Chapter 618: The Professor’s Strange Behavior
"Kanna, listen to me. If you have the time, you should take Snape to the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey check him out. I'm starting to think he might've drunk the wrong potion."
In the Hufflepuff Common Room that evening, Kyle was trying to convince Kanna to pay closer attention to Snape's condition. His genuine concern, however, was met with silence. Kanna focused on her homework, showing no intention of engaging with him. Occasionally, when she tired of Kyle's persistence, she would glare at him in irritation.
"I'm serious," Kyle insisted.
Having spent five years at Hogwarts, Kyle was well-acquainted with Snape's teaching methods. From his very first year up to now, Snape had never failed to deduct points from him during a single class. Not once.
To Kyle, it was almost a comforting constant. So, when Snape awarded him one point instead of taking any away, it felt... surreal. It wasn't until Kyle left the classroom and noticed the daggers being thrown at him by the Slytherins that he fully processed the moment. Snape hadn't deducted points—he'd added them.
Snape. The man addicted to deducting points from Hufflepuff.
Kyle's first instinct was disbelief. Such behavior was utterly out of character, and in his mind, it could only mean one thing: Snape must've consumed the wrong potion.
This was why he was so adamant about convincing Kanna to take action. After all, Snape was practically family to her. And while Kyle might not hold any warm feelings for the man, standing by and doing nothing felt wrong.
Kanna, however, had a different perspective.
"What's so strange about getting extra credit for meeting the professor's expectations?" she said with a note of exasperation, finally looking up from her parchment. "Professor Snape is just stricter than usual. These are advanced classes, after all—the difficulty's much higher, so it's only natural for him to acknowledge when someone excels."
"No, no, no." Kyle shook his head emphatically, though he kept his more candid thoughts to himself. This would be fine if it were any other professor, but Snape? He's just... strange in every way.