Chapter 442: Before and After the Funeral

"Still giggling?" Snape's cold voice came from behind. "Do you know how serious the matter is?"

"Ah, this, sorry," Harry scratched his head embarrassedly. "I will definitely next time..."

"Potter, you take them to my office," Snape said distractedly. "McGonagall doesn't know about Nicola's special situation; we'll see how to handle it in a while."

Snape flicked his hands dissatisfiedly, then turned around and disappeared from their sight.

Harry looked back; the two first-year students were already completely obedient. They followed behind Harry without saying a word, while Zhang Qiu revealed a look of inquiry.

"Nicola, oh, Nicola Karstein," some scattered memories strung together in Zhang Qiu's mind. "Does Edith know about your matter?"

"Do you have anything you're hiding from me?" Edith asked.

"I..." Nicola was timid, not knowing how to speak.

"What exactly did you do last night?" Zhang Qiu also started looking at Edith's neck. Harry also belatedly started observing those indecent red marks, and then he knew why Snape said the matter was very serious.

The color of one of the red marks was particularly bright, and there were two tiny red dots.

"Edith, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" Harry asked softly.

"No, I feel great," she said feignedly relaxed. "I even feel my body has become better."

"We have to wait for Mia to arrive to see," Harry looked at Nicola with some disappointment. "Now hurry to the Headmaster's office; don't let others hear."

"I didn't—" Nicola tried to argue rashly, but he became silent under Harry's gaze.

Harry knew the password Snape changed. After they walked into the Headmaster's office, they found Snape and Mia were already there.

"Nicola!" Mia said in a worried tone. "What did you do?"

"I, we just kissed, and then," Nicola blushed; he was too embarrassed to continue.

"You didn't bite her, did you?!" Mia walked forward, carefully examining Edith's neck. Then, her face also became colder and colder.

"I knew it," Snape closed his eyes and leaned back. "Potter, your absurd behavior this time directly harmed two people, and perhaps even harmed me."

"Sorry, but I didn't intentionally suggest they kiss," Harry defended himself helplessly. "And, this matter... should just be an accident..."

"An accident with extremely serious consequences. Miss Swan, please sit down first and try to keep calm about what I'm going to say next," Snape opened his eyes and straightened up. "First, I want to tell you that Mr. Nicola Karstein is actually a vampire."

"Oh," Edith accepted this fact very calmly. "What does it matter?"

"Secondly, when he was exploring emotional boundaries with you, perhaps because of an instinctual outburst, he sucked some of your blood."

"Then I love him too," Edith remained calm.

"The most troublesome part of this matter is here, because he harbors love for you, so under the drive of instinct, he injected some of his blood into you. This formed a 'fledgling.' You will experience a painful transition period in the next few days, and eventually... become a vampire."

"Oh, this is a good thing; this way he and I are the same kind."

Harry was already too surprised to speak when he heard "fledgling," and what surprised him even more was Edith's calm appearance.

"By the way, I've long heard that vampires have strong physical fitness. I should be more convenient to catch the Snitch now, right?"

Snape was also speechless. Generally speaking, if a wizard learns they have encountered a fledgling, they will have an emotional breakdown, or even seek death. This was the first time he had seen a wizard care about Quidditch first.

"But your spellcasting ability will gradually weaken, and you might only be able to stay at the fifth-year level for your whole life," Snape continued to popularize science for her patiently. "And, the vampire community will receive a lot of unfair treatment in the Wizarding World; your future life might be a bit difficult."

Edith looked at Nicola, then at Harry, and then boldly retorted: "But this is a problem you need to solve, sir."

"How can I solve it? By carving out a piece of land for you to build a country?" Snape waved his hand distractedly. "Then that's it. If you have no objections, then go. We will find your parents to sign an informed consent form on the weekend."

"Don't worry, my Muggle dad will only say 'this is cool'," Edith made an excited gesture with both hands. "Let's go, Nicola, there are new adventures waiting for us."

"Try not to do strenuous exercise for these two days. If you feel any discomfort, go to Madam Pomfrey in time; I will tell her," Snape said powerlessly. "Go, you two can leave."

Harry cast an inquiring look at Snape, while cryptically pointing at himself.

"Mr. Potter," after the door of the Headmaster's office closed tightly, Mia spoke. "Listening to Severus, it seems this matter started because of you."

"It really was an accident," Harry felt aggrieved.

"I don't mean anything else, just," Mia's eyes revealed worry, "if I can't come back, I want to ask you to take care of that child. Nicola is still too young; he doesn't understand what responsibility is at all."

