Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 116 Catching a Sheep to Flee

Snape showed his friends the loan slip signed by Dumbledore: "I need your help."

"Unlimited borrowing?" Abbott took the slip of paper and asked curiously, "How can such a thing exist?"

“The headmaster gave it to me,” Snape said, taking the note back. “It’s not convenient to talk here. Let’s go for a walk by the lake.”

The four of them walked down the stone steps, the lake surface as smooth as a mirror.

After confirming that no one was around, Nagini slowly peeked out from Snape's collar.

"A snake?" Little Barty took a step back warily. "It won't bite you?"

Snape extended his left hand, allowing Nagini to wrap around his wrist, and placed her on the ground.

“She,” he corrected, “was once a human girl. But because of a curse, she was trapped inside a snake’s body.”

“Blood Curse Orcs?” Pandora blurted out.

"What is that?" Abbott and Barty asked in unison, their faces filled with confusion and wariness.

“An ancient genetic blood curse,” Snape explained. “A blood cursed orc is a woman who suffers from a blood curse. At first, they can control their shapeshifting, but eventually… eventually, the curse will permanently turn the victim into an animal, ultimately causing them to lose all humanity.”

“Nagini’s condition is deteriorating. Her soul is trapped in the snake’s body, and the curse is devouring the rest of her humanity.” He looked up at his companions. “Time is running out. I need your help to go to the library and see if we can find anything that can help her.”

Pandora crouched down to meet Nagini's gaze, her eyes filled with pity: "How much time does she have left?"

“I’m not sure,” Snape shook his head and said. “It could be a few days, or it could be longer. But with each passing day, more of her humanity will be lost.”

“But how do you know all this, Severus?” Abbott asked, puzzled. “I mean, I can’t see any difference between her and an ordinary snake.”

“I can understand her,” Snape hesitated for a moment, then chose to tell them, “Parsleyan.”

“Come here, Nagini.” With a hiss, Nagini obediently climbed onto his shoulder and rested her head against his neck.

"You speak Parsley?" A flicker of eagerness crossed Little Barty's face. "No wonder you didn't want to join..."

“Ahem, ahem,” Snape quickly interrupted him, “Anyway, Professor Dumbledore knows about this. As a friend, I’m willing to believe you, but I still hope you can keep it a secret.”

Pandora was the first to nod. She reached out to touch Nagini, but stopped halfway.

“What are we waiting for?” she asked, turning toward the library. “If there’s anything we can do to help her, let’s not waste any more time.”

Abbott and Little Barty exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

"Thank you," Snape said.

In the library, Ms. Pince sat alone behind a table at the entrance.

"You have to study so early in the morning?" she asked dryly, looking at them with suspicion.

Snape stepped forward and pulled out the parchment: "We need to enter the restricted area, ma'am. The headmaster has given his permission."

Ms. Pins snatched the note, squinting as she examined every stroke of the pen, as if suspecting it might be a forgery. Her lips moved silently as she read its contents.

“‘Allow Severus Snape and his designated companions to access any material in the restricted section’,” she looked up, displeased. “That’s too broad. Professors usually specify a particular list of books.”

“It is indeed the headmaster’s signature,” Snape pointed out calmly. “You can ask Professor Dumbledore yourself.”

Ms. Pins straightened up as if she had been offended.

“I will verify it, young man. You wait here.” She clutched the parchment tightly, then strode out of the library, her footsteps echoing through the stone corridors.

"Did she think we would forge the principal's signature?" Abbott rolled his eyes and plopped down on a hardwood bench next to the lending desk.

While waiting, Pandora softly recounted the legend she had heard from her father. In that story, a witch family in Africa had been cursed for generations until all their female descendants transformed into white lionesses in a pride.

Finally, Ms. Pince returned, panting, her face even more somber than when she left.

“The principal has confirmed it,” she said reluctantly. “However, any misconduct will result in the immediate revocation of your privileges.”

“Of course, ma’am.” Snape nodded slightly.

