Chapter 286: Friendly Fire
Dudley's mouth twitched slightly. Clearly, Professor Dumbledore had discovered Snape in the broom closet.
Leaving the headmaster's office, Dudley headed downstairs toward the broom closet. The hallway was very quiet. When Dudley reached it, faint snoring sounds still echoed from inside.
"Alohomora."
Dudley recited the spell, dispelling the charm he'd placed on the door, and pushed it open.
In the narrow broom closet, Snape and Lockhart slept soundly, huddled together.
What a shame, Dudley thought with amusement. If only I had a camera to record this moment. I could sell it to the Daily Prophet. Front-page news: 'Shocking! Famous Author Gilderoy Lockhart and Hogwarts Potions Professor Severus Snape's Romance Exposed!' Just hearing the headline, it's quite the story.
"Finite Incantatem!"
Dudley waved his hand, dispelling the Stunning Spells on both of them. He then quickly closed the door and retreated into the adjacent hallway.
One minute later, Professor Lockhart groggily woke up.
"Ugh... where am I...?"
Half-asleep, Lockhart rolled over, intending to continue sleeping, only to discover someone was lying next to him.
Black, greasy hair pressed against his face. A strong smell of oil emanated from the figure. Drool flowed from the mouth beside him.
"Oh! Merlin's beard!"
Lockhart let out a terrified shriek.
The scream startled the four-times-Stunned Snape awake. For a moment, the two men locked eyes. In the narrow space, they breathed the same air, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.
"Who dares!"
Snape bellowed in rage.
"Confringo!"
Bang!
With a tremendous explosion, the broom closet door blasted open. Snape stormed out, his face flushed nearly purple with anger, with Lockhart stumbling behind him, his clothes disheveled.
Facing the empty hallway, both men fell into an extremely awkward silence.
Snape understood he must have been struck by a Stunning Spell—though the spell's duration was unusually long, even for him.
Lockhart remained utterly confused, unable to recall what had happened beforehand.
"Oh! What happened?"
Professor Flitwick appeared in the hallway, looking shocked at Snape, Lockhart, and the scattered wood fragments. He'd been drawn by the explosion. Since Hogwarts had implemented a curfew, patrols were arranged each evening, and Flitwick was among them.
"What... happened just now?" Lockhart asked dazedly. "Why are we sleeping in a broom closet? The two of us?"
His memory was completely blank.
"The broom closet? The two of you? Oh!"
Flitwick observed the disheveled pair and the blasted closet, his face shifting from shock to confusion, and finally to dawning comprehension.
"We were attacked!"
"Students attacked us!" Snape snarled, his expression dark.
"An attack? But I didn't see anyone," Flitwick said, glancing around.
"What time is it now?" Snape demanded.
"It's already three in the morning," Flitwick replied.
"We were attacked around ten o'clock at night. Nearly five hours have passed," Snape said, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. He sought evidence of his attack but found nothing. The ground was perfectly clean—not even a trace of being dragged. And in Snape's memory, there was no recollection of any suspicious person.
Dudley watched from his hiding spot around the corner with hidden glee.
Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly retrieved the Marauder's Map to check the movements of nearby people. He quickly spotted a familiar figure approaching from a distance—Professor McGonagall. Today wasn't her patrol shift, but the explosion had clearly awakened her. She'd gotten out of bed and was coming to investigate.
Seeing this, Dudley hurried toward McGonagall's position.
Two minutes later.
"Professor McGonagall."
Dudley intercepted her.
"Oh! Dudley, why aren't you asleep at this late hour?" Professor McGonagall was startled.
"Professor Dumbledore returned and wanted to discuss a few matters with me," Dudley said directly.
"What? Professor Dumbledore has returned?" McGonagall looked surprised. Clearly, Dumbledore's return had been abrupt, with no advance notice to anyone.
"Yes, I just left his office," Dudley confirmed. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Professor Snape? Professor Dumbledore would like to see him in his office."
Dudley spoke earnestly, deliberately not asking McGonagall to convey the message—just mentioning that Dumbledore wanted to see Snape.
"I haven't seen Professor Snape, though he should be on patrol tonight. I should see him soon," McGonagall said.
"Then please tell him that Professor Dumbledore is waiting for him," Dudley said. He intentionally did not ask McGonagall to relay the message herself; he simply stated it as fact.
"Very well," McGonagall nodded. "Then I'll head back. Good night, Professor McGonagall."
Dudley wished her good night and headed toward Gryffindor Tower.
McGonagall didn't give it much thought and immediately rushed toward the direction from which the explosion had sounded.
At this moment, Snape continued to recall what had happened in the hallway, slowly piecing together clues, and had even begun suspecting who had attacked him. After all, only one person in the entire school possessed an invisibility cloak.
"Professor McGonagall!"
Seeing McGonagall arrive, Snape approached her with an ugly expression.
"I suspect Potter attacked me!"
Snape stated his accusation directly.
"Oh! Professor Snape, what are you saying? How could Harry possibly attack you?" Professor McGonagall didn't believe Snape's claim.
"Uh... is it possible, perhaps, that the basilisk attacked me? I recall fighting something fierce, and it might very well have been the basilisk," Professor Lockhart suggested from the side.
Everyone glanced at Lockhart as if looking at a fool and ignored him completely.
"Perhaps it was an ordinary brawl. Either way, Dumbledore has returned and wants to see you," McGonagall said.
"Professor Dumbledore has returned?" Snape frowned.
"That's right. He's waiting in his office for you now," McGonagall replied. "Rather than making accusations against my students, why don't you go clear your head first?"
McGonagall said, clearly dissatisfied with Snape's immediate accusation against Harry.
Snape's face darkened, but he knew what took priority. After a brief hesitation, he turned and headed directly for the headmaster's office.