Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 131 This Time I'll Bring You Back

The full moon shone so brightly that, standing outside the shadows of the trees, Snape didn't even need to light his wand to see the patterns on the willow branches.

As he approached the dangerous tree, the drooping willow branches began to sway gently, making a soft rustling sound, as if they had sensed his presence.

When he was still twenty feet away from the willow tree, the branches suddenly creaked as if in a gale, whipping back and forth like a lash, refusing to let him get any closer.

Just as a thick tree branch swung maliciously through the air, threatening to strike him, Snape swiftly raised his wand and flicked his wrist—

A stone flew up from the ground and, under his direction, darted about as nimbly as a swimming fish, slipping through the dancing branches and landing precisely on a knot in the tree trunk.

A gust of wind blew, but the tree remained motionless. It seemed to have turned to stone; not even its leaves trembled.

Snape nodded in satisfaction, maintaining control of the stone, and quickly walked to the tree trunk, bending down and crawling into the large hole between the roots.

The tunnel was pitch black. Snape lit his wand, illuminating the damp earthen walls and a tattered spiderweb.

He climbed headfirst into the tunnel and slid down the slope to the bottom of a very low tunnel.

The tunnel smelled of dirt and mold. Snape wrinkled his nose but didn't stop. He crouched low as he moved forward, his robes trailing in the tunnel, covered in dirt and cobwebs.

The tunnel stretched on and on, the wand's light moving steadily through the darkness, illuminating the path a few feet ahead.

Upon reaching the bottom, the dirt path beneath his feet began to slope upwards again. After a while, around a bend, Snape saw a glimmer of light—a small exit. He slowed his pace and cautiously approached.

The light at the tip of his wand went out silently; he didn't want to expose himself in the unknown environment.

He slowly moved sideways forward and entered a messy, gray room through the exit.

Through the slivers of light filtering through the cracks in the wooden planks sealing the room's windows, he observed the infamous Screaming Shack:
The wallpaper was peeling off, the floor was stained, the furniture was all broken, as if it had been smashed, and all the windows were boarded up tightly.

The room was empty, and a door on the right was open, leading to a dimly lit foyer.

His gaze swept around the room, landing on a wooden chair nearby. A large plank had been torn off it, and one of its legs was missing. But these marks looked like they had been there for some time; they weren't fresh.

Snape held his wand carefully the entire time, so even if their homemade wolfsbane potion failed to work, Lupin couldn't hurt him.

Suddenly, he vaguely heard some noises coming from above, and it seemed like something was moving upstairs.

He looked up at the ceiling, his ears catching every subtle sound. Dust pattered down from the cracks in the wooden planks.

After tiptoeing into the hall as quietly as possible, Snape climbed the slightly crooked staircase.

The wooden stairs creaked slightly beneath his feet, and he held his breath, treading lightly.

A thin layer of dust covered everything, and messy footprints were scattered on the ground. He could only make out that two people had walked side by side along the path, and perhaps a few animals had also trodden it.

His eyes were fixed on the footprints as he walked to the dark stair landing.

Following the jumbled marks, he walked toward a closed door. At the doorway, he heard hushed, cheerful calls from various animals coming from inside.

“Interesting, they’re all here,” Snape thought. “They sound like they’re having a lot of fun.”

He gripped his wand tightly and kicked the door open. The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

Inside the room, on a large four-poster bed draped with draped gray curtains, sat a werewolf covered in grayish-yellow fur. Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the wooden planks, outlining the werewolf's tall silhouette.

But the werewolf appeared unusually calm, even somewhat confused. He was touching his entire body with his sharp claws, as if checking his physical condition.

A stag and a big black dog were circling around the bed, cheering softly, while a little mouse squeaked and scurried around on the bed.

The moment the door opened, the rat jumped up as if electrocuted and quickly hid behind the werewolf, while the stag and the black dog immediately turned to the intruder, their eyes flashing with hostility.

Before Snape could speak, the stag and the black dog charged at him.

"Obstacles ahead!" Snape swung his wand almost as soon as he saw them move.

The red light struck the charging stag and black dog. The two animals were thrown back by an invisible force, crashing into the wall. But they immediately got up and tried to charge again.

But the werewolf stood up, blocking their way, and let out a low whimper. The sound wasn't a typical wolf howl; it carried a rational restraint, as if urging its companion to remain calm.

The stag and the black dog stopped what they were doing.

When the werewolf turned to face Snape again, the stag and the dog behind him had transformed back into human form—James and Sirius were standing there. Both were disheveled, their hair a mess, but the hostility in their eyes remained undiminished.

James had his hand on Sirius's shoulder, while Sirius stood close to James.

The two men stared at Snape, their eyes filled with wariness.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape shouted, pointing his wand at them, equally wary.

But no sticks flew off them.

“We didn’t bring any wands, Snape,” Sirius said without a smile. “Thank you for the wolfsbane potion.”

“Oh, that puts my mind at ease.” Snape smiled broadly. “Long time no see, everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to come here.”

"Tonight, I'm just here as a pharmacist to follow up with our first user. I suggest you be friendly."

James's eyes burned with rage, but Sirius held his arm down.

“Don’t be impulsive,” Sirius whispered. “He’s here to see Remus.”

Snape walked up to the werewolf, and despite the obvious difference in size, he still stared fearlessly into Lupin's beastly eyes.

The werewolf also looked down at him. Under Snape's calm gaze, he slowly moved backward and sat down on the edge of the bed.

James and Sirius returned to Lupin's bedside, standing guard and watching Snape warily, without taking any further action.

