Hogwarts: I am Snape

The next morning, when the first sleepy student pushed open the cafeteria door, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

He rubbed his eyes violently and let out a scream that could wake the entire ship:
Professor Dumbledore?!

"It really is you! That's wonderful!"

Albus Dumbledore is back.

On the faculty section, that familiar tall figure was sitting in the center.

He wore a dazzling purple robe adorned with stars, his long, silvery-white hair and beard were neatly combed, and his blue eyes behind his crescent-shaped glasses shone with a kind and warm light.

The news spread like wildfire.

Everyone who subsequently entered the restaurant, whether students, professors, or even house-elves carrying enormous silver platters, showed an expression of unbelievable surprise upon seeing Dumbledore, followed by enthusiastic cheers and greetings.

Dumbledore smiled and waved to everyone in a friendly manner, calling them by name and asking about their well-being.

With Dumbledore's return, Snape naturally returned to the student table.

He gave up his usual faculty seat to the headmaster. What was even more surprising was that Professor Grimm, still sporting his short brown hair, remained calmly seated in the headmaster's seat, right next to Dumbledore.

Although some people found it a little strange that the strict Defense Against the Dark Arts professor occupied the headmaster's seat and that Professor Dumbledore was not sitting in the center, seeing that the headmaster himself didn't care at all and that the excitement of the reunion overwhelmed everything, everyone was immersed in the great joy of the headmaster's reunion, and no one paid much attention to this little anomaly.

Snape sat with his friends Pandora, Lily, Abbott, and others, enjoying a hearty and delicious breakfast while buzzing about the headmaster's return.

A little elf carrying pumpkin soup got so excited that he accidentally spilled some soup on the tablecloth in front of them.

Just as the elf was crying and shrilly, repeatedly apologizing and almost banging his head on the table leg, while Pandora and Lily kept comforting him, saying "It's really okay," Dumbledore gently picked up the goblet in front of him and tapped it twice with a silver spoon.

The crisp sound attracted everyone's attention, and the restaurant gradually quieted down.

Dumbledore's speech was as brief as ever.

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over each expectant face, and said with a smile:

Good morning, everyone. Long time no see. I'm back. How is everyone doing?

The students initially answered in a chaotic, disjointed manner:

"Not bad, Professor!" "Very good, sir!"

But soon, even more urgent voices rose from the crowd:

"Professor! When can we return to Hogwarts?"

This statement immediately garnered widespread support.

"Yes, Professor, we miss the castle and the grounds!"

"I miss the fireplace in the common room!"

"I miss the courtyard behind the library!"

"And Black Lake! I wonder how the giant squid is doing?"

“That’s right! I can’t wait to take Sir Cadogan’s pony and have a real, heroic battle!”

A student shouted in the tone of a knight, which immediately elicited a burst of good-natured laughter.

The scene became noisy, but soon quieted down again.

Everyone looked at Dumbledore, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Life on the ship was relatively safe and supplies were plentiful, but the space was limited and could not compare to the freedom and vastness of Hogwarts Castle, the deep shimmering waters of the Black Lake, or the majestic grandeur of the surrounding mountains.

Over time, even those little details that used to annoy people, such as the mischievous staircase, become endearing in retrospect.

Professor Dumbledore looked at the young faces below the stage. Although he did not intend for the students to participate directly in dangerous operations, he could not bear to suppress their enthusiasm and expectations.

He smiled gently and said in a hopeful tone, "I understand how you all feel. Returning to Hogwarts is our common goal. I think that day isn't too far away."

"Until then, I hope everyone will continue to work hard and practice diligently... well, those practical combat techniques that Mr. Green taught you. Be prepared, I believe our time to return will come soon."

"yeah!"

"awesome!"

Although no definite date was given, Dumbledore's words undoubtedly gave everyone hope and motivation. Cheers erupted again in the dining room. Breakfast ended in this spirited and optimistic atmosphere.

Since Professor Dumbledore's return, the entire Founders' Ship has been in high spirits and full of fighting spirit. The only person who seems somewhat troubled and dissatisfied with this situation is probably the custodian, Mr. Argus Filch.

