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In the warm afternoon, sunlight slanted through the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, casting a cozy glow.
Pandora's steps were light as she led Severus Snape toward her laboratory.
Along the way, flecks of light filtered through the stained-glass windows, scattering shifting colors across the stone floor.
She needed to make some preparations in the lab before checking on an unusual protective charm.
"Pandora, what kind of experiments do you do?" Snape asked.
"Lately, I've been working on a special project—combining spells with plants. Casting certain spells on plants can produce astonishing effects.
"For instance, if you cast 'Stupe-Tergeo' on mistletoe, its blossoms release an enchanting fragrance. That scent draws people closer, and after a whiff, they fall into a coma, drifting into a warm, pleasant dream.
"Last time, I missed several days of classes because of it. Luckily, no one came looking for me, and when I returned, it was as if nothing had happened."
"…"
Snape fell silent, unsure how to respond.
A strange feeling stirred in his chest. He found her antics oddly endearing, yet he felt a pang of sadness for her.
"What's 'Stupe-Tergeo'?" he asked softly.
"It's a spell I invented. I combined 'Stupefy' and 'Tergeo' to create 'Stupe-Tergeo.'"
They chatted as they climbed, soon reaching the eighth floor of the castle.
Snape glanced up and saw the tapestry of a troll in a ballet tutu.
He raised an eyebrow. Are all of Hogwarts' secret places this lively?
"Wait here a moment," Pandora said, glancing around.
She paced the corridor, muttering, "I need a laboratory, I need a laboratory…"
Before long, Snape spotted a smooth door materialize on the blank wall.
He stepped forward, opened it, and held it for Pandora to enter.
Inside was a circular room, much smaller than the place he'd hidden things before.
Several large round tables stood in the center, cluttered with oddly shaped glassware and scattered papers. Near the window, a row of vibrant plants bloomed in pots.
"Isn't it amazing?" Pandora said. "The castle has a dedicated laboratory, and I'm the only one who uses it."
"It is," Snape agreed, not wanting to dampen her enthusiasm.
His eyes roamed the room and landed on a stack of newspapers on one of the tables.
"Why do you have copies of The Daily Prophet here?"
"I use them to wrap dragon dung," Pandora replied nonchalantly, tidying the glassware.
"Fair enough," Snape said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "How did you find this place?"
"They wouldn't let me experiment in the dorms—said it was too dangerous," Pandora explained. "So I looked for an empty classroom in the castle. The professors didn't approve of that either, so I kept moving around. Once, Peeves even wrecked months' worth of my materials.
"But since I found this place, no one bothers me anymore."
She picked up a gleaming crystal orb and showed it to Snape. "Look, this is a Revealing Resonance Crystal. Tap it with your wand, and it shows hidden things nearby, like Wrackspurts or what have you.
"But be careful—use it too long, and your brain starts slowing down, like it's turning to sludge…"
Pandora eagerly showed Snape around her lab, pointing out inventions that stretched beyond his imagination. He couldn't fathom how she'd created them.
"Alright, time to prep for a special explosion," she announced.
She hefted a plain sack from the floor and pulled out an array of bottles, vials, and a brass scale, setting to work amid a haze of swirling mist.
"Pandora, did you make that sack yourself?" Snape asked.
He'd noticed its unnatural capacity, reminiscent of the charmed bag Hermione Granger had used during the trio's nomadic days.
"What?" Pandora looked up, her hands still busy. "Oh, this? Yes, I used an Undetectable Extension Charm. Without it, moving the lab would be a nightmare."
"Er, would it be too much trouble to make one for me?" Snape asked, picking up a copy of The Daily Prophet from the table, his cheeks slightly flushed.
He suddenly felt the room was a bit warm.
"Sure," Pandora said without hesitation. "But the charm's tricky. It took me several tries to get this one right. I'm not sure when I'll manage another for you."
"No rush, no rush," Snape said cheerfully. "Whenever you have time."
He leaned against the wall, unfolded the newspaper, and left Pandora to her work.
It was an April issue, filled with unremarkable reports.
Ministry updates and gossip dominated the pages, with no trace of magical theory—an unsurprising reflection of the writers' shallow minds.
Snape concluded that The Daily Prophet wasn't a top-tier paper. Wrapping dragon dung was indeed its best use.
Then, in a small corner of the final page, he spotted the words "Muggle Prime Minister."
"Minister of Magic Meets New Muggle Prime Minister":
"Recently, Minister of Magic Harold Minchum held a friendly and in-depth meeting with the new Muggle Prime Minister, James Hacker… The two discussed several matters of mutual interest… Both emphasized the importance of harmony between wizards and Muggles… We believe that current challenges are temporary, and through joint efforts, a world of peace and prosperity…"
"Wait… James Hacker…"
Snape, about to set the paper down, grabbed it again, staring at the common British name that matched Potter's and the accompanying moving photo.
"James… Jim… Jim Hacker…"
"Bloody hell!" His grip tightened, and with a rip, he tore the page in half.
The new Muggle Prime Minister's half-face still smiled stiffly from the torn paper.
"What's wrong, Severus?" Pandora asked.
"Nothing, nothing," Snape said, folding the torn page and tucking it into his pocket. "This world's just… peculiar."
"Tell me about it," Pandora said, still mixing colorful potions without looking up.
Years later, Snape would vividly recall that autumn afternoon in 1976, in the Room of Requirement. Pandora tinkered with her experiments, while he leafed through The Daily Prophet. Not a trace of worry clouded his mind, not even a shadow of doubt.
In the years that followed, he rushed through life, rarely pausing. Never again did he have an afternoon quite like that.
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