Monday mornings are often the most melancholy. The precious weekend is gone in a flash, and a long week lies ahead. However, on this day, a burst of laughter from onlookers erupted at the entrance to the girls' dormitory. I had planned to have breakfast with Hermione. Hearing the noise, I craned my neck to see what was going on. I saw that the spiral staircase had turned into a long, slippery stone slide, and at the end of the staircase, Ron was sprawled in a comical pose on the soft carpet.
"This isn't fair!" Ron said angrily after Hermione gracefully slid down behind me. "You can enter our dormitory, but why can't we - "
"Can we go to the boys' dormitory?" I asked Hermione blankly.
"Oh, yes. It's an old - fashioned rule," Hermione giggled. " Hogwarts: A History says the founders unanimously believed that boys were less reliable than girls - Why do you want to enter the girls' dormitory?"
Ron dragged Hermione over to the notice board where everyone was crowded. I followed suit. Several senior boys were blocking my view. I could only catch a few words through the gaps, so I stood on tiptoe, trying to see more.
"Order of the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts," Harry whispered to me beside me. "It probably means that all student gatherings of more than three people within the school are to be disbanded. Organizations that have not requested reorganization from Umbridge and obtained approval are no longer allowed to exist. If discovered, the members will be expelled immediately."
"The direction of this Educational Decree is too obvious," I frowned. "This can only mean - "
"Someone has informed on us," said Taurus, his voice sleepy, and the yawn taking the edge off his angry tone.
"Impossible," Hermione flatly denied the speculation.
"Not all the people who came to the gathering on Saturday were our friends!" Taurus lowered his voice. "Quite a few of them didn't trust us. Take that Smith, for example - "
"Impossible. I put a spell on the parchment where we signed," Hermione said with a solemn expression. "It was a bit of a struggle, but it must be effective. If anyone breaks the promise made when signing, we'll surely know, and they'll definitely regret it."
"So you borrowed that Contracts and Curses?" I recalled the large book she had brought back from the library about half a month ago, which would raise a thick cloud of dust whenever a page was turned. "No wonder you replaced that quill that wasn't even broken."
"What curse did you put?" Ron asked eagerly.
"It's just a punishment for those who break their word. I don't think it counts as a curse," Hermione said calmly. "And I didn't choose a very vicious punishment. Compared with the effect of this one, Eloise Midgen's acne would seem like cute freckles."
"Except for that disgusting big pustule on Smith's forehead, everyone else looks normal," Ron said, stretching his neck to look around while having breakfast. "But I remember that pustule was there on Saturday - "
"Stop looking around," Hermione said. After calming several people who came over in a hurry to ask, she herself started to look uneasy. She didn't realize that she couldn't help looking around to see if there were any teachers nearby. "I hope they won't come over anymore - it looks really suspicious!"
She waved her hands vigorously to get Ernie and Hannah to return to the Hufflepuff table, but Cedric still came over. His presence was distressingly conspicuous.
"I want to know if you have any objections to the prefect patrol schedule arranged last week?" Cedric asked Hermione calmly and composedly.
"Er, when was it arranged last week - " Ron hadn't finished his words when Harry interrupted him and replied, "They have no objections."
"Then I'll inform the other prefects on your behalf. Don't worry." He gave us a smile, and and quite a few girls around let out sighs.
"I didn't think it was a good idea for him to come at first," Ron mumbled, his mouth full of scrambled eggs as he watched Cedric's straight back. "But now it seems he can save us a lot of trouble."
"I also hope we haven't brought him any trouble," Hermione said with a heavy expression, looking at the cereal in front of her. "Of course, we'll definitely keep doing it... There's no reason not to. We knew from the start how Umbridge would react..."
The situation was even worse than we thought. Angelina rushed over and stopped three boys, pleading with them to control themselves and not have a direct confrontation with Umbridge at any cost - Umbridge's educational decree included the Quidditch team. The match against Slytherin was approaching, and she couldn't imagine what would happen if the Quidditch team's application wasn't approved in time.
