Pomfrey, the Master of Logic

They were both silent, as though the first to speak would lose the upper hand.

After an unknown length of time, Minister Fudge finally could not hold back and began to speak.

"Albus, terrible weather, isn't it?" Fudge said nervously. "I've come all this way from the Ministry of Magic, and I'm sorry to interrupt your Halloween Feast, but I wrote to you beforehand."

Everyone looked at Dumbledore in surprise. Apparently, he had known Fudge was coming.

Dumbledore's tone remained calm. "Yes, Cornelius, I replied to your letter. You should not have come now."

He waved a hand, signaling Professor McGonagall to take all the students out.

The Great Hall erupted into a rumble of noise again. Everyone wanted to stay and listen. After all, this was a conversation between the Minister for Magic and the Hogwarts Headmaster. Surely it had to concern something at least as important as the safety of the Wizarding World?

But under Professor McGonagall's stern gaze, every student reluctantly filed out.

Once all the students had gone, Fudge sat down in Professor McGonagall's seat.

"But look, Albus," Fudge said awkwardly, "I'm under a great deal of pressure right now. Lucius was caught by Alastor on the night of the incident... To be honest, it wasn't a very serious matter, and his innocence was also proven.

"Lucius was innocent to begin with. He's resourceful, too. He bribed a lot of powerful political figures and even donated a building to the Ministry of Magic... I had no reason to keep him locked up."

"Of course, we can be certain that Malfoy had nothing to do with this incident," Dumbledore replied coldly. "But that does not mean Professor Snape is guilty."

The smile froze on Snape's face. Just moments ago, he had been looking at Hagrid with glee.

Hagrid, hearing Snape's name, finally stopped trembling all over. He straightened up again and picked up a bottle of mead.

Fudge gave an awkward laugh. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said, "Of course, we'll investigate, we'll hold a trial. The problem is that Snape wasn't at the school on the night of the incident. He appeared at..."

Dumbledore interrupted him. "That day, Snape went to investigate the cause of Professor Robert's death on my orders. It was not he who appeared at the Ministry of Magic."

Fudge sprang to his feet as though he had been pricked by a needle. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Are you saying Robert's death wasn't an accident?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "It was indeed an accident, but his identity gave me some slight doubts. I needed to be certain, so I sent Professor Snape to verify it.

"But the attack on the Ministry of Magic had nothing to do with Snape..."

"Albus, you should have informed me about your private investigation. Then I could have sent Aurors to help, couldn't I?"

Fudge's expression was unreadable. He suddenly grew forceful and said seriously, "Snape's past record is very much against him. Albus, although you testified at that trial, something so serious has happened now that the Ministry of Magic has to take certain measures. I've already contacted the Board of School Governors."

"Cornelius, I must tell you, taking Snape away will accomplish nothing," Dumbledore said, anger flashing in his blue eyes.

"Look at it from my point of view," Fudge said, fiddling with his bowler hat. "I'm under a lot of pressure. People have to see that I'm making an effort.

"If it turns out in the end that it wasn't Snape, he'll come back, and not a word more will be said. But I have to take him away."

"Take me away?" Professor Snape's voice was ice-cold. "Where to?"

"It won't be for long," Fudge said, avoiding Snape's eyes. "It's not a punishment, merely a precaution. If another person is caught, you'll be released with a full apology."

With that, Fudge stood and led the way out, while Dumbledore gave Snape a slight shake of his head.

With the Ministry of Magic's interruption, this Halloween was destined to be a dreadful one. Even the next day, everyone was still talking about it.

Everyone had expected Hagrid to be taken away by the Ministry of Magic. After all, he had visibly lost his composure when the Aurors arrived.

Instead, they discovered that it was Professor Snape who had disappeared.

That made it rather dramatic. When Hagrid was scared, Snape had still been gloating over him.

The little lions were as excited as if their final exams had been canceled.

Professor Snape's departure meant Gryffindor was moving away from its lowest score in history.

And so it proved. The level in the house points hourglass began to drop slowly, and surely it would not be long before the long-absent red gems appeared.

Professor Snape's disappearance seemed to be a cause for universal celebration, except in Slytherin House.

The little snakes of Slytherin hung their heads. Without their Snake King, they were somewhat gloomy.

Come to think of it, Snape had it pretty rough. He had been attacked by a stinking shoe at the start of term and ended up in the Hospital Wing on the first day of class... Not long after he got out, the Ministry of Magic took him away.

Had the terrible curse on the Defence Against Dark Magic position shifted to Potions Class?

For a time, rumors abounded.

The general opinion was that Professor Snape had something to do with the attack on the Ministry of Magic.

It was an easy connection to make. The Ministry of Magic had only just released Malfoy before taking Snape away, with the Minister for Magic personally leading the group.

It was impossible to say there was no connection between the two!

But whether Snape was the mastermind, a participant, or simply cooperating with the Ministry of Magic's investigation, no one could tell.

The professors were tight-lipped and revealed nothing about what happened after that night!

Madam Pomfrey had temporarily taken over Potions Class. She was said to be a Potions Master too.

That claim remained to be confirmed, because the potions in the Hospital Wing that were so hard to swallow had to be Professor Snape's work!

Only he would mix disgusting but harmless ingredients into potions.

Everyone was happy to have Madam Pomfrey there. At least they would not have to endure Snape's sarcasm and all those points deducted for no reason.

But they soon regretted it.

Madam Pomfrey, dressed in purple robes, walked into the warm underground classroom.

It really was quite warm...

As soon as Professor Snape got out of the hospital, he had added a fireplace. He kept it lit even on hot days, just in case.

It was hard to say whether the change was good or bad. It was certainly comfortable on cold days, but Snape would frequently pick up burning coals with tongs and wave them in front of his face while casting ill-intentioned looks at the young wizards.

The young wizards' failure rate at brewing potions had risen by thirty percent!

Madam Pomfrey cast a critical glance at the classroom's facilities. Clearly, she was not very satisfied with the surroundings.

While Professor Snape was away, she would probably do a little renovating.

"Now," Madam Pomfrey said briskly, "put away your cauldrons and take out your quills."

Most of the students exchanged puzzled looks.

The instruction to "put away your cauldrons" seemed particularly strange in Potions Class.

How were they supposed to brew potions without cauldrons?

William folded up his cauldron and took out his quill, ink, and parchment.

Madam Pomfrey opened her handbag and took out her wand, which was very short. She tapped the blackboard with it, and some words appeared:

Post-injury care for wizards!

"Now, then, Professor Snape has been teaching you this course," Madam Pomfrey said, turning to face the class.

"Potions Class is undoubtedly a very difficult course. After taking it, many young wizards develop problems of one sort or another..." Madam Pomfrey considered her wording.

"In Muggle terms, mental illnesses. In more serious cases, even autism!"

"So Potions is a very dangerous course."

William looked at Madam Pomfrey in puzzlement. This was clearly Professor Snape's fault, so why was she blaming Potions?

Madam Pomfrey was truly a master of logic. Hogwarts had found itself a treasure!

(Third update. Please vote with your recommendation tickets.)