Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 100 Meeting When Lost
"Good night, Professor." Snape nodded slightly, preparing to turn and leave.

At that moment, he felt a slight touch at his collar, and Nagini's slender body emerged from the collar of his robe, his forked tongue trembling gently in the air.

Snape reached quickly to her collar to pull her back down, but it was too late; Dumbledore had already seen her.

When those green vertical pupils met those blue eyes behind the crescent-shaped glasses, Dumbledore seemed to show a surprised expression.

“Severus,” Dumbledore’s voice remained calm, but Snape keenly caught the subtle change in his tone, “Long time no see. Don’t rush back yet, let’s talk in the office.”

Nagini had already crawled back into his clothes.

"Come with me." Before Snape could answer, Dumbledore had already turned and walked towards the stairs.

In the corridor on the eighth floor of the castle, Nagini writhed restlessly in Snape's sleeve, scales scraping against the inside of his wrist.

“It will be alright, Quiet,” he whispered in a hissing sound only snakes could understand. “He won’t hurt you.”

Ahead, Dumbledore paused almost imperceptibly for a moment, but quickly continued upwards.

“I suspect this isn’t just a normal pet relationship, is it?” Dumbledore’s voice floated down from above.

"Cockroach swarm," Dumbledore commanded the stone beast.

As the gargoyle leaped aside, revealing the spiral staircase, he turned to Snape and asked, "Severus, when did you learn Parsley?"

“I’m not sure exactly when,” Snape said, carefully choosing his words as the stairs began to ascend, “maybe it started when I summoned my full Patronus…”

“However, when we entered Bob Ogden’s memories, I was surprised to find that I could understand Parsley.” He paused for a moment, then decided to reveal the truth, “Professor, please forgive my ulterior motives, but as you know, Parsley is often associated with dark wizards, so I chose to hide it at the time.”

“Interesting. Very interesting, Severus.” Dumbledore stroked his long beard. “Parsleyan speech is usually passed down through bloodlines, and it is very difficult, or rather… almost impossible, to learn it later in life.”

“However,” he glanced thoughtfully at Snape, “I have never seen anyone with a serpentine Patronus.”

“Hmm…” he said, “It’s not that important, come in.”

Dumbledore gently pushed open the office door. Fawkes opened his eyes on the perch, his golden-red feathers gleaming.

They entered the headmaster's office, and Dumbledore went around to the desk and sat down, gesturing for Snape to sit in the high-backed chair opposite him.

As soon as Snape sat down, Nagini eagerly slipped out of his sleeve and slid down his arm to the headmaster's desk.

"Whoosh—" A clear cry pierced the air.

Fox swooped down from the perch, its fiery red tail feathers leaving a scorching trail in the air.

Nagini immediately curled up, his neck stretched into a threatening posture, and emitted a piercing hiss.

"Fox!" Dumbledore stopped the phoenix from moving.

At the same time, Snape stood up and turned to block Nagini's path.

Dumbledore waved to Fawkes, and a silver light guided Fawkes back to the perch.

The phoenix spun rapidly in the air, reluctantly flying back to its perch, but its golden eyes remained fixed on the small snake on the table.

“It seems our friends don’t get along very well, Severus.” Dumbledore’s voice regained its calm, but his gaze sharpened. “Where did you encounter this snake, Albania? Could you be the Parsleyan Bertha Thinks mentioned in the Daily Prophet?”

“Yes, in the forests of Albania,” Snape said softly. “It’s surprising, I didn’t expect Bertha to be so principled, not mentioning my name directly. Professor, she also has another name, Nagini.”

"How did you know her name?" Dumbledore tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.

“That’s obvious, Professor,” Snape said, looking directly into the headmaster’s eyes. “She told me herself.” He paused deliberately. “You…know her?”

The room fell into a brief silence, broken only by the faint snores of the portraits of past principals on the wall and the occasional grumble of discontent from Fox.

“Yes, she is an old friend of mine.” Dumbledore finally spoke, his gaze falling on Nagini, who was curled up beside Snape. “Severus, could you please help me communicate with her?”

