Could Ken and Snape be in cahoots?

Chapter 78 Could Ken and Snape be in cahoots?

Harry jumped back onto his flying broomstick and soared into the air. He glided silently over the castle and saw Snape running into the Forbidden Forest. He followed. The dense trees obstructed his view, and he couldn't see where Snape went. He circled, lower and lower, until he was almost touching the treetops when he finally heard voices…

He flew silently toward them, landing quietly on a towering tree. He hovered there silently in the canopy, gripping his flying broom tightly. Through the leaves, he saw Snape standing in a shadowy clearing below, and Professor Quirrell opposite him, who seemed to be trembling.

Harry couldn't see the expression on his face, but he stuttered worse than ever.

"...No, I don't know why you...why you chose to meet here, Severus..."

What do you think?

Snape said coldly, "Are we supposed to be discussing how to get the Philosopher's Stone in Hogwarts, right under Dumbledore's nose?"

Quirrell seemed to be muttering something, but Snape interrupted him, his tone impatient: "Have you even figured out how to get past that damned three-headed dog?!"

"Severus, I..."

"You don't want to be my enemy, do you, Quirrell?"

As Snape spoke, he took a step closer to him.

"I...I don't know...I know you..." Quirrell stumbled backward, looking like he was about to cry.

"You know exactly what I mean."

Snape seemed to be sneer: "If you insist on doing this... I'm waiting for your secret tricks."

"But...but I won't...I won't..."

"very good."

Snape interrupted him, "Well then, I'll give you time to think it over. We'll talk again once you've decided who you want to serve."

He covered his head with his cloak and strode out of the open space.

It was almost completely dark, but Harry could still see Quirrell standing there motionless, like a clay or wooden sculpture.

……

"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione screamed.

"We won! You won! We won!" Ron patted Harry hard on the back. "Everyone's waiting for you in the common room. We're having a celebration. Fred and George stole some cake and stuff from the kitchen, and Hufflepuff didn't give us any trouble..."

"Never mind those things for now."

Harry, panting, said, "Find an empty classroom, I have something important to tell you..."

After confirming that no one was in the room, the three of them turned around and closed the door. Then Harry told Ron and Hermione what he had just seen and heard.

"So, the previous analysis was correct; that thing is the Philosopher's Stone. Snape wanted to force Quirrell to help him get the stone. He asked Quirrell if he knew how to get past Fluffy and mentioned Quirrell's 'secret trick'..."

Hermione was the first to recover from her surprise and began to analyze the situation methodically: "I suspect that besides Fluffy, there are probably other mechanisms guarding that stone, possibly a lot of magic, and maybe even Professor Quirrell's arrangements..."

"But,"

Harry's face paled slightly: "Didn't Ken swear that Snape wasn't the one trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?"

As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them fell silent.

"...You've seen it with your own eyes; it was Snape who tried to steal the Philosopher's Stone."

Hermione sighed. "What does this mean...?"

"Ken and Snape are in cahoots?"

Ron speculated.

"Unlikely."

Harry shook his head: "Snape has always only liked Slytherin, and many Hufflepuffs have complained about Snape's favoritism towards his own house, haven't they?"

"But doesn't Ken happen to have a Slytherin friend?"

"That proves even less. Don't forget, when Snape tried to kill me, it was Baron who helped me... I think Ken might have been fooled by Snape. He's a good student like Hermione, always thinking all professors are saints..."

"Um?"

Hermione gave Harry a threatening look, causing him to involuntarily take a half-step back: "Isn't that right? Before you saw Snape trying to harm me, you thought so too..."

"snort."

Hermione was speechless and could only give him a fierce glare.

"You shouldn't have believed him in the first place."

Ron chimed in, "At least Snape wanted to harm you, and the bite you got from Fluffy on Halloween couldn't be faked, right? Isn't that enough to prove it? And Ken didn't even tell you any reason, just gave you vague excuses..."

"...I'll go ask him."

Harry started to walk out, saying, "Anyway, Ken was definitely involved in the Philosopher's Stone affair, and he knows more than we do. I have to tell him about it and ask him why he believes Snape!"

"etc!"

Hermione quickly pulled Harry back: "If he was tricked by Snape, that's one thing, but what if, as Ron says, he's in cahoots with Snape? Don't forget, Ken's background is very mysterious; nobody even knows his real name. If he was born with a certain bias, then his involvement in the Philosopher's Stone as a student makes perfect sense!"

"But we can't confirm which side he's on, so we can't rule out the possibility that he's with Snape. And if that's the case, his mention of Nicolas Flamel and Dumbledore knowing about this is likely a lie, meant to stop you from investigating; and your going to him on your own is tantamount to exposing yourself to Snape!"

"Then I'll go straight to Dumbledore!"

You might not be able to see him.

Ron frowned and said, "I heard that entering the Headmaster's office requires a special password, and only the professors know that password. The professors have worked with Snape for a long time and won't easily suspect him, plus we don't have direct evidence..."

After that, only the three of them remained in the empty classroom, looking at each other in silence.

"...Let's go to Hufflepuff and ask around first."

Finally, Hermione sighed and said, "At least we should know what subjects Ken excels at and which professors he's close to, so we can make a general judgment..."

"That's all we can do for now."

Finally, the three of them emerged from the empty classroom and headed to the basement level where the Hufflepuff common room was located, intending to ask some Hufflepuffs for information. And then…

"Harry, Ron, Hermione? What are you doing here?"

Avada looked at the three guys standing next to the pile of barrels with some surprise.

"Ah, it's okay, we...we..."

Hermione quickly stepped forward, flashing a sweet smile. "We were just a little hungry and thought we'd come to the kitchen to find something to eat. Oh, you're just envious that your Hufflepuffs live so close to the kitchen, able to eat whatever they want..."

Avada: ...

If you can show a little less tension, panic, and doubt in your mental state, then I'll believe you.

As for why they suddenly acted this way, he had a guess—maybe they finally witnessed Snape and Quirrell's conspiracy, or they found some other incriminating evidence against Snape, and now they probably still suspect that he was in cahoots with Snape and that he had deceived them before…

The problem is that this thing can't be explained—he really is in cahoots with Snape.

They were all working for Dumbledore, spies for Voldemort, and not just one group, but colleagues!

So, how do you start to fool people?

(End of this chapter)