Hogwarts: I am Snape

The sound of wind and rain outside the window was clear, and the flames in the fireplace crackled.

Sir Frye stared at Snape for a long time, weighing the truthfulness of every word he spoke. Finally, he made his decision, abruptly standing up and turning to Bernard: "Bernard!"

“Yes, Sir Humphrey!” Bernard replied reflexively.

"Contact the convoy immediately," Sir Humphrey ordered as he put on his coat, his gaze briefly sweeping between Snape and the desk. "Use my highest authority to call that bulletproof car and notify Group C to put it on high alert."

“We,” he paused, pointing to himself and Bernard, “and this Mr. Snape, are going to see the Prime Minister. We’re leaving immediately.”

He picked up the red secure phone on the table, but his finger hovered over the buttons, not pressing them immediately. He looked up, searching Snape's eyes.

Snape immediately understood, and with a light flick of his wand in the air, he dispelled the barrier spell that enveloped the room.

“Now you can make contact with the outside world, Sir Humphrey,” he said.

Sir Humphrey nodded, but his finger remained motionless as he held the receiver, his gaze fixed on Snape's face.

"Mr. Snape, if I may ask, how do you plan to protect the Prime Minister after you meet him?"

“I intend to take His Excellency the Prime Minister with me,” Snape replied, “and perhaps you and Mr. Bernard as well. If you wish to come along, we will immediately move you to a safe house protected by powerful magic that we have set up.”

"It is unlike any other location protected by conventional Muggle methods; it cannot be discovered, located, or entered by any means."

“Unless the most powerful wizard on our side who is guarding this secret perishes, no one can detect and enter it.” He paused, then added, “I don’t think that’s a possibility.”

Sir Humphrey's eyebrows furrowed. He looked at Snape suspiciously, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed on:
"Then, forgive my bluntness, Mr. Snape. How does the strength of your strongest man compare to the leaders of the Death Eaters you are fighting? What are his chances of winning?"

A faint smile appeared on Snape's face: "Now it's my turn, Sir Humphrey. Isn't it?"

"During the darkest days of the British Empire decades ago, did it ever succumb to Nazi Germany?"

Sir Humphrey fell silent, his thumb and forefinger rubbing together again; he fully understood the meaning of those words.

He gave Snape a deep look, then without further hesitation, quickly pressed a specific, secure number.

“It’s me, Humphrey Appleby, authorization code Aurum-9-King…” He gave the instructions clearly into the microphone, “Activate the contingency plan immediately. Yes, the Prime Minister’s location… A special advisor is with me. Connect me to the Prime Minister…”

A tense response came from the other end of the phone, and Bernard pushed open the door and left the office to carry out the specific scheduling arrangements.

After hanging up the phone, Sir Humphrey turned back to Snape, his tone solemn: "Mr. Snape, I think you will understand."

"Given the importance of His Excellency the Prime Minister's position and the sensitive and special nature of his current situation, and considering that we have just experienced only the tip of the iceberg of your group's power, we urge you to maintain a low profile upon arrival at your destination."

"At least until the Prime Minister himself fully understands the extraordinary situation at hand and is willing to accept our explanation and arrangements, do not proactively demonstrate your abilities or identity."

“Of course,” Snape nodded slightly, without any intention of arguing, “it is necessary for the safety of His Excellency the Prime Minister and for the smooth progress of the transfer.”

"Please take care of the specific communication and persuasion work. Although I don't think His Excellency the Prime Minister is that fragile."

The two fell silent, simply waiting for Bernard to return.

A few minutes later, Bernard opened the door, nodded slightly, indicating that everything was arranged.

The three immediately stood up, walked through the solemn corridors inside the official residence, and quickly headed towards the back door area via the internal passage.

A sleek, understated, dark-colored, bulletproof widebody sedan with sharp lines was already parked beside the damp back door alley. The door was open, waiting.

Although the heavily armed guards cast wary glances at the suddenly appearing young stranger, after a brief eye contact with Sir Humphrey, all the guards immediately looked away, straightened their posture, and acted as if they hadn't seen anything.