Dumbledore's request made Snape raise an eyebrow slightly. He blinked. "Don't you speak Parsley?"

"I've only learned to listen, but I can't communicate with them or control snakes," Dumbledore admitted with a laugh. "It's like understanding a foreign language but not being able to speak it."

“I see.” Snape nodded. “But I can’t guarantee that I will be able to communicate with her smoothly.”

"Her language skills seem quite limited; aside from a few simple words, she's not very good at expressing her thoughts. Professor, what would you like to ask Nagini?"

“Ask her for me,” Dumbledore said. “What has she been through all these years?”

Snape leaned down to look at Nagini and hissed softly, "Nagini, this is Professor Dumbledore. He wants to speak with you. He wants to know what you've been through all these years."

The little snake raised its head, its tongue trembling rapidly, and once again emitted some unintelligible sounds.

“K...Klay...Den…”

At first, the fragmented words left Snape somewhat confused.

He tried several times before he suddenly realized what she meant and understood that Nagini was not answering his question, but was trying to pronounce the name "Credence".

Snape straightened up and saw Dumbledore's fingers tighten slightly on the table.

“Credence?” he feigned confusion. “Who’s that?”

Dumbledore's finger stopped in mid-air.

“An… old friend.” His gaze passed through Snape and looked into the void behind him.

"An old friend? What do you mean?" Snape pressed, curious. "How is he?"

The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series did not have a complete ending. After the failure of The Riddle of Dumbledore, Warner Bros. abandoned the sequel. Therefore, Snape was also completely unaware of what happened next.

“He has left.” Dumbledore said, his long, slender fingers touching.

He and Snape both looked down at Nagini. The little snake's emerald eyes gleamed in the candlelight, filled with a kind of expectation similar to that of humans.

“How should I tell her?” Snape looked up at Dumbledore, then at Nagini, and asked with a hint of pity, “Should I tell her that Credence has left?”

"To indulge in illusory hopes and forget reality is the cruelest torment, Severus." Dumbledore nodded slightly. Snape didn't translate immediately, but continued to press, "What does Credence mean to her?"

“They were…friends,” Dumbledore said softly, the word sounding unusually heavy on his lips. “Two cursed souls warmed each other in dark days.”

Snape turned to Nagini, hesitated for a moment, and then hissed in Parseltongue.

Nagini's body suddenly stiffened, then unfolded like a spring—

Her scales burst forth with a blinding light, and her body rapidly expanded amidst magical fluctuations, tearing apart the shrinking spell as if it were thin paper.

A twelve-foot-long python was coiled in the center of the principal's office, its eyes filled with pain and anger.

The silverware spinning and emitting smoke on the oak table was knocked to the ground by her massive body, and the dark blue ink from the overturned ink bottle flowed across the tabletop.

Almost at the same instant, Fox spread his wings, took off again, and flew in front of Nagini, spewing out a stream of golden flames.

Dumbledore suddenly stood up, and at the same time Snape was already standing in front of Nagini, his black robes burned with several small holes by the phoenix's sparks.

"Fox, go back—" Dumbledore spread his arms to block the phoenix, and a transparent barrier was already set up in front of his desk.

The phoenix cried out in bewilderment and flew back to its perch.

“Nagini,” Snape said, not turning around but looking directly into Nagini’s eyes, “No—”

As soon as he spoke, Nagini regained his composure.

The violent writhing stopped, and Snape's image was reflected in the giant snake's eyes.

Her massive head bowed, anger replaced by sorrow in her eyes. Snape seemed to see the apology in her gaze.

Nagini lowered his head and gently touched Snape's cheek, the cold scales clinging to his skin.

“Alright,” Snape reached out and stroked her neck, feeling a slight tremor, “I will shrink you again.”

With a light tap of the wand, the shrinking spell took effect, and Nagini transformed back into a small snake, curled up on the table.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and the overturned items were put back in their places.

