Chapter 25: The Library Pass

Malfoy nearly jumped out of his skin at the noise behind him. He was about to grab Crabbe and Goyle and bolt to the other side of the sofa when he realized his two "friends" had already vanished without a trace. Useless when it matters, but faster than anyone when it's time to run! They were like those reporters from the Daily Prophet—what was that one's name? Rita something? But honestly, Malfoy wasn't too worried. He'd only been gossiping about Edward behind his back, nothing too outrageous. Plus, with so many older students around, Edward wouldn't dare start a fight in front of everyone. More than that, Malfoy was actually looking forward to seeing Edward's dejected face. Wait, hold on. Edward had gone to the dungeon at seven, and now it was... what, not even nine? A little over an hour of detention? That was shorter than two Potions classes! Weren't some people stuck in detention until the next morning? When Malfoy took a closer look at Edward's face, he saw a bright, beaming smile—not a hint of gloom to be found. It was as if Edward hadn't just been in detention but had been having a cheerful tea party with Snape. Malfoy was so frustrated he could barely speak. He wanted to throw out a snarky comment to mock Edward, but the words wouldn't come. His little face, lit by the firelight, looked more and more like a red apple. "Edward? You're back already?" The other students were equally stunned. "What did Professor Snape make you do?" Daphne was more curious about the details of Edward's detention. She didn't think she'd ever end up in detention herself, but it couldn't hurt to know what it was like, just in case. "Nothing much, just sorting some potion ingredients for next week's class," Edward said with a casual shrug. Malfoy blurted out in disbelief, "Sorting ingredients? That's supposed to be a punishment?" The other first-years exchanged looks, equally skeptical of Edward's story. They'd imagined detention would involve something dramatic—like being hung upside down from the ceiling by chains, forced to drink some strange potion, or facing off against a dangerous magical creature. But sorting ingredients? That sounded way too normal. "Didn't Professor Snape say anything else?" Even Daphne suspected Edward was holding something back. "Not really," Edward replied. "But he did give me this, so I might have to skip the afternoon tea this weekend. Sorry, everyone." He carefully pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve. The entire room went silent. Even the older students—and even the prefect, Gemma—put down their quills. They felt like their worldviews had been turned upside down. Talking back to Snape in class, getting called to detention, and all he had to do was sort ingredients? Fine, whatever. But after sorting ingredients, Snape had personally given him a library pass to borrow Powerful Potions from the Restricted Section? That was a book even older students struggled to get their hands on! Gemma herself had asked Snape for it three times, only to be rejected with all sorts of excuses. And now a first-year was about to start studying a potions book that even fifth-years weren't allowed to touch? Under Snape's personal approval and guidance, no less? If it weren't for Edward's undeniable magical talent, some students might've started wondering if he was Snape's secret son! Even though they didn't look anything alike, it was still suspicious! In all the years Snape had been teaching Potions, this was completely unheard of! Malfoy's shoulders slumped. He collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the chandelier above. Just moments ago, he'd been smug about Snape's praise in class, but now he felt like he was nothing. "Oh, by the way," Edward added, as if it had just occurred to him, "next week we're learning how to make the Forgetfulness Potion." That bit of news made every first-year's eyes light up. "I just remembered I've got homework to finish. I'll see you all later," Blaise said, being the first to stand. "Uh, I'm feeling a bit sleepy. Heading back to rest. Goodnight, everyone," Pansy said next, hurrying off to the dorms. Then came Theodore Nott, Tracey Davis, and even Crabbe and Goyle, all rushing back to their rooms in a frenzy. Slytherins might not be the most studious bunch, but they weren't stupid. If they had information like this and didn't start preparing for next week's lesson, they'd have to be out of their minds. Even Malfoy, dragging his heavy body, trudged back to his dorm to crack open his textbook. He didn't want to accept Edward's "help," but this wasn't help—it was just something Edward had said! That didn't count as help, right? Soon, nearly all the Slytherin first-years had vanished. A new crowd formed around Edward—this time, it was the older students. They were all eyeing Powerful Potions with envy. The book contained fascinating recipes—like the potent Love Potion, Polyjuice Potion, and Invisibility Potion, all with incredible effects. The older students were desperate to borrow it from Edward. "Bedivere, let's make a deal. Let me take a look at Powerful Potions, and you can borrow my Firebolt for two days." "A Firebolt? Boring! I've got two vials of Love Potion I brewed myself. Let me see the book, and they're yours!" "I'll give you 5 Galleons!" "10 Galleons!" The once-quiet common room erupted into chaos. Older students were shouting over each other, offering all sorts of wild deals just to get their hands on the book. After all, this might be their only chance to peek at its contents during their entire time at school! "Quiet down, all of you! What is this, Diagon Alley? This is the Slytherin common room, not Knockturn Alley!" A sharp voice cut through the noise from the back of the crowd. Prefect Gemma Farley finally pushed her way to Edward. "Edward, I bet you'd like a quiet place to read, right? Prefects have a private lounge. I can take you there during the day," she said with a smile, brushing her sleek blonde hair behind her ear, revealing the elegant curve of her neck. The other Slytherin boys couldn't help but stare, enchanted. Gemma Farley was known as Slytherin's ice queen, often cold even to her own housemates. And now she was smiling at a first-year? Inviting him to the prefects' private lounge? Leave it to a prefect to play dirty to get her hands on that book! Surrounded by the crowd, Edward forced down the corners of his mouth, which were threatening to curl into a grin. He knew full well that all these older students were after his book. When their desire was strong enough, he could even sense, through some strange intuition, exactly which potion recipes they were hoping to learn. He'd heard how hard it was to borrow anything from the Restricted Section. So, he was happy to share. But he needed to read it too, and everyone else wanted a look. Was there a way to make this work for everyone? Wait—got it! read more inpatreon ilham20