"I am willing to do my best, but I still wish you success," Harry said sincerely.

"Thank you," she said softly.

After Harry and Zhang Qiu left the office, they immediately started complaining to each other. They both felt they were just innocently involved in an accident. However, as they chatted, Zhang Qiu started to feel this wasn't an accident.

"Perhaps this was calculated," she said. "Snape knew about the two children's matter long ago. He forcibly pulled us in just to find an extra guarantee for them."

"Then why bother? Can't he do it himself?"

"He doesn't have Rider power, and you do. Mia trusts you more," Zhang Qiu explained. "This can reduce her concerns."

"But even if it was carefully designed by him, how could it be realized? He couldn't control what two first-year children would do at all," Harry gave an opposing opinion after a short thought. "You can say he used the situation, but you can't say he had a premeditated plan."

This matter was eventually quelled quietly, and even Harry and Zhang Qiu's detention was cleverly resolved by Snape in a way like "go help Hagrid patrol." All of this was largely due to Edith's open-minded attitude, or in Zhang Qiu's words, she was somewhat "dead pig not afraid of boiling water."

"I find it hard to imagine what better news there could be," after returning from patrolling the forest that day, Harry heard Luo En shouting in the common room. "Three minutes, Harry hasn't been able to catch the Snitch in three minutes."

"Edith is discharged?" Harry said flatly. "I have a sad piece of news here, but it should be good news for you: Aragog is dying."

"Ah hahaha ah oh eh, mm, a tragedy," Luo En said feignedly seriously. "I will miss him."

"Are you talking about the big spider in Hagrid's yard? He rarely moved a few months ago," Jin Ni on the side said. "Hagrid must be very sad."

"Yes, he is preparing to hold a funeral and invited me and Zhang Qiu," Harry said. "Do you want to go?"

"No." "No no."

"What a pity," Harry sighed. "Hagrid has always been a misunderstood person."

"You just go once in a blue moon. If you chose the Care of Magical Creatures class," Jin Ni said helplessly, "you would find the problem. He actually never tried to understand us either."

Eventually, the only ones who arrived at the scene to hold the funeral for Aragog were Harry, Zhang Qiu, and Professor Slughorn, who wanted to take some venom while the spider wasn't completely dead. Then, they drank mead in Hagrid's hut, and Slughorn got drunk from over-excitement, which was almost exactly the same as the divination Zhang Qiu saw.

"Next, he should do some things that make you happy," Zhang Qiu whispered.

"He's already so drunk he can't tell who is who," Harry glanced at Slughorn; his cheeks were flushed red.

"Ah, Harry, my boy!" Slughorn grabbed the neck of a bottle of wine, his voice carrying thick drunkenness. "Do you know? I recently discovered something very interesting, simply unbelievable!"

Without waiting for Harry to ask, he continued on his own, "Our, *hic*, Professor Severus Snape, he has a sweetheart!"

This was old news; Harry smiled along helplessly.

"He? A sweetheart?" The wine glass in Hagrid's hand dropped to the ground at once; he was the least informed one.

"Yes, you must not know. That day he was brewing Felix Felicis, but encountered some problems. I smelled it at once; after all, I am the expert in this aspect, you know?" He gulped down a mouthful of wine proudly. "At that time, at that time I told him the heat of the fourth cycle was a bit too high, and he could try at the, Harry, you must know..."

Harry knew nothing about Felix Felicis; he could only answer evasively: "Because pouring it out and re-brewing is too troublesome."

"Aha! Yes, that is one of the reasons, but another is because he doesn't know the Spiral Star Vortex stirring method, which is my specialty..."

"Professor, you'd better talk about Snape's sweetheart," Hagrid interrupted him.

"Oh, oh right, I asked him who the Felix Felicis was for, and he said, a friend," Slughorn burst into loud laughter, as if this were a classic joke. "Unless it's a master specializing in Felix Felicis like me, ordinary potioneers can't brew a few bottles of Felix Felicis in a lifetime. He must be giving it to his sweetheart!"

"Do you judge just based on this point?" Hagrid's eyes revealed thick doubt.

But Harry wasn't doubtful at all; he clearly remembered Mia wearing a small golden bottle around her neck.

"You still don't believe it, my big friend?" Slughorn said proudly. "Watch, he has already opened his heart. It won't be long before we can, we can—"

His words were not finished; he just fell heavily onto the table, emitting even snoring sounds. ===== CHAPTER 443 =====