Abbott stared blankly at the two of them, then yanked off his earmuffs.
"Hey-"
"-Thump, thump."
Luckily, before he could voice his opinion, Professor Sprout rapped on the desk, cutting off the students' buzzing chatter.
"All right, when it's safe to remove your earmuffs, I'll raise both my thumbs. For now,earmuffs on."
Snape raised his brow at Abbott, then immediately slipped on the pink earmuffs. Instantly, all outside sound was cut off.
Professor Sprout rolled up her sleeves, seized a tuft of leaves firmly, and yanked it out.
What came up was not roots, but a hideous baby, its leaves sprouting from its head.
The Mandrake's skin was light green, covered in spots. The little creature flailed its tendril-like arms, clearly shrieking at the top of its lungs.
Professor Sprout drew a large flowerpot from beneath the table, shoved the ugly infant inside, packed it down with moist, dark compost, and left only the cluster of leaves poking out.
Dusting off her hands, she raised both thumbs, then removed her earmuffs.
"I imagine none of you want to miss Christmas with your families," she said calmly. "So make sure you keep your earmuffs on while working."
"Oh, and watch out for the Venomous Tentacula,it's getting its fangs now," Professor Sprout added. "If there's an accident, you need not cast Silencing Charms in my class. Your safety is far more important."
"And besides, no one will hear your incantations today anyway." She patted the leaves of the Mandrake in front of her, making it retract the tendril it had been slyly stretching toward her.
"Hello, my name's Patrick Abbott," Abbott finally seized the chance to speak. "Would you like to join our group? Honestly, I think your temperament really fits with ours..."
"So it's all the weird ones together, eh?" Snape muttered inwardly. Hadn't Abbott always liked to sit alone quietly reading? How had he suddenly become so chatty?
There was no more time for talking. They put their earmuffs back on and focused on the Mandrakes.
It was no easy task. Mandrakes disliked being pulled from the soil, yet once exposed to air, they resisted being put back in.
They writhed, baring teeth and thrashing their venomous tentacles, struggling to escape the wizards' grip.
While tackling the second Mandrake, Snape slipped up for an instant, allowing it to seize Abbott from behind.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
He quickly aimed his wand at the Mandrake, trying to separate it from Abbott.
But it held on so tightly that it lifted Abbott into the air as well.
Abbott flailed wildly, limbs thrashing, his mouth moving constantly.
He looked for all the world like another fully grown Mandrake.
Seeing this, Pandora burst out laughing until she was breathless, clutching her stomach and doubling over.
Snape couldn't help but pause mid-motion. A grotesque, fang-filled figure flashed in his mind. Though he felt a twinge of guilt, at that moment he believed he could eat three bowls of rice just savoring this scene.
"Ah, is my soul no longer as pure as it once was?" he thought.
Fortunately, the ugly little infant's strength was limited. Soon, exhausted, it let go and hurled Abbott down.
Snape quickly aimed his wand at Abbott, preventing him from slamming face-first into the ground.
But the Mandrake was now free. It skittered across the floor on its tendrils, darting among the silently screaming students.
Looking at Abbott,furious, lips snapping open and shut like springs,Snape firmly decided to keep his earmuffs on. He thought the pink actually suited him rather well.
Thus, the Herbology lesson ended in utter chaos.
The emeralds embedded in the Slytherin House hourglass in the Great Hall sank a little lower as a result.
"Why do they avoid you when you walk past?" Pandora asked.
They were passing through the entrance hall for lunch, when a few younger students, spotting Snape, hurriedly stepped aside to give him way.
"Out of respect for me," Snape said calmly. "It's their heartfelt acknowledgment of me."
Abbott snorted with laughter, then remembered he was supposed to be angry, and quickly put his stern face back on.
"If anyone calls you odd girl again, you can tell me. I'll help you earn the same respect."
"Oh... well..." Pandora shrugged. "It's fine. I guess they just think I'm a bit eccentric."
"Very well, if that's how you want it," Snape said. "Pandora, come eat lunch with us."
"But that's the Slytherin table."
"Oh, it's Hogwarts' table," Snape said, tugging at her sleeve. "Come on. I really don't see the point of this constant squabbling. What, is there some 'Founders' Laws May Not Be Changed' rule in the wizarding world? One day I'll have to bring this up properly with the Headmaster."
He glanced toward the staff table, but the Headmaster's seat was empty.
Thinking carefully, Snape realized he hadn't seen Dumbledore for several days. Ever since their midnight conversation, the Headmaster's seat was often unoccupied.
Had his words already spurred Dumbledore into investigating early?
Forget it,no use overthinking. Next time they met, he would probe discreetly.
After Snape had polished off three whole plates of food, Abbott seemed at last to have calmed down.
"Do you want to come see the Quidditch tryouts this afternoon?" he asked Pandora. "We're going to check what brooms they're using."
"I won't go," she said. "I still have a few experiments unfinished, I need to get them done quickly."
With her hands stuffed in her pockets, Pandora hopped up the stairs, and the two boys left the castle, heading for the Quidditch pitch.
Though neither of them cared much for Quidditch, Abbott's father had written last week, asking him to survey the broom market at school. Tempted and threatened by Galleons, Abbott had surrendered on the spot.
At the time, as he read the letter, he'd told Snape, "No one can afford to go against Galleons. Not even you. Seventy-thirty split, deal?"
"Deal," Snape answered curtly.
By the time they sat down in the stands, the tryouts were already halfway through. Half the Slytherin students from first to seventh year were there.
The younger ones clutched battered old brooms borrowed from the school broom shed, while the sixth- and seventh-years loomed tall and intimidating.
"I recall the Quidditch teams have their own training rooms, right?" Snape asked.
"Yes, Sev. Are you thinking of working out again?" Abbott said. "Feel your stomach,you've only gotten fatter lately."
"That's why I plan to consult a professional shortly." Snape said, pointing toward Montague, captain of the Slytherin team.