Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 150 Embers in the Clouds
After the two walked in silence for some distance along the rugged mountain path in the Alps, Snape's voice pierced through the howling wind:
“Mr. Grindelwald, we need to Apparate to Vienna and then take a Muggle plane to London. That way, we'll be less conspicuous…”

Before he could finish speaking, the figure in front of him stopped and turned around.

In the snowstorm, Snape saw Grindelwald's transformed appearance for the first time.

His short, dark brown hair, well-defined jawline, and bright eyes bore a striking resemblance to the young Professor Dumbledore in his memory.

Ignoring the surprise that flashed in Snape's eyes, Grindelwald leaned forward and grabbed his arm.

Before Snape could even protest, a pulling force far exceeding that of ordinary Apparition, almost brute force, instantly seized him.

In the midst of the dizzying spin, the surrounding snow-capped mountain scenery was torn to pieces.

When Snape finally regained his vision from the intense dizziness and nausea, his feet were already on a wet concrete floor.

Before me lay a completely unfamiliar place. The dim, flickering streetlights illuminated a narrow, filthy underground entrance. It looked like a long-abandoned subway station passageway.

The entrance was blocked by a rusty iron gate with a nameplate that was long since blurred and almost falling off.

"Where is this?" Snape suppressed his discomfort, looked around warily, and asked in a low voice.

Grindelwald had released his grip. He was examining the iron gate with a mixture of disgust and a certain "I knew it" expression. His voice was low, carrying a hint of cold mockery:

"Erksta. The German Ministry of Magic claims it was abandoned decades ago. Ha, those in power are always so hypocritical. They can't bear to shut down such a useful disposal facility."

Grindelwald offered no further explanation. He walked straight to the iron gate, and the seemingly sturdy lock silently sprang open with a casual tap of his wand.

Pushing open the heavy iron gate, an even stronger stench of decay hit us.

Grindelwald stepped down the filthy stairs first, his wand twitching very slightly.

Snape felt a cool magical wave wash over his body. Looking down, he saw his body becoming transparent at an unimaginable speed, blending perfectly into the surrounding environment.

He could barely perceive the color change; it was as if he were part of the air itself. This was the most powerful and perfect Illusion Charm Snape had ever seen.

“Keep up,” Grindelwald’s voice whispered in his ear.

At the same time, Snape felt an extremely thin, almost imperceptible thread connecting him to his wrist, silently guiding his direction. Although he couldn't see Grindelwald at all ahead, this thread was his guide.

“I’m going down to find someone,” Grindelwald’s voice came again before Snape could ask, “I’m taking her away from here.”

Snape didn't need to ask any more questions.

The steps descend. At the end, there is a wall sealed with bricks and covered in mold.

Grindelwald did not pause for a moment. He pulled on the invisible thread and carried Snape directly through the wall, as if it were just an illusion.

Behind the wall is a relatively open but equally gloomy space, like the entrance to a prison converted from an abandoned subway transfer hall.

Several guards, dressed in German Auror uniforms and with blank expressions, were dozing around a dilapidated brazier emitting black smoke, completely unaware of the two completely invisible intruders.

Behind the guard, on a dilapidated wooden counter, Snape saw a transparent glass jar. Inside the jar, dozens of plump, eerily grayish-white caterpillars writhed slowly, emitting a faint glow.

“Myrtle larvae.” Snape recognized them immediately. They were one of the few things that could keep a manticore relatively calm.

As he was wondering if he should try to remove some Myrtle larvae for future use, he noticed that there seemed to be a few fewer larvae in the jar, and the thread that was pulling him was pointing uninterruptedly toward a more robust iron gate deep inside the hall.

Grindelwald once again carried Snape through the iron fence as if it were empty.

They entered the actual dungeon area. The air immediately became even more stale and cold.

Then, Grindelwald materialized, and the sensation of the threads vanished. Snape felt the Illusion Charm's effect rapidly fade, and he reappeared in the darkness.

In Grindelwald's hand, a Myrtle larva he had seen in the jar earlier now appeared out of nowhere. He gently pinched it between his fingertips and silently uttered a short incantation.

The wriggling larva suddenly contracted, then expanded, its shell cracked, and a soft, elfin-like glow emanated from its tail, eventually transforming into a butterfly-shaped creature that continuously emitted a gentle firefly-like light, illuminating a radius of several feet around it like a living miniature lantern.

With this faint light, Snape was able to see the place clearly.

A narrow plank road clings to the edge of a jagged black rock wall, with a frigid abyss below and densely packed, low stone chambers on both sides.

There were rustling sounds in the darkness, occasionally punctuated by faint weeping or groans. A few flying insects, emitting a faint blue-green glow, hovered alone in the darkness.

