nothing—there was nothing to say—and simply took a sip of the hot tea in his cup with a smile of relief.

There was nothing better than a cup of hot tea on a rainy day.