Snape's gaze fell on the gray rat hiding behind the curtains on the bed.

“Peter,” he asked, a hint of mockery in his voice, “why haven’t you changed back into human form? Or do you think the rat form suits you better?”

The mouse's small, gray body twitched. Then, like a fast-forwarded shot of a tree growing, a head emerged, followed by four limbs.

A moment later, a short, timid man stood where the rat had been, wringing his hands and looking directly at Snape.

“Severus,” Wormtail said fearfully, “how are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Snape said, walking toward the four-poster bed. “Now, let’s see how the medicine works.” James and Sirius hesitated for a moment, then made way for him.

After arriving at Lupin's side, Snape began to professionally examine Lupin after his transformation.

He would occasionally tap Lupin lightly with his wand, and reach out to touch and poke him here and there, even prying open the werewolf's mouth to check his teeth and gums.

“No signs of mutation observed,” he muttered to himself, “significantly reduced aggression…”

"Are you feeling alright?" He looked at Lupin, his voice almost gentle. "Have you experienced any discomfort after taking the medication?"

Lupin shook his head gently, a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

“Very good,” Snape said. “It seems the potion is working well.”

After the inspection was complete, he turned to James and Sirius.

“According to the lunar phase, the full moon this month will last for two more days,” Snape said. “I won’t be coming over during those two days. But during those two days, I want you to observe Remus’s condition carefully, rather than just cheering for him.”

"If he develops any unusual symptoms, be sure to record them. This will help us further refine the process of the wolfsbane medicine to better assist him."

“Okay.” Sirius hesitated for only a moment before agreeing in a hoarse voice, “We will do it.”

“Furthermore,” Snape said, his gaze sweeping over the four of them, “I suggest that you still choose to transform into animals to accompany him during the following full moon. After all, Damocles’ paper clearly states that even after taking the wolfsbane potion, werewolves may still occasionally lose control.”

“Similarly,” he continued, “you might have the opportunity to spend the full moon in your dorm before graduation. But for now, for safety’s sake, it’s better if you stay here. We need to conduct more trials and improvements with a larger sample size to ensure the drug’s stability—”

Just then, with a "bang," the wooden door was kicked open again, and a red-haired girl rushed in, her face pale.

Lily stood at the door, her chest heaving violently, clearly having run all the way there.

She still had a bloodstain on her face, and there were marks on her robe from being whipped by branches.

She gripped her wand tightly, her green eyes shining brightly in the dim room. Her gaze swept over the four-poster bed, landing on the werewolf and Snape sitting peacefully on it, and not far away, James, Sirius, and the others.

The air in the room seemed to freeze. James opened his mouth, as if to say something. But his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed the words that were about to come out.

Snape turned around, saw Lily, and immediately stood up.

"Lily, your face—"

Before she could answer, Snape had already approached her, his wand pointing at the wound on her face: "Healed as before."

Lily immediately felt her face burning hot, then turning cool.

"Ah," she raised her hand and carefully touched her right cheek, saying with some confusion, "Is there a wound here?"

Snape nodded. "It's healed," he said, then asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

"I don't feel anything," Lily gently shook her head.

"By the way, what brings you here?" Snape finally asked.

"N-nothing," Lily quickly hid her wand in her sleeve, her eyes gleaming. "I was just coming to see the actual effects of the wolfsbane potion."

“That’s what I came here for,” Snape said. “It looks like the treatment is going quite well.” He turned so Lily could see Lupin. “Look, Remus is sitting there so quietly, like a big, furry doll.”

Lupin—in his werewolf form—sat calmly on the edge of the bed, raising his sharp claws in an awkward greeting to Lily.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t bother them any longer,” Snape waved to Lupin, then turned to Lily. “Shall we go back together?”

Lily nodded, without glancing at anyone else. "Okay," she said, turning and leaving the room with Snape.

As they emerged from the Screaming Shack and stood once again in the moonlight, Snape noticed that Lily's shoulders relaxed slightly.

The branches of the willow tree swayed in the night wind, but did not attack them—the stone remained firmly pressed against the knot.

"So that's how it is," Lily said, watching his movements.

"Did you force your way in?" Snape then noticed the wounds on the Whomping Willow. "You didn't inflict those wounds on it, did you?"

"I didn't know I needed to go in like this," Lily said shyly. "So I just..."

She took out her wand and healed the wounds on the branches of the Striking Willow.

On her way back to the castle, Lily turned back and glanced at the quiet Whomping Willow.

“Severus,” she said softly, “don’t you hate them anymore?”

Snape didn't stop, but he slowed down a bit.

“Ugh,” he replied frankly, “but they’re not important to me. I just don’t really care about them.”

Lily nodded thoughtfully.

After walking for a while, Snape suddenly stopped and looked at Lily.

“Come with me,” he said, looking into her eyes, his voice low, “Are you worried I might harm them?”

Lily stopped in her tracks. She lowered her head, her red hair falling down to cover her profile, and remained silent for a long while.

Snape felt a pang of disappointment at her reaction. "Fine," he thought, "after all this time, if she still cares about those people..."

He picked up his foot again and walked towards the castle.

Just as he walked past her, Lily spoke.

“When I got back to the dorm,” her voice was so soft it was almost carried away by the wind, “I saw you through the window.” She looked up, her green eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “I was afraid you’d run into danger like last time, afraid that this time… no one would bring you back…”

Snape was stunned. He looked into Lily's bright eyes in the moonlight and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Lily's face seemed as red as her hair, but she didn't look away.

……

　Thank you to Pig Can Fly, Little Dragon, and Book Friend 20200214114556764 for the monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)