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***
The moment Hermione tumbled onto the cold floor of the hospital wing, her mind was a jumble, completely unsure how to explain her eavesdropping on a professor's private conversation. But then, Hermione keenly noticed one thing.
How did Snape recognize her in this state before the door even opened?
And was 'cat-eared girl' a reference to her?
Hermione wished she had brought Harry's Invisibility Cloak so she could hide and avoid this suffocating situation. While she was lost in these thoughts, a strong, steady hand grasped her arm and helped her up. Hermione, trembling, looked up to find it was the young wizard who had been talking with Professor Snape.
"Th-thank you, Professor."
"Ah, don't misunderstand, Miss Granger. I am not a professor at this school."
Amorsta smiled warmly, taking an interested look at the little witch's fluffy ears and the whiskers on her cheeks. It didn't take long for him to realize that this was likely the result of using the Polyjuice Potion on an animal transformation.
As expected from the smartest member of the main group, she certainly knows how to handle things.
Although Amorsta couldn't recall the plot of the Harry Potter books, it didn't mean he was ignorant of the key characters from the books.
From Snape's earlier sarcastic comment, Amorsta knew that the little witch before him, having made a mistake in her transformation, was Hermione Granger, a highly intelligent and sharp-witted young witch from Harry Potter, which piqued his curiosity.
"Miss Granger,"
Snape's slightly mocking voice was particularly sombre in the quiet of the hospital wing.
"Even I must admit, you look far more interesting in this state than usual. But I still want to know why you are in this form and if Minerva gave you the courage to eavesdrop on my conversation?"
"Not recognizing this as a case of Polyjuice Potion mishap isn't up to your standard, Professor?"
Snape read the surprise in Amorsta's eyes. He shot a glare at Amorsta, his sinister gaze returning to Hermione.
"Answer my question, Miss Granger, or would you prefer Minerva to explain for you?"
Upon hearing this, Hermione, already scared out of her wits, trembled even more. Her situation was bad enough; if Professor McGonagall found out, that would be really bad.
"My appearance... is due to my misjudgment of my Transfiguration skills, Professor Snape."
Hermione looked down at her toes, her voice quivering.
For a moment, she was relieved she had a face full of black fur. Otherwise, her flushed cheeks would have betrayed her lie.
"I previewed 'Advanced Transfiguration,' thinking I could perform the human transfiguration spells described in the book. I'm very sorry for overhearing your conversation with this gentleman— I mean, this sir.
I was reading in bed, studying how to heal the magical damage on myself faster, but the noise outside caught my attention. I thought it might be the Chamber of Secrets. You know, the attack has made us Muggle-born wizards very anxious—"
Amorsta noticed Snape's face turning pale, his breathing growing heavier. If Hermione continued with her fabrication, a tragic incident might happen in the hospital wing.
"No need to explain, Miss Granger,"
The golden serpent of the underground world is a cold, sharp, and dangerous wizard, constantly walking the edge between light and dark. But Amorsta Blaine, without his black robes, is a very friendly and gentle person. It's hard to say which side is his true self and which is a disguise. Perhaps they are all the real Amorsta Blaine.
Hermione, who was trying hard to make her words convincing, looked up blankly and saw a pair of very beautiful purple eyes and a gentle smile on a handsome young face. For a moment, Hermione felt the young wizard's smile resembled that of Professor Dumbledore's.
Kind, tolerant, but with wisdom that sees through the truth.
"Sorry, sir, I was just…"
"My name is Amorsta Blaine. You may call me Mr. Blaine,"
Amorsta interrupted Hermione's explanation again, smiling pleasantly,
"No matter why you ended up like this, Miss Granger, I believe you have learned a painful lesson. So, Professor Snape will not punish you further, will he?"
Amorsta looked at Snape, who responded with a disdainful snort.
"As for eavesdropping on our conversation, it's not a severe offence for a curious thirteen or fourteen-year-old wizard. Both Professor Snape and I are generous enough not to pursue it further, so you don't need to worry."
While Amorsta might not command the same authority as the long-established Snape, Hermione didn't dare relax even though Mr. Blaine said he wouldn't mind the eavesdropping. She watched Snape carefully, afraid her Potions Professor would say otherwise.
Perhaps because of Amorsta's intercession, or maybe due to Dumbledore's instructions, Snape turned and left without another word, sparing Gryffindor the tragic fate of losing fifty points during the Christmas holidays.
"Well then, see you later, Miss Granger."
Amorsta smiled slightly and also turned to leave.
Just as Hermione was about to sigh in relief, she realized that the mysterious man named Blaine was already stepping out of the hospital wing.
"Please wait, sir… I mean, Mr. Blaine!"
Hermione instinctively called out, and as Amorsta turned back with a look of surprise, she realized what she had done.
"Mr. Blaine, are you a healer?"
Hermione's face flushed red; she didn't know why she had called out to Blaine, but her quick thinking saved her once again.
"I overheard your discussion with Professor Snape about Colin and Justin's condition. Do you… do you have the ability to heal them?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, I don't have that ability,"
Amorsta shook his head, speaking calmly,
"Since Headmaster Dumbledore already has a way to cure them, I believe there's no need for you to rush. After all, staying in bed is also a form of protection for them."
Amorsta turned away again, his voice continuing to reach Hermione's ears through the door,
"Also, Miss Granger, I am an investigator."
...
That night, Amorsta stayed in Snape's faculty quarters. The two talked late into the night by candlelight. Amorsta inquired in detail about the scenes of the three attacks and the process by which the victims were found.
Interestingly, Argus Filch's cat, Mrs Norris, and the ghost Nearly Headless Nick were both discovered by Harry Potter immediately after being attacked.
This didn't surprise Amorsta; the protagonist always seems to encounter trouble even if they stay home.
What did surprise him was Snape's harsh expression when he evaluated Harry Potter.
"You can see what kind of person he is from Hermione Granger—full of lies, mediocre, arrogant, loves breaking the rules, seeks attention, is brazen and disrespectful!"
Amorsta looked up in surprise from the old book, 'Simplified Theories of Ancient Spells' (by Eulalie Gamp), he was perusing,
"How rare, Professor. It's more uncommon for you to evaluate a wizard this way than to praise one. I'm starting to get curious about this boy."
"You'll know when you meet him, Amorsta,"
Snape lay half-reclined on the bed, staring at the roaring fire in the fireplace, speaking coldly,
"Arrogant, thinking he can handle everything, just like his father!"
"Ah—"
Amorsta flipped over the worn pages of the book and continued writing equations on the parchment, occasionally waving his wand, creating ripples in the air as he tried to build an effective spell model.
Over the past two years, most of his time had been spent on the road, and his research and self-improvement had to be squeezed into whatever time he could find.
'Got it, so it's an old grudge from the previous generation.'
Amorsta didn't continue questioning Snape about his grudge against Harry's father, knowing that everyone has pasts they don't want others to touch. Why dig up someone's healed wounds for a bit of insignificant curiosity?