Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 143 Farewell
Professor McGonagall gently closed the door to the small tower, the Book of Admission and the Pen of Acceptance now safely hidden in the inner pocket of her robe.

She and Snape walked silently down the corridor back to the headmaster's office, the stone walls of the castle casting long shadows in the twilight.

“We cannot expect the Death Eaters to make mistakes, we need to act quickly—” Snape’s words were suddenly interrupted by a beam of silver light streaming in from a window at the end of the corridor.

He quickly looked up, the wand already slipped into his palm, only to see a silver cheetah charging towards them.

“The patron saint of Alastor,” Professor McGonagall said in a low voice, her brow furrowed.

The cheetah landed gracefully and shimmeringly in front of them.

The guardian spirit opened its mouth wide, and Alastor Moody's hoarse, deep, and rapid voice boomed through the corridor:
"Glencoe Gorge, Scottish Highlands! Death Eaters are under siege! Requesting immediate reinforcements from Dumbledore! We can't hold out much longer!"

"What?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, her face turning deathly pale.

She instinctively looked toward the headmaster's office, where the real, weakened Dumbledore lay.

“I’m sorry, Alastor,” Professor McGonagall turned to the Patronus, her voice trembling, “you’ll have to figure it out yourself. Albus is unconscious…” She didn’t finish her sentence.

The guardian spirit was silent for a second, its silver light flickering slightly, and a trace of human-like heaviness flashed in its magical eyes.

"I'll do my best," it replied briefly, then turned and left, leaving only a few wisps of silver light drifting slowly down.

Professor McGonagall turned to Snape, her fingers gripping her wand tightly. “We need to be faster,” she said urgently, her voice filled with an unprecedented sense of urgency. “I’ll move Albus to the cabin immediately afterward.”

Snape nodded, then parted ways with Professor McGonagall and found Pandora and Lily organizing potion ingredients in the Room of Requirement.

“Hogwarts may soon be taken over by Death Eaters,” Snape grinned with a helpless expression and said bluntly, “We plan to organize the evacuation of Muggle-born students from Hogwarts.”

“What happened? Why are there only Muggle-born students?” Pandora sat up straight and asked. “Isn’t Hogwarts the safest place?”

“Are you kidding me, Severus?” Lily looked at him seriously. “Professor Dumbledore—”

“That was Professor McGonagall in disguise,” Snape interrupted Lily, seeing the incredulous look on both girls’ faces. “There’s no time to explain. We need to get this done as soon as possible.”

Lily took a deep breath and nodded: "What do you want us to do?"

“Find all the Muggle-born students,” Snape said. “Tell them that the school has a special travel program for them that could depart at any time, and have them pack their bags. Don’t reveal too much, so as not to cause panic.”

"Should we just do this between the two of us?" Pandora asked, already starting to gather up the scattered potion ingredients.

“Uh,” Snape thought for a moment and said, “you should go and tell Barty and Abbott as well; they’re better at this.” At this moment, he chose to trust Barty Jr. After all, he had witnessed the changes in Barty Jr. over the past, and there was no reason not to trust him.

“Myrtle,” he then looked up and said to the ghost hanging from the chandelier, “don’t stay here for the next few days, come with me.”

“Great!” Myrtle gracefully leaped down from the chandelier and said cheerfully, “Are we moving again?”

Over the next few dozen hours, the professors raced against time to complete the final repairs to the Founder's Ship, while most of the students remained oblivious, continuing their daily classes.

Professor Slughorn was sweating profusely as he adjusted the potions lab in the ship's cabin; Professor Sprout directed the elves to carefully carry mandrakes and other potted plants onto the ship.

Professor Flitwick stood on the scaffolding at the stern, his wand tracing intricate paths through the air as he continued repairing the complex protective runes. His small face was etched with focus; he occasionally paused to wipe the sweat from his brow: "Add another layer... We must ensure it's absolutely foolproof..."

Professor McGonagall shuttled between the campus and the docks, maintaining the illusion of Dumbledore's good health while coordinating the various preparations. Heavy shadows appeared under her eyes, but her back remained ramrod straight.

On the morning of the third day, just as the first rays of sunlight climbed the spire of Hogwarts, Hagrid's enormous figure stumbled into the Great Hall. Frost still clung to his beard, and his coarse cloth coat was torn in several places.

"Professor!" He rushed breathlessly toward the faculty section, his voice silencing the entire auditorium. "Some strangers were outside the school! I got into a fight with one of them!"

