20demayo Chapter 289, Section 288: Unlucky Snape
Chapter 289, Section 288: Unlucky Snape
Chapter 289, Section 288: Unlucky Snape
Amazing magic.
It brought about amazing results.
The world twisted and spun with a piercing explosion. Hermes felt as if an invisible hand had gripped and released his stomach, and the scene before him was like a scrambled watercolor painting—the dark green shadows of the Forbidden Forest melted into a blur, then suddenly reformed into the familiar stone walls and torches of Hogwarts.
The night at Hogwarts was quiet and mysterious, with moonlight streaming through the stained-glass windows and casting dappled shadows on the corridors. However, this tranquility was broken by a strange sound.
The two were teleported directly into a corridor inside Hogwarts Castle—yes, directly into the castle, not on the lawn outside.
"What's going on!?"
The first-year witch's knees buckled, and she stumbled, grabbing for support against the wall of the corridor. The cold touch of the stone wall confirmed that this was not an illusion—they had indeed been transported from the depths of the Forbidden Forest to the corridor on the fourth floor of the castle in an instant.
Such an experience.
This completely shut Hermione down.
After all, that's completely impossible.
Unlike the information she gleaned from the Hogwarts library and her own extracurricular books—Hogwarts forbids Apparition, a rule even Dumbledore must abide by.
"This completely defies the common sense of magic!" Hermione muttered to herself, her head feeling as if it had been hit hard by a hammer. The contradiction between knowledge and reality made her mind really chaotic.
There are limitations!
Even powerful wizards can't apparite, let alone teleport two living people here! What's going on? Hermione's mind was completely blank.
"Grandson"
A voice gritting its teeth came from above her head.
It was Snape. He noticed Hermione ignoring him and assumed the little witch was doing it on purpose; that's how the Potions professor at Hogwarts liked to project his own experience onto others.
His body remained in the upside-down position, his feet dangling in the air, his robes swaying gently in the wind.
He found himself back at Hogwarts.
Snape was, of course, shocked as well, but compared to the situation he was facing, the restrictions at Hogwarts were no longer important. Seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar Great Hall of Hogwarts, his mind went blank for a moment, followed by a chill that shot from his feet to his head.
Snape was extremely unwilling to appear at Hogwarts in this manner.
This will evoke his childhood memories.
Or perhaps it was something from his childhood trauma. Suddenly, he seemed to be transported back to a distant past, a vulnerability flashing in his dark eyes that Hermione had never seen before. For a moment, he wasn't the fearsome professor, but a boy trapped in a terrible situation. But this fleeting moment was quickly replaced by a more intense rage.
"Miss Granger, quickly cast a spell to break this ridiculous curse!" he emphasized again. This time, Hermione immediately realized that this was a unique way for a Potions professor at Hogwarts to call for help.
"Ah, Professor."
Hermione looked up, and the sight before her made her almost lose her composure—Professor Severus Snape was hanging upside down in mid-air, his black robes drooping like bat wings, revealing his slightly worn shirt and thin, bony ankles. His old face was flushed red from bloodshot eyes, and the rage in his eyes was almost tangible.
of course.
It wasn't directed at Hermione.
Only a little bit of annoyance belonged to Hermione.
More than anything, there is anger towards those who instigated this situation.
"Professor, what, what do we do? How can I help you?" Hermione's voice was barely audible. Her mind was still processing the absurd scene before her—Snape, the ever-gloomy and imposing Potions Master who struck fear into the hearts of his students, was hanging upside down like a bat caught by a hunter.
It was so hard to hold back my laughter.
As a Gryffindor student, Hermione respected the professor, but through her exposure, she also knew how much of a face-conscious person Snape was.
Fortunately, she was Hermione.
If Ron or any other Gryffindor student were here, they would be incredibly kind not to help Snape, let alone borrow a camera or call a crowd to watch.
no way.
Snape's reputation and public image at Hogwarts were indeed problematic. In particular, his extremely hostile behavior towards Gryffindor House kept him at the top of the list of most hated professors for many years.
At least that's true at Gryffindor—to put it another way, the chances of young wizards at Gryffindor not being targeted by Snape during their first year to their seventh year of school are practically zero; almost every Gryffindor student has suffered at the hands of Snape to some extent.
