Upon hearing Herman's question, George's face instantly fell, and he cried out, " Head of House McGonagall confiscated it!"
Fred, equally dejected, said, "We were planning to ask Professor Kettleburn to help us sell them; he knows some rather unconventional wizard merchants."
Seeing their dejected expressions, Herman felt a little better and comforted them, saying, "It's not a complete loss. At least you got a free beauty treatment. With this delicate skin, when Draco grows up, she'll definitely be willing to spend a lot of money on skincare."
George's eyes suddenly lit up, as if someone had turned on a lightbulb in his head. "That makes sense. I think this project has commercial potential."
Fred followed suit. "But we need to get Madam Pomfrey's recipe first."
George nodded. "And just growing new skin isn't enough; the skin-peeling Potions also needs to be used in conjunction."
Fred hesitated for a moment. "It hurts so much, would anyone be willing to pay for it?"
Herman chimed in, "It can be combined with Stunning Spell to amplify its power, the kind that won't wake you up even if you're in pain."
George clapped his hands. "Great job, Herman, you know your stuff. You'll get a share then."
Herman quickly waved his hand. "No need for that, I'm afraid the Ministry of Magic will arrest me if they catch you practicing medicine illegally."
Just as the twins began to enthusiastically discuss the feasibility of this grand business plan, the screen was pulled back again.
Professor McGonagall stood outside the screen, her expression tense, like a string stretched to its limit.
Herman stood up reflexively. "Good morning, Professor."
McGonagall nodded to him as a greeting, then her gaze fell on George and Fred.
The twins' expressions instantly shifted from business elites to those of someone caught doing something wrong, forcing out awkward smiles. "Good morning, Dean. We didn't do anything today; we just stayed quietly in the Hospital Wing."
Professor McGonagall's voice was flat, but beneath that calm lay an barely suppressed rage. "You didn't do anything today, but yesterday you broke every single school rule—strolling at night, trespassing into the Forbidden Forest, and nearly dying from a spell."
George tried to explain, "Can I say it was just an accident?"
McGonagall ignored his question, "Whether it was an accident or not is no longer important. I've already notified your parents, and I think they'll be at school tonight. I'd like to have an in-depth discussion with the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about your education."
George and Fred opened their mouths simultaneously, then closed them again, as if they had already foreseen their fate that was about to unfold tonight.
Herman felt it was inappropriate for him to remain there any longer, so he gave Professor McGonagall a slight bow and said, " Professor McGonagall, I shall take my leave now."
McGonagall nodded, but as he turned to leave, she called him back, " Mr. Horace, Head of House Snape Slytherin House in his report yesterday that only you and Miss Malfoy were not in the castle; they went to Hagrid's Hut."
Herman stopped in his tracks.
What? So Harry's going off-campus doesn't count? Snape, if you're going to show favoritism, at least be reasonable! Doesn't Harry going to Hogsmeade count as being outside the castle? While it's reasonable to hide Harry's unauthorized departure from school, isn't it a bit much to hide her being outside the castle?
He suppressed the urge to complain that was already rising in his throat and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, Professor, we'll definitely be more careful in the future."
Seeing his remorseful attitude, McGonagall couldn't help but wonder if she was prejudiced against Slytherin students, or if there were any sensible children among them. Her tone softened somewhat. "It's not that you were wrong; after all, you did follow the school rules and went to the gamekeeper's hut. It's just that the school is going through a turbulent time right now, so it's best to stay in the castle. The professors are taking turns patrolling the castle; it's the safest place."
Herman asked in surprise, "Are the professors on patrol?"
He genuinely didn't know about this, but that explained why the castle was so quiet that morning. The professors were wandering around at random times and places, and no one could sit still to do anything, for fear of bumping into a professor's gaze at the next corner.
McGonagall nodded. "Yes, you two weren't here yesterday, so you probably don't know the new rules. Professor Snape should be on patrol now."
Herman paused for two seconds, then became even more certain of one thing—no one else would dare to come out; probably only the twins lying in bed in the entire school would dare to face the challenge.
Herman said goodbye again, "Thank you for the reminder, Professor. I'll head back now."
This time, McGonagall didn't say anything more.
As Herman walked out of the Hospital Wing, he glanced back and saw the twins swearing solemnly, their expressions so sincere they looked as if they had just emerged from some religious ceremony. Fred even raised his bandaged hand, as if making some kind of oath-taking gesture.
Herman silently wished in his heart, "Professor McGonagall, you must be realistic. I hope the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley can leave a deep enough impression on these two guys, otherwise, with their current energy, they will eventually get themselves into a state that even the Hospital Wing can't save."
He closed the door and walked back down the corridor. The quietness in the corridor seemed to have changed little compared to before, but he had begun to subconsciously look around for the shadow of a figure in a black robe. Although he rarely broke school rules, Snape might find fault with him, so it was better to be careful lately.
Herman hurried back down the corridor, and as he rounded the last bend, the familiar stone door to the Slytherin Common Room came into view.
He kept walking, secretly relieved.
Walking back from the Hospital Wing, he miraculously didn't bump into Snape. Putting aside the possibility that Snape was slacking off, this was probably the best luck he'd had all week.
The stone door slid open in front of him, he stepped inside, and then froze in the doorway.
The silvery-blue flames in the fireplace still flickered quietly, illuminating the entire room with a cool, bright light.
But the armchairs that used to be filled with groups of three or five chatting at this time were now empty. The couples who liked to snuggle up in the corner sofas and show off their relationship were nowhere to be seen. The entire lounge was as quiet as a classroom that hadn't started class yet.
In the most conspicuous armchair directly in front of the fireplace, Snape sat upright, the hem of his black robe hanging to the ground. He held neither a book nor a teacup, simply sitting there quietly, his gaze occasionally glancing towards the direction of the student dormitory corridor, as if waiting for someone to come out from that direction.
Herman stood at the doorway, feeling like a small animal that had accidentally wandered into a hunting ground, unsure whether to go in or out.
He quickly calculated in his mind that Snape's behavior of staying in the common room was probably a form of patrolling in his own logic. After all, in his opinion, it was better to keep watch over the places where Harry might appear than to wander aimlessly around the castle.