Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 151 Reunion after a long absence

Holding Snape and Lady Rozier in his arms, Grindelwald did not pause for a moment. He slightly adjusted his direction in the air and swooped down toward the battered, black-smoking magical ark below.

The Founder's Ship rapidly magnified in their field of vision. As they drew closer, the figures running frantically on the deck became clearly visible. They had clearly noticed the three uninvited guests who had descended from the sky and were approaching at an alarming speed.

Some people pointed to the sky in terror, shouting something with their mouths wide open, while others frantically searched for cover to hide in.

But through the ship's protective shield and the howling wind high above, Snape could hear nothing but a silent chaos.

Grindelwald's speed did not decrease in the slightest. Just as they were about to crash into the faintly shimmering transparent protective shield above the ship, the silver token flew out of Snape's pocket and blocked their path.

A soft, popping sound, like a bubble bursting, came from behind.

With the help of the badge, they passed through the protective layer without any hindrance, feeling as if they were passing through a warm and highly elastic film of water.

In an instant, the surrounding environment shifted. The howling wind high above vanished abruptly, replaced by a cacophony of noise on the deck. Screams, incantations, and the squeals of fairies mingled together.

"Enemy attack!"

“Protect the students!”

Several of the quickest to react, including a few adult wizards who looked travel-worn but were dressed in casual clothes with sharp eyes, had already raised their wands as if by reflex.

In a panic, several red lights of stun and disarming spells instantly lit up, screeching mercilessly toward the three of them.

"Stop!" A voice Snape knew all too well pierced the chaos, shrilly, "It's Severus! Don't attack!"

Lily was the first to rush out from the crowd. Her face was pale, her emerald green eyes were filled with worry and fear, her long red hair was disheveled and hanging down her back, and her robe was stained with grayish-black marks.

She completely ignored the passing spell and headed straight for Snape.

"Get out of the way!" another voice shouted, trying to push away the person aiming at them.

Someone hastily raised the tip of their staff an inch higher, but several spells had already flown out of their hands and landed in front of Grindelwald and Snape.

Amidst several distorted screams, Grindelwald didn't even glance at the incoming spells. He simply set Snape and Madam Rozier down and casually flicked his wand outwards.

There was no dazzling burst of light, only an invisible magical field that instantly spread out from him. The incoming spells seemed to have hit a resilient barrier, flickering a few times a dozen feet in front of Grindelwald before silently dissipating.

However, Lily and a few others who were close by were gently swept away by the aftershocks of the force field, and were pushed back a few steps before they could barely regain their balance.

At that moment, Snape and his two companions landed steadily on the deck with a soft thud.

In a flash, Lily was in front of Snape. Ignoring the imposing Grindelwald and the silent Madam Rosier, she grabbed Snape's arm.

"Are you OK?"

"Are you ok?"

Their voices rang out almost simultaneously, overlapping each other.

Snape took Lily's cold hand in his own, looking her up and down to make sure she had no obvious injuries other than her disheveled appearance and shock. Lily examined him just as nervously.

Their eyes quickly scanned each other's bodies, and only after confirming that they were unharmed did their tense nerves relax slightly, and a sense of joy at being reunited after a disaster was conveyed silently.

"Youth is wonderful." Grindelwald's slightly teasing voice rang out beside them, breaking the brief atmosphere of their reunion.

Lily snapped out of her daze and released Snape's hand. She seemed to realize then that she had been holding his hand tightly the whole time, and a blush quickly spread across her face.

"Lily, where's Pandora? How are the others? Are there any serious casualties? What happened?" Snape's gaze swept quickly across the chaotic deck as he asked rapidly.

He saw the shattered ship railings, charred traces of spells, and several house-elves frantically trying to repair the cracks in the hull with magic.

“Everything’s fine, no one’s dead!” Lily said quickly, trying to calm herself down. “Pandora’s alright! She’s packing her things in the cabin…” When she mentioned Pandora, her tone paused noticeably, with a strange hesitation, and she even shivered involuntarily.

Snape felt much relieved, but the strange tone in Lily's voice still made him uneasy.

