Hogwarts: I am Snape

In the medical room, Erin deftly placed James and Sirius on two side-by-side beds.

“Severus,” she said, quickly examining the minor scrapes and bruises on James’s arm, then turned to Snape and asked, “What happened to them? Potter is alright, just a little tired and with minor injuries, but Black…”

“Dark magic corrupting them,” Snape said with a helpless expression. “At times like this, they can only blame themselves for their own choices.”

“Shut up.” Eileen glared at Snape, then frowned and made Sirius lie face down, cutting a piece of cloth off his shoulder. “This wound needs to be treated immediately.”

“Do me a favor, Severus. I need the base of ‘St. Mungo’s Potent Purifying Ointment’, mixed with some white sage essence and snake venom powder, in the proportions you know.”

Snape nodded without saying a word. He strode to the huge potion cabinet in the corner of the infirmary, his gaze sweeping over the dazzling array of crystal bottles and jars. He took out the few ingredients he needed, then went to the mixing table next to it and began mixing, stirring, and heating with fluid movements…

On the other side, James lay on the hospital bed, his body still trembling slightly. He turned his head to look at Sirius beside him, who was also pale-faced and gritting his teeth as Erin used magic to clean the rotting flesh around the edges of his wounds.

“Bigfoot,” he said in a hoarse voice, “I…I’m sorry…I was so stupid to do that…”

“Shut up, you fork.” Sirius squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, a fine layer of cold sweat sliding down his face. “It’s none of your business. It’s that damned traitor… bastard…” A fierce rage reignited in his eyes, but was immediately interrupted by the excruciating pain from his wound. He let out a suppressed groan, his body tensing up once more.

By then, Snape had already prepared the potion. He came over carrying a small silver cauldron containing a freshly prepared, bright green ointment that exuded a refreshing aroma.

He handed the crucible to Eileen.

Eileen carefully took it, dipped a pure white unicorn tail feather into the ointment, and gently applied it to the hideous wound on Sirius's shoulder.

When the ointment came into contact with the slightly curled skin and the swirling black smoke, it made a slight hissing sound and emitted a wisp of black smoke with a sulfurous smell.

Immediately, the black aura around the wound began to wriggle and recede, and the necrotic tissue at the edges stopped spreading, gradually turning pink.

After treating Sirius's wounds, Eileen checked James for other superficial injuries and signs of mana depletion, and provided them with basic treatment.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.

Snape quietly gestured for her to go and rest, saying he would watch over things here. Eileen nodded, gave him a few instructions, and quietly left the infirmary.

The medical room fell silent, with only the two people's slightly heavy breathing and Dumbledore's steady, long rise and fall of his chest not far away.

The principal's long, silvery-white beard lay spread across his pillow, and his crescent-shaped glasses were carefully placed on the bedside table. He remained completely oblivious to everything happening around him.

Outside the window, the snow that had started falling during the day had turned into a fierce blizzard. The wind whipped up goose feathers and lashed against the porthole, but thanks to the soundproofing magic, there was no sound at all.

Seeing that Snape showed no sign of leaving, James and Sirius exchanged a puzzled glance. Their relationship over the years had certainly not been friendly, let alone one of them voluntarily staying with Snape in the infirmary.

Snape calmly sat down in the chair next to James's bed and asked directly:
"James, where in your house did you hide the Potter family's heirloom invisibility cloak before you left?"

James paused, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes: "Why are you asking this?"

“I have absolutely no interest in that rag.” Snape raised his eyelids, staring at James without changing his expression. “I just want to know if it was found and taken away by the Mysterious Man around the time your parents were murdered.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over James and Sirius's wary faces, before offering a tempting bargain: "I'm too lazy to waste my breath trying to convince you."

"How about this, in exchange, I can arrange for the house-elves to change shifts at the appropriate time. During this brief gap, one or two of you might be able to 'accidentally' get a few minutes to go to the lowest level of the confinement chamber and have a good chat with your old friend Bugtail."

“As for how exactly to ‘communicate,’” Snape continued, “that’s your business. Just bear the consequences, just like the choices you’ve made before.”

James's breathing quickened. He spoke almost without hesitation, his words rapid and eager:
"There's a hidden compartment behind the fireplace in my parents' bedroom. Tap the bottom left corner of the third brick on the fireplace with your wand, and the compartment will open! The Invisibility Cloak is hidden inside!"

