As she collapsed onto the cold floor of the school hospital, Hermione's mind was in turmoil, completely at a loss for how to explain her eavesdropping on a private conversation between a professor. But then, she keenly noticed something: how had Snape recognized her in her current state before the door had even opened? And the cat-eared girl... was that referring to her?

Hermione truly wished she had brought Harry's Invisibility Cloak so she could hide and avoid facing this suffocating situation. Just as she was lost in thought, a strong hand grasped her arm, helping her up. Hermione, trembling with fear, looked up to find it was the young wizard who had been conversing with Professor Snape.

“Th-thank you, professor.”

“Ah, don’t get me wrong, Miss Granger. I am not a professor at this school.”

Amosta smiled gently, his interest piqued as he observed the drooping ears atop the young witch's fluffy hair and the beard on her black-furred cheeks. It didn’t take long for him to realize that this was likely the result of a mistaken transformation using the Polyjuice Potion. After all, she was the most important source of wisdom among the main characters; clearly, she knew how to play.

Although he couldn’t recall the plot from the Harry Potter books, it didn’t mean Amosta was ignorant of the key characters in the story. Snape’s earlier taunt had already informed him that the young witch before him, who had experienced a failed transformation, was Hermione Granger, a highly clever and perceptive young witch who was quite popular in Harry Potter. This sparked his curiosity.

“Miss Granger,”

Snape’s voice, tinged with sarcasm, felt particularly gloomy in the late-night hospital.

“Even I have to admit that your current appearance is far more interesting than usual. However, I still wish to know why you look this way, and was it Minerva who gave you the courage to eavesdrop on my conversation?”

Failing to recognize this as a case of improper Polyjuice Potion usage? That’s not your usual standard, professor.

Snape understood the surprised glance that Amosta threw his way. He shot Amosta a glare, and his cold gaze returned to Hermione.

“Answer my question, Miss Granger, or would you prefer Minerva to help you explain?”

At these words, Hermione, already like a startled bird, trembled even more. Her situation was already bad enough; if Professor McGonagall found out, she could hardly face the few grains left in Gryffindor’s hourglass.

“My appearance... is due to miscalculating my Transfiguration skills, Professor Snape.”

Hermione lowered her head, staring intently at her toes, her voice choked with emotion. For a moment, she was grateful for her black fur; otherwise, she was sure her flushed cheeks would give her lie away.

“I had prepared for Advanced Transfiguration in advance, thinking I could cast the human transformation spell recorded in the book... I’m sorry for eavesdropping on you and this teach— I mean, this gentleman’s conversation. I was reading in bed, studying how to heal my magical injuries faster, but the noise outside caught my attention. I thought it was the Chamber of Secrets... You know, the attack incidents have made us Muggle-born wizards very anxious—”

Amosta noticed that Snape’s face had turned pale and his breathing was growing heavier. If the young witch continued with her fabrications, there was a strong possibility of a disaster occurring in the hospital.

“You don’t need to explain, Miss Granger,”

The golden viper of the underground world was a cold, sharp, danger-filled wizard who walked the edge of darkness and light. However, the man named Amosta Breen, who had shed his black robe, was a very friendly and gentle person. It was hard to tell which side was his true self and which was a disguise; perhaps both were the real Amosta Breen.

Desperately trying to make her words believable, Hermione looked up dazedly and saw a pair of beautiful purple eyes and a gentle smile on the young wizard’s handsome face. For a moment, Hermione thought the smile of this young wizard resembled that of Professor Dumbledore.

Kind and tolerant, yet containing wisdom that sees through the truth.

“I’m sorry, sir, what I said was…”

“My name is Amosta Breen; you can call me Mr. Breen,”

Amosta interrupted Hermione’s explanation again, smiling pleasantly.

“No matter what reason caused you to look this way, Miss Granger, I think you have learned a painful lesson. Therefore, Professor Snape will not punish you any further, will he?”

Amosta looked at Snape, who simply scoffed in disdain.

“As for eavesdropping on our conversation, it’s not a serious fault for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old witch filled with curiosity. Professor Snape and I have both generously decided not to pursue it; you don’t need to worry too much~”

In terms of authority, Amosta was clearly no match for Snape, who had long established his reputation. Although Mr. Breen said he wouldn’t mind the eavesdropping, Hermione still didn’t dare to relax. She cautiously watched Snape, fearing that her Potions professor might raise a different opinion.

Perhaps it was due to Amosta’s intercession or Dumbledore’s instructions, but Snape turned and left without saying another word, thus sparing Gryffindor from the dismal fate of losing fifty points during the Christmas holiday.

“See you later, Miss Granger.”

Amosta smiled slightly and also turned to leave.

Just as Hermione was recovering from her near escape, she noticed the mysterious man, who introduced himself as Breen, was about to step out of the hospital.

“Please wait, sir... I mean, Mr. Breen!”

Hermione instinctively called out, and when Amosta turned around with a puzzled expression, she realized what she had done.

“Mr. Breen, are you a healer?”

Hermione’s face flushed. She didn’t know why she called out to Breen, but at this critical moment, her quick-witted mind saved her once again.

“I just heard you and Professor Snape discussing Colin and Justin’s conditions. Do you... do you have the ability to heal them?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Granger; I don’t have that ability.”

Amosta shook his head, speaking calmly.

“Since Professor Dumbledore already has a way to heal them, I don’t think you need to rush; after all, lying in bed is also a form of protection for them.”

Amosta turned to leave again, his voice continuing to filter through the door into Hermione’s ears.

“Also, Miss Granger, I am an investigator.”

………………………

That night, Amosta stayed overnight in Snape’s staff quarters. The two of them talked by candlelight, and he inquired in detail about the specifics of the three attack incidents and how the victims were discovered.

Among them, Mrs. Norris and Fenrir were both first witnesses after the attacks, and the first witness was Harry Potter.

Amosta was not surprised by this; after all, being the main character means trouble will find you even if you stay at home.

What astonished him was the harsh expression on Snape’s face when he evaluated Harry Potter.

“You can tell what kind of person he is just from Hermione Granger—full of lies, mediocre, arrogant, loves to break the rules, seeks attention, and is rude!”

From a few feet away, Amosta, who was bent over scribbling notes at the desk, raised his head in surprise.

“How strange, Professor, it’s rarer for a wizard to receive such a critique from you than to receive your praise. I’m starting to feel a little curious about that boy.”

“You’ll know when you meet him, Amosta,”

Snape, half-lying on the bed, stared coldly at the roaring flames in the fireplace. “He’s full of himself, believing he can handle everything, just like his father!”

“Ah—”

Amosta flipped through the tattered “Simplified Theories of Ancient Spells” (by Yulick Gamp), continuing to write equations on the parchment while occasionally waving his wand to create ripples in the air, trying to construct an effective spell model.

For more than two years, most of his time had been spent on the road, and any time for research and self-improvement had to be squeezed out.

“Got it, so it’s an old grudge.”

Amosta didn’t continue to inquire about what grievances Snape had with Potter’s father, as he knew well that everyone has pasts they don’t wish to be touched. Why forcefully dig into someone’s hard-won healing for the sake of his own trivial curiosity?

PS: A new book is not easy, so please support it!