Snivellus was Snape? How could Peeves give Snape a nickname like that? Wait... the nickname Peeves had just shouted out for Moaning Myrtle was given by students who bullied her, and by extension...
Brian glanced at Snape with a trace of concern, ignoring his sarcastic tone from a moment ago, and explained,
"Um, Snape, it's complicated, but as you can see, there is a crying Hogwarts student in here right now-I'm the one who made Moaning Myrtle cry, and I have to take responsibility..."
Before he even finished speaking, Snape impatiently cut him off.
"What? One second putting on an act in front of students, the next running into the Girls' Bathroom to bully a poor student ghost-the last person I knew with two faces was a circus clown... I'm warning you, stop looking at me with that strange expression!"
Snape hissed as he tried to step into the bathroom, but the standing water on the floor was piling up higher and higher, leaving him with no choice but to pause in place. He glared at the inconsolably weeping Moaning Myrtle and commanded Brian,
"Come out, I have questions for you."
Brian smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I have questions for you too. Come inside and talk."
Though he guessed that Snape might have been bullied himself, he had no reason to indulge this man's foul temper.
"You're not allowed in!! Go away!! I'm crying!!" Moaning Myrtle suddenly shrieked at that moment. Accompanied by her angry voice, the water in the toilet bowl condensed into a stream of water that surged straight toward Snape,
"You didn't knock!!"
Snape wanted to dodge the moment he spotted the water stream, but his injured leg wouldn't allow it-
That stream of water didn't successfully hit his chest, only splashing against his shoulder-its power was very small, roughly like being doused by a basin of water-but that was water from a toilet bowl. Although there was no strange odor, still...
The humiliation factor was quite high.
Snape's face was flushed a dark, angry red, but he actually endured it and refrained from letting out an angry roar. He only said in a pitch-black, dangerous, and extremely low voice, "Moaning Myrtle... do you know what you just did?"
"I don't know!!!" Moaning Myrtle shouted in a breakdown, "But I know you didn't knock just now!!!"
"Calm down, Moaning Myrtle." Brian tried to soothe Moaning Myrtle's emotions, "Snape will knock right now, knock right away!"
He glared at Snape, shouting, "Knock on the door, what are you waiting for?"
Snape glared back at him in anger, but still obediently knocked on the door.
"Ah!!!" Moaning Myrtle's emotions seemed to have completely spun out of control. Her eyes clamped tightly shut, dragging her ears along with them-she couldn't take in anything right now; in her world, there was only herself.
The water in the toilet bowl poured out as if it were endless, making a gurgling sound-hell, where on earth did that toilet connect to?
The Black Lake? Would a fish suddenly pop out in a moment?
Brian knew that staying in the bathroom any longer might mean getting submerged-he cast a water-repellent charm on himself, hopped three steps closer to the doorway, and paused in front of that leaking toilet bowl, trying to speak as gently as possible:
"Moaning Myrtle, once you've vented your feelings, I'll still come to find you. I hope you'll be able to tell me some more interesting stories then-hey, your voice sounds so pretty, don't cry your throat hoarse."
Brian had no idea whether Moaning Myrtle had taken his words in. He gently pulled the door shut, leaving a small crack-if the bathroom couldn't hold that much water, then the corridor would just have to bear a share of the responsibility.
"What on earth are you doing limping around Hogwarts in the middle of the night instead of properly recovering from your injury?"
To prevent Snape from turning sarcastic, Brian decided to strike first,
"And you don't even knock when you visit someone else's place. Look, this is the consequence of not knocking."
As soon as he finished speaking, Brian walked toward the third-floor window. Snape froze for two seconds before gritting his teeth to follow, saying viciously,
"Playing rogue? Brian, is that all the tricks you have? What kind of shady business have you been up to in the castle these past two days acting all spooky? Why not tell me right now, maybe I can even help you out? What is it you're looking for? Am I right?"
