Hogwarts: Homecoming

Chapter 8: A Discussion

The moment she tumbled onto the cold floor of the hospital wing, Hermione's mind was a complete mess. She had no idea how to explain why she had been eavesdropping on a professor's private conversation. But then, a sharp question cut through her panic.

How had Professor Snape recognized her before the door was even open, especially when she looked like this?

And also... cat-girl? Was that meant to describe her?

Hermione desperately wished she had Harry's Invisibility Cloak. She could hide inside it and escape this suffocating situation. As her mind raced, a firm, steady hand took her arm and helped her to her feet. Trembling, Hermione looked up and found it was the young wizard who had been speaking with Professor Snape.

"Th-thank you, Professor."

"Heh, don't misunderstand, Miss Granger. I am not a professor at this school," Amos said with a gentle smile. He looked with great interest at the ears drooping from the little witch's fluffy hair and the whiskers on her fur-covered cheeks. It didn't take him long to deduce that this was likely the result of using Polyjuice Potion with an animal component.

As expected of the intellectual core of the Golden Trio. She certainly didn't do things by halves.

Although he couldn't recall the specific plot points from the Harry Potter books, it didn't mean Amos was ignorant of the key characters. Snape's earlier taunt had already told him that the little witch before him, suffering from a botched transformation, was none other than the highly popular Hermione Granger—a very intelligent and sharp young witch. This piqued his curiosity.

"Miss Granger," Snape's sneering voice was particularly grim in the late-night quiet of the hospital wing. "Even I must admit, your current appearance is far more interesting than usual. However, I would still like to know why you look like this. And was it Minerva who gave you the courage to eavesdrop on my conversations?"

He didn't recognize it as a botched Polyjuice Potion? That's not like you, Professor.

Snape seemed to read the surprise in Amos's glance. He shot a glare at Amos before fixing his grim stare back on Hermione. "Answer my question, Miss Granger. Or would you prefer Minerva to come and help you explain?"

At the mention of her Head of House, Hermione, already like a frightened bird, trembled violently. The situation was bad enough. If Professor McGonagall found out, she couldn't bear to face the few remaining grains of sand in the Gryffindor hourglass.

"The way I look... it's because I misjudged my Transfiguration skills, Professor Snape," Hermione mumbled, her head bowed as she stared at the tips of her shoes, her voice thick with unshed tears. For a brief moment, she was grateful for the black fur covering her face; otherwise, she was certain her blushing cheeks would have given her lie away. "I was reading ahead in Advanced Transfiguration and I thought... I thought I could perform the human transfiguration spell from the book... I'm very sorry for listening to you and this... profess— I mean, this gentleman's conversation. I was reading in bed, trying to figure out how to heal my magical injuries faster, but the noise outside caught my attention. I thought it was the... you know, the attacker from the Chamber... The attacks have made all of us Muggle-borns very nervous—"

Amos noticed that Snape's face beside him was turning livid, his breathing growing heavier. If the little witch were allowed to continue her fabrication, a rather bloody incident was likely to occur right here in the hospital wing.

"There's no need to explain, Miss Granger."

The Golden Viper of the underworld was a cold, sharp, and murderous wizard who walked the line between light and darkness. But Amos Blaine, without his black robes, was a remarkably kind and gentle person. It was hard to say which side was his true face and which was the disguise. Perhaps, both were the most real Amos Blaine.

Hermione, who was trying desperately to make her story believable, looked up in a daze. She was met with a pair of stunningly beautiful violet eyes and a gentle smile on a handsome young face. For a fleeting moment, she felt that this young wizard's smile bore a striking resemblance to Headmaster Dumbledore's. It was kind and tolerant, yet held a wisdom that seemed to see right through to the truth.

"I'm sorry, sir, everything I said was—"

"My name is Amos Blaine. You can call me Mr. Blaine," Amos interrupted her again, a pleasant smile on his face. "Whatever the reason for your current state, Miss Granger, I believe you have already learned a painful lesson. Therefore, Professor Snape will not punish you further. Is that right?"

Amos glanced at Snape, receiving only a contemptuous snort in reply.

"As for eavesdropping, for a young witch of thirteen or fourteen at an age full of curiosity, it is not a serious offense. Professor Snape and I have both magnanimously decided not to pursue the matter. You needn't worry so much."

When it came to authority, Amos clearly couldn't compare to the long-feared Snape. Although Mr. Blaine said he wouldn't press the matter of her eavesdropping, Hermione still didn't dare to relax. She watched Snape cautiously, terrified that her Potions Master would disagree.

Perhaps it was because of Amos's plea, or perhaps because of Dumbledore's instructions, but whatever the reason, Snape simply turned and walked away without another word. And with that, Gryffindor House was spared the tragic fate of losing another fifty points during the Christmas holiday.

"Well then, I'll see you around, Miss Granger," Amos said with a small smile, also turning to leave.

Hermione, who hadn't yet had a chance to celebrate her narrow escape, snapped back to reality just as the mysterious man who called himself Blaine was about to step out of the hospital wing.

"Please wait, sir... I mean, Mr. Blaine!" Hermione called out impulsively. It was only when Amos turned back with a look of surprise that she realized what she had done. "Mr. Blaine, are you... are you a Healer?" she asked, her face flushing red. She didn't know why she had called out to him, but at the critical moment, her quick mind once again saved her. "I heard you and Professor Snape discussing Colin and Justin's condition just now. Can you... can you cure them?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but I do not have that ability," Amos said, shaking his head calmly. "Since Headmaster Dumbledore already has a way to cure them, I don't think you need to be in such a hurry. After all, for them, lying in a hospital bed is also a form of protection."

Amos turned to leave again, his voice drifting back to Hermione from beyond the door. "And one other thing, Miss Granger. I am an investigator."

That night, Amos stayed in Snape's faculty quarters. The two talked late into the night by candlelight. He questioned Snape in detail about the scenes of the three attacks and how the victims had been discovered.

Notably, the first person to find both Mrs. Norris and Justin Finch-Fletchley after they were attacked was Harry Potter.

Amos wasn't surprised by this fact. He was the main character, after all. Even if he stayed home and never went out, trouble would find its way to his door.

What did surprise him was the venomous expression on Snape's face when he spoke of Harry Potter.

"You can see what kind of person he is just by looking at Hermione Granger," Snape spat. "A pathological liar, mediocre, arrogant, a rule-breaker who loves to show off and attract attention. Insolent!"

From a few feet away, Amos, who was hunched over a desk sketching and scribbling, looked up in surprise. "How strange, Professor. It's rarer to find a wizard who earns that kind of review from you than one who earns your praise. I'm starting to get curious about that boy."

"You'll see when you meet him, Amos," Snape said icily, half-reclining on his bed and staring into the roaring fire. "Insufferably self-important, thinks he can handle everything. He's cast from the very same mold as his father!"

"Ah..." Amos turned a page in the worn copy of A Simplified Theory of Ancient Charms by Uric the Oddball that was open in front of him. He continued to write equations on a piece of parchment, occasionally waving his wand and creating ripples in the air, trying to construct a functional spell model. For the past two years, he had spent most of his time on the road, squeezing out moments for research and self-improvement whenever he could.

"I see. A grudge from the previous generation."

Amos didn't press Snape on what issue he had with Potter's father. He knew all too well that everyone has a past they don't want others to touch. Why, for the sake of his own trivial curiosity, should he forcibly reopen someone's painstakingly healed wounds?