"The Slytherin Quidditch team can continue training," Taurus said with a gloomy face before the Potions class. "I heard Malfoy showing off to others that he just mentioned it to Umbridge and she agreed."
I suddenly remembered the conversation between Draco and Umbridge in the hospital wing before, and when Harry and I met him before going to the Hog's Head on the weekend, he didn't leave immediately. He seemed to be waiting for someone - what if he wasn't waiting for anyone, but just wanted Harry and me to go first? The Educational Decree Number Twenty - four that came into effect immediately today couldn't be Umbridge's sudden whim. If it wasn't someone among us who informed on the outside, then someone else must have told her something. The owner of the Hog's Head drove away a person who was trying to eavesdrop on the conversation in the bar. At that time, besides a large group of us students in the bar, there were only a few strange people who wrapped themselves tightly. They all seemed to be sitting there drinking alone -
"Iris?" Hermione's worried voice interrupted my thoughts. "You have a really strange expression. Did you think of something?"
"We'll talk after class." The door of the dungeon classroom opened. Dad, as usual, gave a gloomy glance at us crowded in the corridor, indicating that we should all enter the classroom and sit down before the bell stopped. Without his additional instructions, I obediently picked up my schoolbag and sat between the Patil twins and Lavender Brown, taking out One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and placing it beside the cauldron.
"As you can see," Dad said in his usual tone laced with a bit of mockery, pointing to a corner of the classroom near the Slytherins. "We have a guest today."
Only then did I notice Umbridge sitting there. The dim light in the dungeon classroom made her pink clothes less eye - catching. She still had that clipboard in hand and gave us a sickly sweet smile as we turned to look at her.
"Today, we'll continue making the Strengthening Solution," Dad said, his tone betraying no emotion. He waved his wand, and a whole set of steps and ingredient lists appeared on the blackboard. "The mixture from last class - you've all got it - the remaining steps and ingredients are on the blackboard. Start."
"Mine from last week didn't seem right," Brown said nervously, trying to pour the contents of the glass bottle into the cauldron, but they seemed to be stuck to the bottom of the bottle. "Why did it solidify? Ugh..."
"Put the bottle in the pre - heated cauldron for a few minutes. Add some water to the cauldron, or the bottle might explode," I leaned over and asked about her bottle. "You might have mixed up several blood components, so the viscosity is off. I think - "
"Focus on your own work first, Iris," Dad's cold voice came from behind me. "I've said more than once that in my class, everyone is required to make the potion independently. Will you be able to help Miss Brown in the O.W.L. exam?"
"Sorry, Professor," I lowered my head and returned the bottle to Brown. She gave my dad a scared look, as if worried that he would immediately give her a zero.
"Oh, indeed. I've heard that you're always strict with your students," Umbridge appeared out of nowhere. She said in a cheery voice to Dad's back (probably because the height difference was so great that she thought it would be tiring to keep looking up at Dad's face). "And your teaching content is quite advanced. A dangerous potion like the Strengthening Solution, I think the Ministry will consider removing it from the curriculum."
I expressionlessly lit the cauldron in front of me and poured the clear liquid from the glass bottle into it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a mocking smile tug at the corner of Dad's mouth. He didn't comment on Umbridge's words, but clearly didn't agree either. This realization cheered me up a bit.
"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" They didn't seem to be planning to leave. Umbridge seemed to have taken a keen interest in my action of filtering the lizard blood. I tried hard to ignore her gaze and focus on the cauldron, but obviously without success.
"Everyone will notice," Dad said in his usual slightly sarcastic tone, pointing to a corner of the classroom near the Slytherins. "We have a guest today."
Only then did I notice Umbridge sitting there. The dim light in the underground classroom made her pink clothes less glaring. She still had that clipboard and gave us a sickly sweet smile as we turned to look at her.