Sir Humphrey gestured for Snape to sit with him in the back, while Bernard climbed into the front passenger seat.

The car door slammed shut with a dull click. The driver, eyes fixed straight ahead, gripped the steering wheel tightly and started the vehicle without a word.

The engine emitted a deep roar; the car smoothly drove out of the heavily guarded core area, quickly merging into the bustling traffic on the damp, cold streets of December, passing through the busy city center, and speeding towards a London satellite town.

The car was unusually quiet, with only the rhythmic swishing of the windshield wipers and the soft rustling of tires over the road outside the window.

Bernard sat upright, his gaze fixed straight ahead, but every now and then, his eyes would carefully sweep across the rearview mirror and land on the young wizard in the back seat, who was leaning against the window and resting with his eyes closed; Sir Humphrey, on the other hand, remained in the same position, his fingers lightly tapping his knees.

After driving for a while, the car finally entered a seemingly ordinary townhouse area nestled among green trees and stopped behind one of the inconspicuous houses.

Two pedestrians wearing raincoats and walking their dogs nearby were casually sizing up the newcomer; they appeared to be disguised security guards.

Under their unwavering gaze, the group quickly got out of the car and, braving the drizzling rain, ducked into a narrow passageway next to the house.

At the end of the road was an iron gate. Sir Humphrey stepped forward, entered a password on the electronic keypad lock next to the gate, and then underwent an iris scan.

The door slid open a crack, revealing a completely different world inside. A narrow but brightly lit room. Several well-equipped guards immediately stepped forward and conducted a thorough scan of the three men, confirming they were not carrying weapons or tracking devices.

After passing through security, they went through two access control gates that required different verification methods to open, and finally entered a warm, comfortable, and tastefully furnished office.

Inside his office, Prime Minister Jim Hacker was lounging in a large armchair, flipping through a document, his face etched with the frustration of being stuck in this place.

Hearing the door open, he looked up and saw Humphrey and Bernard, and a surprised smile immediately appeared on his face.

“Humphrey, Bernard!” Huck jumped up from his chair. “Thank goodness you’re here! But what could be so important that you had to come in person, and we couldn’t even tell you over the phone…” Bernard turned and closed the office door. With his movement, Snape, who had been hidden by the two men, was revealed to Huck.

Huck's gaze swept over the two men, and he looked at the stranger with suspicion: "Uh... who are you?" He looked at Sir Humphrey for an introduction.

“Magic, Your Excellency the Prime Minister,” Sir Humphrey stepped forward and said in a low voice.

"What?" Huck was stunned, seemingly not understanding, or thinking he had misheard.

As if to confirm Humphrey's words, Snape calmly took his wand out of his pocket.

The moment Huck's gaze fell on the stick, he abruptly took two steps back, pointed at Snape, and almost blurted out:

"Oh, wait! You don't need to turn my teacup into a bird just to prove something! I've seen that kind of performance before!"

Sir Humphrey's smile froze upon hearing this. He looked at the Prime Minister, his face filled with shock and the pain of being kept in the dark: "You knew all along, Prime Minister? But why didn't you tell me?"

Huck grinned somewhat awkwardly, revealing his slightly clumsy yet endearing teeth, trying to ease the tension:
“Oh, my dear Humphrey, this matter… well, according to their rules, only the sitting Muggle prime minister is allowed to know.”

He shrugged, indicating that he was simply following the rules.

“Muggle?” Sir Humphrey’s voice rose a octave. He stared at Harker in disbelief. “Prime Minister, you even know the word ‘Muggle’?”

Huck's smile grew even more awkward. He stroked his chin: "Well, what's the point of telling you, Humphrey? Would you believe me?"

“You’ll just think I’m so crazy that I’m not ‘crazy enough to be prime minister,’ but that I should be sent straight to a psychiatrist.”

He avoided Humphrey's aggrieved gaze somewhat guiltily, looked at Snape, and gestured for everyone to sit down.

