"What are your plans?" Snape asked, his hollow eyes seeming to glimmer faintly in the dim office light. His voice was cold and flat, but there was clear tension beneath it.
"First of all, Professor Snape, you need to watch Quirrell much more closely than usual. You also need to pressure him constantly. Only when he starts feeling trapped inside Hogwarts will he think about relying on me." Lucas said calmly, as though discussing something entirely ordinary.
Snape glanced toward Dumbledore before giving a stiff nod. Even so, the deep crease between his brows never relaxed.
"But you'll need to be careful not to let Voldemort see through you. After all, he's currently attached to the back of Quirrell's head." Lucas's lips curved slightly as he spoke.
The moment Snape heard that description, his expression darkened so badly it looked as though he had swallowed something rotten. He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to deduct twenty points from Gryffindor just to improve his mood.
"Do you really need to say that aloud?" he snapped viciously.
Lucas merely smiled before turning back to Dumbledore. "Professor, if I want to officially infiltrate them, I need to earn Voldemort's initial trust first. The protections around the Philosopher's Stone are the perfect opportunity for that. Here's what we should do…"
By the time Lucas finally stepped out of the Headmaster's office, it was already late into the evening. The castle corridors had grown quiet, lit only by flickering torches that stretched long shadows across the stone walls.
When he returned to the Gryffindor common room, he immediately saw Harry sitting by the fireplace with an aggravated expression. The moment Harry spotted him, he practically exploded with complaints.
"Snape literally made up a school rule on the spot!" Harry said furiously. "Since when are library books not allowed outside the library?"
He looked genuinely wronged, and the others nearby seemed equally annoyed on his behalf. Apparently, Harry had borrowed a Quidditch book because he was nervous about the upcoming match, only for Snape to confiscate it and dock Gryffindor ten points.
Lucas immediately remembered how he had deliberately irritated Snape earlier in the Headmaster's office. After thinking about it for half a second, he realized Harry had probably become Snape's unfortunate emotional outlet.
Even worse, Harry clearly couldn't let the matter go. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and eventually he declared that he was going to Snape's office to get the book back.
"Maybe you should wait until tomorrow…" Lucas suggested carefully.
Right now Snape was in an especially foul mood. There was almost no chance he would willingly return anything tonight.
Unfortunately, Harry was unusually stubborn this evening. No amount of persuasion worked. Before long, Lucas watched him storm off toward the dungeons in a burst of reckless courage.
Not long after that, Harry came sprinting back into the common room looking pale as a sheet. Although he hadn't retrieved the book, he looked wildly excited about something else entirely.
"I saw it with my own eyes," Harry whispered dramatically. "Snape's leg was bitten!"
He leaned closer to the group. "How can one person keep track of three heads at once?"
Ron's eyes widened immediately while Hermione frowned in confusion. Harry lowered his voice even further.
"I'd bet my broomstick he tried to steal whatever that thing is guarding, and the giant dog bit him!"
Lucas silently imagined another thick black cauldron slamming down over Snape's head.
Still, from Harry's perspective, the conclusion made perfect sense. Snape constantly behaved suspiciously, targeted students unfairly, and radiated villainous energy wherever he went. Whether he was truly guilty or not hardly mattered anymore. If anything bad happened at Hogwarts, everyone's first instinct was naturally to suspect him.
That was simply human nature.
Since Harry had technically suffered because of him, Lucas felt slightly guilty. He looked toward Harry and said, "I'll help you get the book back."
"No!" Harry objected immediately. "You don't understand, Lucas. I only escaped because I ran fast enough. Snape was definitely about to deduct more points!"
Hermione nodded rapidly. "Exactly. Don't provoke him again. He's practically obsessed with taking points from Gryffindor lately."
Lucas flicked his fingers casually, and a gleaming gold Galleon appeared between them. The coin spun once before landing neatly on the table.
"How about a bet?" he asked.
Harry blinked. "A bet?"
"If I get the book back, you owe me one Galleon. If I fail, this one is yours."