As they passed some of the cell doors, withered, pale fingers suddenly shot out from inside, futilely scratching at the air:
"Who? Who's outside? Please... let me out..."

Grindelwald remained expressionless, holding the glowing butterfly insect, his gaze sweeping over the prison doors along the walkway.

As time passed, the light at the "butterfly's" tail began to dim noticeably, and its frequency became unstable.

Without hesitation, Grindelwald pulled out another plump larva. With a skillful twist of his fingers, the old light butterfly instantly turned to ashes and vanished. The new larva completed its strange metamorphosis process between his fingers, emitting a stable and bright light.

They continued their journey through the prison, down the layers.

Finally, at the end of a fork in the road that led into a darker corner, Grindelwald stopped in his tracks, illuminated by the glowing butterfly.

This was a smaller and more isolated stone chamber than any we had seen along the way. The door was small and low, looking as if it had been carved out of a single block of rock.

Grindelwald stepped forward and, without any complicated unlocking process, simply placed his palm on the cold, rough stone door.

The ancient magical runes on the stone surface flashed subtly for a moment, then fell silent as the door slid open inwards without a sound.

The faint fluorescence seeped in.

The stone chamber was empty. A slender figure sat curled up beside the stone bed, her back to the door. Even in this environment, she maintained an almost stiff and upright posture.

The slight sound of the door opening startled her. The figure slowly turned around.

The dim light outlined her features. Years of darkness had left a deep mark on her.

His skin was so pale it was almost transparent, even tinged with a sickly sallowness; his cheekbones were prominent, and his eyes were sunken. His once plump body was now so thin it looked as if it would break at any moment. His prison uniform was already tattered and worn.

The marks of time and the ravages of the environment seemed to have left her looking haggard.

However, when she slowly raised her head and opened her eyes, despite being emaciated by suffering, the delicate features of her face were still faintly visible. Time had eroded her fullness, but it could not erase the stunning, exquisitely sculpted beauty of her features.

The fluorescent light seemed to sting her. She squinted instinctively, her brows furrowing slightly in confusion.

Her gaze lingered on Snape standing in the doorway for a moment, then slid over to Grindelwald, finally settling on his face, which was disguised by magic, equally unfamiliar yet exuding a subtle sense of menace.

She just looked at him quietly, as if he were a stone.

“It’s me,” Grindelwald’s deep, hoarse voice rang out.

The simple two words suddenly brought Vinda Rozier's eyes, which had just adjusted to the light after a long period of darkness and were filled with a sense of bewilderment and numbness, to focus.

Immense confusion, disbelief, and then an overwhelming joy washed over her frozen, numb face, layer upon layer.

Tears streamed down her face without warning, washing over her grime-covered cheeks.

Ms. Rozier's emaciated body trembled violently as she struggled to her feet, supporting herself against the cold stone bed with great difficulty and extreme slowness.

She took a small step forward, her thin, bony arm struggling to lift, and a scarred hand hesitantly reached out.

Her fingertips curled slightly, as if she wanted to touch Grindelwald's face, but stopped just inches away from that unfamiliar face. Her fingers twitched slightly in the air before trembling as she withdrew them, letting them hang at her sides.

Grindelwald silently gazed at her tear-filled eyes, something seemed to quickly settle in the depths of her dark pupils before returning to calm.

“Let’s go outside.” Grindelwald’s voice was devoid of emotion.

Without offering any comfort or explanation, he turned and walked towards the cell door, as if taking her away was a matter of course, something that required no further explanation.

Ms. Rozier's body reacted almost instinctively. She didn't bother wiping away her tears, but followed like a devout believer following her god, her steps unsteady yet resolute.

She was exactly half a step behind him, her gaze still fixed on his tall, straight back.

……

When they reappeared, they were on some unknown street, where warm air, carrying with it city dust, rushed towards them. The noisy crowds, the flowing headlights of cars, and the hurried pedestrians were all completely different from the place they had just left.

Grindelwald strode forward, weaving through the crowd.

Ms. Rozier immediately followed closely and silently behind him, never leaving his side.

Her eyes were lowered, mostly staring at the hem of Grindelwald's clothes, occasionally glancing quickly at the surrounding traffic and strangers, then quickly looking away, as if all this hustle and bustle was just noise to her.

Grindelwald briefly stopped at a newspaper stand and took a copy of the day's paper. Snape then tossed a coin onto the stand.

“Vendor,” Grindelwald said, glancing at the newspaper, “now you can go wherever you want. Anywhere, Rome, Monaco, Oslo…any corner. From this moment on, you are free.”

He closed the newspaper and turned his gaze to the emaciated woman beside him.

Ms. Rozier did not pause or make any statement. She remained silent, still closely following him, her eyelids lowered, as if the word "freedom" was spoken to someone else.

