The ancient castle, having endured the vicissitudes of history for a thousand years, still exuded a mysterious magic amidst the swirling snow. During the Christmas holidays, Hogwarts was much quieter than usual.
In the vast castle, aside from the whispers of the portraits hanging on either side of the narrow corridors and the clanking sounds of the standing armor, only Peeves' shrill singing occasionally pierced the castle's tranquility.
Severus Snape's brisk stride made his robes billow like flapping wings, making him look like a large bat opening its wings but running on its feet. From his grim expression and pale lips, one could see that he was in a foul mood at the moment.
"Sherbet lemon."
The ugly stone gargoyle nimbly jumped aside upon hearing the correct password, even a bit flustered, as if it too was afraid of something.
Snape strode through the opening in the wall. The moment he entered the circular office hidden behind it; his mood inexplicably worsened by a few degrees.
Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the age, was leaning back in his chair. Behind his half-moon spectacles, his blue eyes were fixed on the high ceiling of the office. His long fingers were interlaced, resting on the slender-legged desk cluttered with strange alchemical instruments and piles of letters awaiting reply.
"Where have you been?"
Snape glanced at the purple traveling cloak Dumbledore had not yet taken off, and spoke in a blunt and straightforward tone.
"Just out for a stroll," Dumbledore withdrew his deep gaze and smiled gently. "You know, Severus, for someone my age, it is very necessary to maintain a moderate amount of exercise."
"Indeed," Snape's mouth curled into a faint sneer. "A stroll that lasted several days?"
Dumbledore was unsurprised by Snape's reaction and smiled. "How is Miss Granger?"
"Stable enough. Pomfrey used the right method to deal with her problem. She will recover normally after a few weeks of rest."
Snape's tone was stiff, but at least he answered the question truthfully. However, when he saw Dumbledore looking relieved and ready to move on from the topic, he could no longer contain his anger.
"I think you should be very clear about what those self-righteous, attention-seeking Gryffindors did. They secretly brewed Polyjuice Potion and had the audacity to break into my office and steal ingredients. Dumbledore, since when has this school become so lenient that violating school rules and stealing from a professor is allowed?"
"Despicable behavior is never allowed."
Snape's persistence seemed to exhaust the travel-weary Dumbledore. He took off his spectacles and rubbed his brow.
"But we should observe people's purposes through their outward behavior to judge whether their hearts are equally despicable, Severus. I do not consider Harry, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger's actions to uncover the truth about the attacks to be vile."
"So, you intend to indulge him, even if he encounters danger due to his reckless behavior?"
For some reason, Snape's face looked a bit pale in the gentle firelight. Although he did not specify who "he" was, Snape was certain Dumbledore understood clearly.
The office fell silent for a moment, with only the faint snores of the former headmasters in the row of portraits on the walls and Fawkes' subtle but clear chirping.
"Not indulgence, Severus, but observation," Dumbledore spoke again after a long silence, though his tone lacked its usual quiet confidence.
"Indeed, the boundary between courage and recklessness is sometimes unclear. But with young people, we should be more tolerant, Severus, to avoid stifling their innate strengths as much as possible."
"Tolerant?"
Snape's mouth twitched. He was extremely reluctant, yet unable to suppress the memories of his own school days, and he said, "Don't flatter yourself, Headmaster Dumbledore. You have always only been tolerant of the students you admire."
Snape completely transferred his hatred for James Potter and his love for Lily Evans onto Harry. On one hand, he had to protect the son of the woman he loved; on the other, he had to endure how much this child resembled his father. This made Snape's emotions incredibly twisted.
"Let's end this topic, Severus."
Since Harry Potter entered this school, such conversations had taken place countless times in private. Even Dumbledore felt quite helpless about it.
"Could I trouble you to go to the school gates to receive a guest for me?"
Dumbledore stood up. The clothes he was wearing were not suitable for meeting a guest.
"Actually, this task should have been entrusted to Minerva. Unfortunately, she accepted an invitation from the editorial team of Transfiguration Today to attend a reception on transfiguration. For her, this is a rare leisure activity, and I prefer not to disturb her."
Snape had no interest in Dumbledore's private meetings. He turned and strode away, his face looking even worse than when he first entered the office due to the memories jumping around in his mind.
But strangely, before leaving the office, he suddenly paused, turned back to look at Dumbledore, who was using his wand to clean the mud from the hem of his robe, and asked suspiciously, "Who are you meeting?"
"Ah—actually, I originally planned to let you find out this surprise at the school gates. But since you asked," Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes once again emanating an inscrutable light, "Bryan Watson, the student you have most admired in recent years."
December 31st, 7:40 p.m.
Taking the express train and getting off at Hogsmeade Station, Bryan trudged through a long stretch of snow-covered path and appeared on time outside the great iron gates of Hogwarts.
The two winged boar sculptures at the school gates had guarded this great school of magic for a thousand years. Bryan's pensive gaze passed through the iron gate bars, leaping over the field with its six tall posts and the gloomy ancient castle standing on the cliff, until it disappeared into the boundless Forbidden Forest.
He had to admit that the feeling of returning here again was even better than he imagined.
"I guessed when I got on the train that you would be the one to greet me, Professor."
The rusted gates creaked open slowly. Bryan stepped through them, moving toward the black figure striding over. When Severus Snape's expressionless face revealed its outline in the faint light, Bryan set down the suitcase, opened both arms, and smiled sincerely.
Author's Note: "Sherbet lemon" was not a password for Dumbledore's office in the Harry Potter series. The password to access Dumbledore's office was "lemon drop". Dumbledore was fond of lemon drops and often offered them to visitors. So, it served as a clever and memorable password for his office.