Chapter 552 Confined Again!!
Snape was clearly convinced by Darren's approach. In fact, he felt relieved.
Teaching Darren how to act was really not easy.
And every time he taught Darren how to deceive others, he always had the illusion that he was teaching Darren bad habits.
Darren's proposal was very good.
They only needed to rehearse a short part of the plot each time. When the time came, they would be able to perform the "breakdown" scene in its entirety.
Then this scene would either be seen by Harry with his own eyes, or Harry would "accidentally" see it while ×× learning Occlumency.
This would be used to confuse Voldemort, making him truly believe that Darren and Snape had fallen out.
It would also completely clear Snape of all suspicion in front of Voldemort.
Because Darren's proposal was solid, Snape taught him a specific line and asked him to pass it on to Harry tomorrow.
For more than an hour, they kept correcting how that sentence should be spoken—how to phrase it, what emotion it should carry, and what it needed to convey.
In short, when Darren was finally able to deliver those words smoothly and naturally, Snape let out a sigh of relief.
Then he knocked on the table. A pile of food instantly appeared.
"Eat, then leave as soon as you're done. I noticed you didn't eat in the Great Hall today. You're always so willful,"
he said bluntly.
Then he glanced at Darren's face again and added hesitantly,
"As for Umbridge, stay away from her. No one can help you at this time."
Darren nodded.
"I'll be careful and try not to cause trouble for everyone."
[Ding, Father +100]
He said it sincerely.
If Umbridge dared to mess with him, he would deal with her again.
He believed that if this happened often enough, Umbridge would eventually realize something was wrong.
---
Wednesday morning.
After finishing breakfast, Darren went over to the Gryffindor table. Hermione was sitting there knitting a hat.
Darren immediately noticed that the hat was ugly. He silently prayed that it wasn't meant for him.
With a hat like that, he suspected it could ruin his handsome face.
Fortunately, Harry told him it was a hat Hermione had made for the house-elves.
"Yes, I plan to put them in the rubbish. They'll pick them up, and then they'll gain their freedom," Hermione said seriously.
Darren was stunned.
So Hermione still hadn't given up on freeing the house-elves.
Although Dumbledore paid the house-elves wages, Hermione felt it was far too little.
She believed that for work like this, a wizard should earn several hundred Galleons.
But Dumbledore only paid the house-elves one or two Galleons. In her eyes, that was exploitation.
So now she was trying to make the house-elves work independently, to fight for their own freedom.
Darren greatly praised her idea.
He even told Hermione that if he weren't so busy, he would definitely learn how to knit hats too and help free the house-elves.
This almost made Hermione cry.
Without drawing any attention to it, Darren subtly leaned a little farther away from the hat.
He really hated the hats Hermione knitted.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten what Snape asked him to say to Harry last night.
Snape had studied the wording late into the night, carefully deciding how Darren should say it so that it matched his usual behavior.
Darren could still feel Snape's gaze on him, hidden but focused. He took a deep breath.
Pretending to be inexperienced at lying, he looked at Harry and said hesitantly,
"Brother, you need to be careful of Professor Snape."
Harry froze.
He looked up sharply at Darren.
He was clearly more shocked than Darren had expected.
"Darren… are you feeling unwell today?"
Harry asked worriedly.
Even Ron and Hermione looked concerned. Darren stayed silent.
He lowered his head for a long moment, as if thinking. This, too, was something Snape had taught him—
pause and hesitate occasionally, or the lie would sound too smooth.
After all, lying always came with flaws. Darren understood this well.
Finally, he spoke, sounding uneasy.
"I don't know. I don't have proof… but sometimes he talks about my brother and Headmaster Dumbledore…"
"I don't know if I'm overthinking it. Maybe I am. But brother, you should keep an eye on him."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Holy Father +100]
After saying this hesitantly, Darren glanced toward Snape.
Snape's eyes showed satisfaction.
Only then did Darren force an awkward smile and stand up.
"He seems to have noticed me. I'm leaving first."
Without waiting for Hermione to say anything else, he quickly left the place of trouble.
That way, Hermione wouldn't assign him more work for the house-elves.
---
Wednesday's classes were just as exhausting.
Darren felt that every professor now treated them as students about to sit their exams.
The pressure was no less intense than what Darren had felt before the college entrance examination.
The only professor who didn't apply pressure was probably Umbridge. She still taught pure theory.
But Darren didn't attend her classes.
However, while Harry was in Umbridge's lesson, Darren approached him and signaled for him to endure it honestly.
Harry agreed.
But during Umbridge's class, when she ordered everyone to put their wands away, Harry suddenly shouted angrily:
"Voldemort is coming back soon, and you want us to learn this rubbish?
Theory? Can theory defeat him?!"
Umbridge's expression turned icy.
She narrowed her swollen, clam-like eyes and said coldly,
"Detention. I should have given it to you long ago. Starting tonight, I will teach you the consequences of speaking like that."
"Even if Darren Potter comes to beg me this time, I will still make you understand the consequences of contradicting me!"
A sinister, smug smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
She scribbled a note, threw it to Harry, and said,
"Pass this to your Head of House. This time, I don't need her approval to assign your detention."