In the end, the professors returned the Omniocular Recording Ball to Peter.
The contents recorded inside left a deep impression on the three knowledgeable professors—it was hard to imagine that the one responsible for all this was just a usually reclusive first-year student!
After making a backup with the Doubling Charm, Professor McGonagall, knowing Peter's impoverished circumstances, chose to turn a blind eye and did not deprive him of this opportunity to earn some Galleons.
Thus, like a stone thrown into a pond—
News of today's vicious bullying spread through Hogwarts with astonishing speed!
And along with it came the only backup recording of the duel, which Peter priced at 8 Sickles!
As expected—
Once the images from the recording ball circulated, they became the talk of the school overnight, giving everyone a deeper understanding of the brutal bullying that had taken place!
Walking down the corridors, almost everyone held a recording ball playing the scene on a loop, repeatedly admiring that classic battle where the few triumphed over the many.
Some mocked the weakness of the Slytherin upper-years, claiming they would never have done so poorly; others wondered why two Slytherins would turn their wands against each other.
But even more were amazed by the exquisite and powerful combat skills displayed by that unexpected first-year, unable to believe he had been at school for less than two months!
Snape's fame skyrocketed.
His name could be heard in almost every corner of Hogwarts!
Whether in mockery or envy—
Undoubtedly, Snape had become the most memorable freshman in history, inevitably attracting many hidden gazes!
Until the Halloween Feast arrived.
Only then did the frenzy show signs of abating, the festive cheer slightly diluting the recent surge of conflict and malice between Gryffindor and Slytherin!
Snape walked calmly into the Great Hall, ignoring the curious and scrutinizing looks from all directions.
The candles usually floating above had turned into carefully carved jack-o'-lanterns.
The corners were piled with grinning pumpkins that let out strings of wicked laughter if anyone patted them.
Many ghosts drifted through the hall, adding plenty of atmosphere to this spooky festival.
When Nearly Headless Nick passed through Snape's body, he even floated in the air specifically to praise him.
"I heard what you did. Thank you for standing up to protect the weak!"
"Just luck," Snape said modestly.
He sat down at the Slytherin table, where numerous needle-like malicious glares instantly fixed on him, making Leo and Mulciber on either side feel like they were sitting on pins and needles!
Yet Snape seemed oblivious, elegantly cutting his Halloween feast with knife and fork.
After swapping a cup of pumpkin juice to his right that had been deliberately spiked with Babbling Beverage, the sweet taste of a strawberry cake on the table brought a look of pleasure to his face.
Midway through, Dumbledore spoke.
He elaborated on the severity of bullying, expressing hope that students from all houses would restrain themselves, whether Gryffindor or Slytherin.
Snape looked thoughtful, vaguely sensing the undercurrents flowing in the shadows of Hogwarts.
Actually, the most correct course of action would be to expel the ringleaders from Slytherin—that was the punishment Lucius and the others deserved.
But the Board of Governors, long controlled by pure-blood families, would certainly not agree. Even if they were expelled, they could simply arrange new proxies within Slytherin.
Most likely, as soon as the incident ended, Dumbledore had already received numerous letters of plea and warning.
Even the greatest wizard in the world couldn't ignore the web woven by those intricate relationships before deciding to bare his fangs!
Snape speculated on Dumbledore's situation with leisure.
However, at the other three house tables, discussions about him dominated the conversation.
"Slytherin went too far! We must find a chance to get back at them!" Longbottom said indignantly.
Mitchell, sitting next to him, didn't even bother to glance at him.
While stuffing a spoonful of sour berry pie into her mouth, her eyes were glued to the vivid image floating in the crystal ball, chuckling uncontrollably!
Finally, Longbottom couldn't stand it anymore and forcefully snatched the crystal ball to stop it, naturally drawing a cry of dissatisfaction from Mitchell.
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
"What do you think? You've been watching this all day! And what's so good about a Slytherin?"
"None of your business! I'm counting to three!"
Mitchell's eyes were fierce.
Longbottom's already scarce courage vanished, and he obediently handed the crystal ball back to Mitchell.
In the end, he could only watch with a look of helpless anger as Mitchell immersed herself in admiring that spectacular battle, unable to extricate herself from the crisp, sharp movements and the shockingly charming, cool aura of the black-haired boy who was the protagonist.
When Lily looked over, this was the scene she saw.
If she looked further afield—
She could discover that on every table, there were at least a dozen crystal balls replaying continuously, and the vast majority of watchers were girls with shining eyes. This made Lily's originally bright smile gradually disappear.
Especially since Peter's voice was still coming from not far away.
Cutting through a group of Gryffindor students listening with relish, he kept repeating sensitive words like 'marriage alliance', 'marry five', and 'stingy'.
This made Lupin, sitting next to Lily, dare not breathe loudly. An all-too-obvious low pressure made Lupin dare only sit on half his chair, while a circle of students around them were silent as cicadas in winter!
Screaming internally—
He prayed that the usually clever Peter would quickly notice the desperate situation here and consciously shut his damn mouth!
Meanwhile, just as the students tirelessly discussed the incident—
Among the staff seats not far away, Snape had also become the center of their conversation
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