HP: The Dream

Irma Pince POV

(Just when he entered the library.)

"And here he is. Hand over the gallons Minerva and Fillius." I say to the two losers who just lost a bet.

'Hahaha, I knew he will come here. This is easy money.'

"I can't believe his audacity, in his first year and already trying to sneak into the restricted section. Why are we even sitting here? The barrier will be enough to keep him out." Minerva grumbles while taking out the galleons.

"I am here because I turned down the barrier. You are here because you made a bet with Irma." Prof Dumbledore replies.

"I am not here for the be-, wait a sec, you did what now? Are you seriously letting a kid wander in there? A random spell from there and he can easily take someone's skin off." Minerva questions back.

"I want to see what choice he makes. Will he really choose something that hurts others, or something that satisfies his hunger for a challenge." Prof Dumbledore tells us.

"This is not a game Albus. He can easily pick a dangerous book because the name is misleading or it just seems 'cool'. I myself admit I am a bit unhappy with his behaviour but this is no way to judge someone. He will be making an uneducated choice that I hardly believe he will know the consequences of." Minerva says.

"Even I would say Headmaster, this does not seem to be a wise decision." Filius supports her.

"Hmmm what do you think Severus. What choice do you think the boy will make?" Prof Dumbledore asks Snape.

"I say he is an idiot who is high on magic. And this whole thing is a waste of time when we can simply give him detention and get this over with." Snape replies.

"Oh come on, you like the kid Severus. We all know that. No other way you let him go away scot-free after he broke into your lab the other night. Any other kid and you would have made them scrub cauldrons for the whole year." Hooch calls him out.

"I have no-"

"Don't try to deny it. I was with you if you remember. You were actually impressed with the kid." I stop his attempts to deny it.

He just grunts and refuses to answer.

"Well, a kid Severus likes is rare. But you still didn't answer my question. What do you think he will choose?" Prof Dumbledore asks.

"What is the point of what I think? We will get our answer in a few minutes anyway." Snape replies.

"I think he will choose something interesting and hard. None of that dark magic stuff. The kid genuinely likes magic. I see it in his eyes when he reads a book or casts a spell." I say in favour of Ansh.

"I still think this is a baseless thing. We shouldn't be trying to test kids in this manner." Minerva shares her wisdom.

"I for one have absolute trust in my students." Filius states.

"I don't care what the kid chooses. His flying skill has nothing to do with it. But I do believe he will not disappoint." Hooch says.

"What about you Albus, what do you think?" Minerva asks.

"Given the chance, I will always believe in my students Minerva. Always. And even if they are on the wrong path, it is our responsibility to bring them back on the right path." Prof Dumbledore says.

"He is out" Snape points.

We all see Ansh walking out with a thin book in his hands.

As soon as he leaves, all eyes turn to me.

"Okay, let me go check which one is missing."

I get up to see which book is missing from the shelves.

'If he made a mess in there, I will not let him get away with it.'

I enter and am honestly surprised.

'With how long he was in here, I was expecting books to be thrown haphazardly on the floor. But on first look, I won't even know someone was in here.'

This makes my job easier. I quickly find the section where a book is missing, then a simple check through the register and-

"Found it. 'Secrets of Vitality, Blood and Flesh'. That's the book that's missing." I share my finding with others.

"What is it about?" Minerva asks.

"It details a way to guide magic through the body to strengthen it. The attempt was to gain the strength of a troll, but the mage gave up halfway. He did manage to strengthen his arm though." I tell them.

"That doesn't sound like dark arts at all. I knew the kid was trustworthy." Filius says.

"It is not dark arts, far from it. It is one of the most tame books in there. Though it is a bit dangerous. One misstep and his muscles will rupture." I tell him.

"Good. Then this is done. Now let me go and get the book back from him." I say.

"No. Let him keep it." Prof Dumbledore says.

"What? Why?" Minerva questions.

"Every magic the kid has tried has been majorly successful. This is an advanced one with little chance of success. Let him know his limits, that is the only way he will stop trying to learn advanced spells. If we stop him now, he will just try out some other much dangerous thing." Prof Dumbledore reasons.

"So you are saying let the kid practice a spell that can burst his flesh all to teach him a lesson?" Minerva's voice gradually peaked.

"Nothing Pomfrey can't fix." Prof Dumbledore reply.

'Now I am questioning his sanity.'

"Doesn't mean we should let him get hurt." Minerva shoots back.

"I agree with her Headmaster. This can lead to serious injury." I say.

Hooch and Filius also support Minerva.

"What do you think Severus?" Prof Dumbledore asks him.

"When have you ever listened to the voice of reason? Do whatever you want, just make sure he doesn't end up permanently disfigured." Snape replies and leaves.

"Look, he has been hurt before. He burned his room, he got a severe cold, he fainted from magic exhaustion. None of those things deterred him from trying out something even more dangerous. Every time he succeeded and that only fueled his drive. He needs a loss to understand that magic is not easy or simple. To make sure he stops before trying something that seals his fate." Prof Dumbledore says.

"And if he gets seriously injured, can you explain to his family how it happened?" Minerva questions.

"I will not let it get to that point." He replies.

"Fine then. As Severus said, when have you ever listened to reason. But don't come to me if his parents come here." Minerva says and leaves.

With that, we also get up and go back to get some sleep.

'Sometimes, I wonder if he is getting too old.'

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Good news: I am getting close to getting over with this arc.

Bad news: My end-terms start from 2 Dec. I will try to whip up something, but no promises till 6 Dec.