An awkward atmosphere hung over the gathering of Slytherin wizards.
Most of them were staring at one another, while Oliver Wood and the others on the opposite side looked at them with confusion.
"Severus, it's just a trivial matter. Perhaps it's better to say it out loud. At the very least, Harry shouldn't always be suspicious of you."
Dumbledore looked at Snape gently. His earlier refusal to answer had been an attempt to calm Snape's emotions.
"Hmm." Snape only gave a cold hum.
His thoughts were tangled and chaotic, his mind almost a muddled mess.
"It seems everyone is still shocked by the answer to the second question."
Aiden waited until most of them had processed the previous answer and settled down before speaking again.
The moment he opened his mouth, Snape's confused thoughts snapped sharply back into focus.
Snape stared at the glowing humanoid figure.
He could not forget that this thing—whatever it was—had exposed one of his deepest secrets.
If he could, he would have sent it straight to hell with an Avada Kedavra.
However, he had already tried that.
The Killing Curse had been erased by the creature before him through some unknown method.
This horrified both Snape and Dumbledore.
It was common knowledge: Avada Kedavra was an instant-death curse.
Anyone struck by it died immediately. In the entire wizarding world, no one had ever survived it except Harry Potter as a baby.
Yet… this creature hadn't been hit by the spell. The spell had simply vanished.
"Please bring your attention back. We are about to begin the third question."
Aiden dropped the card in his hand.
Then, as if by magic, a new card appeared between his fingers.
If Muggles had seen it, they might have applauded the performance.
But everyone present was a wizard, so they weren't surprised by this little trick.
Dumbledore watched the small card that had reappeared in Aiden's hand.
He had a premonition that the next question would be quite interesting.
And he was correct.
"Please listen carefully, contestants."
[Question - When Harry first entered Hogwarts last year, Professor Snape asked him three questions. What was the meaning behind those three questions?]
[A. As everyone knows, Professor Snape hates Gryffindor students, and he particularly dislikes Harry, a Gryffindor student with a great reputation in the wizarding world. So he deliberately asked three questions to make things difficult for him.]
[B. The three Potion questions Snape asked Harry were not random. Each question carried a deeper meaning, and together they expressed: I regret Lily's death.]
[C. Do you even need to ask? It must be a conspiracy between the great British wizard Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. These three small questions contain an extraordinary plot.]
[D. As a very sullen wizard with a dark temperament, Snape simply wanted to make things difficult for Harry for his own malicious amusement.]
The question and its answer choices were long.
But that wasn't what drew everyone's attention. What they focused on was the repeated mention of Professor Snape and Harry.
"It's Professor Snape and Harry again?"
"I thought this question would finally be something else. I didn't expect the professor to be this popular with the Question and Answer Space."
"But I don't think Professor Snape likes this kind of popularity, Blaise."
That was absolutely true. When Snape saw the question, his composure shattered completely.
He clenched the front of his robe tightly. His usually impassive face became as cold as ice.
Aiden felt awkward.
If Professor Snape ever discovered his true identity, he might need to worry about whether his pumpkin juice at Hogwarts would contain any 'special' Potions in the future.
"Professor, I'm not targeting you. This is all the doing of the Question & Answer Space," Aiden muttered to himself.
Pretending not to notice Snape's increasingly stiff expression, he shifted his gaze toward Harry.
Another question about him made Harry's heart pound nervously.
He looked toward Dumbledore, who gave him a kind and reassuring smile.
The tension in Harry's chest eased instantly.
Then he looked toward Snape with a complicated expression.
When he'd first arrived at Hogwarts last year, Snape's aggressive attitude and those three questions had been more than enough to make him hate Potions.
But he had never imagined that those three questions carried deeper meaning—meaning related to him.
No wonder Snape ignored Hermione when she raised her hand.
Though part of it was because she was Gryffindor's most enthusiastic student, it was also likely that Snape had wanted Harry, specifically, to understand something through those three questions.
Without his prejudice, Harry was actually very sharp.
But removing prejudice… that was the difficult part.
Something his younger self wouldn't have been able to do.
And honestly, when Hermione was around, why bother thinking too deeply? Just charge straight ahead.
But the situation was different now.
"Harry!"
He heard someone call him softly. Turning, he saw Hermione's worried expression.
He froze for a moment, then smiled.
"It's alright," he said gently, knowing she could hear him.
No matter what, he wasn't alone. He still had his friends beside him.
He looked to Ron as well and saw Ron staring back at him with visible worry.
Warmth filled Harry's chest.
He wasn't alone.
Dumbledore, who had been watching Harry the entire time, let out a relieved sigh.
He was happy for the tight bond between the three of them.
But then, as if reminded of someone, his expression turned distant—tinged with sadness.