The lights were still on in the room. Apparently, he hadn't left yet.
Hermione turned into elemental particles and seeped straight through the wooden door.
The office was dim, with only an oil lamp burning on the desk.
Snape was bent over the desk, marking something, his brows knitted together and his expression darker than a cauldron.
A ripple of magical power spread through the air.
Hermione dropped her invisibility, her figure appearing without warning.
"Who's there?!"
Snape reacted extremely quickly. Almost the instant he saw the figure, he sprang out of his chair and pointed his wand forward.
But once he recognized the pretty face he hadn't seen in so long, he froze in place.
He stared hard at Hermione, seemingly unable to believe his eyes.
It took a full ten seconds for the shock in Snape's eyes to fade, replaced by a trace of delight that was almost impossible to detect.
His tense body visibly relaxed.
But that delight didn't even last three seconds.
Snape put away his wand, and the familiar gloom and sarcasm returned to his face.
Yes, that was more like it.
Having the old bat look at her with delight really did take some getting used to.
"So you finally remembered to come back?"
Snape gave a cold snort, drawing out his words with a thoroughly snide tone. "After disappearing for so long, where exactly has our illustrious Lady Witch been displaying her mighty powers?"
"Skipping an entire year of classes was bad enough, but you even missed your O.W.L.s. You're the first person in this school's history to receive twelve Ts on them."
"Do you Gryffindors even know the words 'school rules'?"
He had greeted her with three sarcastic jabs in a row, but Hermione wasn't angry at all. If anything, she wanted