As a result, Vivian's magic power didn't increase much, but her weight soared.
Facing such a result, Alan felt a twinge of guilt, so a month later, he increased Vivian's training volume, attempting to help her slim down.
But with Vivian's personality, she was all for eating well, but training was out of the question. Consequently, in the subsequent sessions, the girl slacked off more often than she worked, messing around until her magic power barely broke 200 units, while her weight only climbed.
Mostly, after Alan rescued the magical animals, the amount of food he prepared daily had increased significantly. As a result, Vivian shamelessly began to snatch food intended for the cats and dogs. If he hadn't discovered it quickly, the recovery of those small animals might have been much slower.
"Vivian, didn't you go on a date with Charles? Why do you have time to come here?" Alan asked, puzzled.
Since last school year, Charles and Vivian's relationship had progressed rapidly. Now, the two were inseparable whenever they were free, and Vivian always used their dates as an excuse to dodge training.
"We can't stay in Hogsmeade all day, can we? I had to come over and see if you'd starved Hog and Rongrong. As soon as I arrived, I found you guys were secretly eating roast meat. Are you hiding delicious food from me again?" Vivian grabbed the Kneazle she had named Rongrong and rubbed it against her face, as if to punish it.
Meow! The Kneazle helplessly wagged its lion-like tail and looked at Alan with a look of pure despair, as if pleading, *What are you staring at? Save the cat!*
"Uh." Ever since he discovered Vivian had started shamelessly snatching food from the animals, Alan rarely cooked in front of her, especially meat.
Looking at the embarrassed Alan, Vivian rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You guys don't do anything productive all day; you just know how to sneak snacks. What's going to happen if this continues?"
Hog and Kiki were stunned. Was this girl really speaking so righteously? She was clearly the one who was idle all day, and now she was trying to turn the tables on them.
"Forget it, I'll let you off today." Vivian spread her hands and released the poor Kneazle. "The Head of House sent me to find you. He said he has something to tell you, but you weren't in the common room, so I got roped into the search."
Snape? Why is he looking for me? Is it about the favor he lost in the bet last year?
Alan's fourth year had been relatively peaceful, at least within Hogwarts. Yaxley had been tricked into Azkaban—rumor had it he was now insane and his mind was failing. Travers, meanwhile, had been forced by his mother, Yulia, to transfer schools; the entire Travers family had fled to the European continent to avoid the fallout.
So now, no one in Slytherin dared to trouble him. Or rather, every pure-blood in Slytherin avoided him. Aside from their monthly tributes, they wished to have no contact with him at all.
Alan himself had no interest in those children; he preferred to spend his energy on research and training, so he quite enjoyed the quiet life.
Is the Head of House going to cause me trouble again?
Alan shook his head. Speculating was meaningless. He would only know the situation after meeting Snape.
After instructing Hog and Kiki not to misuse their tactical vests near the cabin, Alan set off for the castle.
Now, the students he met on the way no longer stared at him as much. After all, months had passed since last summer, and Alan disliked showing off. He rarely appeared in crowded places. Over time, his schoolmates had almost forgotten about the "Combat Hero" in their midst.
Bang! Bang! Alan knocked on the Potions office door in the dungeons.
"Who is it?" Professor Snape's voice was deep, slow, and magnetic, carrying that familiar coldness that kept people at a distance.
"Me." Alan's voice was equally deep and cool. He wondered if spending so much time around Snape had caused his own tone to shift.
"Come in, the door is unlocked."
Alan pushed the door open and surveyed the room. The office still felt cold and damp, dimly lit but impeccably organized. The desk, however, was empty.
He turned his head and found the Head of House leisurely fiddling with herb bottles on a side cabinet. It wasn't until Alan had stood still for several moments that Snape slowly turned around.
"Still so rude. Perhaps you should learn from your classmates; you don't even know how to greet your Head of House," Snape said with his customary hint of sarcasm.
"Respected Head of House, if I were to greet you immediately upon entering, I expect you would say my indiscretion disturbed your work," Alan retorted, his own voice tinged with a dry edge.
Alan was extremely familiar with his Head of House by now. No matter what he did, Snape could find fault with it. If he meekly bowed his head, he would be looked down upon. Sometimes, being firm earned more respect.
"Hmph. Do you think you're being humorous, joking with your Head of House?" Snape slowly walked to his desk and sat down. His voice remained deep, but the biting sarcasm decreased slightly. It seemed he wasn't truly angry; bickering had simply become their habit.
"It's my fault for not understanding the joke you made first, Professor." Alan smiled slightly and casually sat opposite Snape.
"Alright, I don't have time to argue with you. Do you know why I called you here?" Snape ignored Alan's casual demeanor and pulled open a drawer, rummaging for something.
Alan couldn't help but roll his eyes internally. *As if I wanted to argue. Aren't you like this with everyone? And how would I know why I'm here?*
He shook his head, expressionless.
"Look at this." Snape pulled a folded piece of parchment from the drawer and handed it across the desk.
Alan took the parchment, unfolded it, and read it carefully. His brow furrowed in confusion.
"Prefect?" Alan looked up with a start, gazing at the expressionless man in front of him.