"Today we'll continue to make the enhancer," Dad's tone was unreadable. He waved his wand and a whole bunch of steps and ingredient lists appeared on the blackboard. "The mixture from last class - you've all got it - the remaining steps and ingredients are on the blackboard. Start."
"Mine from last week didn't seem quite right," Brown said nervously as she tried to pour the contents of the glass bottle into the cauldron, but they seemed to be stuck to the bottom of the bottle. "Why did it solidify? Ugh..."
"Put the bottle in the preheated cauldron for a few minutes and add some water in the cauldron, or the bottle might explode," I leaned over and asked about her bottle. "You might have mixed up several blood components, so the viscosity is wrong. I think - "
"Just focus on your own work, Iris," Dad's cold voice came from behind me. "I've said more than once that in my class everyone has to complete the potion independently. Can you help Miss Brown in the O.W.L. exam?"
"Sorry, Professor," I lowered my head and returned the bottle to Brown. She glanced at my father in fear, as if worried that he would immediately give her a zero.
"Oh, indeed. I heard that you're always strict with your students," Umbridge appeared out of nowhere. She said in a cheery tone to Dad's back (probably because of the huge height difference and she thought it would be tiring to keep looking up at Dad's face). "Your teaching content is also quite advanced. For such a dangerous potion as the enhancer, I think the Ministry will consider removing it from the curriculum."
I expressionlessly lit the cauldron in front of me and poured the clear liquid from the glass bottle into it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sarcastic smile on the corner of Dad's mouth. He didn't comment on Umbridge's words, but obviously didn't agree either, and this realization cheered me up a lot.
"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" They didn't seem to be planning to leave. Umbridge seemed to have a great interest in my action of filtering the lizard blood. I tried hard to ignore her gaze and focus on the cauldron, but obviously not successfully.
"Fourteen years," Dad answered briefly. He wanted to turn around to check on other people's cauldrons, but Umbridge coughed twice with her fist to her lips, smiling, and stopped him. She still stood in front of me without moving. For a moment, I wanted to use the fire under the cauldron to set her drooping eyebrows on fire.
"Miss Snape is fifteen years old this year," she said in a soft voice.
"Sorry, is this related to my class?" Dad asked stiffly.
"Oh, I'm just sighing," she said with a beaming smile, ignoring Dad's stony face and still looking at me without any disguise. "After all, I'm kind of your wife's boss. I know she's been very busy before, and now she can finally take it easy and take care of her daughter. You should really thank the Minister - Back to the point, you've applied several times to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts but didn't get it, right?"
"Yes," Dad answered in a low voice.
"Why doesn't Dumbledore want you to teach it?"
"I suggest you ask him yourself," Dad narrowed his eyes slightly and gave me a warning look, stopping my idea of skipping a step that's not very useful. I had to obediently continue making the potion according to what was written in the book, feeling very bored.
"You don't show favoritism to students, which is good," Umbridge was still looking at me. I was glad that the steam rising from the cauldron at this time lessened the discomfort of being stared at. "I checked the grade list of this class. Judging from Miss Snape's performance today... she obviously should get a higher score."
"I have higher requirements for my daughter," Dad answered her with a bit of pride.
"Oh, that's understandable," Umbridge leaned over to look at the boiling liquid in my cauldron. "I think you'll also have stricter restrictions on her disciplinary violations at school, right? Of course, this is just an assumption. I believe Miss Snape is a smart and obedient good girl."
My hand shook and I poured half a bottle more of salamander blood into the cauldron. The clear liquid just now immediately turned an ugly orange-red and began to give off a sweet smell with a hint of blood.
"What qualities does a qualified potions maker have?" Dad asked, looking down at my cauldron.
"Concentration, seriousness, and being undisturbed by the outside world," I answered him in a low voice, not stopping the action of trying to save the mistake by stirring faster.
"What have you achieved among those?" he asked me softly. I knew that the softer his voice, the angrier he was at the moment.
I kept stirring my cauldron in silence with great effort, but it seemed to have little effect. Finally, Dad, with a gloomy face, waved his wand and emptied all the liquid in it. "Not all mistakes can be rectified by other means. I hope you'll remember this sentence firmly with today's zero - score. Come to my office starting tonight until you make a new Strengthening Solution."
"Yes, Professor," I replied in a low voice, looking at the empty cauldron. I felt my face burning hot under the curious stares of other classmates.
"As for your question just now, Ms. Umbridge, the school rules of Hogwarts apply equally to all students." After a half - second of silence, Dad turned around. This time, Umbridge didn't stop him again. Instead, she gave me a meaningful look and then walked towards the Slytherin table to ask them some questions.
"How could he treat you like this - " Ron exclaimed in disbelief as soon as the class was over. "I mean, Snape has always been harsh on us, but you're his own daughter after all - "
"I think Dad knows something," I said listlessly, slinging my schoolbag over my shoulder. Looking at Umbridge still talking to Draco in the classroom, and thinking about my speculation before class, I felt a new wave of discomfort in my stomach. "We're in more trouble than we thought."
In the afternoon, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was completely quiet. Even Taurus was just idly flipping through Defensive Magical Theory on the table, making a loud rustling sound. When Umbridge looked in his direction with an amiable smile, he stopped this show of dissatisfaction, yawned leisurely, and gently turned the book to the next page. Umbridge apparently thought she had achieved a stage victory and was in a very good mood. If her black velvet bow could make a sound, it should be humming the most sickly - sweet old love song at this moment.
I didn't have time to tell Hermione about my suspicion. During the short time before class, we were all listening to the boys chattering about Professor Trelawney being put on probation. I thought Hermione would be indifferent. After all, she always thought Divination was just a sensational lie, and Trelawney was probably the only teacher in Hogwarts who denied her ability - even Umbridge had to admit that Hermione could recite Defensive Magical Theory backwards. But after hearing this, Hermione showed considerable concern. She thought Trelawney's probation represented an extremely bad sign, that is, the Ministry of Magic's interference and purge of Hogwarts had started to turn from determination into action.
Worse things were yet to come. Just as we entered the common room after dinner, Angelina announced to the boys in an empty voice, "There will be no Quidditch training."
"You're kidding!" Harry exclaimed. "We didn't say anything, didn't do anything - "
"I even yawned quietly!" Taurus shouted. "What more does she want - "
"I know, I know," Angelina said painfully. "I'm just here to tell you that tonight's training is canceled. She said she needs to think it over..."
"How long does she need to think?" Ron asked angrily. Having lost regular training time, he was more panicked than Harry and Taurus. "She approved Slytherin's training. Why is she making things difficult for us?"
In fact, we all understood why Umbridge was doing this. The calm in today's class had undoubtedly given Umbridge a new idea for her work. If she could silence these students just by seizing what they cared about, why bother arguing with them in class? Now that she had finally found a way, she naturally wasn't willing to give up this ready - made leverage too soon.
"Look on the bright side. At least you have an extra evening to do your homework," Hermione tried to comfort the three boys, but it obviously had the opposite effect. The two of us girls could never understand the boys' obsession and fanaticism for Quidditch. Taurus mumbled something, then headed towards the boys' dormitory without looking back. Harry and Ron reluctantly started looking for places to sit in the common room.
"I have to go to Dad's office," I said to Hermione, checking the time. "See you later."
Hermione patted my shoulder comfortingly, then walked over to Ginny, who was chatting with other girls. She took out knitting needles and wool from her schoolbag, then took out a thick book and spread it on her lap, ready to read.
