Snape's Loss

Rushing to the Hospital Wing, Lucien saw a familiar figure with light blond hair pacing back and forth.

Malfoy.

Lucien figured Malfoy was probably also there to visit Snape, since Snape and the Malfoy had a good relationship.

"Lucien, you've come too," Malfoy greeted first. "Have you come to see Professor Snape?"

Lucien nodded.

Malfoy opened his mouth, then closed it again, a strange expression on his face.

He glanced towards the Hospital Wing, then leaned closer and whispered:

"Why don't you... wait a little longer? I was about to go in and take a look, but..."

He paused halfway through his sentence, seemingly considering his words, and finally only vaguely said:

"Wait a minute, don't look... uh, don't look at the back of the professor's head."

Lucien blinked, somewhat puzzled, but nodded nonetheless and pushed open the door to the Hospital Wing.

In fact, compared to other young wizards, Lucien visited the Hospital Wing very rarely.

Because he's unlikely to elbow the ground during Flying Class or Quidditch, unlikely to accidentally touch dangerous magical plants or animals and get beaten up, and unlikely to taste a potion to check if it's successful...

Therefore, the Hospital Wing was a relatively unfamiliar place for him.

Madam Pomfrey is not here; she's probably gone to get her medicine.

Several beds were empty, except for the innermost one, which was surrounded by a white curtain.

Lucien guessed that was where Snape was.

He stepped forward, not rushing to pull back the curtain and enter, but asking softly through the thin fabric:

"Professor, how are you? May I come in to visit you?"

After a moment of silence, the sound of a slight turning over and the movement of the blankets was heard, and then Snape's somewhat hoarse voice came from behind the curtain:

"Enter."

Lucien lifted the curtain.

Snape lay on his side on the bed, his long black hair scattered on the pillow, his face paler than usual.

His eyes were closed, but he slowly opened them when he heard the noise, glanced at Lucien, and then closed them again.

Lucien spotted another familiar face.

Dumbledore sat in a chair by the bed, holding a half-peeled orange in his hand, and looked like he had been sitting there for a while.

As the university president, I should definitely show concern for the professor who was injured in the accident, especially since he is a hardworking and capable professor.

"Lucien, you've arrived," Dumbledore greeted him gently.

Lucien returned the smile, his gaze casually sweeping across the bedside table.

A vase sat on the cabinet, filled with a bouquet of fresh flowers, their petals still glistening with dew, as if they had just been delivered.

Just as she was about to look away, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the back of Snape's head through the reflection of the smooth surface of the vase.

Lucien's excellent eyesight allowed him to see the scene clearly.

Snape lay on his side, the back of his head facing the bedside table.

That head of hair, which was usually thick and black, had a patch missing in one place.

A patch of bald, reddish scalp was exposed, standing out starkly against the backdrop of the surrounding hair.

It looks like a patch of hair is missing.

Was it because the cauldron was being used to brew a potion and got too hot, or did the solution splash onto it?

In Daiying, where men often have thinning hair, men with thick hair like Snape are actually a minority.

It suddenly turned into the Mediterranean...

So that's what Malfoy was trying to remind us of when he was stammering at the door.

Lucien tried hard to keep a straight face, looking away from the reflection in the vase and pretending he hadn't seen anything.

Her facial muscles stiffened slightly, afraid that she might accidentally reveal an inappropriate expression and be noticed by Snape.

He hesitated for a second: Should he heal Snape? After all, thanks to the Unicorn's blessing, his healing magic was much more effective than that of ordinary wizards.

But—considering the Old Bat's feelings, let's pretend we didn't see it.

Didn't I just roll over and change my orientation?

Moreover, Madam Pomfrey's medical skills are so superb that she can even regrow bones, and as for hair...

It should be able to grow, right?