Ever since Eda entered Hogwarts, Snape had told her more than once that her curiosity would eventually get her killed.
In her first year, because of her curiosity, she had nearly been killed by Fowley in the Forbidden Forest. In her third year, because of her curiosity, she had gone to investigate the Philosopher's Stone on the 3rd floor of the castle.
In her fourth year, also because of her curiosity, she had begun investigating the Chamber of Secrets. In her fifth year, her investigation into Sirius Black had also been partly driven by curiosity.
Over the years, Snape had constantly urged Eda to get rid of her curiosity, but Eda simply refused to learn her lesson. Her curiosity remained as strong as ever.
The two of them stared at each other in the corridor. There were no sparks flying, nor were there flashes of lightning. In the end, Snape, who was standing at the classroom door, was the first to give in.
Snape put away his wand and said, "Ask. Whatever you want to ask, ask. You get only this one chance today."
Even the Potions professor did not know why he had a soft spot for the girl in front of him. She was clearly an arrogant little brat with an insatiable curiosity who refused to listen to anyone.
At first, Snape had merely been following Dumbledore's orders. Now, however, he had simply gotten used to it himself.
Perhaps the occasional flashes of brilliance from Eda had warmed the Potions professor's cold heart. Humans were complicated creatures. Who knew?
"How did you know someone was eavesdropping outside, Professor?" Eda asked. "And how did you see through my Disillusionment Charm? You don't have Moody's magical eye."
At the mention of Moody, an expression of disgust appeared on Snape's face.
He said, "I didn't know there was someone eavesdropping outside. Anyone who could understand my conversation with Karkaroff could not be kept from understanding it, and there was no need to hide it from anyone who couldn't understand it."
"As for your Disillusionment Charm, I didn't see through it either," Snape continued. "I guessed."
"Uh... guessed... and you happened to guess correctly?" Eda did not know what to say for a moment. The beautiful girl was rendered speechless. She had thought there was some flaw in her Disillusionment Charm, or that her footsteps or breathing had given her away. She never expected that he had simply guessed!
Thinking about it again, Eda felt that Snape really could have just guessed.
Only Snape and Karkaroff had been around here just now. Everyone else had been students, and the only person bold enough to eavesdrop on two professors talking was her.
"That's right. I guessed." Snape said, "Only you have the nerve, and only you are so willing to meddle in other people's business. If you have nothing else to ask, then get lost."
Ask! Why wouldn't she ask? Only an idiot wouldn't ask!
Eda immediately asked, "What does 'it' refer to?"
In Snape and Karkaroff's conversation just now, "he" referred to Voldemort, or perhaps Dumbledore, but Eda was not entirely sure what "it" referred to.
Under Eda's curious gaze, Snape hastily rolled up his sleeve, then immediately pulled it back down. Although the Potions professor had tried to hide it, Eda still saw it clearly. His arm bore an ugly tattoo in the shape of the Dark Mark.
"This is..."
Snape said, "The Dark Mark. Every Death Eater bears this mark. He can use it to summon his servants."
At this point, Eda understood somewhat. She said, "When Karkaroff said, 'It is becoming clearer and clearer,' he meant that this mark was becoming clearer. And the clearer it becomes, the stronger Voldemort is becoming, which is why Karkaroff is so terrified!"
"Don't say his name. Do not flaunt your ignorance," Snape reprimanded her. "You don't understand his power or cruelty, so don't imitate Dumbledore. It will only make you look foolish."
You-Know-Who, He Who Must Not Be Named, the Dark Lord, these were all titles used to refer to Voldemort. The name Voldemort itself was taboo throughout the wizarding world.
Even Professor McGonagall did not dare to say Voldemort's name aloud. After all, she was the head of Gryffindor, a house renowned for its courage.
Wizards dared not mention his name, not merely because of the fear brought by Voldemort himself and his followers. It was not that wizards were incapable of facing that fear. Rather, Voldemort had placed a magical enchantment on his own name.
The moment someone said "Voldemort," Voldemort himself would know, and what awaited that person would be a visit from the Death Eaters to settle the score, or the Dark Lord himself.
