The consequences of the Weasley brothers' night escapade were beginning to show.
Filch seemed convinced that the students out that night were from Gryffindor. Every time a Gryffindor passed him, he glared with wide eyes, staring intently as if he could catch the culprits through sheer suspicion.
His peculiar behavior left the Gryffindor students bewildered.
Compared to the clueless Filch, Snape had clearly identified the true culprits.
During Friday's Potions class, Albert could swear he heard Snape mutter the words "night escapade" and "detention" in reference to the Weasley twins.
It was obvious Snape had confirmed that the pranksters who had humiliated both him and Filch were standing right before him.
For this, Snape casually found an excuse, deducted five points from Fred and George, and gave them a zero for the day's potion.
They couldn't withstand Snape's piercing gaze from behind, and their boil-curing potion was a disaster—so flawed it might have poisoned someone to near death.
Before class ended, Snape added insult to injury. In addition to the regular homework, he ordered Fred and George to write an extra five-inch report on the boil-curing potion, citing their "atrocious work."
The other students cast sympathetic glances at the twins; after all, they weren't the only ones whose potions were terrible.
"How did Snape know?" George whispered, puzzled. They were certain Snape had somehow confirmed they were the ones out at night.
With no evidence and unable to catch them red-handed, Snape had resorted to this deliberately annoying punishment.
"Perhaps he can read minds," Albert said offhandedly. "There must be magic that can see through thoughts, and Snape might use it. Don't you think he always seems to know when someone is lying?"
Albert, of course, knew the truth of Snape's methods, but he wouldn't tell Fred and George directly.
"Can such a thing really be done?" Lee Jordan asked doubtfully.
"I don't know, but it's possible," Albert replied. "In the meantime, you two should lie low. I heard Filch now patrols the castle every night, eager to catch students and hang them from the ceiling like salted fish."
"You'll be the salted fish," Fred muttered irritably, though he acknowledged Albert's advice. For now, they decided not to risk going out. Provoking Filch again would be courting disaster.
Still, both firmly believed that next time, they wouldn't end up in such a sorry state.
"By the way, when did you two discover this secret passage?" Lee Jordan asked in surprise, following them through one.
"Of course, we found it that night," Fred said proudly, attributing the discovery to their escapade.
Albert knew the real reason but kept silent, simply memorizing the location for himself.
On the way back to the common room, Fred suddenly remembered something. "Albert, lend us your essay on the boil-curing potion from last time."
"I remember Snape gave you an E—Exceeds Expectations," Lee Jordan said. He hadn't forgotten the essay Snape had collected, graded, and returned to Albert with only that mark. Nothing else was written on the parchment.
When Snape returned it, he had warned Albert not to attempt the potion in class, threatening detention if he did.
Albert had ignored the threats, assuring Snape he wouldn't.
"I heard Snape never gives O—Outstanding—to Gryffindor assignments," Fred remarked.
"It's normal. Snape's a Potions Master. To him, our work must look dreadful," Albert said unconcernedly. Before handing the parchment to George, he reminded him, "Don't copy it directly, or I'll get dragged down with you."
Fred took the parchment with a grin. "We'll be careful."
"By the way, what are the grades?" Lee Jordan asked suddenly.
"If you pass, it's O, E, or A—Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, or Acceptable," Albert explained. "If you fail, it's P, D, or T…"
"If you get a T, you'd better worry about expulsion," Fred interrupted mysteriously.
"Why?" Lee Jordan asked, confused.
"T is for Troll."
"No, T stands for Troll, meaning your brain is about as good as one's," George said solemnly. "And Hogwarts doesn't admit Troll students."
Albert rolled his eyes. "Anyway, remember to call me when you sneak out this weekend."
"You're planning to go out at night too?" Lee Jordan asked incredulously.
"Yes. I want to wander a bit. You know the Restricted Section is forbidden to students," Albert said mysteriously. "If you want to borrow books from there, you need special methods."
"What book do you want?" Fred asked curiously.
"The Book of Spells" by Miranda Goshawk.
"Why does that sound familiar?" Fred murmured.
"Idiot! Our Charms textbook is The Standard Book of Spells, Elementary by Miranda Goshawk!" Lee Jordan snapped.
"Fred really is an idiot," George said knowingly.
"Then you must be too—we're twins."
"Both of you are idiots," Lee Jordan muttered. "Isn't this series our textbook? Why would it be in the Restricted Section?"
"The Standard Book of Spells series we use is actually censored," Albert explained. "There are seven books, one for each year. The original was The Book of Spells. The editions we use had certain spells removed. I once wrote to Flourish and Blotts, but the owner told me the original hasn't been sold for decades. Only the revised editions remain."