Tsk, tsk...
Thinking of this, Kael immediately packed up the box, "Thank Professor Snape for me. By the way, did he say anything?"
"Not really..." Conna glanced to the side.
In fact, when Snape gave her the box, he gritted his teeth and told her to stay away from Kael.
But she didn't say that, and before coming here, she also removed a note that was included in the box.
"It shouldn't be." Kael shook his head, not saying anything more, "Anyway, I'll take these things, remember to thank Professor Snape for me."
"Okay." Conna nodded.
"And this, help me give this to Professor Snape too." Kael took out a palm-sized, crumpled item.
"What is this, snake skin?" Conna asked as she took it.
"Sort of, it's a Basilisk's Snake Shedding." Kael said with a smile, "Just tell him it's a gift from me, Professor Snape should like it."
...
The next day, as usual, Kael was about to slack off at the Ministry of Magic, but as soon as he stepped out of the common room, he saw Snape standing like a ghost in the hallway. Upon seeing Kael, Snape immediately pulled him aside.
"The Basilisk is indeed in your hands!" Snape said with a gloomy face.
"You shouldn't say things like that, Professor Snape." Kael's face remained unchanged, "The Basilisk was dealt with by Professor Dumbledore, I wouldn't know."
"Then how do you explain this?" Snape took out the piece of Snake Shedding.
"Oh, I picked that up." Kael said, "Since you gave me such a precious gift, I thought I'd return something... If you don't like it, forget it."
Saying that, Kael reached for the Snake Shedding.
Instinctively, Snape retracted his hand, leaving Kael grab air.
"You..." Snape stared at Kael, his expression continually changing, "Is there any more of this? Give it to me!"
"No more." Kael blurted out, "But Professor Dumbledore entrusted the Basilisk to Mr. Scamander for care. If you want it, you can go find him."
Snape's face turned slightly green.
If he knew where Newt Scamander was, would he even need to come to Kael?
"How about this..." Kael continued, "I can go and ask Mr. Scamander for you to see if he has any extra Snake Shedding. What do you think? I imagine he has quite a bit, and I can have Conna send it to you."
"No need..." Snape said coldly, "You better stay away from her!"
With that, he left without looking back.
Kael watched his cloak billow, shrugging helplessly.
Come on, it's just a Quidditch match. Although the score difference was a bit big, I did let Slytherin score one goal, didn't shut them out. Is it really worth holding a grudge until now?
"So petty." Kael muttered.
Just as Snape was about to turn around, he suddenly paused, and saw Harry and Ron rushing down the stairs with broomsticks, nearly bumping into him.
"What are you doing!" Snape asked, his face dark.
"We're preparing to go to the Quidditch Pitch." Harry said quietly, "We have training today..."
"Before answering my question, you should apologize first." Snape said coldly, "Five points from Gryffindor."
"Oh, sorry..." Harry replied.
"No manners." Snape drawled, "Five more points from Gryffindor."
"Alright, sorry, Professor Snape." Harry said.
"Hmm." Snape responded indifferently, "Also, school rules prohibit running on the stairs, another five points from Gryffindor."
Harry clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the urge to punch Snape in the face, gritting his teeth and glaring at him.
But to Snape's disappointment, Harry ultimately held back, doing nothing out of line.
However, deducting a total of fifteen points from Gryffindor improved Snape's mood considerably. He ignored the seething Harry and Ron and strode toward the basement classroom.
"He's definitely picking on us because of the Quidditch match the other day."
Once Snape was far enough away, Ron immediately said, "I heard Montague and the others got a severe scolding, and even Malfoy was there when Cedric caught the Golden Snitch right under his nose. Snape was furious."
Listening to Ron, Harry's anger subsided.
The match a few days ago was the most exciting one he'd witnessed, with Slytherin trailing by over three hundred points. His cheers never stopped throughout.
To support Hufflepuff, he even bought a flag, waving it until his arm was sore.
By comparison, losing fifteen points didn't seem like a big deal anyway, since they were already at the bottom, another fifteen points wouldn't matter.
"The only pity is that they managed to score one goal." Ron sighed, "If Hufflepuff's Keeper was more reliable, it would've been perfect to save Montague's shot, leaving them with no points."
"Yeah!" Harry nodded in strong agreement.
Slytherin getting zero points in the match, even the thought of it made one happy.
"We need to hurry." Ron checked the time, "It's all Snape's fault, we're late for practice."
"You're right, if we're any later, Angelina will surely kill us."
The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously ran towards the castle entrance.
After everyone left, Kael emerged, heading towards the fourth floor via the stairs.
Although Umbridge had left the school, her office remained, and the fireplace there was opened for an hour every weekend, allowing students to go to the Ministry of Magic.