The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

Scott replied to him quickly.

Are there any signs?

William's message came soon after.

[I have no idea!]

[There were no obvious signs, but I just felt something was wrong; it must be her coming back!]

[Perhaps everyone was too well-behaved.]

Scott understood what he meant.

Often, you don't need concrete evidence to determine something; subtle clues that would otherwise be overlooked can trigger your subconscious to alert you.

This could also be described as a kind of intuition.

So he sent William a few more messages.

[Please remain calm.]

We have been searching for her.

[Please let me know if you make any discoveries on your end.]

[I see.]

[I will let you know if there are any new changes.]

[I remember you promised me.]

After ending his exchange with William, Scott didn't think too much about it.

Medea awoke from the curse but never appeared, and the entire witch council she led fell into silence.

He couldn't tell whether Medea was simply conserving her energy or secretly plotting something.

There's no point in dwelling on these things; all he can do is use every moment to improve his strength.

He had already arranged with Professor Flitwick that he could borrow Ravenclaw's tiara from his office from time to time, using the tiara's power to accelerate his understanding of newly acquired knowledge.

Of course, Professor Flitwick himself was also captivated by the new knowledge Scott shared.

Time flew by and it was the last weekend before Christmas.

That morning, Scott, accompanied by Dumbledore, arrived at the newly rebuilt residence of the Order of Merlin.

Scott was not the only one receiving the medal on this day; when they arrived, many well-dressed wizards and witches had already gathered in the courtyard.

The arrival of Dumbledore and Scott attracted a lot of attention.

"Albus, my old friend..."

Immediately, a wizard came over and exchanged pleasantries with Dumbledore, naturally steering the conversation toward Scott.

Scott kept shaking hands with different people, bowing his head as he did so to show humility.

Of course, one also has to deal with all sorts of verbal probing.

Because of the spread of the Triwizard Tournament "records," especially Scott's performance in the third round, everyone knows that he now possesses superhuman magical abilities.

There are quite a few wizards who are interested in him. He is so young and has already reached such a level. People are very curious about how he did it.

Although everyone present seemed to admire him and said many nice things, Scott knew very well that not everyone was well-intentioned.

This was perfectly clear to Scott, who could sense the nature and fluctuations of everyone's magic.

Faced with those probing questions, whether subtle or direct, Scott consistently replied that it was all thanks to the careful instruction of the professors at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore chimed in, saying it was all because Scott was too talented.

Although they couldn't get the reason for Scott's power, some wizards didn't give up trying to talk to him.

These people were generally very interested in Scott's future choices, and some even inquired whether he had a girlfriend.

Scott was struggling to cope when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure silently entering the courtyard.

That gait, like a venomous snake slithering about; that black robe billowing in the wind; that greasy, long hair; that face filled with bitterness and resentment…

It was Snape.

As Scott suddenly turned his head, everyone else followed his gaze, and the moment they saw Snape, everyone stopped talking.

The once bustling courtyard suddenly became quiet.

But Snape didn't care at all; he walked towards Dumbledore and Scott without changing his expression.

"Oh, Severus."

Dumbledore immediately went to greet him warmly.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

But Snape did not reciprocate his enthusiasm.

He nodded very slightly and said indifferently, "Long time no see, Albus."

Scott smiled apologetically at the wizards in front of him and walked over.

"Hello, Professor Snape."

He took the initiative and politely greeted the Potions Professor.

"Hello... Mr. Trollope."

Snape turned to look at him.

Those black eyes remained as empty as ever, and his tone of voice remained as strange as ever.

"Do not address me as Professor, Ravenclaw Champion, for I am no longer employed at Hogwarts."

"..."

Scott didn't expect that even a simple greeting would be met with a sarcastic remark.

Snape was indeed a very unlikable person.

But Snape did not let him off easily.

"I think you should stand with those glamorous people and accept their compliments, instead of talking to a former Death Eater that everyone avoids."

Scott smiled slightly.

"Aren't you a righteous undercover agent? With the evidence provided by Professor Dumbledore, you have already been acquitted in the trial."

"Ha." Snape gave an awkward, forced laugh. "Should I thank you, Albus?"

“No, it is what I should do, Severus.” Dumbledore smiled as well.

Scott added, “The Daily Prophet even reported on your deeds, Mr. Snape. I remember the headline was… oh, ‘He is the great Slytherin, a lone hero of justice’…”

"Shut up."

Snape looked disgusted.

“Don’t be shy, Severus,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “You are very brave.”

Snape's face darkened, and he said through gritted teeth, "You know perfectly well that everything I did wasn't for some damn justice!"

Dumbledore said earnestly, "It's all over, Severus. You should learn to reconcile with the past..."

"Don't lecture me!" Snape said, inexplicably annoyed. "This is none of your business!"

Dumbledore shook his head and sighed, saying nothing more.

With the arrival of Minister of Magic, Ms. Burns, the awarding ceremony began.

The entire ceremony was rather lackluster.

The representative of the Order of Merlin presided over the ceremony, recounting the deeds of wizards who had contributed to past wars and awarding them medals, while the others applauded with smiles on their faces.

Scott always felt that the hypocrisy of such events was comparable to that of entertainment award ceremonies.

He still cooperated fully with the process, received a shining first-class medal, and then stepped off the stage amidst applause and smiles.

It wasn't because he liked the honors that were judged and bestowed by others.

It's because of this medal that many things will be much easier for him in the future.

Snape also received a second-class medal in recognition of his "righteous and courageous" undercover mission.

But this gentleman wasn't very cooperative; he went through the process with a long face.

Of course, the applause he received in the end was sparse.

After he stepped down from the stage, Scott clapped and asked softly, "You don't seem very happy?"

Snape said, "Unlike you, Trollope, this is not something to be happy about for me."

Scott then asked, "Then why did you come to the medal ceremony?"

“It is deserved, and a Slytherin would not refuse honor,” Snape said matter-of-factly.

After the awarding ceremony, it was time for a banquet.

To avoid being endlessly tested and courted by others, Scott stood with Snape throughout.

Snape's perpetually stern face indeed scared off many people who tried to strike up a conversation.

At this point, all Scott needs to do is give the other person an apologetic smile.

Snape was well aware of Scott's "exploitation" of him, but for some reason, he didn't make sarcastic remarks about it. Instead, he chatted with Scott casually.

Perhaps because he was no longer in the role of professor, Scott felt that Snape was still able to speak properly at this moment.

Snape spoke to him at length until the end of the dinner.

“Mr. Trolop, if you ever come across a potion recipe that you can’t brew, remember to come back to your former potions professor.”

"If you haven't forgotten everything I taught you, you should be able to see clearly..."

He stared intently into Scott's eyes.

“I, Severus Snape, am a Potions Master better than Damocles Belby.”

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Scott's reaction.

Watching his black robes billowing as he walked away, Scott finally understood why the former Potions professor's attitude had improved at the dinner party.