The auditorium fell silent instantly, and all the students’ eyes were focused on Professor Dumbledore.

Professor Dumbledore stood up solemnly, his blue eyes calmly sweeping across all the long tables.

“Everyone, continue eating,” Professor McGonagall said gently in Dumbledore’s voice, but Snape could already hear the tension in her voice. “Horace, please keep an eye on the students here.”

“Come with me, Rupert.” She strode toward Hagrid, giving Snape a wink.

Snape immediately understood and quietly signaled to his friends to follow him.

As soon as they stepped out of the auditorium, Professor McGonagall resumed her stern tone: "Tell me the details."

Hagrid was startled by her voice, but before he could think, he quickly gestured with his large hands: "I saw three Death Eaters at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, wearing masks. One of them spotted me, and we fought—with our fists, not wands."

Hagrid stopped talking when he noticed Snape and the others arriving.

“Speak plainly,” Dumbledore commanded Hagrid as he saw them, his tone already carrying a hint of McGregor’s impatience.

“Well,” Hagrid said in a low voice, “at least six Death Eaters were wandering around the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and they seemed to be testing something. I drove one away, but the others… they look like they’re waiting for some orders.”

“And they mentioned…Professor Dumbledore.” He looked uneasily at “Dumbledore” himself, “saying things like, ‘Get that old guy out here, or we’re coming in!’”

Snape and Professor McGonagall exchanged a wary glance, both realizing the seriousness of the situation.

“They’re suspicious,” Snape said in a low voice.

“Severus,” Professor McGonagall said decisively, “gather all the Muggle-born students immediately.” She looked at Barty Jr. and the others, “You go help him. Hagrid, come with me, we need to raise the protective barrier.”

Upon receiving the order, Snape and his companions quickly returned to the Great Hall and relayed the instructions to the other upperclassmen who were Muggle-born.

The news spread like wildfire among certain groups, while other students looked on in bewilderment at their classmates who had suddenly left their seats.

Hogwarts was engulfed in a chaotic emergency evacuation. Muggle-born students were found one by one and led, bewildered, to the docks at the bottom of the castle.

"A special trip? Now?" Ed Smith asked doubtfully. "We still have Charms class."

“Professor Dumbledore has approved it,” Pandora reassured, her light-colored hair becoming disheveled in her haste. “It’s a surprise event, come with me.”

They explored every corner of the castle: the dormitories, the library, the washrooms, the greenhouse, and even the astronomical tower.

Even Myrtle was helping; her translucent body floated over the walls, calling out to the bewildered students.

At the same time, Professor McGonagall and the other teachers activated Hogwarts' ancient protective magic. A semi-transparent golden curtain of light slowly rose, enveloping the entire castle and grounds.

This action seemed to confirm the Death Eaters' suspicions—Hogwarts would never have adopted such a defensive posture if Dumbledore were unharmed.

Various colored spell lights began to flash at the edge of the Forbidden Forest as the Death Eaters continuously tested the strength of the protective shield.

“The more this is the case,” Barty Jr. ran to Snape’s side and whispered, “the more certain they are that Professor Dumbledore is in trouble.” “As long as we can buy some time,” Snape nodded heavily.

By the time the fifty-three Muggle-born students finally gathered at the secret dock, it was already noon.

The Founder's Ship rests quietly on the blue water.

Professor Flitwick, Hagrid holding Yaya's hand, and Filch carrying Mrs. Lorris were directing the students to board the ship in an orderly manner.

Meanwhile, the Death Eaters' attacks became increasingly reckless. The students trembled with unease as they boarded the ship, amidst the chanting of incantations.

“Everyone’s here,” Snape said to Professor McGonagall, who had just arrived.

His eyes swept across the crowd: Pandora, Lily, Abbott, Little Barty, and Eileen... all the familiar faces were there.

Eileen nodded slightly to him, then went with Professor Sprout to the ship's greenhouse to hand over the remaining work.

Professor McGonagall had by then returned to her normal appearance. She took the list from Snape, frowned, and said, "No, there's one more." With that, she turned and left hastily.

"Wait a minute," Snape thought. "Everyone should be here. Who's been left out?"
However, some people don't actually need to leave with them...

“This is going to be a tough journey,” he said softly, turning to his friends. “For those of you who aren’t Muggle-born, it’s not necessary.”

