HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 129 Hard Times

Harry had a rough time after becoming a champion. Even though Ron and Hermione kept explaining that he hadn't done those things, it was no use; suspicious eyes still followed him. It wasn't until Severus, annoyed by Draco, finally stepped in to refute the rumors that things stopped.

"Do you think that person might lie for Harry Potter?"

"It's unlikely. That person really hates Gryffindor, how could they possibly help lie?"

"Hufflepuff loses 10 points for gossiping about classmates behind their backs."

A sinister voice came from behind them, and a dark figure shrouded them. Severus saw the two young wizards shudder before his anger subsided, and they obediently lowered their heads to listen to the Potions Professor's art of language.

"I will tell your dean the truth: you are maliciously speculating about your classmates and undermining the unity of the academy." As Severus uttered each word, the two little badgers grew paler and paler, remembering what their dean hated most.

"No, no, no, Professor Snape, we were wrong. You can punish us however you want, but please don't tell Professor Sprout. Please!"

"We know we were wrong, Professor Snape, please..."

Before Severus could finish his taunts, Sprout was summoned by the ghosts. Even just giving a tip would earn them points, and they couldn't miss that opportunity.

"Thank you, Severus. I'll take care of the rest."

"OK."

Seeing the angry look on Sprout's face, Severus chose to obey. These two little brats who talked behind his back would definitely not get away with it. He walked into the hall with a happy face.

The thing that's been bothering him most lately is that he has to eat in the Great Hall every day. As the Head of Slytherin, he can't miss group activities when other schools are present. Luckily, Fawkes can mingle with the house-elves to serve him, though he doesn't really want to eat traditional British food.

After all the young wizards had finished eating, Dumbledore announced the day's schedule: at noon, the wands of the four warriors would be inspected to ensure that no wand malfunctions would cause them injury.

Harry ate with his head down, his messy hair and pale face making him look terrible. Hermione didn't expect this guy, who had suffered setbacks in both love and studies, to be any smarter. She wrote down the entire competition schedule in her notebook, then made a copy for Ron, making sure there were two people reminding Harry.

The morning passed by in a daze, and Severus was full of impatience. He had just taught Potions to Durmstrang's students and almost got blown to bits. He really didn't know who they learned their potions from.

"Bang."

"Severus, you're back! I baked some chocolate chip cookies; they're on the coffee table, have a taste."

Hearing the door close, Emeric looked up at the doorway. He had already guessed that Severus would be in a bad mood when he returned, so he had baked some cookies and placed them on the coffee table.

I picked up a cookie and put it in my mouth. After chewing it a few times, the rich aroma of cocoa spread in my mouth. I ate several Severus cookies in a row before slowing down and picking up my black tea to savor it.

the other side

Harry handed his wand to Ollivander and stepped aside to wait for the examination results. He looked around and saw only Cedric beckoning to him; the other two didn't seem very friendly. Without hesitation, he went to Cedric's side. Recent events had left him with no desire to communicate, and he waited in silence.

"Harry Potter".

Hearing his name called, Harry snapped out of his reverie, stepped forward, and reached for his wand. "Thank you, Mr. Ollivander."

"You're welcome. You've taken good care of your wand." Ollivander was always kind to the young wizard who took good care of his wand, and he smiled at Harry.

"The children have finished their check-up. Go eat now, and don't forget you have class later," Dumbledore winked at them, telling them the unfortunate news.

"Oh hi, you're Harry Potter, right? I'm Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet. I'm sure we'll have a great time." Rita Skeeter then forcibly pulled Harry away, despite Harry's repeated refusals.

"Come on, darling, let's find an empty room. Staying in such a noisy place will affect our conversation. Let me see where we can go. Ah, I've found it."

Rita Skeeter pushed Harry into the empty classroom, ignoring his refusal. She sat down opposite him, rummaged through her purse, and pulled out three quills.

"You shouldn't mind if I use a shorthand quill, right? Otherwise, it's too much trouble to take notes while talking."

"Uh... I don't mind."

"Great! Let me see what to write first. How about the beautiful Rita Skeeter exposing the savior's exaggerated reputation?"

"If you write it like that, I'm leaving." Harry snatched the parchment from Rita Skeeter's hand. She was dreaming of getting on the trending topics list; all those years of lessons from Lucius and Emeric hadn't been for nothing.

"Don't be angry, child, let's not talk about this." Rita Skeeter took out a second parchment. "So, Harry, what made you decide to participate in the Tournament?"

"If that's what you're asking, I have no comment." Harry remained expressionless, successfully deceiving the annoying reporter opposite him.

Two other quills were writing rapidly behind her, but unfortunately Rita Skeeter completely covered it up, and Harry didn't see it.

"Oh boy, that's no fun. You have to answer my third question." She pouted, but secretly she was pleased with herself. No matter how careful you were, you couldn't guard against her quill pen.

"Go ahead and ask."

"What are your thoughts on the upcoming match? Are you excited, nervous, or uneasy?" Rita Skeeter's tone grew increasingly excited, as if she could already see tomorrow's headline.

"Both are true. I'm excited about the upcoming competition, but I'm also afraid of not meeting my classmates' expectations." Having seen Lucius give such official-sounding answers so many times, Harry had learned to play it safe.

"Have you... ever thought... if the deaths that happened before might happen again?" Rita Skeeter said lightly.

"On this point, we should trust the three headmasters and the officials from the Ministry of Magic. I believe that with them around, the danger will be minimized. I think you think so too, right?"

"Hehe, of course, that's all for our interview. Harry, you should go back to class." Rita Skeeter gave an awkward smile, thinking Harry was slippery and didn't look like someone his age at all. But it didn't matter; her quill would write down what she wanted to know.

Harry felt something was off, so he turned and headed to the cellar to ask Emerick if his answer had been wrong or taken out of context.