Invisibility Cloak

Behind a broad desk, Dumbledore was leaning over documents by candlelight.

He wore snow-white pajamas, draped in a violet velvet robe, yet appeared full of energy.

On a shelf behind him sat the battered, crumpled Sorting Hat, and beside it, a glass case held a gleaming silver sword.

Dumbledore looked up.

"Ah, it's you, Professor McGonagall. And James and Severus—good to see you again."

"Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall said angrily, "the two of them were just dueling with magic in the Girls' Lavatory—what a disgrace!"

"It wasn't a duel," Snape said at once. "I was defending myself."

McGonagall turned to look at Snape, frowning slightly.

"Is James injured?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not!" James said quickly, sounding both irritated and defiant.

Snape rolled his eyes inwardly. Who exactly doesn't he trust?

"Tell me what happened." Dumbledore set down his papers, his sharp blue eyes moving between Snape and James. "Who wants to go first?"

"Oh, I don't mind." Snape shrugged.

James looked both resentful and uneasy. "Headmaster, I found him sneaking into the second-floor Girls' Lavatory in the middle of the night, so I went to see what he was doing in there."

"Sneaking in with a Stunning Spell to spy, you mean?" Snape said bluntly.

He pulled a silvery, liquid-like Invisibility Cloak from his robes.

"Mr. Potter, do you know who this little trinket belongs to?"

"Give it back!" James snatched the Invisibility Cloak from Snape's hands.

Dumbledore's gaze fell on the silver-gray cloak. He raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of complex emotion passing through his eyes.

"Sir," Snape said, "do you think Potter needs to use an Invisibility Cloak on school grounds?"

"Of course not," Dumbledore said calmly. "I trust Professor McGonagall will assign you appropriate punishments."

He turned to McGonagall. "Minerva, what are your thoughts?"

McGonagall nodded and recounted what she had seen, along with her proposed measures:

"Gryffindor and Slytherin each lose fifty points, plus a week of detention starting tomorrow at six in the evening."

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Magic is meant for protection, exploration, and learning—not for fighting among classmates. I hope you both learn from this and do not repeat the same mistake."

"Headmaster," Snape prompted, "I've seen Mr. Filch's list of prohibited items. The Invisibility Cloak is item one hundred and twenty-eight."

He did not want James to keep a cloak that could not be pierced by spells—otherwise, he'd have to live in constant fear.

"Severus, even as Headmaster, I cannot arbitrarily confiscate a student's valuable belongings," Dumbledore said with a slight shake of his head. "This is an exceptionally precious Invisibility Cloak."

"You only uphold the authority of school rules when ordinary students break them," Snape said discontentedly. "Is a precious Invisibility Cloak not still an Invisibility Cloak?"

"Sir, sneaking into the Girls' Lavatory at night—he couldn't have had good intentions," James said urgently. "I couldn't just ignore it. I only used it to—"

James tried to explain, but Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him.

"Young people are always full of curiosity and a spirit of adventure." Dumbledore still wore a gentle smile, his gaze soft as he looked at Snape. "Severus, what were you doing in the Girls' Lavatory?"

"Please don't say you were chatting with Moaning Myrtle—you and I both know you're not familiar with her."

"I would prefer to tell you alone later," Snape said with neither arrogance nor humility. "I believe you will find it interesting. Of course, that is after Potter's Invisibility Cloak is properly dealt with."

"Sir, this was passed down to me by my father," James said, glancing anxiously at Dumbledore. "If I lose it, I can't explain it to him."

Snape ignored James's angry, threatening look and said to Dumbledore, "You could keep the cloak for him temporarily and return it to Potter after the term ends."

"Hmm... that is a reasonable suggestion. So be it, James." Dumbledore said. "I'll hold onto it for a while and return it to you when you go home."

James hesitated for a moment, then nodded helplessly and handed the Invisibility Cloak to Dumbledore.

"It's getting late. You two should go back and rest." Dumbledore waved a hand. "Perhaps Severus still has something to tell me."

"Wait!" James suddenly said. "There's one more thing—a piece of parchment I had is with him."

"That blank parchment? Perhaps you heard—I flushed it down the toilet not long ago."

"What?" James stared at Snape in shock. "What did you say?"

"My apologies, Potter. I'll buy you a ream of parchment as compensation."

"That's not the same at all!"

"Oh, I know—a ream is clearly more. But as a gesture of apology, you needn't be polite."

Snape's words seemed to push James to the edge of fury. His cheeks flushed red, and his lips trembled, unable to speak.

"Alright, Professor McGonagall, take James back to the tower." Dumbledore gave his dismissal.

McGonagall nodded to Dumbledore in salute and led the reluctant James out of the Headmaster's office.

"Silencing Charm." Without waiting for Snape to ask, Dumbledore cast the spell proactively. "You may say whatever you need to."

He looked at Snape carefully through his half-moon spectacles, his pale blue eyes sharp and attentive.

Lately, Snape had been pondering how to break the deadlock.

On one hand, he had no reason to ignore Dumbledore—a "White Demon King" with unmatched martial and intellectual prowess. He needed Dumbledore's help.

On the other hand, it was nearly impossible to take any unconventional action at Hogwarts without Dumbledore catching wind of it, given that every portrait in the castle served as his eyes and ears.

Thus, he decided to share some of his findings with Dumbledore to earn his trust and assistance.

Of course, he had no intention of revealing everything, for deep down, he still harbored reservations.

"Professor," Snape said, taking a seat across from Dumbledore, "I went to the Girls' Lavatory to find Moaning Myrtle, hoping to learn something about Tom Riddle. Do you know him?"

Dumbledore shot to his feet so abruptly that it startled Snape.

He fixed his gaze on Snape, his eyes so sharp they felt like an icy arrow trying to pierce through Snape's own.