Twenty minutes earlier, in the Headmaster's office on the 8th floor of the main tower…
'Severus, are you suspecting that Professor Dracula directed Quirrell to steal the Philosopher's Stone?' Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he chewed on a Honeydukes soft candy.
'That is correct. Among the many professors at Hogwarts, Dracula is the only newcomer. Even Quirrell taught Muggle Studies here briefly. We know nothing of Dracula's past,' Snape said, his voice tight with controlled suspicion. 'What's more, just before the start of term, I had a brief… spiritual collision with Dracula at the entrance to the Great Hall. I sensed his power. I am certain he possesses the ability to steal the Philosopher's Stone.'
'You are very observant, Severus,' Dumbledore said with a smile, nodding and offering Snape a candy.
'No, you should keep those things for yourself and enjoy them,' Snape said indifferently, waving off the offer with a dismissive flick of his wrist.
Dumbledore, unperturbed, popped the candy into his mouth and said, his voice slightly muffled:
'Severus, I can only tell you one thing about Professor Dracula—he has no motive to steal the Philosopher's Stone and is worthy of our absolute trust. You can rest assured.'
'But I personally saw Quirrell enter the restricted area on the 4th floor!' Snape said, unwilling to concede the point. 'If Dracula is not directing him, then are we to believe that Quirrell—that trembling coward who can barely string a sentence together—is attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone from right under the nose of the most powerful wizard in the world?'
Dumbledore stood up, walked around the desk, and came to Snape's side, his gaze knowing and intense.
'Sometimes, we cannot simply look at things as they appear, Severus,' he said quietly. 'What if Quirrell's fundamental purpose in coming to Hogwarts is to get the Philosopher's Stone? What if he has played the part of a coward from beginning to end, precisely to make everyone lower their guard against him?'
Snape frowned tightly, turned to look at Dumbledore, and asked with thinly veiled agitation:
'Have you actually confirmed that Quirrell is the one who covets the Philosopher's Stone? If so, why not simply expel him from the school?!'
Dumbledore shook his head, sighed deeply, and said, his voice heavy with weariness, 'One can only be a thief for a thousand days, and how can you prevent a thief for a thousand days? The best way is never to expel Quirrell from the school but to eliminate this hidden danger completely.'
'Severus, you know that I have told you before—the Dark Lord will return. And when that time comes, Harry Potter will be in terrible danger.'
Listening to Dumbledore's words, Snape's pupils gradually dilated, and his face became unnaturally pale.
'You mean…'
'That is correct. Quirrell has been controlled by the Dark Lord. He came to Hogwarts for one purpose and one purpose only—to steal the Philosopher's Stone for his master.'
Dumbledore's eyes were now sharp and intense, staring intently into Snape's.
'Then, in that case, should we not drive Quirrell from the school all the more urgently? The Dark Lord will bring danger to this school!' Snape questioned, a flicker of panic now in his voice. Then, his eyes widened again with a dawning comprehension. 'You want to use the Philosopher's Stone as bait—to lure the Dark Lord out into the open?! And you deliberately made the obstacles so simple… for whom to go in and stop him? It is Potter… isn't it?!'
Snape took a step forward, staring fixedly at the sharp, calculating eyes behind Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles.
'Are you worried about that child?' Dumbledore asked, his voice soft, almost a whisper.
'I am not!' Snape roared, the denial sounding strained and unnatural. 'He is just as mediocre and arrogant as his father, who loves to break the rules, likes to be in the limelight, attracts attention, and is utterly impudent! How could I possibly worry about such a nasty brat?!'
'You only see what you expect to see, Severus.' Dumbledore chuckled, a hint of sadness in his voice. 'And you did very well before, did you not? Reciting the counter-curse at the Quidditch match.'
Embarrassment flashed across Snape's face for the briefest of moments before his expression shuttered, becoming once again indifferent and unreadable.
'Tell me, what is it you want me to do?'
'Have a fight with Professor Dracula, using your suspicion of him as an excuse,' Dumbledore said softly, his gaze holding Snape's.
'Professor Dracula's actions during this period have already forged a great enmity with the Dark Lord,' he continued, his voice almost conspiratorial. 'The worse your relationship with Professor Dracula becomes, the easier it will be to regain his trust when you return to the Dark Lord's ranks—and, of course, gather any needed information.'
Snape walked towards the door of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, the echo of their conversation still ringing in his ears.
With a soft creak, the door opened before he could reach it.
A tall, gaunt witch with a severe expression appeared in the doorway, followed by a large group of professors from various subjects, their faces showing varying degrees of concern and annoyance.
'Well, well! I really did not expect that 2 professors would be fighting—privately—in our classroom?!' Professor McGonagall said, her voice tight with restrained anger. She pursed her lips into a thin, disapproving line, her chest rising and falling rapidly with poorly suppressed emotion. 'Do you even realise that the sound of your fighting could be heard throughout the entire castle?! What kind of example do you want to set for the students? Are you encouraging them to duel in private?!'
She waved her wand heavily, as if attempting to physically vent her anger, and lit the oil lamps and candles in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. The interior was instantly flooded with a harsh, unwelcome light.
The next moment, Professor McGonagall took in the sight of the desks and chairs in the classroom, shattered into countless pieces of wood, and her face turned an even more alarming shade of red. She nearly lost her composure entirely.
'Both of you will be placed on probation!' Professor McGonagall said through gritted teeth, clenching her fists and angrily scolding Dracula and Snape. 'If you do not show good behaviour within a year, I will expel you, even if one of you is Head of House!'
Snape shrugged with studied indifference, seemingly not caring in the slightest about the rather public punishment of probation.
He only glanced at Quirrell—who was huddled nervously in the crowd of professors—out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that Quirrell was indeed looking in his direction, he deliberately cast a resentful glare at Dracula, acting as if there was some deep, irreconcilable hatred festering between them.
Dracula felt Snape's malicious gaze and felt a flare of annoyance. Never one to back down from a challenge—or be perceived as taking a loss—he glared fiercely right back at Snape.
Seeing the two glaring at each other with barely concealed animosity, Quirrell secretly took out a blank diary. He wrote a short, hurried line on it with his trembling quill:
'The two professors, Dracula and Snape have a very bad relationship!'
After returning Snape's glare, Dracula said calmly to Professor McGonagall: 'I am sorry, Professor McGonagall. I have objections to the handling of this so-called "probation" and need to appeal to the Headmaster immediately.'
Leaving the dishevelled classroom behind, Professor McGonagall and Dracula walked together towards the Headmaster's office, a heavy silence hanging between them.
Dumbledore was flipping through a copy of Transfiguration Today, listening to Professor McGonagall telling him about Dracula's latest list of "crimes." He didn't even bother to look up.
'Well… Minerva, considering that this is Professor Dracula's first offence, how about we not administer any punishment just yet?' Dumbledore raised his head somewhat helplessly when he heard Dracula's name and gave the Vampire a weary sigh.
It wasn't that he did not respect Professor McGonagall's opinion; it was simply because Dracula was still holding the deed to Hogwarts. He could not afford to upset the old vampire—not when the roof over their heads (quite literally) depended on Dracula's continued good will.
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