Perhaps it's not the kind of injustice that's particularly obvious.
However, being suppressed by Snape is a normal occurrence that Gryffindor students must experience. Therefore, Snape's current state is seen by the Gryffindor students as nothing more than karma.
There might also be sympathy.
But it doesn't stop them from taking photos.
If Hermione hadn't been targeted in such a subtle way, she probably wouldn't be holding back her laughter like this. After all, holding back laughter is bad for your health; you should laugh out loud when there's a funny moment.
"What...what kind of magic is this?"
Hermione's curiosity clearly surfaced at an inopportune moment.
This made Snape even more annoyed.
"Damn it, stop standing there like a dazed giant!" Snape's voice was distorted by his upside-down position, but it was still as sharp as a knife. He tried to cast a spell himself but failed to dispel the magic.
"Do something!"
Snape shouted a reminder.
"Oh, okay, okay, I understand." Hermione's wand was already in her hand, but her mind was still blank. She was still replaying the process of her and Snape returning to Hogwarts. Hogwarts' protective magic was the result of thousands of years of accumulation, and it couldn't possibly be easily broken by a mysterious person who looked like a student.
Unless it's not ordinary magic, Hermione is about to start spouting conspiracy theories again.
"Granger!" Snape's roar pulled her back to reality. "If your book-filled head is still functioning, you should realize I need to be put down!"
Hermione then raised her wand as if waking from a dream, but she was completely clueless. "I...I don't know how to break this spell! I don't even know what this magic is!"
Her tone was full of helplessness and panic.
"You don't need to know! Find a way to break this spell!" Snape roared angrily, his face flushed red and veins bulging on his forehead.
"But……"
Hermione wanted to say something more.
"Upside-down fuchsia! This magic spell is called Upside-down fuchsia!"
Snape was really in a hurry.
He was constantly observing his surroundings.
I'm afraid someone might suddenly jump out from somewhere.
"Okay, what's the counter-curse of the Fuchsia spell?"
Hermione continued to ask questions.
"You don't seem as good as you claim!"
Snape's expression twisted even more violently, whether from rage or blood rushing to his head: "The Golden Bell has fallen! But clearly that imposter student modified the spell—"
He struggled to wave his wand, but because of his upside-down position, his casting looked extremely awkward. "Damn it! Bell to the ground! Bell to the ground!"
Moreover, the spell had no effect.
Two beams of red light shot out from Snape's wand, but vanished without a trace as if they had struck an invisible barrier—his magic was certainly no match for the magic unleashed by a super legend.
In response to this...
It wasn't just Snape who couldn't understand.
The little witch too.
Hermione had never seen Snape fail to cast a spell—that was more unsettling than seeing him hanged upside down.
"If you can't do it, then I'm sure I can't either."
Hermione was still self-aware.
"Perhaps I'm just being restricted. Do as I say and remember this spell well." Snape forced himself to calm down, his voice trembling as he suppressed his anger.
"The wand gesture is an upward hook, then a gentle flick, while clearly saying 'The bell falls to the ground.'" This round of instruction he gave to the Gryffindor students was definitely genuine.
"Okay, Professor."
Hermione nodded.
He was completely absorbed in imitating the actions Snape described.
"The golden bell falls to the ground!"
A beam of light shot from the tip of her wand, aimed directly at Snape. However, the instant the spell touched his body, a ripple spread across Snape's skin—and then nothing happened. Snape remained hanging upside down, only now his expression had changed from anger to something almost incredulous.
"Again!"
He commanded.
There was a hint of panic in her voice that Hermione had never heard before.
"Activate your emotions! You need to concentrate and use your magic to feel the incantation!"
Snape continued his explanation.
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"Push harder!"
He even tried to rely on metaphysics.
Ok.
Wizards' metaphysics can also produce miraculous results.
"OK."
Hermione tried three more times, each time casting a brighter light, but the result was the same. She gritted her teeth and increased her magical output again; sweat dripped from her forehead, and her face turned pale, but the spell still had no effect. Snape himself was also pondering the problem, unwilling to give up.
He endured the discomfort of being upside down, trying to use his knowledge to break the spell. However, it was all in vain, and Snape's expression grew increasingly grim.
