Who Did This?

"What did you do to them?"

Aisling's voice was as cold as ever, but her expression was extremely grave.

"Are they still alive?"

Looking at the terrible scene before her, the two people lying on the ground showed no reaction at all, and there was a large pool of blood on the floor. Aisling's expression was graver than ever as she took a defensive stance toward Roy.

"I don't know. I was just passing by. Maybe those two unlucky idiots ran into something themselves?"

A terrifying smile appeared on Roy's face. Since childhood, no one had ever dared cause him this much trouble. Trying to bully Bee Bro on campus? If they didn't want to live, they could just jump off a building.

"I do have a question, though, dear Miss Aisling. The girls' bathroom is on the second floor. What were you doing up on the seventh? Peeping on some little boy taking a bath? Or were you plotting something unspeakable with those two maggots on the floor?"

Aisling's expression turned grave, and she could not answer.

Earlier, in the Slytherin Common Room, Aisling had been quietly studying a book she had brought while sitting on the sofa. Then Selwyn, who shared a dormitory with Aisling, had run over to boast to the reading Aisling that her brother had taken Ronan to teach that attention-seeking Mudblood from Hufflepuff a lesson.

The moment Aisling heard that, she sensed something was wrong. She put down her book and ran to the seventh floor. By the time she arrived, those two people looked as though they were already dead.

Faced with Roy's questioning now, Aisling found it hard to explain herself. Even she did not know whether she had been worried about Roy or those two when she heard the news.

"What? Can't answer?"

Roy, who had been smiling moments ago, immediately changed his face. A terrifying expression appeared, as if he would attack Aisling the next second.

"So, to people like you, an orphan of Muggle birth like me is just a lowly beast, right?"

Roy's face looked utterly dreadful. After saying that in a tone as though he wanted to devour Aisling, he immediately changed expressions again and let out a horrifying laugh.

"Haha, and here I was feeling guilty, chasing after you and apologizing all this time. No wonder you kept giving me the cold shoulder. Now I get it."

"No..."

Aisling did not know how to defend herself. The scene before her was exactly like the fragments she had foreseen. She knew that Roy was about to attack her next.

"What? Holding your wand because you want to attack me? Looks like you really are on the same side as those two stinking maggots."

Aisling's motion of reaching for her wand to defend herself was mistaken by Roy for an attack. His face grew even uglier, and the smile on it was enough to make one's skin crawl.

With a lift of his hand, Roy did not even use a wand. A beam of red light as thick as a bowl shot straight from his fingers.

"Protego!"

Aisling tried with all her strength to block the spell, but when the wrist-thick spell struck the shield, its powerful residual force still knocked her straight to the floor. Her wand flew from her hand as well.

That fall hurt badly. Aisling felt a trace of despair. Every fragment of the prophecy had come true. She was completely outmatched. As she watched Roy approach step by step like a death-seeking demon, she no longer had the strength to resist.

"Stop! What are you doing, Smee?!"

Snape had arrived. Seeing Aisling slumped on the ground, Snape could not stop himself from roaring furiously at Roy.

"Damn bat..."

Seeing Snape arrive, Roy, who had only intended to scare Aisling a little, took the opportunity to stop.

His performance had been pretty good. It looked as if he had scared the always-unflappable Aisling half to death. In truth, he had held back on that spell just now. The power of that Knockback Jinx had been far weaker than the one he had used on Professor Thorn earlier that day.

What? Did anyone really think that such a kind Haki Bee would hit a woman?

"Professor, look! I was just passing by and wanted to help Miss Grindelwald up after she accidentally fell. I didn't do anything!"

Haki Bee immediately put on his usual harmless appearance and grinned as he explained himself to Snape.

"No! Avery!"

Little Selwyn, who had followed Snape here, saw Avery lying on the ground and let out a piercing scream. So Snape had been called over by this little bitch. Roy remembered how this girl had laughed at him from below during class.

Snape hurried forward to inspect Avery and Ronan, who had passed out on the ground. Little Selwyn thought her brother was dead and cried as though the world had ended.

"Oh dear, what happened to these two? How did they fall so badly?"

Snape discovered that the two were still alive, then immediately rushed over and seized Roy, who was still making sarcastic remarks nearby, by the collar with both hands. His eyes practically spat fire.

