Warm afternoon sunlight slanted through the stained-glass windows, casting patches of color on the stone corridors of Hogwarts.
Pandora walked with a bounce in her step, leading Snape toward her laboratory. The light dappled the floor as if the castle itself was humming in harmony with her rhythm.
She had to finish a few preparations before examining the unusual protective magic he'd encountered.
"Pandora, what sort of experiments are you working on, exactly?"
"Lately I've been studying something special—combining spells with plants. If you enchant the right kind of plant with the right incantation, you can get some very surprising results.
"For instance, cast Stupe-Tergeo on mistletoe, and its blossoms give off a scent so enchanting people can't help but lean closer. One sniff, and they drift into a dreamy sleep… lovely, warm dreams.
"I missed a few days of class that way. No one even came looking. When I got back, it was like nothing had happened."
"…"
Snape didn't know what to say.
He felt something strange welling up inside him—some odd mix of amusement and concern. There was something genuinely endearing about her, but also something quietly heartbreaking.
"What's Stupe-Tergeo?" he asked softly.
"Oh, that's a spell I invented. I combined Stupefy and Tergeo—you know, Stunning and Scouring—into one. 'Stupe-Tergeo.'"
They chatted all the way up to the eighth floor without realizing how far they'd climbed.
Snape looked up and blinked—there it was, the tapestry of the troll in a tutu.
He raised an eyebrow. So many ancient secrets in Hogwarts, and even the strangest places are getting crowded.
"Wait here," Pandora said, glancing up and down the corridor.
She began pacing back and forth, murmuring under her breath: "I need a place to do experiments… I need a place to do experiments…"
Moments later, the smooth white door appeared in the wall again.
Snape stepped forward and opened it, holding it for her to pass through.
This Room of Requirement was round and much smaller than the one he'd used to hide things.
Inside were several circular tables covered with assorted glassware and notes. Along the far wall near the windows, rows of colorful plants grew in organized chaos.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Pandora beamed. "A secret lab, all to myself. No one else ever comes here."
"It's definitely… impressive," Snape replied, unwilling to deflate her enthusiasm.
His eyes wandered—until they landed on something familiar.
"You've got copies of The Daily Prophet in here?"
"I use them to wrap dragon dung," Pandora replied breezily, rearranging some flasks.
"Perfectly reasonable," Snape said through a twitch of his mouth. "So how'd you find this place?"
"They wouldn't let me run experiments in the dorm—said it was dangerous." She rolled her eyes. "I kept trying to find empty classrooms, but the professors wouldn't allow that either. So I kept moving around. Peeves even smashed a batch of ingredients I'd been saving for weeks.
"But then I found this place, and nobody's bothered me since."
She picked up a crystal sphere and held it out to him. "This is a Resonance Reveal Crystal. Tap it with your wand and it shows you invisible things nearby—like Nargles and such.
"But use it too long and your brain starts to slow down. Like treacle."
Pandora continued excitedly, showing him piece after peculiar piece. So much of it was beyond what Snape thought possible. He couldn't imagine how she'd put it all together.
"All right. Time to prep for the blastwork," she said.
She hauled a small, plain-looking bag up from the floor, unpacked a clinking array of vials and a brass scale, and began mixing under a cloud of fragrant smoke.
"Pandora, did you make that bag yourself?"
Snape had noticed how the tiny satchel was clearly holding far more than it should—reminding him of Hermione's enchanted beaded handbag.
"Hm?" Pandora didn't look up. "Oh, this? Yeah. I used the Undetectable Extension Charm. Would've been impossible to move the lab otherwise."
"I, uh… do you think you could make one for me?"
He held up a folded copy of The Daily Prophet, trying to look casual.
The room suddenly felt warmer.
"Sure!" she said instantly. "But that charm's tricky. Took me ages to get it right for this one. Not sure when I'll manage another."
"No rush. Really," Snape said, relieved. "Whenever you've got the time."
He moved to a corner, opened the newspaper, and let her work in peace.
It was a spring edition, nothing worth noting. Ministry updates, gossip columns… Not a single article touched on magical theory. Clearly, the editors weren't interested in anything that required thinking.
By the time he reached the last page, Snape had to agree—The Daily Prophet wasn't worthy of wrapping anything but dragon dung.
Then something in the corner caught his eye—"Muggle Prime Minister."
"Minister of Magic Meets with New Muggle Prime Minister"
"Recently, Minister of Magic Harold Minchum held a cordial and in-depth meeting with the new Muggle Prime Minister, Jim Hacker… The two discussed shared concerns… emphasized peaceful coexistence between magical and non-magical communities… expressed hope for a future of harmony and prosperity…"
Jim Hacker…
Snape stared at the name.
James… Jim… Jim Hacker…
"Bloody hell—!"
The paper tore in his hands with a loud rrrip.
The Prime Minister's face smiled half-heartedly from the torn scrap.
"What happened, Severus?" Pandora asked, startled.
"Nothing. Nothing," Snape muttered, folding the page and stuffing it into his pocket. "What a… curious world we live in."
"I know, right?" Pandora answered, not even looking up from her bubbling flasks.
Years later, Snape would still remember that afternoon in the Room of Requirement, sunlight slanting across scattered glass, Pandora muttering at her cauldron, him flipping through that useless paper with no worries, no shadows hanging over his head.
There would be no other afternoon like it.
Not ever again.
---------------------------------------------------------------
New translation : Naruto: I Can Use Corpse Release !
Give power stones to that new story if you want bonus chapter in all current translated fanfics !
300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter