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Big Big World

Chapter 6 Peace before the storm

Although Snape was marking the Year Five Ravenclaws' essay, his mind was not really there. He was thinking about what Granger had confessed. Two vials of sleeping potion. It was far too much for making anyone sleep through only one night. He was sure that the milk couldn't have weakened the effect of the potion as milk had no such properties. So what could possibly have lead to this effect?

"Severus?"

Snape looked up from the essays he was marking, and saw Dumbledore standing in front of his desk. "Headmaster, I didn't..."

Dumbledore waved his hand and said, "It's fine, Severus. I can see you are deeply in your thoughts. Do you mind to share them with me?" He took a chair and sat in front of Snape on the opposite side of the desk.

Snape was pondering whether he should disclose his doubts. Obviously, he should be correcting the students' homework, but instead, he was musing about the unknown muggle. "I was trying to find a reason why the sleeping potion has weakened Miss Lowe so much."

When Dumbledore voiced his astonishment at Snape believing Hermione, the Potions Master arched an eyebrow at him. "Miss Granger wouldn't lie, not in this case. This is about her friend , and I trust she wouldn't tell anything but the truth in this matter, especially if she did give her two vials. So, assumed that Miss Granger really did give her two vials of sleeping potion mixed with milk, why did the effect wear off so soon?"

"Have you come to a conclusion yet?" Dumbledore looked at Snape, amused by what he suspected to be reasons for Snape's interest.. It had rather surprised him. .

"No, the only possible conclusion would be that she, Miss Lowe, is not just a muggle. But I don't really think she is a witch or even psychic, as I couldn't feel any magic in her." Snape shook his head slightly, "Or Miss Granger did not make her potion correctly, but that seems impossible."

On a very serious tone, Dumbledore said, "Severus, what I am going to tell you must remain between you, me, Remus, Sirius, Minerva, and also Poppy, as she is needed to monitor her health. I will try to find a credible reason for her staying for the rest of the staff, as the matter is so delicate that we have to prevent any news from leaking out as best we can."

Snape was a bit alarmed by what Dumbledore was about to tell him. "She is not just a muggle, is she?"

"No, she is a muggle, but she has a twin called Bianca Emer Janney, who is a witch. She attended Hogwarts for her first two years, but then transferred to The Salem Witches' Institute later on when the family migrated to the States."

"I don't remember having a student of that name. Also, are you sure she is a twin to 'Bianca Emer Janney'? Miss Granger said her surname is Lowe."

"The reason why you didn't recognize her twin's name is that you were not yet teaching here before she transferred." Dumbledore said, "She used her mother's maiden name after her parents' divorce fifteen years ago. She left her mother once she turned eighteen, and moved back to England to run a bookshop in Richmond, West London for the next ten years."

Snape was amazed by how many details Dumbledore knew about Allison. So, she was not at all unfamiliar to magic after all.

Dumbledore clasped his hands together, and then continued. "Severus, have you ever heard about a book that Merlin wrote, about all the natures of Magic?"

"Natura." Snape continued, "Said to be written by Merlin with all his knowledge on the nature of magic. The legend said Merlin destroyed the book before his own death." This lightened up an idea in Snape, "She couldn't possibly..."

Dumbledore sighed, "The book isn't destroyed, or there is another copy of it. And yes, she has got the book, and she is the only one who could read it, at least for the time being."

"What do you mean by that?" Snape had a really bad feeling. Allison was a muggle, and how come she could be the only one who could read that book?!

"Only she can see the words that appear on the pages. No wizard, witch or other muggle could read it." Dumbledore took a piece of folded paper from his pocket, and handed it to Snape. "Miss Granger told me Allison was immensely frightened when she noticed that she could read words from the 'empty' book. She thought she was going crazy."

Snape read the note quickly, while cursing under his breath. He would have been frightened too had he been in her place. Strangely, reading that note brought a rare smile to his lips. He expected that Miss Lowe was quite... a strict and responsible person, but it seemed that she was more strict and responsible than he had expected. He wouldn't possibly give up such an 'artefact' to the authorities so easily, let alone to the Ministry. He would possibly have locked it in the Restricted Section in Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's protection. Strangely, he would have like to see her facial expression after she had first read the letter. It would have been rather entertaining.

"Did I miss any amusing details?" Dumbledore was rather curious what made Snape smile.

"Nothing." Snape replied, and the smile disappeared. "So, what are we going to do with her?"

"We'll leave it till tomorrow, Severus."

TBC

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