Harry Potter: The Golden Viper

Walking out of the majestic entrance of the ice castle, Bryan and Moody stood before the doors for a moment, quietly observing the mischievous young wizards playing in the snowy square. The castle sparkled and glinted in the moonlight, casting a soft glow across the frosted grounds.

Fred and George, having apparently grown bored with their usual antics involving fireworks, had taken their business to the "foreigners" visiting for the Triwizard Tournament. With dramatic flair, they eagerly showcased their latest and most popular creations - the Canary Creams, while Lee Jordan, their partner-in-mischief and willing guinea pig, generously volunteered to demonstrate the effects of the prank products for the curious students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.

With a rapid blurring of his silhouette and a resounding bang, Lee Jordan transformed into a magnificent canary before the many intrigued eyes. His glossy yellow feathers shimmered under the starlight as he swaggered back and forth, holding his beaked head high with comedic pride.

Gabrielle giggled uncontrollably at his strange appearance. Even her older sister Fleur's eyes sparkled with amusement as she generously took out handfuls of golden Galleons from her purse to purchase some Canary Creams for herself.

Seeing this booming business, Bryan silently reminded himself that if he were to receive any suspicious gift boxes from students recently, he must remember to thoroughly inspect them before eating. One could never be too careful when the Weasley twins were involved.

After observing the cheerful scene, a bit longer, Bryan took the lead and strode forward. Moody lingered a moment, casting one last glance at the castle seemingly built with the purest crystal, before quietly following in Bryan's footsteps.

On the right side of the square, a flower bed formed by delicate vines and flowers of ice drew the eye, which was the work of Professor Sprout.

This attractive hideaway provided an enticing secluded corner for students who couldn't restrain their romantic feelings brought on by the enchanting atmosphere of the Yule Ball.

As Bryan and Moody made their way along the path passing the flower beds on the way to the lakeshore, both men couldn't help but notice that in the shadows just beyond where the radiant light from the ice castle reached, at least seven or eight couples were in passionate embraces and kisses. Some were so lost in the young love that robes and gowns had "accidentally" slipped off their shoulders.

As a gentleman, Bryan walked through with light, silent steps. Moody, whose magical eye perceived far more details than he would have preferred, moved his lips wordlessly, his face contorted in mild discomfort at the overabundance of teenage hormones. So, he deliberately lightened the sound of his prosthetic leg and cane hitting the ice.

Just as the two professors reached the edge of the light cast by the shimmering castle, about to cross the threshold into the darkness outside, Bryan abruptly stopped. His dress shoes were scuffed against the icy ground at the boundary between the glow and shadow. Moody's reaction was a little slower, his magical eye only noticing the movement in front a moment later.

To their surprise, it was Harry and Hermione who came barreling out of the darkness from the direction of the lakeshore. The two students were panting heavily as if they had just sprinted a great distance at top speed for some unknown reason. Their cheeks were flushed pink from both exertion and the cold air. Clearly, they had not anticipated running into their professors in their rush.

They were moving so quickly that even if they had spotted Bryan and Moody in time, they wouldn't have been able to arrest their momentum. Suppressing the urge to exclaim in surprise, one crashed into Professor Moody's arms, while the other fell headfirst into Bryan's arms.

"Nice socks, Potter," Moody growled with a hint of amusement.

"Oh - yeah, Dobby the house-elf knitted them for me," Harry explained between gulps of the chilly air, as a sheepish half-grin appeared on his face. He glanced down at his swollen ankles. " Um, Christmas present."

Despite the breathless explanation, Harry still seemed anxious to disentangle himself and continue on his way. His eyes darted to Hermione, trying to catch her attention and communicate silently. However, Hermione still seemed rather dazed from her impact with Bryan.

"Steady on, Miss Granger," Bryan said with a smile, looking at Hermione whose nose had hit his chest and whose eyes were brimming with tears from the pain. "I think Madam Pomfrey may have overindulged a bit too much in the mead tonight, so I'm afraid if there is any damage to your nose, you'll have to simply grin and bear it until morning."

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed nasally; her fingertips flew up to gently probe what she desperately hoped was not a broken nose. She was embarrassed and couldn't quite meet Bryan or Moody's eyes, and looked suddenly fascinated by the crystal snowflakes clinging to the trim of Bryan's robes.

She racked her brains to come up with a reasonable explanation for her and Harry's panicked behavior. However, Professor Watson considerately made way, seemingly not intending to pursue the matter.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a secret glance, both noticing the surprise in each other's eyes. However, they had no time to dally. After a hurried apology, they supported each other and ran towards the ice castle, quickly blending into the joyful crowd in the square.