I'm very familiar with Dad's office. As I mentioned before, I spent quite a bit of time in this office when I was a child. For other students, this room would never bring them any pleasure - the shelves filled with hundreds of glass bottles, the glass jars containing various sticky animal and plant specimens, and the unlabeled potion bottles in all colors. Mom always said that Dad's office was too dimly lit, but I didn't think so when I was little. Later, I found out that only when I went to play in Dad's office would he conjure up many soft, touchable orbs of light to float around me, preventing me from getting bumped or hurt while rummaging around. When I wasn't there, the impression this office gave to all students was nothing but gloomy, terrifying, and making them regret ever showing up there.
"Close the door," Dad said without looking up as I knocked gently and entered. He was sitting behind the desk.
"Yes, Professor," I said softly.
A cauldron had been set up in the corner of the office near the medicine cabinet. Just as I was about to walk over, I heard Dad say, "Sit down first."
He pointed to a back - backed chair opposite him, still looking down and using his wand to direct a quill to rapidly copy something from a book.
"I don't want to waste time," Dad said to me in his usual teaching tone. "We both know what's going on. Those plans are extremely stupid and full of loopholes. I never expected Potter and the others to be any smarter than when they're in my Potions class. But I'm very disappointed that you got involved with them."
"Them?" I asked, reacting sensitively. "I don't understand - "
"Adults have their ways of getting information," he said in an authoritative tone. "Potter and his group are used to being self - righteous. I don't want to comment on that. Don't let them influence you. Just do your own thing."
Since I grew up, I've never gone against something Dad has decided - especially when he's in this tone. A voice in my head was telling me that I should nod immediately, then pack my bag and go to the corner to make a new Strengthening Solution as he asked. But instead, I heard myself ask in a very small voice, "What is my own thing?"
Dad finally looked up. Even in such dim light, his eyes were as sharp as two blades. I felt the familiar sensation of someone scrutinizing my soul, but I didn't avert my gaze. The silence stretched my perception of time, and I felt my eyes starting to ache faintly.
After what seemed like an eternity, Dad finally asked softly, "Is that so hard to figure out, Iris?"
"I feel like so many things are changing," I forced myself not to lower my head weakly. I just clutched the hem of my robe to quell the complex emotions that suddenly welled up in my chest. "It seems... everything is becoming different. You and Mom are also doing things different from before. Why can't I—"
I didn't expect Dad to be the first to look away. He leaned back in the armchair, half - closed his eyes, reached out to rub the bridge of his nose, and calmly interrupted me. "From the past until now, Iris, I've only done one thing, and it's the only thing I can do—to protect you and your mom."
At that time, I didn't really understand the weight of those words. I just sat there, watching my father, who rarely showed such weariness. At that moment, I attributed this weariness to my attempt to resist his decision. But when I became a mother myself, standing in the courtyard, stamping my feet in frustration as my sons flew around recklessly on their broomsticks, I suddenly realized that parents' helplessness actually comes from being forced to admit that as their children grow up, they themselves are also aging irreversibly day by day. We can't hide them under our wings for a lifetime.
"The ingredients you need are in the cabinet. The requirements are on this piece of paper." Dad returned to his normal self. He pushed the piece of parchment on the table, which was just filled with dense small characters, in front of me. "Time—before curfew. You need to come to my office at the same time every night until you can make something that satisfies me."
As I lowered my head to try to make out the small characters on the paper in the dim light, the whole office suddenly brightened. Several softly - glowing orbs of light floated slowly towards me from the tip of my father's wand. There was no mention of the Strengthening Solution on this paper. The steps were much more complicated than any potion I had made before. According to the instructions on it, the steps on the entire piece of parchment needed to be completed within five minutes.
"An antidote to Veritaserum?" I looked up blankly at my father's chair, only to find that he had left the office at some point.