Ms. Pins snorted and waved for them to go in, but instead of returning to the lending desk, she began to wander among the nearby bookshelves, pretending to dust or organize books, while actually watching their every move.

The restricted book section was even darker than the regular areas, as if even the sunlight feared the knowledge within.

“Split up and search,” Snape said in a low voice. “We need books on blood curses or soul magic.”

They quickly dispersed, leaving only the rustling sound of pages turning.

Snape pulled a heavy, black leather-bound book from the shelf, *The Binding of the Soul: On the Symbiosis of the Curse*. The metal decoration on the spine suddenly transformed into a spider when he touched it, its claws outstretched. Without batting an eye, he tapped the spine with his wand, and the spider instantly returned to its static metal form.

They sat around a large oak table, each engrossed in the piles of books in front of them.

Snape quickly scanned the table of contents and found the chapter on the "Blood Curse." His fingertips traced the yellowed pages, then suddenly stopped on a passage of text:

"The special nature of the blood curse lies in its deep bond with the victim's soul. The reason why the antidote is ineffective is because the curse has become a part of the soul..."

"Did you find it?" Pandora asked softly, while pressing down hard on a book that was trying to escape from her grasp, "The Millennium Evolution of the Curse."

Snape shook his head: "It only confirms what we already know. The curse has become fused with her soul."

“Take a look at this,” Pandora pushed the book toward her. “For such lowly creatures as the Cursed, only death can quell the wrath of the Blood Curse.”

"Then there's no way out?" Little Barty's disappointed voice came from behind the pile of books.

“Let’s keep reading,” Snape said softly. They continued to peruse the pages, occasionally exchanging their findings in hushed tones.

As Snape pondered an obscure description of the soul, he caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar, almost bald head peeking out from between the bookshelves before quickly disappearing. He looked up abruptly and saw Professor Slughorn trying to slip away.

“Professor Slughorn?” Snape called out softly.

The figure froze, then slowly turned around. Professor Slughorn's round face peeked out from behind the bookshelf; today he was wearing a dark green velvet robe. "Severus!" he said, trying to sound calm, his small eyes quickly scanning the books on the table. "And... uh... Mr. Crouch, Mr. Abbott. What a coincidence."

Snape calmly closed the book in his hand and showed the professor the cover of "From the Egyptian Book of the Dead to Modern Necromancy." "Professor," he said, "we are researching how to break the blood curse on the victims."

“These are not some light bedtime stories, my children,” Professor Slughorn chuckled dryly. “You continue reading, I’m leaving now.”

“Sir,” Snape called to him, rising to stand before him and lowering his voice, “I have some initial ideas and would like to ask you a question. Suppose—just suppose—that thing you are so familiar with, that thing that begins with 'H', could absorb a curse from a soul?”

Professor Slughorn looked around, then took out an embroidered handkerchief and wiped his forehead.

“Merlin, Severus, what are you saying…” His voice was weak, “How will you protect the lives of your victims then? Unless you want to destroy the victims and the curse together, that would be a good method…” After saying that, he left immediately.

Slughorn's reaction gave Snape a glimmer of hope—theoretically, Horcruxes should be feasible, but the risks were extremely high. The key was how to control the process, ensuring that the Horcrux absorbed souls while preserving Nagini's life.

After glancing at his watch, Snape decided to contact Lucius first and arrange a meeting.

“Please continue looking around,” he said in a low voice. “I need to take care of something.”

After leaving the library, Snape climbed the spiral staircase of the West Tower and made his way to the Owl Shack on the top floor.

The owl hut was a round stone room with no glass in the high windows, through which a cold draft howled. Various kinds of owls perched on the beams, watching him with their round eyes.

Snape pulled a roll of parchment and a small bottle of ink from his robes, leaned against the rough stone wall, and began to write a letter.

"Dear Lucius"
How have you been lately? I still miss the days you spent at school and how you took care of and helped me.

Even though we didn't end up on the same path, it was your kindness back in school that saved me from being treated unfairly by other colleges during those years.