Hermione looked even more distressed. "That's not the point! He'll deduct points from you too!"
"It's fine," Lucas said confidently. "He can deduct as many as he likes. I'll just earn them back."
And honestly, that was completely true.
Gryffindor's current score was practically being held together by Lucas alone. Between Harry's constant disasters and Fred and George treating school rules like optional suggestions, the house should have been buried at the bottom of the rankings already.
Most of Gryffindor's points existed because Lucas continuously earned them back faster than the others could lose them.
Without hesitation, Cassandra calmly placed two Galleons onto the table. "I'm betting on Lucas."
Ron stared at the coins with wide eyes. He probably hadn't held that much money in months.
Lucas grinned before turning and leaving the common room in a spectacularly confident manner.
The castle corridors grew colder as he descended toward the dungeons. The underground hallways were dim and damp, with the smell of old stone lingering heavily in the air. Eventually, he arrived outside Snape's office and knocked firmly on the door.
Bang!
The door flew open almost violently.
Snape stood there with a terrifyingly dark expression. His face looked as though rainwater might drip from it at any moment. The professor glared at Lucas with the intensity of someone trying very hard not to commit murder.
"What do you want now?" Snape demanded.
Lucas immediately caught the strong scent of blood in the room. It seemed the injury from Fluffy's bite was far worse than Snape had allowed anyone to believe. After all, the three-headed dog's venomous bite couldn't simply be fixed with an ordinary Healing Charm.
"Are you badly hurt?" Lucas asked casually.
"You do not need to concern yourself with that," Snape said through clenched teeth. "Do not forget what I do for a living."
"I think you misunderstood." Lucas's expression remained perfectly calm. "I'm not worried about you. I'm worried your injuries might interfere with my plans."
For a moment, Snape looked as though someone had forced a dead rat into his mouth.
"What exactly is wrong with you?" he hissed. "Do not assume I won't deduct points from you."
"Of course you will," Lucas said cheerfully. "But are you really going to discuss confidential matters in the doorway?"
Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What confidential matters? Why didn't you mention them in the Headmaster's office? Or is there something you wish to hide from Dumbledore?"
Even so, after a brief pause, he stepped aside and allowed Lucas into the office.
The dungeon office smelled strongly of potions ingredients, herbs, and fresh blood. Lucas frowned slightly before dragging over a stiff wooden chair and sitting down.
"It's about Harry," he said.
"If this is about Potter's ridiculous Quidditch book, you may leave immediately," Snape snapped.
He was clearly still furious. Earlier, he had apparently been changing his bandages with Filch's help when Harry had barged into the room unexpectedly. The fact Harry escaped before Snape could punish him properly was obviously still infuriating him.
"Of course not." Lucas leaned back slightly. "Tomorrow is Gryffindor versus Slytherin."
"I am aware," Snape said coldly. "And unfortunately Potter will also be participating."
His expression turned even darker.
"Exactly like his arrogant father," Snape muttered. "Joining the Quidditch team during his first year."
"So what are you trying to say?" he demanded.
"Quirrell will attend the match tomorrow," Lucas said calmly. "And both of us know Dumbledore won't be watching the game."
Snape's eyes sharpened instantly.
Lucas ignored the dangerous look entirely.
"Harry will be flying high above the pitch tomorrow. If Quirrell wants him dead, that will be the perfect opportunity." Lucas met Snape's gaze directly. "I don't think Quirrell will ignore a chance like that."
"I understand." Snape's voice became much colder. "I'll attend the match as well. I'll keep an eye on Quirrell."
"Harry's safety will depend entirely on you," Lucas said while standing. "At least for now, I can't openly protect him in front of Quirrell."
He turned toward the door, then suddenly paused as though remembering something unimportant.
"Oh, right," he said casually. "Since you mentioned that ridiculous book earlier… could you give it to me? I'll return it to the library for Harry."
....
Join my P@treon get free advanced chapters.
Paid members can get upto 60+ chapters ahead of the public release.
Link : [email protected]/KittyLovesMilk