Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 158 Saving the Auror Longbottom

The alchemical glass eyeballs in Moody's eyes spun wildly.

“No, Severus, the Death Eaters aren’t that crazy.” He slammed his cane on the floor and said in a hoarse voice, “They won’t ambush in Azkaban. In that godforsaken place, they can barely stand their ground, let alone organize a proper ambush.”

Moody's words, carrying the old Auror's certainty, temporarily dispelled everyone's doubts about the trap. However, the atmosphere in the office did not lighten as a result.

Benji Fenwick, a cautious member of the Order of the Phoenix sitting next to Moody, hesitated before speaking: "Alastor is right, Dementors can't distinguish between friend and foe."

“But, Alastor, the greatest threat is probably not the Dementors… nor is it an ambush.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, he swallowed, his voice noticeably weak. “If the Mysterious Man were personally overseeing things, or happened to be there…”

“Indeed, Benji is right,” Snape interjected, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Professor McGonagall. “The biggest variable is Voldemort himself.”

"Unless we can pinpoint his exact location or create a commotion large enough to completely divert his attention from Azkaban, we cannot rule out this risk."

After saying that, he nodded slightly to Professor McGonagall, his eyes carrying an unspoken hint that it was time to ask the one who could create such a commotion to make a move.

Professor McGonagall immediately understood Snape's intention. She took a deep breath and said decisively, "Mr. Green is in the infirmary with Albus. I'll go find him right now..."

Before he could finish speaking, the office door was pushed open, and Grindelwald's tall figure appeared in the doorway.

"I heard someone is looking for me?" He stood outside the door, his gray eyes sweeping over the somber crowd inside before finally settling on Professor McGonagall.

“Mr. Green,” Professor McGonagall immediately rose and bowed slightly, “we have just learned that two of our companions, Frank and Alice Longbottom, are currently being held in Azkaban. We are urgently discussing a plan to rescue them.”

"But the biggest obstacle is the Mystic. If he happens to be in Azkaban, or arrives after being alerted, the rescue operation will be doomed. Therefore, we hope to get your help to lure him away from Azkaban. Only you can do this."

Grindelwald raised an eyebrow slightly, his face remaining expressionless.

He did not respond to Professor McGonagall's request, but instead strolled leisurely into the office, sat down in an empty chair near the door, and sat down with a relaxed posture, as if he had just heard the menu for tonight.

An awkward silence fell over the office.

“Mr. Grindelwald, Professor McGonagall is right,” Snape’s voice broke the silence. “None of us here, including myself, are confident that we can draw and restrain the Mystic while escaping unscathed. His power is immense and dangerous. Only you,” he looked directly into Grindelwald’s eyes, “possess the strength and experience to rival, or even surpass, him.”

"What mysterious person or not?" Grindelwald's indifference seemed to fade slightly, replaced by disdain and amusement.

He leaned forward slightly, raised his eyelids, and slowly scanned the crowd's eyes. Then he chuckled softly, his tone mocking: "You don't even dare to call Voldemort by his full name, yet you want to fight against him?"

The name seemed to carry a cold curse, causing the temperature in the office to plummet.

Apart from Snape, who remained expressionless, Moody, who unconsciously tightened his grip on his cane, and Grindelwald himself, everyone else involuntarily shivered, gasped softly, and revealed undisguised fear in their eyes.

Grindelwald took in everyone's reactions.

"Ha..." He stood up, his handsome face showing disdain and disappointment. "Look at you all. Just a name, a symbol, and you're all this scared?"

"Don't worry," he said with a hint of mockery, "on this ship heavily protected by ancient magic, calling his name will not be detected by any detection magic."

“Mr. Grindelwald,” Snape said softly, looking directly into Grindelwald’s eyes without flinching, “doesn’t this just demonstrate the courage of everyone here?”

"Even if we don't have your level of skill, we would still choose to fight against the most evil wizard in the world—Voldemort, even though we know that we might lose our lives as a result."

"If we are going to die, we will choose to face it, even if our bodies are still trembling."

When Snape mentioned "Voldemort" again, although the others couldn't help but show discomfort, no one made a sound, and the tense atmosphere was filled with a kind of resolute determination.

