Chapter 37: A Potions Master's Warning
The castle walls groaned under the weight of new Educational Decrees. Umbridge, in her pink fury, had gone mad with legislation, trying to strangle the life out of any unauthorized gathering. The atmosphere was oppressive. Even Argus Filch, her most enthusiastic enforcer, looked harried and twitchy from her constant, frustrated tirades.
Hermione and Luna, however, lived in a different world during their secret hours. They were utterly captivated by the Mystic Arts. Their focus during D.A. meetings had become slightly distracted, their minds buzzing with theories of energy manipulation and dimensional geometry instead of standard defensive charms. Only Elian's repeated, stern warnings kept them from trying to conjure a shimmering shield in the middle of a Stunning Spell practice.
For Hermione, it was a profound intellectual awakening. The entire framework of magic was being rewritten before her eyes, and she absorbed every scrap of knowledge Elian offered like a starved scholar. Luna approached it with her typical serene wonder, seeing the beauty in the patterns of light and the flow of unseen energy. Teaching them, Elian found his own understanding deepening, his control growing more instinctive. It was an unexpected, rewarding loop.
But outside their hidden lessons, a more mundane danger persisted: Potions class.
Today's assignment was a simple Boil-Cure Potion. As a first-year, Elian's class wasn't subjected to Snape's most vitriolic scrutiny—that was reserved for Harry and the upper years. Yet, as he carefully diced his porcupine quills, Elian felt a distinct, cold pressure on the back of his neck.
He looked up.
Across the steam-filled dungeon, Professor Severus Snape was staring directly at him. Not a fleeting glance, but a long, analytical, and utterly unblinking gaze. There was no malice in it, just a deep, unsettling intensity.
Elian's stomach tightened. Why? He could understand Snape's complex, tortured fixation on Harry—the ghost of Lily Potter ensured that. But he, Elian Thorne, was a stranger. A Gryffindor. He had no connection to the man's tragic past.
He tried to ignore it, focusing on his cauldron, but the feeling of being watched never lifted. He knew Snape's true role: the master double-agent, serving both Voldemort and Dumbledore, his loyalty to the latter fueled solely by a love for a woman long dead. His protection was for Lily's son, not for some anomalous first-year.
Since the meeting at Malfoy Manor, this was Snape's first chance to observe the boy the Dark Lord had taken a personal interest in. Lucius had begged for his help in the kidnapping, but Snape had refused. It was too risky, too blatant. It could expose his fragile cover and cause trouble for Dumbledore. Yet, he couldn't help his curiosity. Was this the one? The 'traveler' who could alter the 'chosen boy's' path?
The class ended. Students began capping their potions and packing their books, eager to escape the dungeon's chill. Elian shoved his own textbook into his bag, turning to leave.
"Mr. Thorne."
The voice was like oil on stone, smooth and cold. It stopped Elian in his tracks. He turned back.
Snape stood behind his desk, a dark silhouette against the shelves of jarred ingredients. "A moment, if you please. There is a matter I wish to discuss."
The last few students hurried out, throwing Elian pitying or curious looks. The heavy wooden door clicked shut, leaving them alone in the quiet, chemical-scented room.
Snape studied him for a long moment, his black eyes inscrutable. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it filled the silent space.
"The Headmaster," Snape began, the name 'Dumbledore' carefully omitted, "has asked me to convey a message. He has been… unavoidably detained outside the school." He paused, letting the implication of Dumbledore's hunt for Horcruxes hang in the air. "He wished you to be informed that you have attracted… unfavorable attention. From the Dark Lord."
Snape's gaze was piercing. "You are being hunted, Mr. Thorne. The Headmaster's instruction is unequivocal: you are not, under any circumstances, to leave the grounds of Hogwarts."
(End of Chapter)
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