Douglas listened to the twins' complaints, his tone turning cool. "Have you two forgotten that Professor Snape was once my professor as well? And do you think you can just call him 'Snape' to his face? Next time, remember to address him as Professor Snape—that's the bare minimum of respect due to a professor."
George and Fred exchanged glances. But one look at Douglas's stern expression had them scurrying to their seats, quietly resuming their lines.
After a brief rest, Douglas resumed coaching Hermione in spellwork.
An hour later, Douglas addressed the group. "That's all for detention tonight. From now on, detentions will end at nine o'clock sharp. You three—stay behind. I have something to discuss."
The rest of the students, delighted, handed in their lines and hurried off.
George and Fred shared a look, whispering, "Are we being ditched?"
"Looks like it. He never used to kick us out, no matter how late it got!"
Douglas shot them a glance. "What are you two muttering about? Do you really think my standards are too easy? If you'd like, you can recopy the entire Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook—using Professor Snape's requirements."
The twins immediately shook their heads and backed toward the door.
"Good night, Professor!"
"Sweet dreams, Professor!"
As the twins bolted, Ron couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Douglas fixed him with a thin, icy smile. "Since you're so amused, Mr. Weasley, care to tell me why I've kept you three back?"
Ron's eyes went wide. He clamped a hand over his mouth and shook his head vigorously.
Douglas glanced at Harry and Hermione. Both quickly lowered their heads, silent.
"Harry, tell me—what's your role here?"
Harry looked up, puzzled. After a moment's thought, he mumbled, "I'm Harry Potter, a Gryffindor student, and… um, that's it, Professor."
Douglas turned to the other two. "And you? How do you see yourselves?"
Hermione, just as confused, hesitated before answering, "Hermione Granger, second-year Gryffindor, class representative for Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration?"
Seeing Douglas's eyes on him, Ron quickly added, "Same as Hermione—no, same as Harry, Professor."
A cold smile flickered across Douglas's face. "Oh, if you hadn't told me, I'd have thought you were Aurors. So you do remember you're students? Have you all forgotten the essay I assigned in our very first class? Do you think Professor Snape was just making things hard for you at lunch today? Look at what you've done! If I truly were a dark wizard, the moment you used your little tricks to sneak into my office, you'd already have met a nasty end. And believe me, I'd have plenty of ways to erase every trace of you, so everyone would think you'd just vanished into one of Hogwarts' secret chambers…"
All three shrank under his icy stare.
Hermione bit her lip, finally summoning the courage to speak. "Professor, it wasn't their fault. I asked them to come with me. In fact, they wanted to find other professors…"
Harry quickly added, "It was Ron and I who insisted on coming to you. And it was Snape who blocked us, saying you were sleeping in—uh, I mean, Professor Snape said that."
Catching Douglas's look, Harry hastily corrected himself, remembering the earlier lecture to George and Fred.
Ron, realizing Harry had included him, could only nod and mutter, "We did save your office door, though!"
Douglas muttered to himself—Snape really was ruthless.
He fixed the trio with a sardonic smile. "What, you think this was all very heroic? Then explain to me—what exactly were you trying to do tonight? And don't give me that nonsense about collecting blessings, or I'll send you straight to Professor Snape. Cat got your tongues? Did you think I didn't know about the Quirrell incident a few months back?"
The three gaped in shock. Ron whispered to Harry, "Didn't you say you'd never told anyone about that?"
Hermione kicked Ron and hissed, "But he told you!"
Ron grumbled, "I'm not just anyone…"
Douglas slammed his hand on the table. "What are you muttering about? Never mind that you suspected I'd been possessed by Voldemort. Let's just talk about your actions. Do you think Voldemort's an idiot? Or that he's so old he's gone forgetful? Why would he fall for the same trick twice?"
The trio exchanged sheepish looks—clearly, the thought had never crossed their minds.
Douglas's tone softened, but his words carried weight. "You're students. And a student's job is to learn. Learn spells, learn potions, learn everything that will shape your future. Even Voldemort was an outstanding student in his youth—he was Head Boy. Look at yourselves—who among you thinks you'll ever be Head Boy or Head Girl? If you can't even match his grades, how do you expect to beat him one day? Or are you hoping your marks will make him laugh himself to death?"
Ron mumbled, "I reckon Hermione could be Head Girl… And Harry did beat him last year…"
Hermione muttered, embarrassed, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ron, but please—shut up."
Harry tugged at Ron's sleeve, then summoned his courage. "Professor, how do you know about Voldemort…"
Douglas shot him a glare. "Is that really what you should be worrying about right now? What you need to do is trust your professors. If anything happens, report it immediately! Don't just go charging in on your own. People say Gryffindors are reckless—do you really want to prove them right? Remember, it's courage, not recklessness; adventure, not mindless risk. And if it takes a Hufflepuff to remind you, shouldn't you be ashamed?"
He straightened, voice firm. "When you go back, each of you will write a two-foot essay reflecting on your mistakes. Next time something like this happens, you find a professor. Remember—trust your professors. Even if you don't trust the others, trust your Head of House. Understood?"
The three, faces flushed with either embarrassment or frustration, chorused in perfect unison, "Understood!"
Douglas waved them away. "Go on, then. I expect to see your essays tomorrow night. If you pull something like this again, I'll have you stand in the middle of the Great Hall and read your reflections out loud for everyone to hear!"
The trio stormed out, not even bothering to close the office door behind them.
On the way back, Harry grumbled, "Hermione, why didn't you let me tell the Professor that we did go to other professors last year, but no one believed us…"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, have you forgotten that last year we spent the whole time suspecting Snape—and we were completely wrong? Honestly, you've been praised so much you've forgotten we never even suspected Quirrell. That whole thing blindsided us. Strictly speaking, we really did owe Professor Snape an apology."
Harry fell silent, realizing he'd nearly forgotten that detail. He grumbled, "So, Hermione, do you want us to apologize to Snape?"
Hermione tossed her hair. "If you want to, go ahead. I'm not doing it!"
Harry was left speechless.
Ron glanced sideways at them both. "So, we got a scolding for nothing, an extra two-foot essay, and in the end, we didn't even find anything out?"
Hermione and Harry both groaned and smacked their foreheads.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/GoldenLong