Bryan and Moody watched them go until they were out of sight, then turned on their backs in unison to continue their trek to the lake. However, before they could take so much as a single step, the sound of rapid footsteps crunching through the snow once again came from the blackness behind them.

"Bryan? And... Moody?" a silky voice called out, which was equally incredulous and annoyed.

Snape emerged from the shadows, and his sallow face was haggard and pale. His sharp eyes narrowed in suspicion as he frowned looking at them. "Did you see anyone pass by, Bryan?"

"My apologies, Professor, but I'm afraid I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," Bryan replied smoothly with a smile. "By the way, where has Professor Karkaroff gotten off to? I saw the two of you leaving the ball together not long ago."

"Back to the ship," Snape said in a low voice. "He probably doesn't like the tricks you and Dumbledore have come up with. What are you two planning to do?"

"Professor Moody and I are going to patrol the grounds to prevent any trouble," Bryan said, still smiling. "Would you like to join us for a walk, Professor?"

Snape didn't even glance at Moody. He just stared deeply at Bryan for a moment, then quickly sidestepped the two, coldly throwing out a sentence: "Not interested."

In that moment, it clicked for Moody. Potter and Granger had likely been following Snape and Karkaroff, and had gotten caught eavesdropping on what was clearly meant to be a secret conversation.

A sense of unease curled in Moody's gut, with the spark of absurdity at the sheer improbability of the situation. What were the odds that those two particular students would stumble upon something so potentially sensitive not once, but twice?

He couldn't decide if he should be exasperated by Snape and Karkaroff's apparent inability to find a better location for their secret meetings, or impressed by Potter and Granger's ignorant courage and exuberant curiosity. Foolish and reckless though it may be, one had to admire the sheer Gryffindor gutsiness at this all.

But what exactly were Snape and Karkaroff talking about?

Last time, he had tricked Potter and Granger, who had overheard the two's conversation, into revealing key information. Since then, she had never gone to Snape's storeroom again.

The blue magical eye in Moody's eye socket moved, looking at Bryan Watson who seemed to have no extra interest in the matter. A doubt emerged in his mind. This wasn't Watson's style.

"I'm really surprised," Moody raised his voice in the blinding blizzard after walking out of the range of the magic barrier. The howling of the wind and snow had suddenly become deafening. "Eavesdropping on professors' conversations is no small matter, Watson. Since when have you become so magnanimous?"

"Perhaps the facts are not as you imagine, Professor Moody," Bryan's steady voice fell into Moody's ears in the howling gale. "Maybe Potter and Granger just happened to enter the place where Professor Snape and Professor Karkaroff were whispering, and hid to avoid embarrassment. It's just that the two little guys probably accidentally heard something interesting and made some noise that was noticed."

Bryan looked at Moody and smiled meaningfully. "If that's the case, then it can't be considered Potter and Granger's fault. They had no choice either."

These words seemed to have some impact on Moody. His footsteps faltered and he stood motionless on the shore until Bryan, who had jumped ashore, turned around and reached out a hand to him. Only then did he use the leverage to step up.

The scattered footprints left by the young wizards who had walked over from the castle earlier had been smoothed out by the blizzard. The two men standing on the shore looked at the path they had come from, lost in thought for a moment.

"What do you think of this banquet?" Bryan asked in a light tone, looking at the ice castle he had built himself.

"Very amazing, very impressive," Moody said hoarsely, gazing at the fairy-tale castle in the gentle light and shadows. "I dare say, Bryan, this will be a new legendary story at Hogwarts. People will talk about what they witnessed tonight for many years to come. Those who participated in the ball will never forget tonight for the rest of their lives."

"Oh, thank you," Bryan smiled with satisfaction. "Sometimes, I'm also amazed by the brilliant little ideas in my head."

Bryan had always been modest and low-key in front of others. Like Dumbledore, he never acted arrogantly because of his extraordinary abilities. It was rare to see him showing off. So, when Moody heard Bryan say this, he was slightly surprised.

But when he saw the proud smile at the corner of Bryan's mouth, and because of this light smile, his face finally revealed a bit of the youthful spirit that a person of his age should have, somehow, Moody felt his tense mood relax a little.

"Oh, seriously, why are we standing here like fools?" Bryan muttered, as if he had just realized the behavior of standing and getting snowed on. He nimbly flicked the wand that had slipped into his palm, and a light screen the same color as the snow appeared, blocking out a circle of calm space for the two of them.

Rubbing his stomach, Bryan finally realized that he had only drunk some alcohol and hadn't eaten anything. A gleam flashed in his light purple eyes as he turned to look at Moody. "Want something to eat, Professor?"

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