Upon hearing this, Grindelwald slowly stood up.

He reached out and straightened his neat robe sleeves, smoothing out a fine wrinkle.

With this simple movement, an invisible aura emanated from him, not aggressive, but carrying a deep and unsettling pressure, like a sleeping lion stretching its limbs.

“Very well,” Grindelwald’s voice returned to its previous languid tone, “I’m just idling around anyway. Let me go and meet him.”

"Let's see just how good Voldemort really is, the one who strikes fear into your hearts and even Albus Dumbledore was defeated by."

Snape knew with certainty that Grindelwald had already agreed.

“Mr. Green,” he immediately added crucial information, “Voldemort’s followers, the Death Eaters, all have a distinctive Dark Mark branded on the inside of their left arm, a skull with a snake forking its tongue.”

"The way to summon Voldemort is simple: any Death Eater only needs to press the mark firmly with their finger, and Voldemort himself will immediately sense the location where the mark has been touched and choose whether to respond to the summons and go to the scene in person."

"A summoning mark?" Grindelwald nodded slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes. "It's quite a convenient design. It saves me the trouble of searching the whole world for it."

He said no more, turned and walked straight towards the door. Mrs. Rozier, who had been standing by his side, immediately followed.

“Vendor,” Grindelwald ordered without turning his head, “you stay here.”

Ms. Rozier paused, her face clearly showing reluctance: "Sir, I..."

“That’s an order,” Grindelwald said.

Ms. Rozier pursed her lips, obediently took a step back, and bowed slightly respectfully: "Yes, sir." She stopped inside the doorway.

“Mr. Green,” Professor McGonagall stepped forward hastily, her words quickening, “we plan to arrive in Azkaban around six o’clock tomorrow morning and begin the rescue. You don’t need to rush off now; you can prepare a little.”

Grindelwald had already stepped out of the office. He simply replied, "Understood. I know what to do," and disappeared through the doorway.

"Mr. Green, wait!" Professor McGonagall called out again in a moment of panic, quickly chasing after him to the door. She pulled out a token engraved with the Hogwarts crest from her bosom. "Take this; it will help you find your way back." She said, reaching out to hand the token over.

But all that could be heard from outside the door was Grindelwald's voice, fading into the distance: "No need."

The corridor fell silent again, and Professor McGonagall gently closed her office door. A few sounds of discussion soon returned from inside.

“Mr. Green’s actions,” Professor McGonagall said, gazing worriedly at the closed door, “given his personality and style, they will likely cause a huge uproar in the wizarding world. His identity…”

“There’s nothing we can do about it, Professor. Perhaps this is the inevitable price.” Snape walked to her side, lowering his voice so that the people nearby could not hear him. “Unless he remains invisible on this ship forever, with his power, he will attract attention sooner or later.”

"Besides, there aren't that many coincidences in the world," he continued. "There are only a handful of people in the magical world with this kind of power. It's not like someone just happens to go missing in Switzerland, and suddenly we have an unidentified but incredibly powerful wizard here, is it?"

"As long as we firmly refuse to acknowledge his identity, apart from the British Ministry of Magic, which has been provoked, other countries' magical authorities will not rashly interfere in Britain's internal affairs for the sake of a 'suspected' prison breaker."

"As long as Mr. Green doesn't revive his past career and doesn't pose an open challenge, they won't really want to completely provoke us and create an unimaginably formidable enemy for themselves."

Professor McGonagall's furrowed brow relaxed slightly. She pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily. "You're right, Severus."

“Then,” she said, turning around and raising her voice, “we now need to determine who will go to Azkaban to rescue them.”

"The Patronus Charm is the only effective defense against Dementors. We must ensure that everyone going there is proficient in summoning a powerful physical Patronus. Now, if you all don't mind?"

Several streaks of silver light appeared in succession inside the office.

Professor Flitwick's small silver hummingbird glided nimbly around the room; Amelie's guardian spirit was a swan, its wings outstretched with ease; Moody's summoned cheetah moved with graceful elegance, swiftly circling the room; Benji Fenwick summoned a somewhat blurry silver Chow Chow...

