"Are you trying to shield them?" Snape glared at Murphy.
"Shielding?" Murphy furrowed his brows. "I'm simply protecting my students. Why do you see your own students as enemies, Professor Snape?"
"Students who place eavesdropping devices in a professor's office! Shouldn't such a severe mistake be punished?"
"Of course — if that were indeed the case." Murphy replied. "But I believe there must be some misunderstanding here."
"Misunderstanding? They've already admitted it!"
"Oh, I think they were just intimidated by you and didn't fully understand your question. May I have a word with them, Deputy Headmistress McGonagall?" Murphy asked, turning to McGonagall. He deliberately bypassed Snape because McGonagall's office and rank were higher.
Using the title "Deputy Headmistress" instead of "Professor" was a reminder to everyone present of his status, not just as a professor, but also as a board member.
Professor McGonagall, perceptive of this, nodded in agreement.
"Tom, Harry, Hermione, Ron," Murphy looked at the four students, "who among you lost their fairy gold coin?"
The students were startled. Lost?
Tom looked at Murphy, who was subtly winking at him behind the professors' backs. Understanding, Tom said, "Professor, it's... Harry lost his coin."
Murphy nodded and turned to Harry, "Harry, do you know where you might have dropped it?"
"I... I don't know, Professor," Harry replied, still confused.
Then Murphy turned to the gaunt caretaker, "Filch, did you hear Peeves' voice through that coin?"
"Yes, sir... I heard it say..."
"Professor," Tom now fully grasped the situation, interjected, "After losing my coin, we planned to use the communication feature to find it. We gathered together to pinpoint its location, and then Peeves appeared..."
Murphy turned around swiftly, "So, you weren't trying to deliberately eavesdrop on Professor Snape?"
"No, of course not."
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" Snape was furious. "Potter sneaked into my office that day to place the coin there!" Looking at Harry, he demanded, "Potter, do you dare to deny it?"
"I, I…" Harry, not adept at lying, swallowed hard.
"Professor Snape..." Murphy suddenly spoke, "Why target a child like this? Whatever issue you had with his father doesn't concern him."
Snape's heart skipped a beat, shocked by Murphy's words, "What are you saying?"
Murphy remained calm, "Besides, you wouldn't want him to get truly hurt, would you?"
Snape was momentarily stunned, his expression turning furious as if deeply insulted. However, Murphy kept his composure.
"Don't look at me like that..." Snape gritted his teeth.
Then, Snape glanced at Harry and stormed out, unwilling to say another word.
Murphy exhaled, knowing he had deeply offended Snape.
"Professor McGonagall," Murphy turned to the thoughtful deputy headmistress, "It seems this was all just a misunderstanding. Perhaps Harry's fairy gold coin just happened to fall in Professor Snape's office. I believe they won't make a similar mistake again."
Professor McGonagall looked at the pleading faces of the students and nodded slightly, "You may all go back."
The matter ended there, and Murphy even returned Harry's fairy gold coin to him.
After leaving McGonagall's office, the group felt like they had narrowly escaped a huge trouble.
"We owe Professor Murphy big time..." Hermione said. "Otherwise, we might have really been expelled..."
"For once, I agree," Ron, usually the contrarian, surprisingly admitted. "If I had been expelled, my mom would've killed me..."
"Harry, what did the teacher mean by that? Did Snape know your father?" Tom asked.
Harry shook his head, "I don't know... Sirius never mentioned Snape..."
"It sounds like Snape and your father were enemies," Hermione deduced. "Your godfather probably didn't like him either."
Harry nodded, realizing why Snape harbored such hatred towards him.
But what did Murphy's remark mean? Snape didn't want him to get truly hurt?
Yet he seemed intent on harming him...
...
Snape began targeting Murphy, such as confiscating students' fairy gold coins in class, assigning excessive homework to prevent students from focusing on Murphy's practical classes, ordering Slytherin students to eat only at their own table, and banning the use of fairy gold coins in the common room.
Such pettiness really infuriated Murphy.
He could tolerate other things, but cutting off Slytherin's communication with other houses interfered with Tom's connections and challenged his policy of "house integration," something he couldn't tolerate.
One evening at dinner, Murphy deliberately sat next to Snape.
"Professor Snape, you're free to manage your students in your class, but banning fairy gold coins in the common room is excessive. It's hampering my course's progress. Can you explain?"
"My students don't need muggle ideas contaminating their minds," Snape arrogantly stated.
Murphy's eye twitched.
"Professor Snape, you have your teaching methods, and I have mine. I think broadening their minds a bit is not a problem..."
"Do I need to teach students to use muggle things for potion-making?" Snape retorted sharply. "To make their potion skills as pitiful as yours?"
"What did you say?" Murphy narrowed his eyes. "Snape, I'm talking to you respectfully because you were once my teacher, but don't forget, I'm now a board member!"
"Oh? The great board member is going to use his status against me?" Snape sneered. "Your practical class is a joke! You don't understand magic, let alone potions. You're just trying to deceive ignorant fools with muggle stuff."
Has this man lost his mind?
Suddenly, Snape stood up, startling everyone who turned to look.
"Let's make a bet, Professor Darkholm," Snape said, staring at Murphy. "If you think your muggle techniques can produce better potions, let's have a competition."
The students and even Professor McGonagall were shocked.
"Professors!" McGonagall looked at Snape and Murphy. "What are you two doing?"
Murphy also stood up, facing Snape. After a long moment, he realized Snape might truly be a bit unhinged.
The world has few words that can sting a walking dead — apparently, his earlier remarks were such.
"Alright," Murphy said. "What's the bet?"
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