Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 40 The Flobber Caterpillar

Slughorn's relaxed expression froze instantly upon hearing Snape's question.

He looked at Snape in shock, his chubby fingers unconsciously tightening around the stem of the cup.

He slowly licked his lips and asked in a hoarse voice, "What did you say?"

“I’m asking you if you know anything about Horcruxes, sir.” Snape said calmly, as if he were talking about the weather, and casually waved his wand toward the door, casting an Earplugs spell before tucking the wand into his robes.

"What are you doing with that wand?" Slughorn's tone had completely changed; it was no longer friendly, but filled with vigilance and confrontation.

“Put your ears closed to the spell, sir,” Snape explained calmly and unhurriedly, “to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. A great Auror once taught me, ‘Always be vigilant.’”

“Fine, fine,” Slughorn waved his hand impatiently, “but that’s not your concern, kid.”

He paused, his voice turning stern: "I know nothing about Horcruxes, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you! Get out now, and don't let me hear you mention it again!"

"You know nothing about Horcruxes, sir?" Snape seemed not to hear him shooing him away, and instead took a step closer to Slughorn. "I thought that if you were looking for a professor at Hogwarts who could give advice on Horcruxes, it would be you. So I wanted to ask you."

"What did you say?" Slughorn asked with a look of disgust and a tone of utter loathing. "Is that so? Then you're wrong, aren't you? Utterly wrong!"

He yelled out the last word and reached out to push Snape out of the office.

“Was I wrong, sir?” Snape still wouldn’t move. “I was going to ask you what to do with the Horcrux I found in the castle.”

Slughorn's expression of disgust crumbled; his round face seemed to hollow out, making him look even paler and more haggard.

"What did you say?" This was the third time he had repeated this sentence today, his voice filled with disbelief.

“I found a Horcrux in the castle,” Snape said, emphasizing each word. “It is very similar to the description I saw in the restricted section of the library, and I think it is a Horcrux.”

"What book?" Slughorn rummaged in his breast pocket for a moment, then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“Ole Block’s ‘The Secrets of the Dark Arts’,” Snape replied simply.

“Oh, Dumbledore!” Slughorn suddenly exclaimed, unusually calling the headmaster by his surname, “This book shouldn’t be there!”

“But it’s right there, sir,” Snape continued unmoved. “If I can see it, others can too, can’t they?”

“Perhaps,” Slughorn said softly, still wiping his pale face. “Although I know nothing about Horcruxes, as the Dean, I can help you take a look at that thing that looks like a Horcrux. Where is it?”

“If you know nothing about Horcruxes—nothing at all,” Snape said, looking into Slughorn’s eyes and repeating the words forcefully, “you don’t need to be so nervous, sir.”

"In that case, you don't need to worry about it. I will go directly to Headmaster Dumbledore."

“I’m not nervous!” Slughorn’s voice was loud but unnatural, and he stammered, “Yes, Albus, you can go to him too, but I can help you as well.” “I would also like your help, sir,” Snape said, “which is why I’m staying tonight. But we need to be honest with each other, don’t we?”

“You don’t need to be so shrewd and curious, Severus,” Slughorn muttered somewhat irritably, stuffing his handkerchief back into his pocket. “Your curiosity will lead you astray.”

"That's something extremely evil, extremely evil... What do you want to know?"

What do you mean I don't need to be so shrewd? Snape thought to himself, if you old guys weren't so incompetent, would I have to go through all this trouble?
Going to see Pandora conduct experiments, or having a cup of mead at Three Brooms, would be far more pleasant than facing your wrinkled old faces.

The entire British magical world had to wait for the birth of a baby, and only dared to secretly rejoice for a short while because of his and his parents' sacrifice, yet still very few dared to call out Voldemort's name.

Snape was heartbroken: It's ridiculous, now that things have come to this, if I don't step up, who will?

How can the wizarding world function properly when surrounded by these Flobber caterpillars!

This is so that more people can survive together!

Coming to his senses, Snape stared into Slughorn's eyes and said, "Just out of curiosity, sir. What I'd like to know is, can a soul only be divided once? Would it be better to divide it into several pieces?"

Slughorn's hand jerked violently, and the cup in his hand fell to the ground with a "crash," shattering into pieces.

"What did you say?!" Sweat poured down Slughorn's face.

His chubby hand trembled as he reached into his pocket, and it took him much longer than before to pull out his handkerchief again, shakily wiping the beads of sweat that kept dripping from his forehead.

“You—” Slughorn was now very uneasy. He stared at Snape, his eyes filled with fear, anger, and even more worry. “Why—why do you ask such a question—”

"—Also?" Snape seized on the loophole in Slughorn's words. "Has anyone asked you the same question before, sir?"

"No!" Slughorn was clearly regretting getting involved in the conversation; he was barely able to control his voice. "Don't ask me, I don't know!"

“You haven’t answered my question yet, sir,” Snape persisted. “I’m just curious why anyone would leave a Horcrux so casually in a place that so many people can visit.”

"Hornets are such precious magical objects that I can't help but wonder if the owner of that Hornet might have created more than one? What do you think, sir?"

Slughorn took a few steps back and bumped into a chest of drawers in a panic. Several bottles on it wobbled and clattered a few times, almost falling off.

"How many times can a soul split, sir?" Snape pressed. "What did you say to the person who asked you the same question?"
"According to the magical theories of the famous arithmetic diviner Bridget Winlock, isn't seven the most magical number, for example, seven pieces—?"

　Thanks to FeatherS for the monthly pass.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)