The students' enthusiasm for learning spells and practicing duels was at an all-time high. A flash of spell light could appear at any moment in the corridors, in the empty cabins, or even on the deck.

This inevitably brings some "minor troubles" to the cabin environment: charred marks on the walls, slippery oil stains on the floor, or debris left by occasional explosions...

This greatly increased Mr. Filch's workload, making him, who was used to everything being in order, extremely irritable.

On the eve of the Easter party, when a kind student passing by saw him holding a rag and a bucket, looking at a stubborn stain in the corner with worry, and offered to help him with a "cleaning treatment," Mr. Filch jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, waving his dirty rag in a fit of rage.

"Get out of here! I don't need any of your fancy stuff! I can clean it without all that fancy stuff! The traditional way! Understand? Traditional!" He muttered, bending down to continue scrubbing the floor, his voice filled with nostalgia and resentment. "Hmph... if it were before... I'd have whips... handcuffs... solitary confinement..."

Snape, who had just passed by and witnessed this scene, paused slightly. He looked at Filch's hunched back, struggling indignantly with the magical stains using physical means, and a pang of sympathy swept over him. In a world where everyone around could wield a wand, being a Squib was indeed an unspeakable torment and suffering.

However, he did not stop, but shook his head and continued towards his destination—the plant greenhouse on the ship.

Recently, the mandrakes in the greenhouse have become erratic and taciturn, a sign that they are about to leave their childhood and enter a restless adolescence.

Snape needed to check if the unsightly pimples on their faces had healed so they could be re-transplanted. If this went smoothly, they could soon be harvested and boiled over a fire, and Dobby the house-elf would be back soon. The greenhouse was already decorated with Easter eggs and bunny-shaped decorations.

Through the glass, Snape saw Irene, Pandora, and Lily inside. They were wearing thick, noise-canceling earmuffs and carefully operating a beautifully maintained old-fashioned phonograph, playing a record.

Some mandrakes had already been pulled from the soil and temporarily placed beside their respective flowerpots. With their wrinkled faces marked with acne, they were swaying and twisting their bodies with different expressions as the record played.

Even through the door, Snape's ears began to fill with an indistinguishable buzzing sound, so he plugged his ears to listen to the spell.

He wisely refrained from pushing open the greenhouse door rashly, and instead raised his hand to tap on the glass.

Lily was the first to notice him outside the door. She gestured to him, first pointing to her ear, then pointing down to a small stool by the door.

Following the direction she pointed, Snape noticed several spare earmuffs on the stool. He picked up a pair, quickly put them on, then pushed open the door, slipped inside, and immediately closed it tightly behind him.

After entering the greenhouse and walking for a while, the omnipresent buzzing sound was finally replaced by a filtered silence.

Snape joined Erin and the others, and began to check the condition of the mandrakes, pulling out those whose pimples had mostly subsided and which met the transplanting criteria from the old pots, so that they could join their companions' "silent" dance.

After a while, the mandrakes that had been singing so loudly finally seemed to tire, their faces showing signs of weariness, and their leaves drooping. Snape and the others tried to transplant them into larger new pots.

However, these little ones, entering their rebellious phase, have extremely bad tempers. They cling tightly to the edge of their old flowerpots, refusing to let go, and some even try to bite the outstretched hand.

After several failed attempts, the group had no choice but to give up and bury the ugly little figures back in their familiar spot.

After everything was taken care of, everyone took off their earmuffs. The sounds of the world instantly returned.

Eileen happily put the flowerpots back on the shelf and said with a sigh of relief, "Almost there. When they move to the new flowerpots on their own, we'll know they're fully mature and ready to be used as medicine."

“In that case,” Pandora turned to Snape, her eyes sparkling, “we can bring poor Dobby back to life!”

Afterwards, the group went to the restaurant together to attend the Easter party.

The party was filled with laughter and joy, the food was plentiful, and the atmosphere was lively and pleasant.

After the meal, Snape and a few friends strolled onto the deck to enjoy the leisurely atmosphere.

The night is beautiful, and the weather has been getting clearer and warmer lately, with a gentle breeze blowing away the last bit of daytime heat.

