Hermione's guess was spot on; when she and Ron arrived at the Hospital Wing, it was already crowded with students there to visit Harry.
There were his friends, team members, and those simply there for the excitement.
Of course, there were also those there to kick him while he was down... such as a certain Slytherin first-year student who preferred to remain anonymous.
They blocked the doorway, each coming up with various reasons to persuade Madam Pomfrey to let them in.
"Just let me in, Madam Pomfrey, I beg you... The Quidditch match is tomorrow, I must see Harry, it's important."
Oliver Wood was at the forefront.
If anyone desperately wanted to see Harry, he would definitely rank in the top three.
Even though they were over five hundred points behind Hufflepuff, there was still hope before the last match ended.
What if a miracle happened...
But if they were without Harry, their most important Seeker, they would have no hope at all and might even end up at the bottom, setting Gryffindor's lowest score in ten years.
If that were to happen, Professor McGonagall would certainly hang him on the Astronomy Tower... Wood shuddered at the thought.
So no matter how Madam Pomfrey refused, he clung to the doorframe, refusing to let go.
Not far away, Dumbledore, just leaving the Hospital Wing, saw this scene and smiled appreciatively:
"It seems Harry is quite popular, having so many people care for him."
Another person was beside him.
Snape, surprisingly, didn't make a snide remark; he just gave Dumbledore a complex look.
"Is this your plan, to have Potter face You-Know-Who alone? He could die..."
"Trust me, Severus..."
Dumbledore said solemnly, "Harry is bound to face Voldemort sooner or later, it is unavoidable. He must learn to overcome his fears."
"Hah, making a child the Savior..." Snape scoffed disdainfully, uncertain if it was directed at Harry or Dumbledore.
"He is as mediocre, arrogant, and rule-breaking as his father, loves to show off, grab others' attention, reckless and rude... To be honest, I don't see any possibility of him defeating the Dark Lord."
"What you see is what you expect to see, Severus."
Dumbledore, without looking back, walked into the castle, "Other professors say the boy is humble, amiable, and quite gifted. I personally found him to be a likable child."
"Quite gifted?"
Snape's expression was odd, as if he'd heard the Ministry of Magic was giving out Felix Felici for free... Ridiculous.
If Dumbledore's comment was about Kael, Snape wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
Though he didn't like Kael, Snape had to admit that little brat was indeed smart.
After all, not even Snape could brew a perfect Draught of Living Death in second year.
As for that Harry Potter... he could even make mistakes with the simplest Boil Potion.
Is this what's considered gifted?
But thinking of Kael, Snape suddenly asked in a deep voice, "So, you truly don't know what happened in the underground classroom at that time?"
"Of course, Severus, I have no reason to lie to you."
Dumbledore shook his head, "Hogwarts Castle is large; even I can't see every place."
"And that mirror..."
"He hasn't looked into The Mirror of Erised, not even once." Dumbledore's gaze became somewhat profound, "In this regard, he's more clear-headed than any of us."
Snape fell into silence once more, speaking only after a long pause, "Aren't you worried Quirrell might take the Philosopher's Stone? I thought you'd be keeping an eye on him."
"Since I brought back the Philosopher's Stone, I've worried about such things happening, never relaxing for a moment."
Dumbledore raised his head, "But there's always an exception, Severus."
As they spoke, the two arrived at the forbidden area.
Fluffy had already been sent away, and the entrance room seemed empty. The two passed through the trapdoor to the room below.
Dumbledore and Snape didn't use broomsticks, nor was it necessary.
Such a height was as easy to them as walking down stairs.
After landing, Snape's expression changed as he bent down to pick up a leaf from the ground.
"Chomping Cabbage... If I remember correctly, Pomona was supposed to have placed a Devil's Snare here."
"Perhaps someone thought the Devil's Snare too simple and helped increase the difficulty." Dumbledore chuckled.
"I doubt that someone was Quirrell."
Snape mused, stroking the leaf in his hand:
"Planting such dangerous plants recklessly and leaving them lying in the school... If Quirrell hadn't come down earlier, Potter and the others might not need to go to the Hospital Wing...
Such disregard for life, aren't you worried he'll become the next Dark Lord?"
Snape didn't say who "he" was, but Dumbledore could guess.
"You're wrong; in fact, Harry and his friends flew down on broomsticks, and even without Quirrell, they wouldn't be affected,"
Dumbledore shook his head calmly, "Moreover, Kael won't, nor can he, become the next Dark Lord.
He has a warm family, friends he shares everything with. He's passionate about learning magic, but never obsessed with gaining power.
Oh, right, he also has a career he loves, all of which are completely different from Voldemort."
"Career? You mean those deceptive protective talismans and poorly made maps..." Snape suddenly felt a bit of a toothache.
If those were Kael's career, then their Slytherin had played quite a role in it.
Dumbledore blinked:
"At the very least, the students love them, don't they?"
"Alright, even if what you say is true, what about Occlumency?" Snape contemplated, "What second-year would need Occlumency if they didn't have unspeakable secrets?"
"You should know, Severus, we cannot use Legilimency on students." Dumbledore's tone turned somewhat stern.
"It was just a test." Snape snorted coldly:
"That kind of fearless confidence... he was just too blatant."
"But you must understand, Severus, having secrets is not an unforgivable sin; it's your prejudice against Kael that's too deep."
Snape frowned, noncommittal.
"Oh, by the way." Dumbledore seemed to suddenly remember something, sighed and said:
"Because of the Fiendfyre incident, I can't hide from Kael and Harry's families what happened in the underground classroom. They should be coming by soon."
"Remember last year, Diana came once because of Oren, and I must say, even after all these years, that child hasn't changed a bit, still so... spirited."
Snape's face turned visibly sour, as he coldly asked, "When!"
"They should be here soon, I suppose." Dumbledore thought for a moment, "But the one who comes might be Chris."
"Wonderful."
Snape turned around and left the room directly.
"Are you going to welcome her?"
"No... whether she comes or not has nothing to do with me."
Snape replied without turning back, "I just suddenly remembered, the batch of potion materials I ordered from Hogsmeade has been forgotten."