allendalepharm Chapter 36 The Moon Rises in the West?
Chapter 36 The Moon Rises in the West?
On the last afternoon before the start of the semester, Ares spent half of his time tidying up his office and his living quarters.
He chose Quirrell's former office on the third floor of the castle.
This is a room shaped like a "tube building," with two floors. The space below is used by Quirrell as his office, and a spiral staircase hidden in a wardrobe embedded in the wall leads to his living quarters on the second floor.
Ares didn't need to bother changing the room's layout; he simply decorated the second-floor dormitory to make himself more comfortable.
After all these years of hardship, can't we at least enjoy ourselves a little?
Ares spent the rest of the afternoon processing letters from 'fans'.
This was to be expected.
The afternoon after he successfully prevented the Hogwarts Express from crashing and killing everyone, which was Monday afternoon, after people learned of the incident from the Daily Prophet, the owls kept by wizards throughout Britain began a large-scale migration.
These round-faced, chubby chickens had two main destinations: one was the Ministry of Magic—to condemn Fudge and his crew for dereliction of duty, which nearly led to the extinction of the British wizarding community!
Another destination was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
For ten years after Voldemort's demise, the British wizarding world was largely untouched by major events. Under such circumstances, one can imagine the shock that the sudden occurrence of the Hogwarts Express would have on people!
And, after the story of saving the lives of nearly a thousand young wizards is revealed, how much interest will the wizards of this land develop in Ares?
According to incomplete statistics (Ares was too lazy to count), in just three days, he received approximately...40 kilograms of letters, and the speed of the letters did not slow down at all.
Filch, whom he entrusted to receive the letter, probably slept for no more than twenty minutes in the past two or three days, just like Dumbledore.
Ares read some of the letters, which could be roughly divided into three categories:
The first type is simply expressing gratitude.
The second option is to express gratitude and reverence, and casually ask Ares if he can send back a postcard with his autographed photo. If that's not possible, sending back an old robe that you no longer wear would also be acceptable.
The third theory accuses Ares, as a professor at the school, of not thoroughly inspecting the Hogwarts Express before driving it... and whether he was responsible for the train's loss of control.
Of course, there were also many gifts, mostly snacks such as cookies and chocolates.
However, some people also sent valuable treasures.
In gratitude for saving his son's life, Lucius Malfoy sent him an expensive cane with its head studded with countless diamonds.
Ares loved the cane. He pulled off the top and carefully kept it, while the cane itself, along with the forty-kilogram letter, was sealed in the fireplace.
So—
Oh, and of course, the welcome dinner is also worth mentioning.
Naturally and predictably, Dumbledore delivered an inspiring speech.
He first praised the young wizards for their courage in remaining calm under pressure when the train went out of control, and then gave special praise to Mr. Potter, who joined Gryffindor this year, for his perseverance in the face of crisis.
"Before the delicious food is served, I need to remind everyone of one thing!"
Bathed in the shimmering light of thousands of candles, Dumbledore's blue eyes shone brightly, and his resounding voice echoed throughout the Great Hall.
"Anyone who does not wish to suffer an accident or die a painful death should not enter the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor."
A few people burst into laughter, and amidst the laughter, Dumbledore glanced at Harry, then at Ares.
When looking at the former, the gaze is full of 'encouragement'; when looking at the latter, the gaze is full of 'teasing'.
Mr. Potter seemed a little surprised, while Professor Delfino didn't care at all and was only interested in eating.
Of course, Ares would not forget Professor McGonagall's advice to him.
He rushed back to his office immediately after the dinner. He needed to get some sleep to prepare for his night shift.
After all, he's 20 years old now, no longer the energetic, carefree, handsome young man he was at eighteen or nineteen.
And almost as soon as he closed his eyes—
Thump, thump, thump.
There was a knock on the office door. When it was opened, Ares was met with a blank and sallow face.
"Professor Snape?"
Ares's voice was tinged with surprise and indignation as he glanced at the blanket draped over his stomach.
"Is it time for patrol already? I swear, I haven't even slept for two minutes!"
"Your sleep quality is exactly the same as it was in my Potions class back then, Professor Delfino."
Snape's usually gloomy face shifted slightly, trying his best to suppress any hint of sarcasm. He glared at Delfino.
"But... oh, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb your rest—"
Snape spoke in a dry tone, then handed Ares a brown-covered notebook from his pocket.
He continued, watching Ares, who was flipping through his notes with a somewhat puzzled expression.
"I bumped into Minerva after lunch in the Great Hall today, and she expressed some concerns about you—she probably thinks you're too young and inexperienced to handle...the Defense Against the Dark Arts course."
Snape paused, his face cold.
"I think I should be a little friendly to my new colleague, so I'm giving you the lesson plan for Defense Against the Dark Arts that I wrote years ago when I applied to the headmaster to teach the course. I hope it will inspire you."
"ah-"
Ares closed the notebook, rubbing his thumb, index finger, and middle finger together, which were covered in smeared black ink.
"I think it must have been many years ago... well, it certainly wasn't written this afternoon, but—"
Ares looked at Snape with a smile.
"Has the moon risen in the west, Professor Snape?"
"What's wrong, Professor Delfino?"
Snape asked in a somber voice, clearly understanding the sarcasm hidden in his strange words.
"I thought you would at least express your gratitude, Professor Delfino."
Snape's face also darkened.
"Or are the Gryffindors simply incapable of gratitude?"
"Please don't discriminate against the House, Professor Snape. I am very grateful, of course—yes, thank you, Professor Snape."
Snape gave a soft hum, his expression at least softening somewhat.
"besides-"
He stared into Ares's eyes again, empty eyes, with a sharp edge deep within them.
"It's just patrolling."
"What do you mean by 'patrol'?"
"We need to divide the work—the castle has seven floors. Generally, one person is responsible for floors one through four, and the other person is responsible for floors five through seven..."
Snape's voice was soft, and his gaze towards Ares became subtle.
"Which one do you want, Delfino? Don't lie, I bet... you definitely want the fourth one—"
"From the fifth floor to the seventh floor!"
Ares blinked his clear eyes, which shone with a hint of 'foolishness'.
"I want the one with fewer pieces."
Snape caught his breath and hesitated.
"Then so be it—"
He said that, then turned and left.
"Friendly reminder, Professor Delfino, don't oversleep—unless you want Minerva to dock your paycheck."
Students get points deducted for violations, professors get fined for negligence... What an unfriendly school.
but-
Ares glanced at the brown notebook in his hand, then looked at Severus Snape who was just coming out of the door, a gentle smile flickering in his dark eyes.
"Professor Snape—"
"What's wrong, Professor Delfino?"
Snape looked over suspiciously, his tone stiff.
"It's nothing... um, have I ever told you that you're actually not very good at getting close to people?"
A moment of silence—
Snapped!
Snape slammed the door shut and stood in the empty hallway, his sallow face turning ashen.
He was quite certain he disliked this Ares Delfino because—
Hmm... he really is just like a Slytherin!