Snape's face was darker than a thundercloud.
His nostrils kept flaring like he was about to breathe fire. Somehow the whole school had started whispering that he'd attacked a student, and even worse, people actually believed it.
No, scratch that, the really infuriating part was that apparently not a single kid doubted it for a second. Was that seriously the reputation he had with the students?!
Because Snape was stewing in his own rage and had nowhere to vent it, the entire Slytherin dungeon was basically marinating in his bad mood. The Slytherin kids were walking on eggshells.
And of course that only made the rumors look more believable.
"SHOCKING! Slytherin Head of House Attacks Young Wizard!"
The story had even started spreading to parents. Dumbledore was getting Howlers from angry moms and official letters from the Ministry. The old man finally had to step up and publicly vouch for Snape.
Thanks to the combined efforts of all the Heads of House and the professors, the school eventually calmed down again.
After the fiftieth care package showed up for Snape (all of them stuffed with rare potion ingredients), his mood finally started to thaw. Some brave souls even caught Professor Snape smiling when he thought no one was watching.
Which, naturally, started a brand-new rumor around Hogwarts: Snape had finally snapped from brewing too many potions.
…
Alice stared at Theodore Nott, who was desperately trying (and failing) to keep a straight face.
"Let me guess," she said flatly. "The rumor that the Head of House was smiling alone in his office? That was you."
Theodore froze, the grin slipping off his face. "…How'd you know?"
Alice smacked her forehead. "Who else has the guts, the free time, and the burning desire to mess with Snape like that?"
Theodore's face went even stiffer. "Do you think… he knows it was me?"
Alice rolled her eyes. What do you think?
"No wonder he's been nitpicking my potions harder than ever lately. That old bat is plotting revenge!"
Alice glared. "Watch it. And enough with the jokes, those ingredient packages finally showed up, right? The man's got to be in a better mood now."
"You're telling me. The second your gold landed, I started ordering the rarest stuff under his instructions. Whole crates keep rolling into the storeroom. He still looks like he's chewing lemons, but trust me, he's practically giddy."
"See? My rumors aren't baseless. They're grounded in cold, hard facts."
"Also, I just found out the really good stuff isn't even in his office cabinets. That's all decoy junk. His real treasures are locked up in a hidden vault."
Alice nodded. She'd figured as much. Snape was the cautious, secretive type; no way he'd leave his actual prizes out where just anyone could see them.
That wouldn't be very Snape at all.
She noticed Theodore open his mouth, close it, then open it again. She raised an eyebrow. Spit it out.
"Thank you, Alice."
She could tell there was more.
"Pansy told me everything you guys did while I was out cold. I never thought you'd take a risk that huge, something that reckless, just for me."
"Thank you. My dad was in Azkaban before I was even born. My mom raised me, but honestly… she wasn't exactly mother-of-the-year. As far back as I can remember she was always drunk…"
Alice reached out and cut him off with a laugh. "You're not about to call me 'Mom' and promise to take care of me in my old age, are you?"
Theodore's solemn face went bright red. "What are you even talking about?!"
"You know that was nonsense, so stop talking nonsense yourself. What's with all the thank-yous? We're in the same trench, Theo. We're a team that's going to shake up the wizarding world one day."
"Big emotional thank-yous are for Hufflepuffs. If you really want to contribute to the cause, go bleed Snape dry. I've been waiting years to wipe that creepy half-smirk off his face."
"Put a little youthful energy into it, give the man the shock of his life!"
Theodore blinked, totally dazed by her rant. A few seconds later he snapped out of it and gave a serious nod.
"Although no pressure, right? You're the one who told me if the sky falls, Dumbledore's tall enough to hold it up."
Alice flashed him a bright grin.
Theodore laughed, this time for real, warm and open. The words he'd said right before he passed out, she'd really taken them to heart.
What Alice didn't mention was why she'd said that.
It all went back to a conversation in the Headmaster's office the day before.
"Alice," Dumbledore had said, his voice gentle but firm, "I need to know where that extraordinary power in your soul came from all those years ago."
"If you choose not to tell me, I will respect that. But I would have no choice except to place certain restrictions on you."
His blue eyes were calm, ancient, and impossibly deep. Looking into them, Alice suddenly felt that keeping secrets from this man any longer would be pointless.
She couldn't hide it forever anyway, not if he really wanted to find out.
So she answered, "Headmaster… I actually have a very unusual gift."
"The one that lets you turn into a ghost, you mean?"
Alice's head snapped up. He already knew?
Dumbledore's stern expression melted into that familiar grandfatherly smile.
"Being Headmaster comes with a few privileges. Certain… residents of the castle have excellent memories. I was worried you planned to keep hiding it from me. I'm very glad you didn't disappoint me, Alice."
"You were willing to trust a poor, lonely old man after all. That warms my heart."
Poor? Lonely?
Have you looked in a mirror lately? Alice stared at him, speechless. The man didn't have a shred of shame.
"I understand why a young witch like you would be wary of someone like me. Perfectly natural. That's why I never called you out when you were sneaking around with the Bloody Baron."
"And when you went through Nicolas's old notes… well, an old fussbudget like me can't help worrying, so I put a little charm on the manuscript. I know when someone reads it."
He winked.
Alice kept her face perfectly blank. She swore to herself that if Dumbledore also knew about the Banner of Souls, she was packing her bags and transferring to Beauxbatons tonight. This old man was terrifying.
Thankfully, the revelations stopped there.
"Your magical talent is exceptional, among the best I've ever seen. And your ghost ability? I've never even heard of anything like it."
"I wanted to speak openly with you so you'd understand: while you're here at Hogwarts, there's still a great deal I can control."
"If you ever have questions on your path, come to me first. Don't go astray. I don't want to watch another prodigy turn into a Gallert Grindelwald… or a Tom Riddle."
"Riddle, you know who I mean. He was mentioned in Nicolas's notes."
Alice nodded and asked quietly, "Headmaster… is Riddle really still alive? And when he comes back, will he tear the whole world apart again?"