"I told you to go find Dumbledore... Ah, wait, what you said is actually spot-on. Whatever it is I'm looking for... you might actually have some inkling of it."
Brian stopped in his tracks, abandoning any intent to torment Snape's injured leg, and asked for confirmation,
"You graduated from Hogwarts, right? Then when you were a student, or during your time teaching here, have you ever heard of any monster-related attacks in the castle?"
"...A monster?" Snape's facial muscles twitched slightly, "What on earth are you talking about?"
"You don't even understand that? Why do you think I'd appear in the third-floor Girls' Bathroom where Moaning Myrtle is in the middle of the night? I'm investigating the monster that killed Moaning Myrtle-there shouldn't be very many students who died at Hogwarts, and I'd imagine Moaning Myrtle's case should be fairly... famous. Do you know of any monster with bright yellow eyes that could also be active inside the castle?"
Brian said earnestly,
"The ones I can think of right now are Nundus, basilisks, Kellas cats... way too many-I should have been ruling out a lot of options today-before Peeves and you arrived, I was asking Moaning Myrtle about her impressions of her own corpse when she died-oh, Peeves... I think next time I should ask the Bloody Baron to help me stand guard. Since you're the Head of Slytherin, can you help me bridge the connection?"
He had only been in the castle for three days and wasn't very familiar with the ghosts-currently, the one he knew best was Moaning Myrtle.
Snape stared at him coldly, and after a long while, uttered, "You really are leisurely."
Brian racked his brain without ever expecting that Snape would not only refuse to say anything, but also throw a sarcastic remark his way. He genuinely felt speechless:
"...Fine, Snape, if you're not willing to help me, you can just leave right this second, as long as you don't disrupt my investigation into Moaning Myrtle's affair anymore-there isn't a clause in the contract stating faculty members aren't allowed to night-walk, is there?"
He couldn't fathom it. If Snape had truly been bullied, why was he now completely indifferent toward Moaning Myrtle, and why did he maintain such an apathetic attitude upon seeing Neville being picked on-could this guy be the type who, having walked through the rain, wanted to tear up everyone else's umbrellas too?
He could still find excuses for the latter-favoring students of his own House and worrying about House Points.
But Moaning Myrtle wasn't a student of Slytherin House!
How could Hogwarts let someone like this become a Head of House? It seemed Dumbledore wasn't maintaining his wisdom every single moment.
Just as Brian was about to turn and leave, Snape suddenly spoke in a very unnatural tone:
"I suggest you go ask Professor Kettleburn. He's in charge of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts and came here a long time ago-don't get me wrong, I just don't want to see you buzzing around everywhere like a headless chicken on some night and unsettling the castle."
Brian thought his ears were malfunctioning. Confirming he wasn't suffering from auditory hallucinations, he turned back in pleasant surprise, strode forward, and gave the wet Snape a hug: "I'm so glad to hear you say that. Would you be willing to dock points from Mr. Malfoy right now?"
"Don't even think about it! And I don't know what gave you the misconception that we're friends? Never do something that disgusting to me again!"
Caught off guard, Snape shoved Brian away with all his might once he recovered, reverting to his gloomy appearance,
"Pardon my frankness, but in the eyes of those magical creatures you just mentioned, you're merely inferior rations-go hurry up and investigate your case, Mr. Librarian. The death compensation for Hogwarts faculty members is far more generous than you think."
"Then I can't wait to make a killing."
Brian said with a smile,
"I'm confident I can cure your leg now. How about it? Want to try my magic? Aside from emotional trauma, I have a fair degree of certainty in healing any other kind."
Brian felt he was starting to understand Snape's personality; he dared bet a hundred percent that Snape would turn down his proposal.
Sure enough, Snape gave him a deep look, his face turning black again. Without a word, he drew his wand, rapidly dried his own clothes, cast a couple of Scourgify spells on himself, and turned to leave.
Before you continue