Then, Lily moved closer to him, deliberately lowering her voice to make sure only he could hear: "Just a short while ago, a few people from the Order of the Phoenix came aboard the ship seeking refuge. We took them in..." Her voice trembled with lingering fear, "One of them, Stogwie Podmore, suddenly threw something on the floor when everyone was off guard, and everything went dark. No one could see anything. It must have been a powerful invisibility smoke bomb."

"Fortunately, in the chaos, Professor McGonagall reacted quickly and knocked the traitor unconscious. But then, an even bigger commotion came from the deck."

"The protective shield was somehow breached, and several masked Death Eaters rushed in. They took two younger students hostage and stormed into the depths of the ship's cabin; the scene was extremely chaotic." Recalling this, Lily's face paled even more. "Fortunately... Pandora, Barty, and Abbott reacted quickly and led the older students in a counterattack."

"With the professors' help, we won. We captured a few and rescued the students. But the ship..." She looked worriedly at the still-smoking mainsail and the damage to the hull.

After calming the senior students and Order of the Phoenix members on the deck, Professor Flitwick emerged from the still-shaken crowd.

His small face showed fatigue, and his sharp eyes immediately fell on the man standing next to Snape, who had an extraordinary demeanor and looked remarkably like a middle-aged Dumbledore.

Professor Flitwick's eyes showed a hint of tension as he quickly gave Snape a wink.

Snape nodded firmly at him.

Professor Flitwick's small eyes widened instantly, then were replaced by a knowing seriousness. He took a deep breath, nodded slightly in Grindelwald's direction, his attitude a mixture of caution and solemnity.

"Ahem." Grindelwald coughed at the opportune moment, the sound not loud, but clearly carried across the deck.

All eyes were on him, filled with awe and bewilderment, and the noise subsided.

Grindelwald's gaze swept over the crowd, seemingly piercing through the deck and looking directly into the depths of the cabin.

In his hoarse yet authoritative voice, he commanded in an unquestionable manner:
"Now, take me to see him."

Snape immediately understood. He whispered to Professor Flitwick, "Professor, I'm leaving this to you." He then gave Lily a look that said, "Don't worry, I've got you covered." Although Lily looked at him with concern, she nodded nonetheless.

He then walked over to Grindelwald, made a "please" gesture, and led him and the ever-silent Ms. Rozier straight into the cabin.

The crowd blocking the way, whether they were upperclassmen from Hogwarts or members of the Order of the Phoenix who were familiar with Snape, instinctively and quickly moved aside to make way for a wide passage.

The invisible yet powerful aura emanating from Grindelwald, and the seemingly effortless and masterful way he had neutralized the attack, instilled an instinctive awe in the wizards. Stepping inside the ship's cabin, the scene was even more horrifying. The corridors reeked of a mixture of blood and potion.

Although Lily had told him he was alright, Snape's heart sank again. He saw large splatters of dark red blood, not yet completely dried, on the cabin walls and carpet.

“Mipper!” Snape called out to the house-elf who was struggling to clean a large reddish-brown stain on the carpet with magic, and asked with a hint of anxiety, “How many of us are injured? How badly are they injured?”

Upon seeing Snape, Mia's tennis ball-sized eyes immediately filled with respect and a sense of relief. She bowed deeply: "Welcome back, Mr. Snape! There are... there are one or two injured! McGonagall and Professor Prince are already taking care of them."

"Then why is there so much blood?" Snape frowned and asked, pointing to the large patches of dark red marks in the corridor.

“These,” the little elf blinked his large eyes, his voice low, carrying a hint of barely perceptible fear and awe, “are all… the blood of the enemy, sir.”

"Who did this?" Snape couldn't help but ask. "Who could be so...?" He couldn't imagine anyone on the ship with such a violent fighting style.

Miper didn't answer the question; instead, she bent even lower, her large ears twitching uneasily.

"Severus," Grindelwald's calm yet urging voice came from ahead.

Since the bloodstains did not belong to their own people, Snape suppressed his doubts, nodded to Mipert, and then quickly caught up with Grindelwald to continue leading the way for him.

As I passed by the restaurant, the scene inside, with its open doors, came into view. It had been temporarily converted into a shelter, where a large number of shaken students and some lightly injured people had gathered.