"You inherently evil little brat, what did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything! I've been wronged! I was just passing by, and then I found these two somehow fallen like this."

Snape was almost furious enough to laugh. He clutched Roy's collar in both hands, so enraged he looked ready to spit venom.

"You call this a fall? They were clearly beaten!"

Roy put on a shocked expression, though the corners of his mouth could not help rising.

"That's terrifying. Who beat them up like this? These two must have done so much evil normally that the ghosts hiding in the castle couldn't stand it anymore and gave them a beating."

Seeing Roy's unserious manner, Snape was so furious he could not speak. He turned toward Aisling beside him and asked in a low voice.

"Who did this?"

Roy had been prepared long ago. Even if they "framed" him, he was not afraid. There was no evidence anyway. Surely no one would really believe that a first-year child had beaten up two fifth-year students?

Aisling had regained her calm expression, though her breathing was still somewhat rapid. Her gaze remained fixed on Roy, who was completely different from moments ago. Only after a while did she come back to herself.

"I don't know. When I arrived, those two were already lying on the ground."

Snape was not very satisfied with Aisling's answer. He pointed at Roy and asked.

"Did he do it?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think he did it?"

"I don't know."

Aisling did not identify Roy. Her cold tone and demeanor had returned as she repeatedly stated that she knew nothing.

Snape looked at Roy unhappily, then asked Aisling one final question.

"Did he attack you?"

Aisling fell silent and turned her gaze away.

"No."

Even Roy was surprised by that answer. He looked at Aisling curiously, but just as before, she completely ignored him.

At that moment, a white ghost suddenly burst out of the wall. It was Peeves, shouting, "I know who beat them! I know who did it!"

A hint of smugness appeared on Snape's face as he urgently ordered Peeves.

"Speak. Who did it?!"

Peeves made a face at Snape, then burst into loud laughter.

"Of course it was your great Peeves who beat them up! I've been sick of those two bastards for ages! Hahaha! (^▽^)"

Snape looked like he had truly exploded with rage. He pulled out his wand and waved it, turning Peeves directly into a lump of white sticky goo before throwing him out the window.

"I know."

Elias Thorn slowly walked out of the bathroom. His hair was still wet, as if he had just finished bathing, and he had shaved his stubble too. He looked very handsome now.

"I saw Roy in the bathroom. He didn't do it."

"Why were you bathing in the students' bathroom, Thorn? Don't tell me you were here to experience student life."

Snape's tone was exceptionally hostile toward Elias, who was trying to protect Roy.

"What a pity. My office wasn't equipped with a bathroom. Severus, yours should have one, right? I see you don't much like bathing either. How about we switch?"

Faced with Elias's mockery, Snape threatened him directly.

"I will tell Dumbledore every detail of this matter, including your testimony."

Elias was not flustered in the slightest, and a faint smile remained on his face.

"I think any educator with a conscience would find it difficult to ignore the motives of two Slytherin students appearing here in the middle of the night. At Ilvermorny, we say that students who like bullying classmates as children are more likely to become dark wizards when they grow up. By that logic, Slytherin produces the most dark wizards, so you should pay closer attention as Head of House."

Elias walked right up to Snape, smiling as he patted Snape on the shoulder. The threats in his words did not stop in the slightest.

"Oh, and after Voldemort's downfall, you were accused of being that madman's lackey. You only escaped trial because Dumbledore testified for you. Honestly, it's fortunate that Dumbledore trusted you. Otherwise, as a Senior Auror and Deputy Director of the American Ministry of Magic Auror Office, I would definitely have prosecuted a dark wizard with such an unclear background."

Roy felt utterly exhilarated listening to Elias tear into Snape. Snape had never looked like a good person and always singled him out, but Roy had not expected Snape to have once worked for Voldemort.

"For three generations, members of the Thorn family have served as Director of the American Ministry of Magic Auror Office. My great-grandfather was even once Minister for Magic of the American Ministry of Magic. Our family has always been honorable and has never harmed anyone, unlike certain people who are always tangled up with dark wizards. Whether you caused anyone's death, you know that in your own heart."

Unexpectedly, after those words, Snape's face instead returned to calm. He brushed away Elias's hand from his shoulder, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Snape left with the two "corpses" and Little Selwyn, who was crying like a "corpse" herself. Before leaving, he did not forget to threaten Roy.