Large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Not only because of the blood rushing back, but also because of the fear of being seen by others, and even more so because he realized a terrible truth—himself, Severus Snape.
A professor at Hogwarts.
They were trapped in a basic prank spell by an unknown entity disguised as a student.
What kind of person would that person be?
Mysterious man?
That's what they were guessing.
How could Snape not feel terrified?
"This is not just an upside-down fuchsia."
Snape muttered to himself, his voice almost inaudible, "Who is that guy? No, a normal wizard shouldn't possess such powerful magic!"
"Damn it! Filthy! Despicable! Vile bastard!" Snape suddenly burst out with a string of vulgar curses, his voice echoing in the empty corridor.
"I'll rip his guts out and boil them into a potion! I'll soak his eyes in toad bile! I'll—" Snape didn't care whether the other person was his old master or not.
This is touching his most real scars.
Even if he were Voldemort, he'd still have to curse him.
"Ouch, Professor, that's vulgar..." Hermione's eyes widened. Today she had not only learned a new spell, but also a great deal of creative insults. Snape's anger erupted like a volcano, each curse more vicious and sophisticated than the last, some even involving potion recipes she couldn't understand.
Well, how should I put it?
Isn't this also a form of learning and improvement?
"professor!"
Hermione finally mustered the courage to interrupt him, "It's almost dawn, and the students will be getting up soon."
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Snape's head.
As time passed, the sky gradually began to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Snape was indeed starting to worry; he feared that his students would see him in such a disheveled state when they woke up.
His cursing stopped abruptly, his face changing from a flushed red with anger to a deathly pale. Imagine—how happy Peeves would be to see him like this?
How smug the Gryffindor students would be to him, and how the Slytherin students would feel to see their Headmaster hanging from the ceiling like a piece of dried bacon?
"Miss Granger."
Snape's voice suddenly became frighteningly calm.
"I can't stay here."
He stared intently at the little witch.
"But your spell—"
Hermione was also helpless.
"Use physical methods!"
Snape gritted his teeth and said, "Find a rope and drag me to my office!"
Hermione blinked, still somewhat unsure of what to do.
"Drag it over?"
Is this still the magical wizarding world?
"Have you suddenly lost the ability to understand English, or do I need to repeat myself?" Snape's voice rose again. "Hurry! Before those idiots find me!"
This is the professor's order.
Hermione frantically searched for a rope, and Snape conjured one for her. So she stood on tiptoe and tied one end of the rope to Snape's ankle.
They even tied a sturdy sailor's knot.
"I'm sorry, Professor."
She spoke softly and politely.
Then, holding the other end of the rope, they began to move along the corridor.
Snape floated behind her like a human balloon, his black robes trailing behind him, creating an eerie silhouette. Hermione tried to be as quiet as possible, but every time she rounded a corner, Snape's head would dangerously approach a wall or doorframe.
"Granger, if you let my head hit something hard," Snape's sinister voice came from above, "I guarantee you'll be cleaning up Flobber's slime every night for the next seven years."
Hermione swallowed hard, becoming even more careful in controlling the angle of the rope.
They successfully descended to the third floor, then the second. Each time they encountered a staircase, Hermione had to slow down, controlling Snape's "landing" like a kite. Just as they were about to reach the basement entrance, disaster struck. Peeves' familiar giggles suddenly echoed from the distant corridor.
"quick!"
Snape urged him on sharply.
In her panic, Hermione pulled hard.
Snape lunged forward like a fish that had been caught on a hook.
Boom!
A dull thud. Snape's forehead slammed solidly against the doorframe of the basement entrance.
A terrible silence followed.
"This—is—not—the—upside—down—golden—bell!" Snape felt like a balloon too, and he roared, each word distorted by pain and rage.
Hermione was terrified.
However, she quickly dragged the still-cursing professor into the cellar office. When the door finally closed behind them, she slumped to the floor, exhausted but unable to help but let out a sigh of relief.
Snape was still hanging upside down in the center of the office, like an unfortunate bat that had been captured, but his anger seemed to have burned out, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
"Don't let me find out who that guy is!"
Snape's resentment could probably fill the entire Hogwarts.
(End of this chapter)