Professor McGonagall was standing guard at the door, while Irene was inside directing the elves to distribute calming potions and hot cocoa.

When Professor McGonagall saw Snape and his group, her gaze immediately locked onto the man who looked remarkably like Dumbledore from her memories.

She strode forward, blocking Snape's path, her eyes scrutinizing Grindelwald's transformed face, and asked sternly, "Severus, and who is this?"

“He is a guest I specially invited on this trip,” Snape replied in a low voice. “Professor McGonagall, we are going to see Professor Dumbledore now. This gentleman has been waiting for many years…” He did not directly reveal Grindelwald’s identity, but the implication was clear enough.

Grindelwald looked at Professor McGonagall's wary and scrutinizing gaze with a half-smile on his face.

Professor McGonagall's gaze swept back and forth between Snape and Grindelwald, as if she were weighing her options.

Finally, she nodded: "Okay. I'll go with you."

Grindelwald merely glanced at her with a half-smile, his eyes seeming to say "do as you please," completely unconcerned about having another person with him.

He gestured with his chin, indicating that Snape should continue leading the way.

The group silently walked through the ship's corridors, which were filled with a bloody and tense atmosphere, and finally arrived at the door of the medical room located deep inside the ship.

Two tense adult wizards, wands in hand, stood at the door; they were the Prewitt brothers. They relaxed slightly when they saw Professor McGonagall and Snape.

Grindelwald stood at the door of the medical room, an invisible pressure instantly enveloping Gideon and Fabian. They looked at Professor McGonagall for help, and only moved aside when she gestured for them to step aside.

Without the slightest hesitation, Grindelwald pushed open the wooden door.

The medical room was dimly lit and filled with the faint, soothing scent of herbs. On one side of the room, Albus Dumbledore lay quietly on a feather mattress, his face still pale, his long, silvery-white hair neatly styled and softly spread across the white pillow.

His breathing was shallow and steady, his chest rising and falling slightly, as if he were simply lost in a deep, long dream from which he did not wish to wake.

Grindelwald strode toward the hospital bed, his aim clear. Mrs. Rozier followed silently. Professor McGonagall and Snape were close behind.

Grindelwald stopped by the hospital bed and stood there for a long time.

He gazed down at the sleeping old man on the hospital bed, as if trying to see through the calm surface and understand the state of his soul.

Finally, he spoke to everyone behind him, saying, "You all get out."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Rozier immediately bowed slightly, then turned to Snape and Professor McGonagall, extending her palm to signal them to leave with her.

Professor McGonagall's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something. She looked at Snape, who shook his head slightly at her, his eyes indicating that she should trust Grindelwald.

She glanced deeply at Dumbledore on the hospital bed, then at the "strange man" with his back to them, radiating a powerful aura of oppression, and nodded slowly and reluctantly.

The two followed Ms. Rozier silently out of the medical room.

At that moment, Snape couldn't help but look back one last time:
Grindelwald stood there quietly, his back to the door.

At that very moment, the transformation spell on him was lifted.

His dark brown short hair quickly grew longer and faded, returning to his original long, gray hair with silver strands, which fell naturally over his shoulders.

Before Professor Dumbledore, he regained his weathered, angular face, bearing the marks of time yet still revealing his former glory.

Meanwhile, Snape's ears caught Grindelwald's fragmented words.

He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps gently confiding in someone who was asleep:

"Now...who would...you...Dumbledore...you..."

The following words and phrases were completely cut off by the closed door.

"Click." The door lock gently clicked shut.

The corridor was silent. Ms. Rozier stood guard at the door like a gatekeeper, her face expressionless.

Leaning against the solid bulkhead, Snape couldn't help but shake his head slightly, muttering softly to himself, his voice so low that only Professor McGonagall beside him could barely hear him:
"Oh, it's good to be older, you can relive the sting of love again and again..."

　Thank you to Yu Di, Jia Ran Diana7mi, Pigs Can Fly, Greed Will Become My Epitaph, It's Laughable I Was Already Prepared, Natsume02, Incense, Book Friend 20220115113756391, and Book Friend 20240417022413703 for the monthly tickets.

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　　I tried writing more a couple of days ago, but it seems like I only added more "details" rather than "plot"...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)