However, the most noteworthy was Snape. He chose to use the Elder Wand that originally belonged to Dumbledore.

With a clear call to divine protection, a massive, solid serpent radiating intense silver light erupted from the tip of his staff, illuminating every astonished face.

The snake's head was raised high, and its coiled body occupied almost a quarter of the office space, squeezing the other guardians into a corner.

Professor McGonagall's gaze lingered on Snape and his wand for a moment, her expression complex, but she ultimately said nothing.

“Very good.” She withdrew her gaze and said to the group, “A large number of people are not suitable for an infiltration rescue. Severus and Amelie, your Guardian forms are the clearest, so you can go if you wish. Alastor is most familiar with the internal structure of Azkaban, but your body…” Her gaze turned to Moody.

“They’re all healed!” Moody said gruffly, pointing to his bandaged nose. “It’s nothing, just following doctor’s orders for ‘looks.’ It won’t stop me from waving my wand at all. Besides, Frank and Alice were captured to protect me, so I have to go!”

“Alright,” Professor McGonagall said without further questioning, “then you will lead this operation, Alastor. Severus, Emily, please be careful.”

Time flew by amidst the tense preparations. At two in the morning, a biting wind swept across the deck.

Three figures dressed in dark cloaks stood on the edge of the ship's gunwale.

Not far away, under the influence of Professor Flitwick’s powerful Oblivion Charm, Sleep Charm, and Supreme Confusion Charm, Pettigrew, James, and Sirius, along with their luggage, were neatly “placed” in a corner of the deck, awaiting Professor Flitwick’s later delivery.

Meanwhile, Snape, Moody, and Emily were already fully armed and standing at the edge of the deck.

Eileen walked quickly to Snape and silently handed him a large, beautifully wrapped chocolate. Snape nodded and quietly accepted it.

"Everyone, do a final check on the brooms!" Moody said hoarsely, scanning the surrounding darkness warily.

After confirming that everything was correct, the three of them exchanged glances.

"Action!" Moody's voice rang out.

Three figures flipped and mounted flying brooms, their black cloaks fluttering in the wind.

Snape took the lead, leaping into the thick, star-studded night sky. Moody and Emmeline followed closely behind, disappearing into the boundless night in the blink of an eye, speeding towards the sea of ​​clouds below.

They pierced through the clouds, descending rapidly until they landed on a desolate, hard, and unfamiliar high ground. Looking around, all they saw was the eternally brilliant Milky Way overhead and the coldly gleaming mountain rocks below.

"Hold on tight!" Moody growled, putting away his broom and extending his calloused hands. Snape and Emmeline immediately grabbed his arms, and with a loud bang, they vanished from the spot.

When their feet touched the ground again, the biting, salty sea breeze lashed against their cheeks.

Before them stretched the vast, inky North Sea, surging and rolling under the faint starlight and moonlight. Huge waves roared, crashing repeatedly against the steep rock walls beneath their feet with thunderous booms; behind them, the expansive grasslands stretched into the distance in the darkness of the early morning, merging into the deeper night.

This is the area near the Yorkshire coastline where Snape and Dumbledore once visited.

Without a moment's hesitation, Moody quickly took out a simple yet sturdy wooden raft that he had prepared beforehand and enlarged it.

Emmeline used a levitation spell to gently place it into the churning seawater below.

The small raft bobbed violently in the waves, like a leaf that could be swallowed up at any moment.

The three quickly jumped onto the raft.

With a wave of his wand, Snape conjured a large cloth imbued with a powerful illusion spell and a sleight of hand, which quickly covered the entire raft and secured its four corners firmly to the raft's edge.

The cloth draped down and, under the influence of magic, quickly blended into the surrounding rippling seawater and dim starlight, causing the entire raft to disappear perfectly into the rolling sea.

"Let's go!" Moody hissed.

Snape and Emmeline simultaneously pointed their wands at the sea.

"Move forward quickly!"

An invisible thrust is applied below the raft.

The raft cut through the surging black waves and sped swiftly and stealthily toward the fortress in the center of the North Sea.

　Thank you Ye Chen_Xi, Pig Can Fly, and Book Friend 20190609134224725 for the monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)