Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 4 Summer in the Castle
The next morning, as the surrounding air trembled slightly, Snape waved his wand and removed the All Protection and Peace Charms that had been placed over the four-poster bed.

Today is another sunny and beautiful day. The ceiling of the auditorium, which seems to have been enchanted, is clear and bright, as blue as cornflower petals.

He decided to enjoy his first relaxing Sunday after the OWL exam.

Of course, a wonderful day should start with delicious food.

Just as Snape was about to dig in a plate full of bacon, ham, sausage, and other meats, Patrick Abbott sat down opposite him.

"You need to eat some vegetables; it will be good for your health."

As he spoke, Abbott put some cauliflower and cabbage onto his plate.

“This is what Mary told me. She said that Muggles have a special discipline that studies healthy eating, and that eating only meat will make you sick.”

Snape was somewhat surprised; Abbott hadn't said this much to him in the entire fifth year.

"I—uh—thank you."

He completely forgot about a balanced diet, focusing solely on eating more meat to become stronger.

"you--"

"—This is what Mary told me; what happened yesterday was truly astonishing."

Abbott, holding a fork, noticed the puzzled look on Snape's face and added.

"But I'm still curious, why did you do that? It's so unlike you."

Snape cursed inwardly, wondering why everyone was so particular about details and why there wasn't a single idiot among them.
He put down the knife in his hand and said, "You must know what happened by the lake the day before yesterday."

Seeing Abbott nod, Snape continued expressionlessly, "It wasn't a pleasant experience."

"After that, I thought about it for a long time, and I realized I couldn't tolerate anything more unpleasant happening, whether it happened to me or someone else."

“I’ve made some mistakes in the past, but I want to make changes, not continue down that path.”

Snape turned one of his hands over to Abbott.

"I think you have no reason to refuse someone's attempt to change for the better, right?"

“Hmm…” Abbott said with a hint of embarrassment, “Severus, I think so. It’s fine this way, I was just a little surprised for a moment.”

“But Abbott,” Snape added some vegetables to his plate, “are you close to Mary? Why are you concerned about this?”

Abbott seemed to blush slightly upon hearing this: "Oh... she and I are friends..."

“Yes, of course,” Snape took a big gulp of pumpkin juice, a slight smile on his face. “She’s a very kind girl.”

After eating and drinking his fill, he planned to take a walk on the field. Considering that his two other "friends" obviously couldn't accompany him, he looked at Abbott:
"Would you like to come for a walk around the field with me? On such a sunny day, we should get outdoors."

The warm sun shone softly on the field, and students were all around enjoying themselves.

Some of them lay on the grass sunbathing, some chatted happily in groups of three or five, and some sat under the shade of trees reading books and newspapers.

Wisps of smoke rose from the chimney of a small wooden house in the distance, drifting above the dark green forbidden forest.

The two slowly descended the slope, the grass rippling beneath their feet.

“Severus…”

Noticing that Snape was deliberately avoiding the lakeside, Abbott couldn't help but speak up.

“I mean… since you’ve changed so much… perhaps… perhaps you could try working with Potter and the others—”

"—No." Snape stopped and turned to face Abbott, saying coldly, "No, Abbott."

"I can choose to change myself, but that doesn't mean I have to change because of other people's mistakes."

His gaze remained completely unwavering.

"No one, not me, nor anyone else, should be treated like that. In this respect, Potter is no different from Avery and Moorselber. Are you going to try and persuade Mary to reconcile with them?"

Panic and nervousness made Abbott stammer, "I'm sorry, Severus."

“That’s not what I meant—I just…” Abbott’s voice trailed off.

Snape suddenly turned and walked towards the lake.

Aibo quickly followed behind him.

The lake and the sky seemed to merge into one, both turning into a light blue with a purplish glow.

A giant squid lay lazily sunbathing in the warm, shallow water, while several students swam in the lake accompanied by a giant squid.

Snape maintained his pace, his voice drifting behind him.

"Let's go to the lakeside for a while."

He crouched down and gently touched the giant squid's tentacles with his fingers, then turned to look at his companion beside him.

"Why are you in Slytherin, Abbott? I don't see any Slytherin qualities in you."

“Oh,” Abbott crouched down next to Snape, “I’m a pureblood, my whole family are purebloods.”

Looking at the shimmering lake, Abbott continued, as if talking to himself, "My grandfather and father both told me that I was destined to belong to Slytherin."

"Although the Sorting Hat recommended other houses to me, I told it I wanted to go to Slytherin, and it respected my choice."

"Is this your choice?"

Abbott sighed: "I know what you mean, but maybe that's not it..."

"But the Sorting Hat didn't recommend Gryffindor to me, and I didn't have enough courage not to go to Slytherin..."

The two of them gazed silently at the clear, azure lake.

A scene suddenly flashed into Snape's mind:
With a serious expression, Professor McGonagall held the parchment scroll in her hand and called out the first name on it—

"Hannah Abbott!"

A girl with two golden ponytails stumbled out of the line and sat on a high four-legged stool.

A patched, worn-out wizard's hat was placed on her head. After a moment's pause, the hat cried out—

"Hufflepuff!"

For the first time in a long time, Snape felt genuinely happy, and he chuckled.

"If you have a child, you must respect her right to make her own choices."

“I think I will,” Abbott replied, then asked with a hint of doubt, “But why ‘her’?”

“Who knows!” Snape laughed and stood up. “Abbot, I think Hufflepuff suits you better.”

"By the way, the spell that can hang a person upside down is 'Upside-down Golden Bell,' and the way to break the spell is 'Golden Bell Falls to the Ground,' which is a silent spell."

Abbo struggled to stand up; his legs were numb from squatting.

"Oh...why are you telling me this?"

"in case."

That's another strange statement.

"Let's go back. It's almost lunchtime."

(End of this chapter)