"Who is it?" Snape's voice came from behind the office door.
Harley almost jumped in fright at the sudden sound, instinctively hiding behind Kayson, completely concealing herself.
"It's me, Kayson," Kayson said.
Soon, Snape pushed the door open. He looked at Kayson: "What's wrong?"
The latter, steeling himself, pulled Harley, who was behind him, forward.
...so? I thought the mirror of erised was hidden by Dumbledore, wasn't it?" Snape said, surprised.
"No, no, no, this isn't the mirror of erised... Do you remember the gender-bending Potion I asked you for earlier?" Kayson stopped mid-sentence, looking at Snape strangely: "Wait... mirror of erised... you..."
Kayson's expression suddenly became awkward as he looked at Snape, and the latter quickly reacted: "Wait... who is she?!"
"Harley... Harley Potter," Kayson said, gritting his teeth.
Upon hearing the answer, Snape looked at Harley, whose face was flushed, and his normally steady breathing suddenly became rapid.
"Hmph..."
Kayson pursed his lips: "We came here to ask if there's an antidote. I think our Miss Harley needs one."
Snape nodded distractedly: "Alright, I'll go look. You two wait outside for a bit." After saying that, he closed the door directly, and Kayson then heard a series of rummaging sounds.
"See, Severus is still very reliable. From the sound of it, he's already started looking for the antidote."
Harley felt a little relieved, and then the two heard the sound of a toilet flushing.
"???" Kayson and Harley exchanged glances, both with bewildered expressions.
"What is he doing in there?" Harley asked, a little scared.
"I... how would I know?" Kayson said, somewhat awkwardly.
Soon, Snape reopened the door and invited the two to come in.
Just as Kayson was about to sit on the sofa with Harley, Snape stopped him.
"No, Kayson, you sit opposite me. To show my respect for you."
Seeing this, Kayson had no choice but to sit in the chair in front of Snape's office desk. The latter then meticulously adjusted the angle of the seat so that he could look directly over Kayson at Harley, who was sitting on the sofa.
The latter clearly felt a wave of physical discomfort from this strange gaze; of course, it had nothing to do with anything else, it was only directed at Snape as a person. If it were someone else looking at him like that, he wouldn't feel anything.
After all, with that lightning scar on his forehead, he had seen such blatant stares many times.
"Oh... so... does that Potion of yours have an antidote?" Kayson asked tentatively.
"No," Snape shook his head.
"But you just said you were going to look for it," Kayson said awkwardly.
"That's right, I looked, but I didn't find it, so there isn't one," Snape said as a matter of course.
"Then when will the antidote be brewed?" Kayson continued to ask.
"The brewing cycle for the antidote is very long, at least over a month," Snape explained.
"Oh... since that's the case..." Kayson looked back at Harley helplessly, as an antidote that took a month to brew was basically useless, given that the gender-bending Potion's effects lasted at most only a month.
"I'm fine, Professor, let's go quickly." Harley nodded. She also understood the implication. For her, having been a girl for a month already, even if the Potion's effect lasted over a month, it would just mean being a girl for a few more days.
To save those few days and owe Snape a favor... how to put it, it's not worth it. After all, Snape's favor, for her... might truly not be a good thing.
"Then we'll be leaving. Oh, by the way, Severus, are those antidotes brewed yet?" Kayson asked.
"They are ready. They can be used directly when the time comes," Snape nodded.
"Good." Kayson stood up and waved to Harley, and the two were about to leave.
Then Snape behind him suddenly spoke: "Potter... Harley... never mind."
Kayson and Harley both felt a bit strange but said nothing, leaving the Potion office.
"Professor, what do I do now?" Harley said, looking desperate.
"What do you mean, 'what do I do'? Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty. What else can you do?" Kayson looked at her, puzzled.
"I mean, in this state, how should I... hmm?" Harley shrugged.
"Oh... perhaps you could go find Dumbledore and ask him if he can find you a private room..."
The two chatted idly as they returned to the first floor of Hogwarts, where Lupin and Sirius were already waiting by the staircase.
"Harley! My goddaughter!" Sirius shouted excitedly, making Harley's face turn crimson with embarrassment.
Lupin also slowly walked over: "Looks like... indeed looks like, so much like her! Really."
"Like? Like who?" Kayson asked, puzzled.
"Harley's mother, she's practically carved from the same mold," Lupin murmured.
Harley, however, had a somewhat strange expression, because she remembered what Snape had said the first time he saw her in this state.
He had mentioned the mirror of erised, and she had indeed encountered this mirror herself in her first year. Dumbledore said it could reflect one's deepest desires.
And when Snape saw her in her current state, he said she was the mirror of erised, and combining that with Lupin saying she looked like her mother...
Hiss...
She might have uncovered a terrifying truth.
Had that old bastard Snape already cursed her with such vicious words in his heart?
And how many times had he cursed her for it to become a psychological suggestion?
How much did that old bastard hate her?
Then why did he stop her just now?
Was he looking for an opportunity to hit her with an Avada?
Fortunately, Professor Kayson was here....
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