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Chapter 27. Defence

Never, in his entire career as a professor, had Severus Snape seen such an outright display of disrespect—of mockery to his cherished Hogwarts grounds.

Aside from the obvious humiliation the event caused the school, it was more of a surprise, at least to Severus, that this time, it was not at the hands of Harry Potter. 

Though initially, Severus wished it were due to Potter.

After what the boy had already ruined this term; finding a way to submit his name into the Goblet of Fire, manipulating it to choose him as one of their school's champions, sullying the standards that Hogwarts students are held to...

If this brawl had been started by Potter, it would give the headmaster no choice but to expel the dreadful boy once and for all. Albus surely would not be able to pardon his actions for another year.

But after Severus, Minerva, and the headmaster themselves had interrogated almost the entirety of the Gryffindor and Slytherin quidditch team members, it was unfortunately discovered this had not been another of Potter's schemes.

This time.

Sequestered to the privacy of the headmaster's office, one by one, all the blame seemed to point to one Gryffindor in particular.

Fred Weasley filed into the office after Minerva's lead. His twin, George Weasley, counterpart and co-conspirator, fell in close behind.

Severus scowled at the pair as they made their way closer. After being one of their professors for going on six years now, he seemed to always find himself scowling at them.

This particular afternoon was no different.

Minerva motioned a gesture with her hand, and the two sat in the remaining chairs before the headmaster's desk.

His own House's sixth-year prefect, Adrian Pucey, and fellow sixth-year, Cassius Warrington, were already seated in the chairs beside them. Both of his Slytherins had been positively maimed at the hands of these delinquents, humiliated in front of the entire student body, and in front of their visitors of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons.

If it were up to Severus, the Weasley twins would be barred from stepping foot onto the grounds ever again. But Albus, however, had disagreed to an outright explusion.

He was too lenient—too tolerant of his House and their faults.

So Severus had been given no choice but to listen.

And after his fellow Heads of House, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Ludo Bagman, and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch Sr had spent the better half of an hour wagering their opinions on the matter to the headmaster, Severus admittedly was thoroughly sick of listening.

Now, he forced himself to wait patiently as Albus began. 

"We have spoken to your teammates; those that bore witness to today's wretched display of violence. And, from what we have learned, it seems that, at the centre of what took place on the pitch, it is you four who might be able to enlighten us on what caused all of this... mayhem."

Severus assessed each of the players down the line, starting with Warrington and Pucey.

The students, whilst bruised and beaten, sat up straight in their seats. Their demeanour; calm and collected, the picture of class, just as he would expect any Slytherin to behave.

Then, he narrowed his stare on the twins, their faces identically indignant, wholly slouching in disrespectful silence.

"Mr Weasley," Minerva said sternly.