"Professor Quirrell and Snape?"
"Yes!" Vaughn said seriously. "Among all the professors, only those two are the most suspicious. Quirrell because of his peculiar habits. Honestly, it's so hot out, yet he still wears that huge turban every day. That's incredibly suspicious."
"Suspecting Professor Snape is because he's so hostile toward Harry, as if he wants Harry dead. But as I said, Dumbledore trusts him."
So there had actually been no progress at all.
Hermione scratched her hair in frustration. "What did Dumbledore say?"
Vaughn unhesitatingly shifted the blame. "Our dear headmaster didn't say anything. Every day, he's immersed in desserts and knitting. To him, hunting down a Dark wizard isn't as important as designing a new knitting pattern."
"Oh my God, how could he be like that!"
Hermione looked utterly incredulous. "He's the headmaster. How can he be so irresponsible?"
"Dear, you should have realized he was unreliable on the first day of school, when he had us sing the school song!"
Hermione wanted to salvage some dignity for the headmaster, but thinking carefully about everything she had seen and heard over the past few months, she truly couldn't go against her conscience and call Dumbledore a responsible headmaster.
At the very least, Hermione had plenty of objections to how he handled the Philosopher's Stone.
Irritably, she kicked a pebble away. "Why did he have to hide the Philosopher's Stone in the school? Why did he protect Snape? Why did he hire someone like Professor Quirrell... Sorry, I shouldn't lose my temper."
Vaughn hypocritically comforted her. "It's not your fault. It's all Dumbledore's fault!"
"Why is everyone blaming me?"
In the headmaster's office, Dumbledore's pale beard trembled as he questioned Vaughn, who was rummaging through his shoulder bag across the desk and checking today's haul.
In the corner,