They leaned against the railing, gazing at the stars in the deep night sky and the dark sea below, chatting casually.

However, this tranquility was broken by Professor McGonagall, who was hastily summoned.

Her face was filled with undisguised excitement, and her steps were much lighter than usual.

“Severus,” she called to Snape, “come with me to the captain’s cabin. Professor Dumbledore wants to see you.”

Snape was somewhat surprised, but he still said goodbye to his friend and followed Professor McGonagall, who was clearly in high spirits, toward the cabin.

Upon entering the captain's cabin, he found Dumbledore and Grindelwald, who was still in disguise, both there.

After exchanging brief greetings, Dumbledore cut straight to the point without further pleasantries, explaining why he had summoned Snape.

“Severus, Minerva received a very interesting piece of information from her contact at the Ministry of Magic,” the headmaster said with the same cheerful tone. “This information makes me strongly suspect that Tom may have hidden one of his Horcruxes in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic.”

Snape's heart skipped a beat; he immediately understood why Professor McGonagall seemed so excited. This was undoubtedly a crucial clue.

"What exactly is this information?" he asked cautiously.

“Recently,” Dumbledore explained, “the Ministry of Magic, citing ‘an accident and the need to ensure the absolute safety of its employees,’ replaced almost all the staff of the Department of Mysteries with the most loyal Death Eaters. Now they guard the place day and night.”

At this moment, Grindelwald, who had been listening in silence, chuckled and interjected, "That reminds me of that night when Voldemort broke into the Ministry of Magic and discovered that his henchman—what was his name again? Oh, right, Lukewood—was still alive, and his first reaction was to kill him immediately."

“At the time, I just thought he was cruel and suspicious,” he said with a hint of mockery in his eyes. “Now that I think about it, he was probably more worried that the poor guy named Lukewood had leaked some secrets.”

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore nodded: "Regardless of the motive, this information, combined with previous indications, is worth investigating with the Department of Mysteries."

"So, when do we make our move?" Snape immediately pressed.

“No rush.” Dumbledore shook his head. “Even if one Horcrux is hidden in the Ministry of Magic, we still don’t know the whereabouts of another Horcrux.”

"Before figuring out the location of all the remaining Horcruxes, rushing into the heavily guarded Ministry of Magic would easily alert them. The Department of Mysteries must be left as our last target."

Hearing this, Snape coughed lightly, turned to Professor McGonagall, and asked a question that concerned him:
“Professor McGonagall, if I may be so bold, may I disclose your source? For a long time, you seem to have been able to obtain a lot of valuable information from within the Ministry of Magic. I would like to assess the reliability of this intelligence.”

"After all, if we are to break into the core area of ​​the Ministry of Magic, we must rule out whether this is a trap to lure us in."

Professor McGonagall hesitated for a moment when she heard Snape's question. She looked at Dumbledore, remained silent for a while, and then, as if having made up her mind, said, "I can assure you that the source is absolutely reliable."

"Why are you so sure?" Snape pressed. "We'd better rule out any uncertainty."

Professor McGonagall looked left and right before lowering her voice and saying, "Elphinstone Elcott told me."

“He is…” Seeing the lingering doubt in Snape’s eyes, she added, “a high-ranking official in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and also… a trustworthy old friend of mine.” Her cheeks seemed to flush slightly, but her tone was very certain.

Snape wanted to ask for more details about this "Mr. Elcott" to assess the risks, but Dumbledore gently interrupted him:

“Severus, Minerva’s judgment is trustworthy. Besides, as I said, we won’t be going to the Ministry of Magic for the time being, so there’s no need to dwell on it.”

Upon hearing Dumbledore reiterate that there was no need to go to the Ministry of Magic for the time being, Snape paused for a moment. Then, he made a decision and slowly took something out of the pocket of his black robe.

It was a crudely made gold ring, with the space where a black gemstone should have been set left empty. The ring itself was dull and lackluster, and there was even a charred mark running through it.

“Professor, Marvolo Gaunt’s ring.” Snape handed the broken ring to Dumbledore, adding very seriously, “I’ve already removed the gem on it.”

"Therefore, there is no need for anyone to wear it." (End of Chapter)