Chapter - 18.2
Inside the Potions classroom,
Alex stood in front of Professor Snape's office. He had followed Professor Snape to know if he needed him to do something. Alex never took the initiative prior to this, but when he saw Professor Snape limping, he thought about it and decided to try. Alex then knocked lightly at his door and waited.
"Come in," Alex did not have to wait that long when he heard Professor Snape.
"What are you doing here?" Professor Snape raised his eyebrows when he saw Alex walk in, "I did not call for you."
"I saw that you were injured," Alex replied without hesitation, "Is everything all right?"
"I am alright. Nothing for you to worry about," Professor Snape replied and got back to whatever he was doing," And if there is nothing else, you can leave," the Professor said without even looking at Alex.
Professor Snape was not very keen on divulging any information to Alex.
"I can help..."
But before Alex could complete it, Professor Snape almost snapped at him, "I said you can leave. Now..."
"Yes..." Alex could only agree. He was in no position to push Professor Snape. But Alex could feel that whatever the problem was, it was taking a toll on him.
Walking out of the classroom, Alex decided to head back to his room when he saw Filch coming his way.
'He must know something,' Alex thought about it and walked up to Filch. Mrs Norris, his cat, was also walking behind him leisurely.
Filch also, when saw Alex, did not show much surprise. He already had a general idea about Alex's relationship with Professor Snape. Professor Snape had asked him to turn a blind eye every time they crossed paths and only report to him about the matter.
And with this arrangement in place, Filch felt he was equal to Alex, so there was no need for him to be courteous. But Mrs Norris was different. As soon as she saw Alex, she looked up at him and sprinted towards him at full speed. She only stopped by his feet as she sniffed and circled around him.
"Mrs Norris?" Meanwhile, Filch looked at his cat in shock. He somehow felt betrayed when Mrs Norris showed affection to Alex. Never has she done that before. So, without wasting time, with his back hunched, Filch took hurried steps towards Alex and Mrs Norris. He won't let a rascal influence her beloved.
"What did..." Just as Filch reached Alex, he angrily wanted to ask what black magic he had done on his cat when Alex put his finger on his lips and gestured for Filch to stop. Alex then leaned a bit to his side and looked behind Filch. There was someone else in the corridor, hiding and peeking at them. And it was none other than Harry.
When Harry saw that he had been found, he stepped out from behind the wall and, brushing his clothes, walked towards them. But he did not stop beside them. Instead, Harry entered the Potions classroom. It seems he had some business with Professor Snape.
And soon, the corridor reverberated with Professor Snape's loud voice. Alex has never heard or seen Professor Snape yell. His sarcasm and scorn were more than enough to put the other party to shame.
And in that one-sided conversation, Alex heard Professor Snape say something along the lines of three-head. And it instantly clicked to him that Professor Snape was talking about that giant dog in that room. Connecting the dots, Alex frowned.
'Why would he try and go past that dog?' Alex thought. That day he could not clearly see anything, but when the dog moved, he clearly heard a creaking sound. And when Alex looked down, Alex was sure that he saw something like a trap door. And if the dog was guarding that door, it must be protecting something. So why would his master want to go past that? It made no sense. Was he trying to steal whatever the dog was protecting?
But while Alex thought about the weird behaviour of Professor Snape, the door of the classroom opened with a bang, and Harry made a run for his life. He dashed so fast through the corridor that he didn't even spare a glance towards Alex in his retreat. Filch, on the other hand, unexpectedly ignored his beloved Mrs Norris and ran inside the classroom, possibly, to check on Professor Snape.
Meanwhile, Alex decided to wait for Filch to come back. He squatted in front of Mrs Norris and sat down in the corridor with his back against the wall, playing with Mrs Norris.
Not many people liked him, and Alex knew that. But for some odd reason, that was totally different for the animals. Animals had no hesitation approaching him. And even Alex found peace around them. Especially the cats, which could also be one of the reasons that he felt an affinity towards Erebus at the shop.
It took some time, but Filch finally came out, and Alex was still playing with Mrs Norris. Seeing Filch, Alex stood up with Mrs Norris in his arms and asked Filch.
"How is the Professor?"
But Filch remained silent. He was more concerned about Mrs Norris. The not notorious Mrs Norris, who had her tales spread wide across throughout Hogwarts looked so docile right now. How can Filch not believe that Alex has used some black magic on her?
"Hey... You shouldn't ignore someone, you know," Alex frowned and called out to Filch, who was spaced out.
"He is fine. There is nothing you can do anyway. So try not to overstep your bounds. In terms of seniority, you are nowhere close to me," Filch arrogantly replied as he stole Mrs Norris away from Alex's embrace, "And stay away from my Mrs Norris. You are a bad influence on her."
"And you hardly any influence to anyone," Alex did not stand there to bicker with Filch. Since he knew professor Snape was fine, he had no interest in anything else. So without wasting any more time with Filch, Alex left.
"Huh... Do you think you are safe just because you have Professor Snape on your back?" Filch sneered, "I am sure he won't mind me teaching you some manners."
Filch now had a new target on his radar. How dare he influence his Mrs Norris?
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