Snape's Invitation

"Is your brain still working properly?"

The skin on either side of Snape's face twitched. He looked somewhat angry, but also rather speechless.

"I think it's your brain that isn't working properly. I may be a Slytherin student, but I'm also a professor to students from all four houses. No matter who wins, I'll be happy."

"You don't look happy."

Snape muttered something, but did not continue arguing with Li Wei. Instead, he returned to his original purpose.

"Li Wei, do you know that you owe me one?"

".How did I not know about that?"

Li Wei frowned and thought it over. He did not feel that he owed Snape anything—if they really had to argue about it, Snape was the one who owed him a favor, wasn't he?

"The position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts was supposed to be mine!" Snape looked rather furious as he said this. "Because of your existence, Dumbledore gave you the position that belonged to me. You stole what was mine."

".Snape, have you lost your mind?"

Even Li Wei was amused by him.

Was this some new kind of scam in the wizarding world?

He had taken up a teaching post perfectly normally, so how had it become stealing Snape's position in Snape's mouth?

"What, are you denying it?"

"Do you take me for an idiot?" Li Wei looked at Snape with considerable contempt. "Dumbledore would never let you become Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Did you think I didn't know that?"

Seeing that he had failed to bluff Li Wei, Snape's expression darkened at once.

He did not know what sort of understanding Dumbledore had reached with Li Wei, and that made him feel extremely insecure.

"What did you and Dumbledore talk about?"

"I'm afraid that has nothing to do with you. Fine, if there's something you want me to do, just say it.

For the sake of our old schoolmate bond, I'll consider helping you. There's no need for you to beat around the bush like this."

Snape gave Li Wei a surprised glance upon hearing that—when had this fellow become so easy to talk to?

Had one conversation with Dumbledore changed his entire personality? Could that scheming old man have brainwashed him?

Snape's expression shifted as he temporarily set the matter aside.

"Very well."

He suddenly became exceptionally solemn, even straightening his clothes.

Yet no matter how much he tidied himself up, paired with hair greasy enough to fry food in, he still looked rather unkempt.

"I told you earlier—students these days are getting worse and worse. They have no understanding at all of what true magic is.

Having taught those little trolls for nearly three months, I believe you've come to realize that as well?"

"We should establish a club, a place that truly teaches the art of combat. You and I will teach those fools something genuinely worthwhile! Let them see what a real wizard's duel looks like."

"A Duelling Club."

Li Wei pondered it for a while, then agreed.

According to his original plans, he certainly would not have wanted to create extra complications.

But now that he had decided to devote all his energy to teaching for the time being, Snape's proposal came at just the right time.

"Fine. I'll go speak to Professor McGonagall about it."

"You?"

Snape suddenly let out a mocking laugh.

Partly because he had already achieved his goal, and partly because of Li Wei's concern for Professor McGonagall—"At the moment, Professor McGonagall would probably rather see me than you. I'll go. You only need to agree to it."

With that, he lightly flicked his robes and strode away. His attitude was much better than last time.

"She doesn't want to see me? Didn't Dumbledore say he would help explain things clearly?"

Li Wei furrowed his brow, then quickly thought of something—perhaps the headmaster had made excellent assurances before him, but told Professor McGonagall an entirely different story.

After all, he still needed to keep the Basilisk as a trial for one student, and he still had to find two victims—I doubt he would ever dare tell Professor McGonagall something like that.

"Old Bee."

Li Wei could not help muttering.

Just then, the house-elf Barton suddenly appeared beside him. His usually calm expression was now somewhat grave.

"Master, something happened just now that I need to report to you."

"Barton? What happened to you?"

Li Wei sensed the magic flowing through him and guessed that he had likely fought someone somewhere. This was Hogwarts, and the Basilisk had already been sealed away. Who else could he have fought?

"It was Dobby."

Barton's expression was rather complicated.

"He seems to think we deceived him. Because of the Basilisk attacks, he wants to protect Harry Potter in his own way."

"Is that so? How does he intend to protect him?"

".During the Quidditch match just now, he tried to use a spell to control a Bludger and injure Potter. I stopped him.

He looked very angry, and after that, I don't know where he went."

"Injure Potter? Why?"

".He seems to believe that if Potter is sent to the hospital, Potter will be safe from the Basilisk's attacks."

Li Wei immediately understood why Barton's expression was so subtle—a house-elf with such dangerous ideas at the school was, in a sense, an extremely thorny problem.

Moreover, Dobby's actions were actually a reminder to those wizards—just how dangerous house-elves truly were.

Unaffected by Apparition restrictions, capable of casting wandless magic without a wand, small and inconspicuous—they were practically born assassins.

Back in the Middle Ages, wizards had conquered this dangerous race through war and forced them to accept slavery. Since then, house-elves had survived as servants to wizards.

Dobby was undoubtedly a dangerous exception—he knew how to partially evade the restrictions of his contract.

That might have been a good thing if used for the right reasons, but if he ever conceived the idea of harming a student, it would become extremely dangerous.

"Master, I left something on him. I can take you to find him."

But Li Wei shook his head.

"I can't Apparate inside the castle. Catching him would be harder than killing him."

".What do you think I should do?"

Barton looked somewhat hesitant—Dobby's actions had violated a taboo in his eyes. House-elves were absolutely forbidden from laying hands on wizards.

If Li Wei ordered him to kill Dobby, he truly did not want to kill that foolish boy he had only recently met.

"If he doesn't trust us, so be it. Go keep an eye on him. Other than Potter, don't let him harm any student."

"Do we not need to protect Potter?"

"Don't worry. He cares about Potter more than we do; his thinking is just far too twisted."

"Perhaps he's already with Potter now. If he changes his mind later, you can still pull him back."

"Thank you for your mercy, Master."