Just as I climbed through the portrait hole of the Fat Lady, the curfew bell rang in Hogwarts. I had never been in such a mess from brewing potions before—my whole body reeked of a strong, pungent burnt smell. There was also a lump of sticky gray jelly solidified at the tip of my wand (because I was so muddled that I used the tip of my wand as a pewter spoon and stirred in the cauldron, and then successfully blew up tonight's failed product). I suspected that there might still be a few strands of Mediterranean rat - tail waterweed in my hair, but right now, I just wanted to find Hermione and the three boys as soon as possible. Fortunately, they hadn't gone back to their dormitories to rest like the others. It seemed they were discussing something, and Taurus was holding an ordinary - looking mirror in his hand.
"Mundungus," Hermione explained simply as soon as I told her that Dad knew about our plan for the Defense Against the Dark Arts group. "He was there at the Hog's Head to protect—"
"Spy!" Taurus said viciously.
"—Protect us. Remember, there was a short and plump witch all wrapped in scarves sitting at a table quite far from us. That was him," Hermione said with a hint of annoyance. "Now the whole Order of the Phoenix knows about it, so it's not surprising that Professor Snape knows too."
"How do you know all this?" I asked, looking at them in confusion.
"We just had a little chat with Sirius and my dad," Harry said, pointing to the mirror in Taurus's hand. "This is a two - way mirror. They told us quite a few things—Mrs. Weasley is against this too. She specifically asked them to come and persuade us."
"She clearly came to the wrong people. My dad and his dad both think it's a great idea," Taurus shrugged. "We were just about to ask them if there was any place in the school suitable for a secret gathering of more than twenty people when they were called away, something about... being on duty?"
"Snape is against this too, right?" Ron looked at me sympathetically. "I never thought blowing up a cauldron would happen to you—ouch! Why'd you step on me?"
Hermione glared at Ron, conjured up a handkerchief and handed it to me. I took it gratefully, first cleaned the tip of my wand, and then cast a Scourgify on myself.
"My dad did say the plan was stupid," I said slowly. "But what he asked me to make today wasn't the Strengthening Solution... it was the antidote to Veritaserum. He said I'd be confined to his office until I made it, and he didn't say anything else."
"Looks like you didn't make it," Taurus tilted his head.
"Brewing a perfect Veritaserum takes at least a month," I said, exhausted as I sank into the soft armchair. "The antidote and its corresponding potion often show obvious relativity. This relativity is not only reflected in ingredients and texture, but also in the brewing time and steps. So, in contrast to a month, the brewing time for the Veritaserum antidote is very short, but the steps are twice as many as those of Veritaserum itself."
"Within ten minutes," Hermione explained to the half - understanding boys. "It's roughly equivalent to making three Strengthening Solutions in ten minutes."
"My dad's requirement is five minutes," I added feebly. "If he'd given me ten minutes, I might have been able to produce something tonight. But the shorter the brewing time, the stronger the antidote's effect against Veritaserum. The shortest recorded time in the UK so far is apparently four minutes and twenty - three seconds."
"This is too much!" Taurus said indignantly. "He's just making things difficult for you so you can't participate in our activities."
"Well, he could have easily chosen a potion that takes a month, two months, or even half a year for Iris to brew," Harry, who had been listening to us in silence, suddenly said. "Why does it have to be the antidote to Veritaserum?"
"Although he said the matter was stupid, he was already copying those steps before I entered the office. The specific formulas for Veritaserum and its antidote are from the Restricted Section of the library. Right, why does it have to be the antidote to Veritaserum?" I stared at the sparks that occasionally sputtered in the fireplace. "And... Dad should know that I can definitely finish it within five minutes. I just need time to get familiar with the steps and practice the operations."
"Anyway, we still need to find a place for our gatherings," Harry comforted me. "You don't have to be too anxious."
"Being anxious won't help. The result of being anxious is—boom!" I made an explosion gesture, which made them all laugh, and I felt much better.
That night, I lay in bed thinking about what Dad had said to me in his office, and finally fell asleep in a daze. Those words would echo in my ears from time to time on many occasions later. My father had many achievements and also endured a lot of misunderstandings, but he didn't care much about these things. As he said, there was only one thing he wanted to do in his life.