He finished speaking in one breath, as if afraid that Snape would change his mind.

After he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something, panting heavily, and looked at Snape with a hint of confusion: "Why...why did you help me? What do you want?"

Snape slowly stood up, looking down at James on the sickbed, his face expressionless.

“I have no interest in helping you,” he said. “But more than not helping you, I don’t want to see ‘brave’ Mr. Wormtail pay the price for his brilliant betrayal with nothing more than being comfortably confined in a warm cabin, awaiting a justice that will never come. Even the worst outcome of that trial would be life imprisonment. Personally, I think that the wizarding world’s abolition of the death penalty, following the Muggles’ example, is inappropriate in certain circumstances.”

After saying that, he didn't look at the two of them again, turned around and left the medical room, disappearing outside the closed wooden door.

……

The blizzard continued to rage for the next few days, which actually helped the Founder's Ship maintain its concealment in the ocean.

After careful consideration, Snape decided to travel to Godric's Hollow himself. The whereabouts of the Invisibility Cloak were crucial, as they were related to Voldemort's Horcrux plan and their subsequent actions.

However, this journey was extremely risky, as Voldemort might have set traps or left surveillance magic in the ruins of the Potter's house. Therefore, he sought out Grindelwald, who was studying a complex magical model in his cabin.

“Mr. Grindelwald,” Snape said bluntly, “I need you to come with me to a place, Godric’s Hollow.”

“No. Not interested.” Grindelwald refused without even looking up.

Snape remained unmoved and continued, "This trip is to confirm the whereabouts of a Deathly Hallow, the Potter family's Invisibility Cloak. It is very likely..."

"The Deathly Hallows?" Grindelwald's fingers paused slightly, and he finally raised his head, his gray eyes sweeping over Snape, a glint of indescribable light flashing within them.

“Yes,” Snape affirmed, “one of the Deathly Hallows, the Invisibility Cloak of Death.” Seeing that Grindelwald did not immediately refuse again but fell silent, he quickly added, “Moreover, based on some clues, I reasonably guess that this Deathly Hallow may have been turned into a Horcrux by Voldemort.”

Grindelwald looked at Snape again, his eyes shifting, as if the words "Deathly Hallows" had stirred up some distant thoughts.

In the end, the reluctance on his face turned into a compromise tinged with annoyance.

"Tsk...troublesome." He waved his hand irritably, and the magical model vanished instantly. "But, it won't hurt to go take a look. Hopefully, it's worth leaving this warm cabin. When do we depart?"

"Tonight, the blizzard will be the best cover."

That night, Snape and Grindelwald's figures flashed across the edge of the deck and disappeared into the swirling snow.

Soon after, they stood in a snow-covered alley on the outskirts of Godric Valley.

Above us was a deep blue sky, and despite the swirling snow and wind, the first stars, undeterred by the cold, still twinkled faintly through the gaps in the clouds.

Low houses stood on both sides of the alley, with thick snow weighing down their roofs and windowsills.

A few houses still had Christmas decorations left hanging in the windows. The lights were off, and faded plastic holly wreaths and ribbons fluttered in the wind and snow.

The icy air stung their faces and exposed skin like needles. Snape heard Grindelwald mutter in disgust beside him, "I don't like this place..."

Snape ignored his complaints. He looked around warily, and after confirming that there were no signs of magical surveillance, he walked along the street, which was mostly buried in snow.

Although Grindelwald looked reluctant, he still followed beside him.

We passed many more houses along the way, most of which had their doors and windows tightly closed, appearing lifeless in the wind and snow.

Snape, braving the swirling snowflakes, scanned the houses he passed: snow-covered front steps, low-hanging porch ceilings, faint lights shining from windows, searching for any trace of magical destruction the Potter family had suffered. According to James's description, it must have been an undeniable stain.

Their footsteps crunched on the thick snow.

Turning left into the alley, a small square—the center of the village—came into view.

In the center of the square stands a war memorial, its shape blurred by snow. Around the square are several shops, a post office, a bar, and a small chapel, its stained glass windows gleaming like jewels across the square.

The snow here was compacted: the ground, trampled all day, was hard and slippery. A few villagers, bundled up tightly, passed by, briefly illuminated by the streetlights whose lights were cut into countless tiny specks by the snowflakes; bursts of laughter and pop music drifted out from the opening and closing of bar doors. (End of Chapter)