With Snape here, the atmosphere in the common room improved considerably; it became very quiet.
Because there was no one around, all the couples who usually practically glued to the sofa had vanished. It was probably because the professor sitting next to them and watching this was far more stimulating than they could handle, and the young people couldn't resist.
Herman paused for a few seconds, then decided he couldn't just stand there awkwardly at the door, so he took two steps inside, raised his hand, and waved in Snape's direction. "Professor, good morning... Have you eaten?"
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. This greeting would probably be acceptable in any social setting in China, but to say "Have you eaten?" to Snape, who disliked him, in an empty common room, made him realize how awkward the words were.
Snape turned his gaze away from the student dormitory corridor, lingered on Herman's face for about half a second, and then looked away, as if the words had not entered his ears at all.
He stood up, the hem of his black robe drooping as he rose. He strode towards the door, as if he finally felt it was somewhat unreasonable to sit idly in the common room all morning instead of patrolling the castle.
Herman's shoulders had barely relaxed when Snape's voice came back from the doorway, neither loud nor soft, but every word clear as if etched on a stone. "Keep an eye on Harry. I hope that if you can't find Harry again, you'll tell me where she is."
Herman paused for a moment, then reflexively replied, "Roger!"
By the time he turned around, Snape had already disappeared outside the stone door; the edge of his black robe flashed through the crack in the door, like a bat with its wings folded.
The stone door slowly closed behind him with a dull thud.
Before Herman could even process what she had just said, the atmosphere in the common room had already begun to change.
First, a slight door clicked open from the direction of the corridor, and then, as if activated by some unseen switch, the entire common room began to bustle with activity.
First, someone peeked out from the dormitory corridor to make sure Snape was gone, then walked out, as if signaling some kind of collective action.
The doors to the other rooms opened one after another, and the missing couples reappeared on the sofas and armchairs. Their movements were so swift that Herman suspected they had installed some kind of surveillance device in the common room.
Some couples got even closer than before, as if it were a protest-style compensation for being forced to disappear earlier. The level of affection escalated, and they began to perform in a restricted and graded manner.
Herman looked away from their increasingly intimate poses, feeling his mouth starting to go dry.
So he decided to find a corner to sit down, and instead of reading, he would slowly enjoy the books. There were indeed a few good ones. After studying all day, he needed to take a break occasionally.
Not long after, the door in the dormitory corridor opened again.
Draco came out, her golden hair clearly styled carefully and tied into a neat ponytail. The sleepiness had completely faded from her face, and she looked much more energetic.
Harry followed behind her, her school uniform neatly worn, her steps as steady as ever, showing no trace of the conversation from the previous night.
Draco walked up to Herman, her tone carrying the air of someone who had just woken up and took it for granted. "You're here. Come on, let's go have lunch."
Herman stood up and followed her and Harry out. As he passed the fireplace, his gaze swept over the now lively sofa area, then returned to his seat. Harry and Draco still prettier.
Herman followed the two out of the common room and headed towards the Great Hall.
At lunchtime, the Great Hall finally returned to Herman Hogwarts it remembered as it should be.
The four long tables were full of people, the clatter of dishes and the murmur of voices blending together, as if the vitality of the entire castle had been injected back into the place.
Whether it was the large number of people that diluted the gloom brought by the gathering of Vampire at Hogsmeade, or the sense of security brought by the professors sitting neatly on the platform, Herman sat down at the Slytherin table, first scanning his surroundings, then looking up at the direction of the platform.
The high-backed chairs were almost full, with professors in black, dark green, and dark blue robes lined up in rows. Hagrid sat in the chair furthest to the side, much taller than the people next to him, and was stuffing a piece of bread bigger than his palm into his mouth.
Generally, professors aren't all at school on Sundays. After all, they've worked all week, and who wouldn't want to go out and have some fun on Sunday? It's not just students who hate school; sometimes teachers do too. Probably because of what happened at Hogsmeade, or even the Forbidden Forest, Professor McGonagall called all the professors back.
However, Herman noticed that several seats on the platform were still empty, especially the tallest and largest chair in the very center, where Dumbledore was not present.
That spot was like a gap that had been removed, and even if it were surrounded by people, it couldn't be filled back in.
Herman stared at the empty chair for a few seconds. Dumbledore probably meant he had more important matters to attend to, but the fact that he didn't return to handle them personally indicated that the situation in the castle was still under control.
Thinking about it this way, Herman felt much more at ease.
But he quickly dismissed the idea. What a load of rubbish! Dumbledore had no idea that the Vampire ' target was him. He might have set up a whole host of defenses on Neville's side, like protecting the Philosopher's Stone, but he had nothing on his side. His only protection was probably Snape, who was eyeing him with predatory intent.
At this moment, Herman noticed that Snape on the platform was suddenly staring in his direction. Although it was most likely not at him, he quickly lowered his head and began to fiddle with the food in front of him, as he really had no appetite.
I have a nagging feeling that something's wrong. What exactly happened in the Forbidden Forest last night? What are the Vampire up to now? What will their next move be? Although I'm not as daring as George and Fred to risk my life to see for myself, I still want to know some information.
If the situation becomes truly critical, confessing to Dumbledore is a good option, but it might lead to Dumbledore keeping a close eye on you and labeling you as a potential destabilizing factor. You'll have to think twice before doing anything bad again.
After all, he wasn't really an eleven-year-old boy, and the bad things he wanted to do weren't just pranks. For example, he recently wanted to do something that violated the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. He couldn't help it; Herman found it too easy for wizards to make money off ordinary people, and business opportunities were everywhere.