Grindelwald didn't seem surprised. He shook his head, said nothing more, and strode into a narrow, quiet back alley.

“Wenda,” he stopped, turned around, and looked directly at her, “why don’t you leave? Everything in the past… is over. Completely over.” He spread his hands. “You can have a new beginning, a completely new one.”

Ms. Rozier looked up. The relatively soft light in the alley made her unusually pale face, caused by prolonged lack of sunlight, appear less glaring.

She looked at Grindelwald, at the man for whom she had given her youth, her freedom, and everything. She slowly shook her head, her chapped lips parting slightly: "It has never changed. (Let's say, deeply committed.)"

The only sounds in the alley were the faint, distant clamor of the city. Grindelwald remained silent. After a long while, a very soft, very long sigh escaped his lips.

Then, all the complex emotions in his eyes disappeared.

He looked at Snape beside him and stretched out his arm.

Snape understood and took a few steps forward.

“Then,” Grindelwald said, grabbing both of their arms at the same time, “let’s go together.”

……

When the plane finally landed in London, Snape immediately took the Hogwarts token badge from his pocket.

He held it in his palm, closed his eyes, and focused his mind on feeling it.

The badge transformed into a miniature compass, clearly indicating the location of the Founder's Ship. It was slowly moving above a mountain range in the Scottish Highlands.

"Ready?" Snape asked in a low voice.

Grindelwald nodded expressionlessly. Ms. Venda followed silently beside him, seemingly indifferent to everything around them.

Snape grabbed both Grindelwald's and Ms. Venda's wrists at the same time.

This time, Apparition landed not in a city, but on a rocky mountain covered with moss and shrubs.

They stood on a hillside with a wide view, with a steep slope below.

The drizzle had stopped, and a gentle breeze swept through the valley, but the sky remained overcast, with gray clouds clinging to the distant, rolling mountains.

Snape looked up at the thick clouds above, his target somewhere above them.

He immediately pulled out his Nimbus 1001 from his bag. However, his hand froze. An embarrassed expression crossed his face: "I only brought a broom..."

"Keep it safe." Grindelwald glanced at the expensive broom with the same look he gave a child's toy.

He calmly raised a finger and pointed to the thick cloud overhead.

"Right up here?" he asked.

“Yes.” Snape put away his flying broom, a possible guess forming in his mind.

Grindelwald, having received confirmation, said no more. He stepped forward, swiftly grasping her upper arm, while his other hand naturally took Rozier's wrist again.

"pay close attention."

Snape was caught off guard and a huge, brute force grabbed him, as if he were being dragged and slammed into the void by a speeding Thestral or a Hungarian hornet.

"I--!"

His exclamation was muffled by the fierce wind rushing into his mouth and nose, his vision blurred under the enormous acceleration, and his ears were filled with the hissing of the air.

Snape felt like he was being carried by Grindelwald like a tattered sack, swinging violently in the air.

In the midst of his frantic efforts, he finally managed to erect a spherical shield in front of him. Although it couldn't completely block the immense pulling force, it at least blocked the fierce wind rushing into his mouth and nose, allowing him to breathe and see smoothly.

He turned his head to look to his side. The sight before him almost made him curse; the old bastard had clearly done it on purpose. But considering his current situation of being "held hostage" at 10,000 meters in the air, he wisely swallowed his curses.

Grindelwald was beside him, holding him like a chick with one hand and holding Ms. Rozier's hand with the other.

However, unlike Snape's disheveled state, Grindelwald himself was "flying" in the wind with an elegant air, his cloak fluttering behind him, his short, dark brown hair perfectly still. His face was expressionless, his gaze calmly fixed straight ahead, as if he were simply strolling in his own garden.

Ms. Rozier remained composed; the gale seemed to swerve around her, and her dry, gray hair fluttered only gently. Her eyes were slightly closed, and her face held a serene tranquility, as if she were being gently supported by an invisible force field.

After flying for an unknown period of time, the thick, oppressive, seemingly endless gray clouds ahead were gently dispersed as if by a giant hand, and the view suddenly opened up.

Amidst the blinding light and lingering wisps of cloud, the silhouette of a massive oak-colored sailboat appeared above the clouds.

However, when Snape focused his gaze, the sight before him made his heart sink.

The situation at Founders' Ark is clearly not good.

It was drifting slowly, its hull covered in shocking damage and charring.

The sails, which were originally bulging and shimmering with magical light, now looked listless, with one of the mainsails even having a tear in it, the edges of which were charred and curled.

A plume of smoke was rising from the deck, twisting and drifting upwards, seemingly the embers left behind shortly after the fire was extinguished.

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(End of this chapter)