Hogwarts: I am Snape

Snape caught the little golden box that Grindelwald threw to him.

The box was cold and felt heavy to the touch.

He took a deep breath of the cold air, his fingers finding a small clasp on the edge of the lid, and gently pulled it open.

With a soft "click," the lid popped open.

Lying on the velvet lining was a heaped, transparent cloak, as if woven from melted moonlight. It was as thin as a cicada's wing, with an unusual silvery-grey hue, and its edges undulated lightly as Snape opened the box.

The Invisibility Cloak, a Deathly Hallows imbued with ancient magic; now, it is also Voldemort's Horcrux.

Seeing that Grindelwald had no objection, Snape no longer hesitated and carefully lifted the flowing silver gauze from the box.

The cloak hung down in his hand, and even before he put it on, its magic caused subtle refractions in the surrounding air, as if light were swirling around it.

However, there was no admiration or covetousness in Snape's eyes. He reached into his robes with his free hand and drew out the gleaming goblin-forged dagger.

Under Grindelwald's calm gaze, he gripped the dagger and plunged it fiercely into the gleaming invisibility cloak he held in his other hand.

"laugh--"

A soft, muffled sound, like a water bladder being punctured, was heard.

Immediately afterward, a faint yet shrill scream, seemingly coming from a great distance, filled with pain and resentment, rang in their ears before abruptly ceasing.

From the edge of the hole pierced by the dagger, a jet-black liquid slowly seeped out, dripping onto the snow and melting into deep pits.

Snape noticed that the light of the artifact in his hand dimmed for a moment, although its flowing silver-gray essence did not disappear.

He stirred the hole violently a few more times, letting the black liquid drain away. Finally, holding the tattered cloak, he asked Grindelwald:

"Is there any remaining curse on this invisibility cloak? Can I wear it?"

Grindelwald glanced at the Deathly Hallow in his hand and replied in a flat tone, “No. Apart from those protective curses, it’s just a filthy container. Despite its unsightly holes and filth, it can still make you invisible.”

After receiving a reply, Snape haphazardly stuffed the Invisibility Cloak back into the box, closed the lid, and casually tucked it into the inside pocket of his robe.

After doing all this, he finally drew his wand: "Shall we go back?"

Grindelwald's gaze, however, was fixed on Snape's hand. His eyes swept between the Staff of Fate and the pocket where Snape kept the Invisibility Cloak.

“That’s really interesting,” he said. “Right now, you have the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak, two of the Deathly Hallows… only the Resurrection Stone is missing. I even suspect that the Resurrection Stone is one of his Horcruxes.”

“Yes,” Snape grinned, “Mr. Grindelwald, I think your guess is reasonable. However, I wonder if I will be able to become the master of Death after collecting the third Deathly Hallow?”

"The master of death?" Grindelwald made no attempt to hide the contempt in his tone. "Boy, I advise you not to get caught up in these kinds of legends that fool children, or you may pay a price you're unwilling to pay before you even realize it."

"Rather than the empty delusion of conquering death, I am more inclined to believe that they are merely three magical items meticulously crafted and endowed with special powers by ancient wizards who possessed magic or skills that transcended their time. They are powerful, but nothing more."

“Of course,” Snape replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t do that.”

The two returned to the Founder's Ship, but that's another story.

……

In the days following his return, aside from his routine Potions lessons, his methodical preparation of complex potions for the comatose Professor Dumbledore, and his regular visits to the greenhouse to tend to the irritable mandrakes, Snape spent almost all his remaining time locked in his cabin.

His research subjects were the three legendary Deathly Hallows.

The elderwood wand lay quietly on the desk, its sheen subdued.

Snape picked it up again and again, feeling the immense magic within it. He had used it to cast very complex spells, and its power certainly far exceeded that of his usual wand, but... that was all. It was an unparalleled wand, but it was just a wand.

The damaged invisibility cloak lay in his palm, still resembling a flowing liquid.

Snape tried wearing it. The effect was indeed magical; he remained permanently invisible. But this ability could also be achieved with a powerful Dispersion Charm or a high-quality invisibility cloak, only the duration and perfection would be inferior. It was merely a top-tier invisibility gadget.

Finally, there was the black gemstone he had pried off the ring; it was cold and hard.

Snape gripped it tightly. He closed his eyes and turned the stone three times in his hand. When he opened them, the cabin was silent; there was no response from the other side. It seemed to be just an ordinary, carved stone, utterly useless.

Even though he was wearing an invisibility cloak, holding the Resurrection Stone in one hand and wielding the Elder Wand in the other, he didn't see anything unusual.

