It wasn't just Harry whose heart seemed to skip half a beat; Ernie Macmillan reacted the same way.
When he saw Snape approaching again, Ernie Macmillan instinctively took two steps back.
"Harry!" he said in a lowered voice. "Did he notice something? Did he realize we've discovered his secret?"
"I'm not sure..." Harry's brows had already drawn tightly together as he focused.
Could this impostor be suspicious of us too, planning to do something?
With that thought, he gripped his wand tightly, making sure he could attack at once if this "Snape" made any move.
Snape took long strides. Not only did his walking carry a faint whooshing sound, but his robes billowed with the airflow as well, like a bat flapping its wings in flight.
His gaze passed over Harry, ignoring the wand clenched so tightly in Harry's hand that it seemed ready to spark, and settled on the little ball lying on the floor. A sneer curled at his lips. "Disappointing..."
"As prefects, you failed to take the initiative to maintain Hogwarts Castle's cleanliness..." He withdrew his gaze and casually glanced at Harry and Ernie Macmillan. "Ten points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff!"
Ernie Macmillan instinctively said, "We were just about to clean it up..."
"Questioning a professor without cause..." Snape keenly noticed something, the sneer still on his lips. "Ten points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff!"
"As outstanding prefects..." Snape's gaze swept over Harry and Ernie Macmillan. "Can you repair the wall?"
"Er... Reparo?" Ernie Macmillan raised his wand and cast the Repairing Charm.
After all, this was a wall of Hogwarts Castle, and the charm worked terribly. Only a few bits of rubble rolled around on the ground in response to the movement of his wand.
Ernie Macmillan knew that well, and could only say helplessly, "Professor Snape,