"Are you provoking me! Get away!"
Lupin's first lesson was a great success; it was only a matter of time before he was beloved by his students.
Snape's mood, however, worsened—after seeing the photo of Damon in women's clothing, his expression darkened to a grim hue, resembling a venomous snake ready to devour its prey.
"Why are you so angry? Maybe you'd be a beautiful woman if you dressed up properly."
"You think that's funny?"
Snape was furious. Just seeing the photograph in Damon's hand, he already knew pretty much what had happened—Neville's stupid face in the corner of the photo made Snape want to tear it to shreds!
That idiot!
"Oh, if it's not funny, it's not funny. Why are you getting so angry?"
Damon muttered as he put the photo away, his deliberately theatrical gesture only fueling Snape's rage!
"What exactly are you doing here?"
He glanced coldly at Damon, somewhat exasperated with this persistent student. "Wait, dispel this spell! How long are you going to keep this photo?!"
Damon took a step back, blocking Snape's outstretched hand. The latter's attempt to disrupt the magical image was thwarted.
"I'm here to remind you not to let tragedy spread."
"What are you talking about?" Snape's brow furrowed slightly; he was growing impatient.
"I'm saying, whatever tragedies your previous generation may have had, don't pass them on to the next generation."
"Are you saying I'm taking my anger out on Longbottom?" Snape's face suddenly turned cold. "Who do you think you are lecturing? What do you know about me to give you the right to speak so casually?
Damon White! You're even more arrogant than I imagined!"
He ignored the photo, his arm pointing like a spear towards the office door.
"Get out!"
He was so furious, his hair standing on end, that the entire office seemed to be stained with a red rage.
Damon's face remained expressionless, even more rigid than before.
Facing the enraged Snape, he simply spoke slowly:
"I don't know you, Professor, but I do know Neville, and I happen to know some things."
"I have no interest in you or that idiot, now—get out of my office—"
"—that prophecy," Damon's voice rose sharply after Snape's, unyielding, "that person capable of defeating the Dark Lord was born into a family that resisted him three times, born at the end of July!"
Hearing this chilling past, Snape's heart pounded violently!
"How do you know this—Dumbledore? Damn it! You two are really close! So what! So what if you know this? Do you want to link this damned thing, what happened to Potter, to Longbottom?!"
Snape visibly panicked, forced to raise his voice even higher to mask his turmoil.
This had nothing to do with Longbottom. He just... didn't want Damon to know about his shameful past.
He didn't understand why, but he just didn't want it to be.
Their voices were so agitated that even students passing by outside the office couldn't help but be curious—though they couldn't hear what they were saying, they knew the Duel Prince was arguing with their Headmaster.
"It's not just about Harry," Damon's voice calmed.
"What did you say?"
"Neville was also born at the end of July, both his parents were in the Order of the Phoenix, and his parents also escaped Voldemort three times."
Snape's expression showed a moment of surprise, but it turned cold the next second.
"So what?"
"Not only did Harry's parents die that night, but Neville's parents were also driven insane by Bellatrix the Death Eater shortly afterward—this prophecy was not only a tragedy for one family, but it also forever changed Neville's life."
The fleeting panic on Snape's face had completely vanished, and he even had a mocking smile on his lips:
"I didn't realize you were such a weak person? What, do you want me to take responsibility for that prophecy? For Longbottom's parents? To treat that fool like a treasure?"
"No, I just wanted to remind you that you left in too much of a hurry and missed the second half of the prophecy.
The one capable of defeating the Dark Lord will be born at the end of July."
Snape didn't speak, but just stared at Damon, urging him to finish speaking.
"Aren't you both afraid and respectful of Voldemort? It's time to say goodbye to those unbearable past events. Dumbledore and I will defeat Voldemort, and Neville and Harry will be involved.
You wouldn't want our victory to be weakened and rendered useless by some narrow-minded professor, would you?"
"Are you trying to tell me that Longbottom, that idiot, can play a role in defeating the Dark Lord?
That's not a funny joke, just like that picture of yours—"
Snape abruptly grabbed the magical image in Damon's hand, scattering it.
Then, he straightened his robes and looked at Damon solemnly.
"Have you finished what you wanted to say? Please leave."
Damon didn't continue to provoke Snape and left.
Snape was a pure Slytherin; even if he truly felt no guilt towards Neville, he would still treat him cautiously because of that prophecy.
His bullying should stop now.
As Damon reached the door, he suddenly stopped, muttering to himself,
"Professor, I respect you, so please don't do anything to disappoint me—a teacher abusing his power to bully students who haven't yet matured is, in my opinion, comparable to the atrocities committed by Death Eaters."
*Click.*
Damon stepped out of the office and saw several Slytherin students standing not far away, their expressions somewhat unnatural, seemingly having just left after hearing the commotion.
Inside the office, Snape's expression shifted constantly, his mood uncertain.
Once he was sure Damon was completely gone, he suddenly felt tired and slumped into a chair.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when the entire office seemed to fall silent, a muttered voice suddenly broke the silence.
"...But I am a Death Eater."
Outside the classroom, the Slytherin students were also discussing.
"While I somewhat disdain those twins' ugly inventions, we really should buy a bunch of retractable ears. If we had those, we should be able to figure out what they're arguing about."
"Watch out, keep your mouths shut—this can't be allowed to reach the other houses."
Their house already has a terrible reputation.
If the Duel Prince and their dean fall out, their status could very well plummet to the point of being universally disliked.
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(End of Chapter)