Snape's Revenge

Here it comes, here it comes, the familiar formula, the familiar target. "Potter, if I want to drive away a horde of Ghoul, what spell would be most suitable?"

Harry stood up numbly and said weakly, "I don't know, Professor."

"I know you don't know," Snape chuckled, and the Slytherin students burst into laughter, Malfoy laughing so hard his neck turned red.

Once the laughter subsided, Snape looked at Harry with amusement. "I just wanted you to understand that you're far from good enough, not only in Potions Class, but also in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"This is such simple knowledge, even Weasley next to you could answer it with his eyes closed, and you say you don't know it?"

Ron's face flushed red. He gritted his teeth, wanting nothing more than to explode at Snape, but he didn't dare.

Snape continued, "Don't be stupid and wave your bats around chasing away Ghoul. You're wizards, not savages."

Harry thought of Fred and George; the way they swung their bats at the Bludger really did look like they were playing Goyle.

"The most suitable spell to banish Ghoul is the ' Banishing Charm,' also known as the 'dispelling spell.' The incantation is to expel evil."

He waved his wand. A beam of silver light shot from the tip, striking the fake Ghoul in the corner. The fake Ghoul flew up, crashed into the wall, and shattered.

"Begin practicing."

The whole class pulled out their wands and cast spells on the fake Ghoul.

As Harry cast the spell, he wondered, "How many people is Snape going to curse?"

He insulted him, he insulted Ron, he insulted the twins, but Neptune's prestige continues to rise.

Ron cast a spell on the fake Ghoul, but the fake Ghoul didn't budge. His face turned red, so he cast the spell again.

Still not moving, Snape walked by and glanced at it.

"Mr. Weasley, your spells can't even drive away a fake Ghoul. What do you plan to do if you encounter a real Ghoul? Hit it with a baseball bat?"

On Snape's last day teaching as a substitute, the atmosphere in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was three times more tense than usual.

It wasn't because Snape had a test; it was because he brought two Ghoul with him.

It was alive, locked in an iron cage, with grayish-green skin all over its body, three-inch-long fingernails, and yellow saliva dripping from its mouth.

They shoved and bumped around in the cage, making the iron bars clang loudly.

Snape stood on the platform, his black robes gleaming coldly in the candlelight, a chilling smile playing on his lips.

"Today's topic: The practical application of the Ghoul Banishing Charm."

His gaze swept across the class, lingering on Harry for a moment, then on Ron.

"Potter, Weasley, step forward."

The two men stood up from their seats and walked to the front of the podium. Ron's legs were shaking, and Harry's lips were pressed into a thin line.

Snape waved his wand, the cage door opened, and two Ghoul rushed out, their eyes red, heading straight for Harry and Ron.

Harry pulled out his wand. "Ban off evil!"

A beam of silver light shot from the tip of the staff and struck a Ghoul in the chest.

The Ghoul swayed for a moment, but didn't stop. Its claws grabbed Harry's robes, pulling him to the ground.

The Ghoul pounced on him and straddled him.

Ron's situation was even worse; his Banishing Charm was insufficient, and the Ghoul didn't even flinch.

The Ghoul snatched his wand and threw it into the corner.

Then they started tearing off his clothes; his robe was ripped off, his coat was ripped off, and his shirt was ripped off.

The whole class got a glimpse of his red underwear, which had a little lion printed on it.

The Gryffindor girls covered their eyes, while the Slytherin girls laughed uproariously.

Hermione's face turned bright red, not from embarrassment, but from trying to hold back her laughter.

Snape stood on the platform, watching all of this, and felt a great deal of relief.

"Potter, Weasley. Five points deducted each."

He waved his wand, and the two Ghoul stopped and obediently went back to their cages.

Harry got up from the ground, his robes torn in several places.

Ron picked up his coat and used it to cover his red underwear.

"Get out of class dismissed."

Snape left, looking refreshed, as if he had just come from a massage parlor.

The silence in the classroom lasted for three seconds, then the Slytherin students began to applaud.

"Professor Snape really taught," Zabini said.

Nott nodded. "Much stronger Quirrell."

"On the contrary, we don't want Quirrell to come back," Zabini added.

Two weeks later, Quirrell returned.

When he walked into the classroom, the whole class fell silent. His face was pale, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

The purple headscarf was wrapped even tighter than before; the swelling on the back of his head probably hadn't subsided yet. He walked very slowly, and each step was trembling.

He was like a withered blade of grass battered by a storm, ready to break at any moment.

"Open your textbook to page 42 and read it."

The whole class opened their books. Some sighed, some rolled their eyes, and some propped the book up on the table to cover their faces.

Tom wasn't turning the pages of the book; he was observing Quirrell, Quirrell was looking at him.

Their eyes met briefly in the air. Quirrell looked away first, his eyes now showing something wary.

The bell rang, Quirrell quickly packed his things. Tom stood up and walked to the front of the classroom.

"Professor Quirrell," Tom said, his voice clear enough for a few people nearby to hear.

"Are you feeling better? That shot on the Quidditch Pitch was really heartbreaking to watch."

Quirrell's body trembled violently, his eyes darting around in a panic, and he stammered, "I... I'm fine, Mr. Riddle, I... I have something to attend to, I... I'll take my leave now."

He tried to sidestep Tom, but the boy stood firmly in front of him like an unmoving wall, his smile growing even more gentle.

"Professor, don't be in such a hurry to leave." Tom tilted his head slightly, his tone innocent. "I have a few very important things I'd like to discuss with you privately. It won't take up too much of your time."

He deliberately emphasized the words "talk in private," and Quirrell's face instantly turned deathly pale, with beads of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.

With increasing attention from those around him, Quirrell dared not refuse and could only nod reluctantly, his voice barely audible. "Okay, alright."

Quirrell's office was at the end of the corridor; the door was old and the lock was broken.

Pushing open the door, I found the room dark, with only an oil lamp on the table lit. Several paintings hung on the wall, depicting people sleeping.

There were several books on the bookshelf, all about Dark Magic.

Several large boxes were piled up in the corner, sealed with tape. The air was thick with the smell of garlic, so strong it made you want to sneeze.

The system panel flashed.

[First time entering Professor Quirrell's office. +20 Achievement Points. Current Achievement Points: 303.]

Being the first student in the entire school to come to Quirrell's office—that achievement point was well worth it.

Tom sat down in the chair and looked at Quirrell, Quirrell was standing behind the desk, his hands on the table, his fingers trembling.

"Mr. Riddle, what do you want to talk about?"