The office looked exactly the same as it had a few minutes ago, with no discernible difference.

“Professor,” Snape placed his hand next to Nagini, letting her rest her head on his hand, “what happened between Nagini and Credence?”

“Nagini is a blood cursed orc,” Dumbledore said after a moment of silence. “She’s from Indonesia. And Credence… is a soul possessed by an Obscurus.”

“I know about the Obscurial,” Snape said, “but the Blood Curse Orc, does that mean she was once…human?”

“Yes,” Dumbledore sighed deeply, “the Blood Curse is a special kind of curse. It does not directly kill the target, but is a blood curse that is hereditary. Blood Curse Orcs are one type of people who carry the Blood Curse, and they will eventually be turned into animals forever.”

"Can she turn back into a human?" Snape leaned forward and asked.

"As far as I know, no." Dumbledore's concise answer sounded somewhat cruel. "Once a Blood Cursed Orc is completely reduced to a beast, there is no going back."

“Really?” Snape glanced at Nagini. “I thought there was only the Killing Curse and no counter-curse. Professor, continue telling me her story.”

"They met when they were lost, and parted at a crossroads of choice." Dumbledore's gaze drifted to the bright night sky outside the window. "In 1927, they met in Paris, two marginalized individuals ostracized by the mainstream. Later, in their confrontation with... a dark wizard, they became adversaries. Perhaps, at that time, Nagini still wanted to win back her friend."

“She chose her path, he chose his.” Snape took a deep breath. “’Choice,’ what a beautiful word.”

“Our choice is just as important as our abilities. I choose to stand by you, Professor, even though I speak Parsley.”

Dumbledore smiled again.

“However,” Snape continued, “it sounds like there was another important character in that story, a dark wizard before Tom, Gellert Grindelwald?

"How did you defeat him, and what is the story between you and Grindelwald?"

“That’s a longer story, Severus.” Dumbledore’s smile vanished.

“It’s getting late, you should get some rest.” He stood up, making a gesture as if to see him off. “Being late on the first day of school is not the kind of example a male student council president should set. If you are late for Defense Against the Dark Arts class tomorrow, I will reconsider whether you are suitable to continue serving as the male student council president.”

“Of course, Professor.” Snape gritted his teeth and swallowed the word “old fox” back down, then reached out and let Nagini crawl back into his robes.

As he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of Dumbledore standing by the window, bathed in moonlight, making him look like a statue.

After leaving the headmaster's office, Snape did not immediately return to his dormitory, but instead went to the door of the Room of Requirement.

“Sigh, we can’t let Nagini stay like this forever.” He muttered to himself, feeling Nagini’s body wrapped around his sleeves. “I really envy Newt Scamander’s briefcase. I wonder how he made it.”

He walked in front of the white wall three times, and a wooden door leading to a "suitable place for snakes to live" appeared on the wall.

Gently opening the door, one finds a place resembling a small grove, with several tall, withered trees, tangled vines, and a small pond. However, there is no forest atmosphere, no sound of life; it is merely an empty replica.

“This…” Snape hesitated before calling out to Nagini, “What do you think of this place?”

Nagini peeked out briefly before retreating back inside. Snape immediately understood her meaning.

It seems that the House of Requirement is not an omnipotent wish-granting house; it cannot create a complete ecological environment.

Left with no other choice, Snape had to take Nagini back to Slytherin's underwater dormitory.

As he changed out of his wizard robes and into his pajamas, Nagini got up from the ground and climbed back up his shoulders.

Fortunately, Abbot had already drawn the curtains and was sleeping peacefully.

“Nagini,” Snape said, stroking her smooth scales with his fingers amidst the soft lapping of the lake, “go to sleep now. Remember not to bite anyone. I’ll find you a suitable place to stay later.”

　Thank you to Xiangpiaopiao Strawberry and Mayang for the monthly tickets.

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　　Friends, it's so hard to update continuously! Even if I'm not satisfied with what I've written, I still have to force myself to write and publish it TAT
　　
　
(End of this chapter)