Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 166 An Unpleasant Encounter

Chapter 166 An Unpleasant Encounter

In most people's minds, women are more likely to enjoy shopping.

But the crowds and dazzling array of goods in Diagon Alley only made Belvina feel noisy.

Harry, on the other hand, let loose and jumped around like a wild donkey, finding everything new and exciting.

He first took a fancy to a pure gold Gobbler, then a set of exquisite galaxy models, and finally stood in front of the Quidditch boutique for a long time, unwilling to leave.

Harry, rooted to the spot, stared intently at the latest flying broomstick on display in the glass case. The streamlined design of the Firebolt, the fine ash wood handle, and the birch branch broom tip were all incredibly appealing.

Harry's gaze at the Firebolt could be described as timeless.

However, the "Price Negotiable" sign on the Firebolt made Harry hesitate, and he had to convince himself to give up buying it, constantly reminding himself that he still had five years of schooling at Hogwarts.

Because Harry lingered in the various shops, by the time he had bought all the necessities for the new school year, it was already past noon.

Belvina took Harry to a bustling coffee shop, where the two sat quietly in the bright sunlight, each enjoying their lunch.

The sounds of conversations from the other diners around them occasionally reached their ears; some were showing off their newly purchased items, while others were discussing Sirius Black's prison break.

"Harry!"

Suddenly, they heard someone call Harry's name. Belvina and Harry looked in the direction of the sound almost simultaneously—Neville Longbottom.

Two years ago, during their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express, Neville, the "Tearful Bag," left a deep impression on Belvina.

Mr. Longbottom appears to be a shy, clumsy, and somewhat introverted boy who is sometimes ridiculed, sometimes bullied, and sometimes cries for Toad Raeford.

But in Belvina's view, a sleeping beast dwells in the inner world of Mr. Longbottom, and the more he denies himself, the deeper the beast of courage sleeps.

"Neville!" Harry greeted him cheerfully. "Are you here to shop too?"

Harry wanted to invite Neville over, but when he saw the old witch standing next to Neville, he immediately swallowed his invitation.

The old witch standing next to Neville wore a long dress, her withered, eagle-claw-like hands carrying a large red handbag, and her pointed hat decorated with a vulture specimen; she looked quite unapproachable.

"Is he your friend, Neville, little darling?" Augusta Longbottom said, leading Neville over.

Mrs. Longbottom gazed at Harry and slowly said, "I know who you are. I often hear your name from Neville, and he speaks very highly of you."

As Mrs. Longbottom spoke, she stretched out her withered, eagle-claw-like hand.

Harry stood up and shook her hand.

Compared to the poised and elegant Mrs. Longbottom, Neville's round face turned a deep purplish-red, and he stood there awkwardly, seemingly wanting to escape the coffee shop.

Neville knew his own situation best; he had only seen Harry, which was why he greeted him, and he hadn't seen Belvina sitting next to him.

If Neville had known Belvina was there, he wouldn't have greeted Harry; he was worried his grandmother would get into a fight with the school professors.

At this moment, Mrs. Longbottom also noticed Belvina standing to the side. With her long, black hair, fair skin, and familiar features, Mrs. Longbottom's earlier kindness towards Harry vanished instantly, replaced by a stern gaze as she scrutinized Belvina, the hatred in her eyes well concealed.

"Miss Black, is it?" Mrs. Longbottom said coldly, withdrawing her hand without any intention of shaking hands with Belvina.

Despite being a much younger person, Belvina politely rose, but she did not extend her hand. Belvina could clearly sense the hostility emanating from Mrs. Longbottom.

The hostility emanating from Mrs. Longbottom was exactly the same as Neville's hostility on the Hogwarts Express.

"Belvina, Belvina Black." Belvina gave a slight bow, behaving politely while also displaying the haughtiness of the Black family.

Mrs. Longbottom, with a stern expression, snorted and said, "I've heard you're a professor at Hogwarts now. Neville is truly fortunate to have been cared for by you, Professor Black."

Harry, who knew nothing, was completely confused. He felt that what Mrs. Longbottom said sounded strange, as if she meant two different things.

Knowing the whole story, Neville's face turned purple. He would rather be in the same room as Snape than stay in this café any longer.

"Mrs. Longbottom is too kind," Belvina said calmly. "Mr. Longbottom is a good boy."

He is as talented as his father.

Upon hearing this, the vulture specimen on Mrs. Longbottom's hat suddenly trembled startlingly; to her, the words were a blatant threat.

The child is as talented as his father; anyone would be praising Neville if they said that.

But when Blake said it, the words took on a completely different meaning; the praise turned into a threat.

Mrs. Longbottom gripped her red handbag tightly, forcibly suppressing the urge to smash it into Belvina's face. This woman's words were truly vicious; was she trying to drive Neville insane as well?

Although Belvina had no interest in tormenting Neville Longbottom, whoever had her last name Black, whoever had Sirius Black as her brother, and whoever had Bellatrix as her cousin.

Belvina has been enjoying the Death Eaters' legacy for over a decade.

"That's wonderful, Professor Black." Mrs. Longbottom forced down her anger. "My son and daughter-in-law are both highly respected Aurors. They bravely resisted the Mystic and never yielded to the darkness."

"Of course, I've always respected the Longbottoms," Belvina said calmly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "I think..."

Mr. Longbottom Jr. would be proud of them too.

Mrs. Longbottom was being cryptic, referring to her son and daughter-in-law as Aurors, which also implied that Black was a disgraceful criminal.

Belvina didn't hold back either, responding to every single one of Longbottom's remarks with a firm but gentle tone. Every word she uttered was a compliment to Longbottom, yet every word sounded extremely grating to Mrs. Longbottom.

When it comes to arguing, Belvina has never been afraid of anyone. She even dares to argue with her own mother's portrait, and even Dumbledore would have to stand at attention if he came.

Mrs. Longbottom's vulture specimen on her hat began to tremble again; she was barely able to contain her anger, her eyes practically spitting fire.

Seemingly sensing that his grandmother was on the verge of exploding, Neville, who had been awkwardly digging his toes into the ground, suddenly raised his hand and placed his chubby hand on Mrs. Longbottom's thin arm.

Neville Longbottom whispered, "Grandma, Professor Black is a good person. She helped me on the train. Also, Professor Black protected the Philosopher's Stone—and, oh right, she killed the Slytherin Basilisk last school year."

"It's the Philosopher's Stone, Neville," Har corrected in an even softer voice.

"Huh?" Neville said, his voice trembling. "Oh, yes, it's the Philosopher's Stone."

Although Neville unusually mustered his courage, the old lady's long-standing authority still made the courageous but not very brave Neville only dare to speak in a low voice.

Mrs. Longbottom looked at Neville suspiciously. She didn't think Neville would dare to deceive her with such a thing, but how come she had never heard of these things?

Then Mrs. Longbottom looked at Harry, who had been wondering how Harry Potter ended up with Black.

"Grandma, these things are all written in the newspapers," Neville whispered. "It's the Daily Prophet. You always said the newspapers were all made up, and then you stopped subscribing—"

The more Neville spoke, the less confident he became, until finally he could no longer make a sound.

"Are they both telling the truth?" Mrs. Longbottom asked, looking at Belvina. "Aren't you a Slytherin? Black is a Slytherin too."

Mrs. Longbottom and Neville Longbottom are indeed grandfather and grandson; their words are so similar.

One said all the Blacks were Slytherins, while the other said everyone in the Black family graduated from Slytherin.

"I am a Slytherin, that's true, and Black is mostly a Slytherin too."

Belvina paused for a moment, then said, "So what!"