Albus Dumbledore suppressed a smile and forced a solemn expression. He knew Snape too well—he was not only a Potions master, but also a magical prodigy in every field.
As a student, he had invented quite a few vicious curses and Dark spells. If he had truly gone all out, how could he possibly have been bitten by a Three-headed Dog?
Part of it was due to his carelessness, but more than that, he had been too anxious. Afraid that Quirrell would get the Philosopher's Stone first, he had barged in without even taking any protective measures.
Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat and explained slowly, "It may have developed a stress response after being beaten up by Riddle."
Snape's expression shifted from gloomy to furious. "Riddle? That little bastard? I got screwed over by that brat again?"
Albus Dumbledore popped a sweet into his mouth and chewed twice. "Possibly."
Snape slapped the desk. "Give him detention as severe punishment."
Chewing his sweet, Albus Dumbledore said, "Detention isn't enough. Deduct fifty points from him."
"Albus."
"Yes."
"Detention will be enough," Snape said mournfully.
Smiling, Albus Dumbledore changed the subject. "All right, enough about Tom. Did you run into Quirrell? Did he do anything suspicious?"
Snape froze for a moment. "Quirrell?"
"When you went downstairs, did you see him?"
Snape thought about it. "I did. He was going upstairs while I was going down. We went to the washroom together."
"Could he have gone to the fourth floor first?"
"No."
Albus Dumbledore nodded and said thoughtfully, "It seems this was only a test by Quirrell. After discovering that the castle's defenses are tight, he should try other methods. Keep a close eye on his movements from now on."
Snape nodded, agreeing with the speculation.
What he did not know was that their