Before he could finish speaking, Pandora stepped forward and rolled her eyes at him: "Don't be silly, Severus, as if you're a Muggle." Snape gently squeezed her hand, feeling the warmth from her fingertips.

"What are you trying to do, abandoning me like this?" Abbott patted him on the shoulder. "I haven't even had a chance to hang you upside down yet."

“Anytime,” he said.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Barty asked, staring at him in confusion. "If, as you say, the Death Eaters will be in power in the future, doesn't that mean we'll be wanted by the Ministry of Magic?" He smiled broadly. "Just imagine how happy my dear father would be if I became a wanted criminal by the Ministry of Magic."

Despite the dire situation, Snape couldn't help but smile slightly: Why was Barty still going down the "original path"?

Looking at the familiar faces in front of him, he nodded.

Professor McGonagall returned shortly afterward.

The four people following behind her startled Snape for a moment: James, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

“They’re not Muggle-born, are they, Professor?” he said, blocking the boarding ramp. His friends stood beside him.

“Peter is Muggle-born,” Professor McGonagall said wearily. “Let him go up, Severus.”

Snape stared at Wormtail in disbelief. Although Pettigrew's surname shouldn't indicate he was pure-blooded, he had always assumed this timid boy was at least half-blood. After all, in the original timeline, he had even become a Death Eater.

“I don’t trust him.” Snape said coldly without moving. “Even if he is Muggle-born, I don’t want him on this ship.”

A deafening explosion rang out in the distance, and the protective shield was struck by a blinding green light, causing ripples to spread.

time is limited.

“We can’t leave him at Hogwarts, Severus,” Professor McGonagall looked sternly at Snape. “Why don’t you trust him?”

Snape was momentarily speechless; he couldn't very well try to convince Professor McGonagall with things that hadn't even happened yet.

He stared at the insect's tail, which fearfully hid behind Sirius, tilting its head and peering out, its little eyes darting around.

Another loud bang as a spell struck the protective shield reminded him that this was not the time to argue.

Snape stepped aside and calmly said to Wormtail, "I'll be watching you, Wormtail. You'd better not do anything bad."

"I won't, I swear!" Peter flinched, nodded frantically, and hurriedly climbed onto the boat.

But Sirius and the others followed behind him, preparing to board the ship.

“Wait,” Snape stopped them again, “you three aren’t Muggle-born, are you?”

“We should stay with our friends,” Sirius stopped James and said to Snape, “just like your friends.” He looked at Pandora and the others, “regardless of our bloodline.”

“Friends?” Snape said softly, stepping aside to let people through the boarding gate. “Sirius, I hope you won’t make the same mistake again this time.” Sirius gave him a strange look before joining his friends on the deck.

After everyone had boarded the ship, Professor Sprout emerged from the greenhouse and hurriedly disembarked.

Professor Flitwick activated the ancient magic.

The Founders' Ship slowly sailed away from the dock, and Professor Sprout waved continuously from the shore.

The ship emerged from the ivy's cover and appeared on the Black Lake.

The Death Eaters stopped their attack and watched it silently.

The large ship let out a long blast of its horn.

The surface of the Black Lake suddenly became turbulent, with huge splashes of water and waves crashing against the damp shoreline. Then, right in the center of the lake, a huge whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had been suddenly pulled out from the bottom of the lake.

Amid the Death Eaters' cries of alarm, the Founder's Ship suddenly sank and disappeared into the turbulent Black Lake.

The waves closed at the stern, and Snape stood on the deck, watching through the magical shield as the place where he had lived for seven years disappeared into the waves.

His friends quietly stood beside him. Everyone stared silently in the same direction.

Mermaids swam around, singing ancient farewell songs.

“Hogwarts has never been this castle,” Professor McGonagall repeated loudly, but this time, it sounded more like she was trying to convince those around her.

“We will definitely come back.” Snape said to Professor McGonagall as the darkness deepened.

The ship carried them into unknown waters.

　Thank you to Ye Yi, Virgil_Chenfeng, Ziyourufeng, Zhuyehuifeifei, whyhowanddo, Banjia Tonglingshi, Daidaoshanhualanmanshi_CB, Mushangliubaiyunqiqishu, and Tianying Carlos for the monthly tickets.

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　　Rowling has never explicitly stated Peter Pettigrew's bloodline. For related discussion, see the Reddit post: What is Peter Pettigrew's blood status?
　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)