Chapter 81: 81: Just the Tomato, Thanks.

It wasn't uncommon. At Hogwarts, each professor was responsible for teaching seven different year levels, and occasionally, they mixed things up. But to be corrected in front of the entire class—well, that wasn't something Snape took lightly. His glare was cold enough to freeze the bubbling cauldrons. His thin lips quivered with restrained fury. "Well," he said icily, "it seems Miss Stock is getting along rather well with her boyfriend. Tell me, Mr. Von Draugr, do you make a habit of teaching everyone you know how to disregard discipline?" His black eyes burned into their table as if they were Gryffindors and not his own Slytherins. "Detention, Miss Stock," Snape announced sharply. "Perhaps this will help you grasp a simple truth—you cannot solve every problem by having an accomplished boyfriend." Eve's downturned face twitched slightly, but she responded softly, "Yes, sir." Eve Stock—detention with Snape! The news spread through Hogwarts fast. Everyone knew—Snape rarely punished Slytherins. In all his years at Hogwarts, he had docked only a handful of points from his own house and had given detention to very few of his Slytherins. Eve Stock was one of the rare exceptions. The girls of Hogwarts were elated. Finally, the arrogant Eve Stock had been knocked off her pedestal. Eve didn't seem to care. As they hurried toward the Great Hall after Potions, she said, "Detention's awful. I'm not sure Snape will ever bother teaching me anything beyond the curriculum again..." Nolan's voice was low and even. "Snape's petty like that. He hates Potter, makes life hell for Gryffindors... I'd bet he was bullied by one when he was at school. You humiliated him. Don't be surprised if he holds a grudge." "Maybe I should look for a private Potions tutor..." Eve groaned dramatically. Alicia jogged up from behind, throwing an arm around Eve's shoulders. "You're a fool, you know that? A brave fool. But you didn't have to do it for me. You know Snape wouldn't have let me off." "I couldn't just stand by and let him blame you. I know you studied, Alicia. It's horrible being accused of something you didn't do." Fortunately, Snape's punishment wasn't as severe as it could have been. Eve spent five days copying old potion notes, which, to her surprise, turned out to be rather educational. But, as Eve put it, "Three straight hours in a room with that greasy professor isn't exactly a dream come true. You have to endure the heavy atmosphere and hold your breath to avoid gagging on the smell." Everyone knew - Snape smelled like a dirty diaper. To her relief, Snape only supervised for the first two days. By the third, his free time evaporated completely. Snape, Filch, and the Weasley twins had resumed their never-ending three-way war. The twins had filled Snape's office with dungbombs. Furious, Snape stormed in, only to find that the two devils had escaped into the fourth-floor corridor. Snape pursued them, but when he burst through the door, he was greeted by the slobbering jaws of Fluffy, Hagrid's three-headed dog. Snape emerged drenched in saliva. Now furious beyond reason, he roped Filch into the cleanup. The poor caretaker not only had to scrub dung off the floor but also deal with the puddles of dog slobber. After an exhausting day, a vengeful Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris laid traps throughout the castle. Unfortunately for him, his opponents had the Marauder's Map. The tug-of-war escalated. Nolan only heard about this afterward—courtesy of Fred and George, who bragged about their "victory" for days. He had little time for their antics. His focus remained on refining his Transfiguration with McGonagall and upgrading his enchanted gloves. If possible, he wanted to pack at least three more spells into the design—making them far more versatile. That morning, as usual, a half-asleep Nolan was hauled into the Great Hall by Miles. They ran into Cho on the way. "Hey, Cho, if you're free, could you give me a hand with Nolan?" Miles called out cheerfully. In truth, the Slytherin boy loved carrying Nolan through the hallways—after all, it was the one time he became the center of attention for both the boys and the girls. It made him feel like a bit of a hero. Cho hesitated, her expression torn, but eventually, she sighed and said, "Alright." The two of them each grabbed one of Nolan's arms, struggling to get him onto a bench. Cho rubbed her shoulder, panting. "He's heavier than usual... must've slept like the dead." "That's because he did," Miles explained. "Nolan came back late last night—after curfew, I'm sure of it. He's been busy lately, doing something with the professors. Morning, Nolan! Mind telling us what you were up to last night?" Nolan groggily rubbed his eyes and reached for his personal cup, sipping the specially-made tomato juice inside. "Last night? Oh... McGonagall called me in. We were fine-tuning the new Transfiguration spell. She really is a master of the craft..." "Transfiguration?" Cho raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to this time, Nolan? I really hope you don't accidentally turn into a horse again." Behind her, Marietta walked by and overheard. "Hey, Cho, I thought you and Nolan weren't talking anymore?" Cho opened her mouth, but seeing Nolan's lack of reaction, she huffed irritably. "We aren't! And now I'm going to Ravenclaw's table to eat!" With that, she stormed off, dragging Marietta along. Miles watched them leave with a puzzled expression. "Honestly... she should be sitting at Ravenclaw's table. Girls are impossible to understand. Nolan, sandwich?" "...Just tomato. Thanks." "Right. Tomato and bread only. Although... I'm not sure that counts as a sandwich." Miles handed it over, then stared in disbelief as Nolan tossed the bread aside and ate only the tomato slices. Before Miles could comment, The Boy Who Lived arrived. Harry Potter glanced nervously toward the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy was mid-rant, loudly recounting Harry's latest blunder in Potions class to anyone who would listen. Harry shrank slightly, clearly hoping to go unnoticed. He lightly tapped Nolan's shoulder. "Morning, Nolan. Uh... I don't know if you've heard, but—Gringotts was broken into. The same day we were there! Can you believe it?"