"The conqueror of death, the master of death, is that all?" Although he had expected it, Snape still couldn't help but feel disappointed, wondering if it required any additional spells or rituals.
Just as he impatiently ripped off his invisibility cloak, there was a knock on the hatch.

So Snape put the Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection Stone back into his pocket, picked up his wand, went to the door, and turned the lock.

Standing outside the door was Regulus Black. The boy's slightly pale face held a hint of restraint, his black hair neatly combed back. He looked at Snape. "Severus," he said, "I'm sorry to bother you. I'd like to borrow the two-way mirror to contact my family. I haven't heard from home in a long time. Mom and Dad must be very worried."

“This was originally your two-way mirror,” Snape said, stepping slightly to make way for the doorway. “Come in.”

Regulus breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went into the cabin.

Snape closed the hatch, walked to the desk, rummaged in his ever-present magical pouch, took out the two-way mirror, and handed it to Regulus.

"Here you go," he said.

Regulus took the mirror and nodded gratefully. But instead of activating it immediately, he looked up at Snape.

“Severus, could you…” he stammered, “leave for a moment? Or… could I… talk outside?” He hoped Snape would give him some space to speak privately with his family.

“No.” Snape leaned against the edge of the desk, refusing Regulus’s request for privacy. “What are you waiting for, Regulus? Hurry up, I have a second-year Potions class in a bit.”

Regulus's cheek twitched; he knew he had no other choice. He looked down and called out Walbuga Black's name into the mirror.

The mirror surface immediately rippled like water, and then became clear.

Wolbuja Black's haggard face, filled with urgency and worry, instantly filled the mirror.

“Regus? My little Regulus! Is that you, my son!” Her voice was sharp and excited. “Merlin, are you alright? I’ve finally made contact with you!”

"Orion! Orion!" she shouted to the side, "Come quick! It's Reg! Our son!"

Soon, Orion Black's equally tired but forcedly composed face squeezed into the mirror. He anxiously looked his son up and down: "Regulus, are you alright? Where are you? Are you safe?" A barrage of questions came out.

Seeing the obvious concern and excitement in his parents' eyes in the mirror, Regulus's eyes reddened. He fought back his emotions, trying to keep his voice calm: "Dad, Mom, I'm fine, I'm okay. I'm safe now, you don't need to worry..."

He began answering his parents' questions, recounting recent events that were not related to secrets, and inquiring about the situation at home.

Having confirmed that the Black family was merely exchanging pleasantries, Snape's guard lowered slightly. He allowed his thoughts to wander a little, merely catching any inappropriate words or phrases that might appear in their conversation, such as place names, personal names, and code names.

Regulus responded to his parents' concern while glancing at Snape out of the corner of his eye. When he realized that Snape seemed to be merely "supervising" as a matter of routine and not paying attention to what he was saying, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to talk to his parents more naturally.

Time slipped by amidst the Black family's rambling chatter.

After a while, Regulus's voice pulled Snape back from his reverie.

"Severus?"

Snape's gaze refocused on Regulus. Thinking the call was over, he instinctively reached out his hand: "Finished talking? Give me the mirror."

“No,” Regulus shook his head, “my sister wants to see you.”

"What?" Snape's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. "Which sister of yours?"

“Narcissa Malfoy,” Regulus replied somewhat doubtfully, “could it be Bellatrix? She said she has something very important to discuss with you. She’s waiting over there at the Two-Way Mirror right now.”

“Oh,” Snape said, “then give me the mirror.”

After placing the still-glowing two-way mirror into Snape's hand, Regulus left the cabin and gently closed the door behind him.

Snape looked down at the mirror in his hand.

The mirror didn't reflect Narcissa's face, but rather a delicate fold of light-colored fabric, a slightly swaying chin, and a rapidly moving, somewhat blurred background: dark curtains, a corner of an ornate ceiling...

Narcissa was clearly walking briskly with a mirror in her hand.

The image shook for about ten seconds before finally stabilizing.

The mirror clearly reflected Narcissa Malfoy's beautiful face. Her long golden hair, instead of being neatly tied up as usual, hung loosely over her shoulders, and her blue-grey eyes were filled with unease.

She first cautiously scanned the area reflected in the mirror, making sure Snape was alone, before lowering her voice to ask:

"Regulus...has he left?"

“Yes,” Snape replied. “I’m all alone here. You can say whatever you want, Narcissa.”

Hearing the affirmative answer, Narcissa's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

She let out a long breath, glanced nervously behind her again, then brought her face closer to the mirror and lowered her voice even further.

“Listen, Severus,” she said, “he…the Dark Lord…has placed his treasure…in the Malfoy family’s vault…” (End of Chapter)