Aside from Dumbledore and a handful of others, basically everyone who dared to call him "Voldemort" by name was eventually killed.
"His return is already a certainty. It is only a matter of sooner or later." Snape calmed himself down before continuing. "I don't know what he intends to do, but the Triwizard Tournament is definitely a trap, filled with unknown dangers."
The Triwizard Tournament was indeed the best choice for the other side. Students and staff from other schools had entered Hogwarts, making the situation chaotic and difficult to control.
But what exactly were they planning? What was their purpose, or rather, what did they hope to gain by doing all this?
Someone had stolen from Snape's private storeroom. Did this person intend to use African tree snake skin to brew Polyjuice Potion?
When the third task arrived, would they disguise themselves as someone from another school and infiltrate Hogwarts?
Since Voldemort was about to "resurrect," why would they still come and provoke Dumbledore? Shouldn't they keep as low a profile as possible and wait until Voldemort returned before making any further moves?
"Professor, what do you think?" Eda asked tactfully.
Snape was now Hogwarts' Potions professor and had Dumbledore's trust, but what about after Voldemort returned?
Eda desperately wanted to know what choice Snape would make. If possible, she did not want to end up crossing swords with Professor Snape.
Snape lowered his eyes, seemingly studying the dust on the floor. He slowly said, "I am not like Karkaroff. I am not a coward who knows only how to flee from fear. I will not betray my comrades."
His words to Eda were almost the same as what he had said to Karkaroff, carrying practically the same implication. Yet Eda and Karkaroff interpreted them in completely different ways.
Karkaroff believed Snape was hinting at him that he had always remained a Death Eater, that his supposed allegiance to Hogwarts was merely an act, and that he had been waiting all along for the Dark Lord to return and rule the world once more.
As for whether the Dark Lord would believe Snape, Karkaroff thought he would. The Dark Lord of the past had trusted Snape deeply and had given him plenty of "favor."
Unlike Karkaroff, Eda believed Snape was declaring his position. He would not betray his comrades, meaning that he intended to stand with Dumbledore and fight against Voldemort's return.
Why did she think so? Because Dumbledore trusted Snape, and what he had done over the years did not look like the work of a double agent at all.
The incident with Fowley in first year could still be explained by Snape simply looking down on the foolish Benedict Fowley. But what about Quirinus Quirrell in third year? Was that also because Quirrell was foolish? And what about Sirius Black last year?
That day at Twilight Cottage, Snape had been determined to kill Sirius. At the time, rumors had spread everywhere that Sirius was Voldemort's right-hand man. Killing Sirius would have brought absolutely no benefit to a double agent.
Could it be that Voldemort had been beaten up by a one-year-old baby, so Snape was simply taking revenge for his former master?
Anyway, Eda felt that if someone was a traitor to the extent Snape was, they might as well switch sides outright. She genuinely could not explain many of the things he had done. If Voldemort continued to trust Snape, Eda would really have to wonder if there was something wrong with the Dark Lord's brain.
In situations like this, it was better to kill the wrong person than let the wrongdoer go, wasn't it? If it were Eda, she would eliminate one traitor after another without mercy, never leaving behind any potential hidden threat.
Watching the expressions constantly change across Eda's delicate face, Snape calmly said, "I know what you are thinking. Those are not things you should be concerned with. Take care of yourself. The third task will definitely not be as simple as you imagine."
"What about Professor Dumbledore?" Eda asked. "What is his plan? He isn't the kind of person who will simply sit around and wait for things to happen."
A clear look of displeasure appeared on Snape's face.
"If you want to know, go ask him yourself. Don't try to pry information out of me. Besides, I don't know what he is thinking either. He never tells anyone his entire plan."
Many times, Dumbledore might ask you to do something without you having any idea what purpose it served. Yet when something else came to an end, you would discover that Dumbledore's arrangements had another meaning all along.
He was unfathomable. Aside from Grindelwald, there might not be anyone in this world who understood the way Dumbledore's mind worked.
"One last thing. You must remember this." Snape continued, his expression serious. "You have already attracted far too much attention. You will inevitably be targeted during the third task. Sometimes, giving up at the right moment is not a sign of incompetence.
"You have already done enough."
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