After Professonagall finished speaking, she took her three students from her house a.

  Hoare was left aloo face the two t figures before him.

  Dumbledore and Snape.

  Dumbledore chuckled and asked, "Henry, your wandless magic was impressive. Did someoeach you?"

  Hoare's heart tightened. Oh no, this has aroused old Dumbledore's suspi.

  "I read about it in a book. The situation was urgent, and it was my first time using it," Hoare feigned ignorance, running a hand through his hair with a ugh.

  Snape, with a cold expression, said, "Oh, lucky for our brave William. It's a pity you should be in Gryffindor."

  That was a jab at him for being impulsive and reckless.

  "Hahaha, Severus, it's getting te. Why don't you take Henry back to rest?" Dumbledhed it off.

  Snape snorted coldly, turned around, and led Henry away.

  Normally, Snape would stride briskly, but now, due to his leg injury, he could only walk slowly.

  Hoare had clearly seen it earlier.

  Uhe robe, Snape's calf was bleeding profusely.

  The way to get past the three-headed dog was something old Dumbledore couldn't possibly not know, especially since he po pce the mirror there ter.

  So why was Sill bitten? Was it not unicated to him?

  Was Dumbledore still wary of Snape?

  Hoare felt puzzled, but then dismissed the thought.

  From what he knew of old Dumbledore, although not a saint, he wasn't a bad person, especially when it came to proteg the school.

  After all, the tract he signed earlier was for the Squib Potion.

  The profits were split between Hoare and Hogwarts.

  Albus Dumbledore, apart from his headmaster's sary, didn't take a penny.

  It was because of this that Hoare was willing to prove his innoce. If it were someone else, Hoare wouldn't care if they suspected him or not.

  "What is it, brave Henry? Are you pitying your weak headmaster?" Snape wasn't oblivious.

  Hoare had been staring at Snape's injured leg for a while. If he didn't have this level of observation, old Dumbledore wouldn't have made him a double agent.

  Hoare took out a bottle of pale white potion from his robe's inner pocket. "Professor, this is a healing potion I've retly developed for treating rge bleeding wounds. I wonder if you could try it."

  Hoare kly what effects his potion had.

  An A-level talent wasn't just for show.

  He said this knowing that Slytherins generally had a certain pride.

  Drad the others, having spent more time with him, were less prideful now, occasionally showing a cheeky side.

  Among this prideful group, Headmaster Snape was the most prideful.

  If he directly said it was for Sreatment, Snape would never accept it and would likely mock him instead.

  "Heh," Snape gave a mog smile.

  But he still took the potion from Hoare.

  From his months of experieh Hoare, Snape khat if Hoare cimed to have created a potion, its fun could only be superior.

  Though he didn't want to admit it, Snape had to aowledge that Hoare had surpassed him in potion research.

  Sributed this to the fact that young minds tend to have more ideas.

  After taking the potion, Snape flicked his robe. "I suppose Mr. William knows the way back."

  Without waiting for Hoare's response, he left on his own.

  Hoare shrugged. The headmaster was clearly embarrassed.

  ---

  "What's up with Professor Soday?"

  "No idea! It's terrifying..."

  "I feel like the professor is in a good mood today. He didn't deduct a single point."

  "Unless you mention that he added almost twenty points to Slytherin. We know he's biased, but today he was off the charts. Adrian Pucey just handed something to someone and got a point!"

  "I got bck beetle eyes all over my hands today. Normally, he'd have scolded me until I cried, but today he just told me to it up. I feel so uneasy."

  "...You're just asking for trouble."

  "The Weasley twins were up to their usual anti css, aually praised them! Said their ideas were good."

  "Has Professor Snape finally gone mad because of the Weasley twins?"

  After Potions css, students walked in small groups, chatting in the corridor.

  Hoare, passing by, scratched his head after hearing their versation.

  Had the headmaster been possessed?

  With the Quidditch match approag, Hoare was dragged off by Marcus Flint iernoon for extra practice.

  Yes, it was Hoare training them.

  Five hours ter, they had just finished, and Hoare only wao grab something to eat in the Great Hall.

  So when the Weasley twins blocked his path, he wasn't in the mood to be friendly.

  "Spit it out," Hoare said, hungry enough to eat a whole cow. If these two silly brothers were here to talk nonsense, he wouldn't mind dev them!

  Hoare uzzled as to why they sought him out.

  Though they were in the same school, they weren't in the same year or house.

  Even with Ron, aside from csses, they rarely crossed paths.

  So he wondered why the twins were looking for him. Surely they hadn't figured out who he was.

  Otherwise, with their personalities, they would've already used it to bckmail Hoare int for them for free.

  The twins exged a ghen, with arms around each other's shoulders, ughed and said, "We went for a night stroll st night."

  The other added, "And actally saw something."

  Hoare remained expressionless.

  "We saw you give Professor Snape a bottle."

  "Is his mood today reted to that thing?"

  Their oence-each way of speaking was quite irritating.

  Hoare frowned. Were they trying to use the headmaster's injury to threaten him?

  It was well-known that rumors about Hoare being Voldemort's illegitimate son were rampant at Hogwarts.

  And as a former subordinate of the infamous Dark Lord, Severus Saking orders from his master's illegitimate child was quite pusible.

  Hoare had overheard Harry and Ron discussing this version.

  Clearly, they had seen the headmaster ihat day and suspected him.

  Hoare looked warily at the twins. "What's it to you?"

  The twins, ag familiar, each put an arm around him. "Henry, I call you Henry?"

  Gee tinued, "We saw that the potion was white st night, and today we smelled a hint of peppermint on the headmaster."

  "That's a Joy Potion," Fred said excitedly. "We read about it in a book. It's a potion that makes people feel happy."

  Hoare uood. "So you acted up in css to see if the headmaster would scold you?"

  The twins nodded proudly, grinning.

  0Niffler0