Snape stared at the empty potion bottle, still dazed.
Dumbledore sighed softly. "Let's go, Severus."
Then he turned to Harry and Ron:
"You two should be careful for the time being, too. Try to go straight back to your dormitory after class."
Once the professors had left, Harry said angrily:
"I didn't do it! That rotten Snape was deliberately picking on me again. If Hermione hadn't backed me up, he would've pinned it on me!"
Poor Professor Snape... Hermione ventured:
"Have you considered that he might actually have been trying to help you when he asked where you were last night? As long as anyone vouched for you, he could use that as an excuse to rule you out as a suspect."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, apparently stunned by this entirely new take.
A second later, Snape's gloomy face flashed through both their minds, and Harry waved his hands insistently:
"No way. Absolutely not!"
Ron chimed in:
"Hermione, are you feeling all right? That's Snape we're talking about!"
Faced with their adamant refusal, Hermione looked helpless.
Fine, Professor Snape. You'll have to move that mountain yourself. I can't help you.
"I really don't understand why Snape's always targeting me!"
Harry looked indignant. He had never done anything to provoke him.
"It's probably because he graduated from Slytherin. They're all like that. Just look at Malfoy."
Ron voiced his Gryffindor family's disdain for Slytherins.
Hermione's eyes shifted, and she suddenly said:
"Harry, do you want Snape to treat you normally from now on?"
Harry nodded. "You have an idea?"
Hermione smiled mysteriously, leaned close to Harry's ear, and whispered two words.
Harry's eyes widened in disbelief:
"What kind of ridiculous idea is that? Are you serious?"
"Trust me. Go back and try it, and you'll see. Even if it