Chapter 32. Snape, Cold.jpg
"You're awake, child."
A gentle voice sounded from the side.
Duncan opened his eyes.
What met him was a snow-white ceiling, and the air was filled with a fresh scent of potion.
He turned his head.
A kind-faced woman was bending over with a bowl, helping an unconscious student drink a potion.
Hogwarts' Hospital Wing—Madam Pomfrey?
The thought flashed through Duncan's mind.
He opened his mouth, ready to ask.
But Madam Pomfrey stepped to his bedside, quickly reached into her bag, took out a piece of chocolate, and pressed it into his hand.
"Child, if you feel all right, do go out quickly.
You should still make it to the Start-of-Term Feast.
Oh, and your friends are waiting outside the ward as well.
They said they wouldn't leave until they saw you wake up."
With that, Madam Pomfrey hurried off to care for the few students who had not yet woken.
Among them were Draco Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe.
They had taken the worst of the shock; sleeping longer was only normal.
Duncan bit into the chocolate.
The bitter taste spread in his mouth, and a comfortable warmth slowly rose within him.
"Thank you."
Feeling much better, Duncan got up, thanked her politely, and pushed the door open to leave the ward.
Fred and the others, who had been anxiously waiting at the door, immediately gathered around him, checking his condition with concern.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Duncan cast a glance into the ward and, seeing Madam Pomfrey still busy tending to students, lowered his voice.
"I was at the source of the gas, after all, so my symptoms were bound to be worse than yours."
"Heh, your method really worked," Fred said with a grin.
"The professors didn't suspect us at all."
"Of course.
I remember Professor Kettleburn teaches Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, and he once came to my house to discuss the Mesmer Weasel with my grandfather.
So long as he was there, the professors were bound to notice the traces I deliberately left."
"And there was an unexpected gain this time," Duncan added.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, curious.
"The Mesmer Weasel's gas can only cause people to faint; it can't make them lose their memories.
The rumour was wrong," Duncan said.
"Good thing the professors don't know that."
"Let's hope those Mesmer Weasels can hide well and never get caught," George prayed.
"Don't let our lie be exposed."
"All right," Fred patted George's shoulder.
"We should get to the Great Hall.
Duncan and the others still have to be sorted!"
At this, Hermione's and Neville's eyes both lit up.
Hermione in particular had imagined her Sorting for a very long time.
Following Fred and George's lead, Duncan and the others went down around the staircase to the doors of the Great Hall.
Snape looked like a statue carved from stone, standing expressionlessly at the doorway without moving a muscle.
A number of students stood to his side, all with their heads down.
They exchanged glances from time to time but kept their mouths shut, not daring to speak.
"First-years stay.
You two enter the Hall by the other passage."
Snape cast a cold glance over Duncan and the others.
His thin lips moved, sounding rather impatient.
Fred and George looked a little taken aback.
They hadn't expected Snape to be the one greeting the first-years this year.
What a shadow that would leave on the new students' minds.
Truly pitiful.
Although Professor McGonagall was strict, she was still far better than the greasy-haired old bat, Snape.
Right—where was Professor McGonagall?
Where had she gone?
With sympathy for the first-years and full of puzzlement, the twins waved to Duncan and the rest and turned away.
Neville seemed frightened by Snape.
He shrank behind Duncan, shivering, not daring to look straight at him.
Snape swept his gaze over the three and said coolly, "Go and stand with them."
Hermione raised her hand to ask, "Professor, may I ask where we will be sorted—"
But Snape cut her off without ceremony.
His lips curled.
"Did you come straight from the Hospital Wing and already forget those poor students still lying there?
Or do you think that every time one of you shows up, we are to hold a Sorting Ceremony just for you?"
"I…" Hermione was a little unwilling and opened her mouth again, as if she meant to have a debate with Snape right here at the doors of the Hall.
Duncan quietly tugged Hermione's sleeve and silently shook his head at her, stopping her.
Debating with Snape was not a wise choice.
If you lost, he would mock you and show you what verbal aggression felt like.
If you won, that would be even worse—prepare to lose points in Potions for blinking.
After waiting at the door for roughly ten minutes, the remaining few figures finally came into view.
Before the arriving students had even found their footing and caught their breath, Snape said without leaving room for doubt, "All students, form a line."
Everyone hurried to move at once.
Neville followed closely in Duncan's steps, standing at the end of the line.
Snape turned with a flourish.
His long black robes swished through the air and nearly hit the face of the student standing behind him.
"Follow me."
Snape pointed his wand ahead.
The double doors slowly began to open to either side with a rumbling sound.
The wondrous magical world finally lifted its veil before the new students and revealed its beautiful face.
Thousands upon thousands of candles floated in mid-air over the tables, lighting the Hall.
On the velvet-black ceiling, points of starlight glittered.
On seeing this scene for the first time, the new students couldn't help holding their breath, admiring the marvellous sight before them, and their nerves eased a little.
"Our last new students have arrived."
Dumbledore stood with a broad smile directly before the doors, at the foot of the dais.
Beside him rested a four-legged stool, and on it lay a dusty, long, thin, pointed wizard's hat.
In past years this had been Professor McGonagall's job, but now that Professor McGonagall was away, he had to take her place.
"They encountered a little unpleasantness on the train.
That was a lapse in our work, and I ought to apologise to you."
Dumbledore bent slightly and bowed to the students standing before him, immediately setting the Hall abuzz.
Many students stood to applaud and cheer for Dumbledore, with Gryffindor the loudest—nearly drowning out the other Houses.
Dumbledore raised his hand for quiet, then continued, "I hope you can forget the earlier unpleasantness and enjoy a wonderful time here at Hogwarts.
Now, come up.
The Sorting Hat will decide which House suits you."
The chatter among the first-years vanished at once.
Several stared nervously at the pointed hat with its mouth gaping wide.
The tension gradually spread among them all.
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