Perhaps we should meet, for your father, Mr. Abraxas Malfoy, is facing mortal danger. In ancient Hogwarts, a force seeks his life. I swear on my life, this is no exaggeration.

This matter is too important and confidential to be detailed in this letter. If you do not mind, please meet me at Three Brooms at 2 PM three days from now. I eagerly await your reply…

Snape put down his quill and examined his writing. The safety of his family was the most effective way to lure Lucius to his side.

He rolled up the parchment and chose a snowy owl—the fastest of all the owls in the area. He tied the letter to the owl's leg with a ribbon and gently stroked the bird's white feathers: "Wiltshire, Malfoy Manor. Go quickly."

The snowy owl let out a soft call, spread its wings, and flew into the sky through the window of the shed.

Snape watched as the owl quickly became a tiny white dot in the blue sky, mentally calculating the time:

It's not even noon yet. The straight-line distance from the Scottish Highlands to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, England, is less than 400 miles, and at the speed of a snowy owl, a letter could be delivered in ten hours.

If Lucius intends to come, he should receive a reply by tomorrow afternoon. If there is no reply, it may mean that he has refused.

Back at the library, my friends were still engrossed in their research.

Pandora looked up at him, her eyes asking, "Did you find anything?"

Snape shook his head, picked up a book titled "The Possibility of Curing Stubborn Curses," and silently flipped through it...

“Severus?” Little Barty’s voice brought him back to reality. “Pandora asked if you want to go to the hall for dinner tonight.”

Snape then realized it was getting late and closed the book in front of him.

“I don’t think we’ll get anything more out of this,” he said. “Let’s go.”

The hall was filled with flickering candlelight, and the tables at the four colleges were packed with students. They chose a relatively quiet corner.

“You don’t need to worry,” Snape said. “Even if she can only stay inside the snake’s body, at least I can guarantee that she won’t become someone else’s tool.”

His friends looked at him in confusion, clearly not understanding the meaning of his words.

“Severus,” Pandora began hesitantly, “the next Duel Club event is about to begin. Do you still have the mood to mentor the new students?”

“Oh,” Snape paused for a moment, “I almost forgot, so…” He turned his gaze to Barty Jr., “how about you take charge of instructing the next duel?”

Little Barty's eyes widened: "Me? Why? I—"

“You are excellent,” Snape interrupted him gently. “You are very skilled in using all kinds of spells and are fully capable of instructing them.”

"More importantly, the moment I saw you, I knew you had a talent for teaching. You could try to teach students with different personalities and backgrounds in a differentiated way, discover their strengths, and give them appropriate guidance, such as helping them with their future career choices."

“Yeah,” Abbott nodded in agreement. “Barty, you’re way better than me, a seventh-grader. Twelve OWLs, look at that. I’ll definitely tell everyone about it later.”

Barty was still hesitating when Snape patted him on the shoulder: "Your classmates are all simple-minded. Just show your true abilities. Your potential as a teacher is limitless..."

The following afternoon, Snape leaned against an old oak tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, watching Nagini glide comfortably through the grass.

Bored out of his mind, he raised his wand and whispered, "Protect the Gods!"

A giant, silvery-white python emerged from the tip of his staff and swam nimbly around Nagini.

Nagini immediately raised her head, her green eyes staring curiously at the guardian deity who resembled her yet was different.

“By all accounts, this could be considered a white snake,” Snape hissed in his Parsleyan voice, “and I’ll tell you an Eastern story…”

“…So you see,” he said softly after finishing the story, “everyone else cultivates from a snake to human form, why did you do the opposite?”

Nagini's head rested gently on his lap. Snape wasn't sure how much she understood, but he liked the tranquility of the moment—the sunlight, the shade of the trees, the silver Patronus, and the green snake.

The sun was gradually setting, and the shadows of the Forbidden Forest stretched longer and longer. He looked up at the sky from time to time—but there was no sign of an owl. It seemed Lucius was not going to accept his invitation.

　Thanks to cardio and Allen_cardio for the donations.

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(End of this chapter)