“Alright, alright,” he said, “please sit down, sir…”

"Severus Snape."

“Yes, Mr. Snape, please have a seat. Your Ministry of Magic sent someone to protect me for a while, although I only found out he was one of yours when I left. Before he left, he warned me with great concern that I should be careful.”

“This has kept me nervous for days… Oh well,” Hack seemed to have given up on recalling the past, with a hint of despair, “Why don’t you change me a bit? That way I can get into character more easily.” He pointed to the half-empty teacup on the table.

Snape did not refuse. With a flick of his wand, the teacup on the table bearing the royal crest transformed into a round, chubby British Shorthair calico kitten.

The kitten shook its fur, and under Huck's gaze, it lightly jumped onto his lap, rubbed against his hand, and then jumped back onto the table. After taking two steps, its body shape changed again, returning to the teacup containing half a cup of warm water.

“It’s amazing…” Huck murmured to himself, his eyes still a little dazed. “Every time I see this, I feel like I’m dreaming…” He shook his head, looked at Snape, and his expression became serious. “Well, Mr. Snape, what happened this time?”

"I must say, every time you come to us, it seems you never bring any good news."

Snape succinctly told Huck that the Ministry of Magic had effectively collapsed, that the Death Eaters had discovered the Prime Minister's hiding place and intended to control or eliminate him, and that an attack was expected soon. He also told Huck his plan to take everyone to a magical safe house.

Throughout the exchange, Hark's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. The ease on his face vanished completely, replaced by solemnity and a barely perceptible hint of fear. He didn't immediately respond to Snape, but instead habitually glanced at Ser Humphrey.

“Prime Minister,” Sir Humphrey confirmed in a deep voice, meeting Harker’s questioning gaze, “having witnessed and experienced firsthand some of Mr. Snape’s extraordinary abilities, I believe he has no need, nor any reason, to deceive us. If he represents the disruptive side, he has many, better options.”

“So…” Huck licked his slightly dry lips and looked at Snape, “Do we really have to go to that magically created safe house? Can’t we use this place? MI5 spent a fortune building it; perhaps you could modify it…”

“No, Prime Minister,” Snape refused, glancing toward the door. “The defenses here are no match for real dark magic. They could arrive at any moment, and we must leave as soon as possible.”

Huck's face showed a struggle: abandon this heavily protected safe house and follow a strange wizard to an unknown "magical safe house"? The risk was too great.

Seeing that Harker was still hesitant, Snape continued to persuade him: "Prime Minister, the root cause of those inexplicable and deadly 'disasters' that have occurred in the country recently, and even the leak of your own whereabouts which should have been kept strictly confidential, is not an accident or an ordinary disaster."

"They were all created by the most dangerous dark wizards. Magic can not only create jumping kittens or obedient birds, but it can also easily wipe out streets, twist minds, or end lives permanently."

"If you have any doubts about the power of magic, it's safe to do so later. I can show you what real magic used against enemies looks like."

But now,” he stared into Huck’s eyes, “we should leave here first to make sure you see that moment with your own eyes, instead of becoming part of a ‘demonstration.’”

Snape's cold words were like ice water poured on Huck's heart, making him shiver and rise from his seat.

At this very moment——

"Bang! Boom!"

"Stop him! Ah!"

Suddenly, the sounds of fierce fighting, heavy impacts, tearing metal, and the thud of bodies falling to the ground came from outside the door, along with the guards' terrified roars and the shrill screams of incantations.

Everyone in the office instantly changed their expressions and stood up abruptly.

Snape immediately raised his wand and pointed it at the door: "Protect yourself!" An invisible, shimmering barrier rose up at the doorway.

Almost at the same instant the Ironclad Charm took shape, the thick, blast-proof office door, as if struck head-on by a giant hammer, violently bulged and deformed inward. Flying metal fragments and wood chips shot in.

The deadly shards struck the shield with a series of crackling sounds, but were firmly blocked in front of the three people, who then fell to the ground.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a figure wearing a black hood and a狰狞 mask appeared in the blasted-open doorway. (End of Chapter)