Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 81 Lily Evans

Early in the morning, Snape was leisurely eating breakfast when he heard a soft thumping sound. He looked up and saw a plump barn owl perched on the windowsill outside the living room, tapping on the closed window glass with its claws.

Putting down his cutlery, Snape got up, walked to the window, and gently pushed it open.

The owl immediately stretched out one leg, with a small roll of parchment tied to it with a thin string.

Snape took the letter down, but before he could even feed it any owl food, it shook its fluffy feathers, flapped its wings, and flew away.

Dumbledore's letter finally arrived. Unfolding the parchment, it contained a few lines hastily scribbled in black ink: "Dear Severus, I will arrive at St. Catchpoll this evening at six o'clock. I hope this will not be a disturbance. — Albus Dumbledore"

Looking at these brief words, Snape guessed that the OWL results would be out soon, and since he didn't know why the headmaster had come, he decided to write the letter he was going to give to Barty Crouch Jr. today.

Since Barty's father never really cared about him, Snape didn't mind taking on this responsibility for old Crouch.

He finished his breakfast in a few bites, and as he turned to go upstairs, he waved his wand, and the plate floated into the pool on its own.

Sitting down at his desk, Snape picked up his quill, dipped it in the inkwell, and began to write carefully:

"Dear Barty,

First of all, congratulations on passing all twelve OWLs! By the time this letter reaches you, I believe you'll have all twelve certificates. Well done!
You're a genius! You actually had the patience to even read and digest something like "The History of Magic".

I bet that guy just gave me a straight face and said some official platitudes like "meets Crouch family standards" or "hopes you stay focused during the NEWT phase," right? Ignore him. If you ask me, you should celebrate!
your,

S·S.

P.S. I'm so proud of you. Also, does Sparkle know the Black family's elves?

After finishing the letter, Snape carefully folded the parchment and then called his beautiful horned owl from outside the door. She now had a new name, Nocturna, which means "night."

Nocturna remained quietly on the table, motionless, as Snape tied the letter to her lap.

Snape gently patted her little head and opened the window for her. Nocturna affectionately pecked his finger, then spread her wings and flew lightly out of the window, instantly becoming a black dot on the horizon.

Turning back, Snape continued to wait listlessly for the headmaster to arrive.

In the evening, to entertain Dumbledore, Irene specially prepared several extra dishes and dessert.

But time passed by, and it was almost seven o'clock when Dumbledore still did not appear in front of the house.

With no other option, they had to eat a quick dinner and then clean up the table.

"Are you sure you haven't gotten the date wrong?" Eileen asked doubtfully as she used her wand to clear the dishes.

Snape pulled the parchment from his pocket again, the one that had been crumpled and smoothed out repeatedly, though he had done so at least five times already.

“‘I will arrive at the village of Saint Cachipol at six o’clock this evening. I hope I will not disturb you.’” He read the words of the letter word by word. “I see these words no matter how many times I read them.”

“Logically speaking, Dumbledore wouldn’t be late,” Eileen said, frowning. “I’ve never heard of him being late at school.”

“Who knows what’s going on,” Snape shrugged. “Maybe he gets the dates wrong sometimes. It’s okay, I’ll just wait and see.”

Eileen kept Snape company as she flipped through several issues of The Witch Weekly she had borrowed from Mrs. Weasley.

Time passed quickly, and it was already past nine o'clock. Only after Snape's insistence did Irene agree to go upstairs to rest. "You rest first," Snape said. "I'll go up to sleep in a bit. If the headmaster is still nowhere to be seen when Nocturna returns, I'll write him a letter to ask."

Snape was left alone in the living room. The candlelight flickered gently inside the glass dome, and Snape stared blankly at the dancing flame. Before he knew it, sleepiness washed over him, and he slumped onto the table and fell into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a crisp alarm bell woke Snape up; someone had come to the vicinity of the house.

He grinned, shook his arm that had gone numb from being pressed down, pulled his wand from his robe, and stopped the bell from ringing.

Snape groggily looked up at the clock on the wall—it was already past one in the morning.

Outside, the rain was pouring down, the raindrops pounding against the glass windows, and the wind was howling.

Snape gripped his wand tightly, carefully used magic to open the front door, and threw out a crumpled piece of parchment.

“It is I, Severus,” came Dumbledore’s weary voice through the wind and rain.

Snape quickly went to the door and looked outside.

Dumbledore stood in the rain, the rainwater running down his black travel cloak and mingling with the streams on the ground.

A flash of lightning illuminated the scene, and Snape noticed a hooded figure behind Dumbledore.

The figure stood there silently, shivering incessantly in the wind and rain.

“Come in, Professor. Uh—and you too.” Snape quickly ushered them into the room and cast an earplugs spell on the stairwell entrance so as not to wake Irene, who was sleeping.

Dumbledore stepped slowly into the cabin, letting the rainwater run down the floor.

Snape was a little surprised, because this was not in line with the headmaster's usual elegant demeanor. He was never careless about the inconvenience he might cause others, just as he had never been late before.

Dumbledore took off his hood, revealing a head of long, silver-grey hair.

Snape had never seen the headmaster like this before. His face was so terrifying, far more frightening than Snape could have imagined.

The benevolent smile was gone from Dumbledore's face, and the cheerful sparkle in his blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles had vanished. Every wrinkle on his aged face betrayed a chilling rage.

He radiated a power that seemed to be burning and heating up, as if he wanted to evaporate all the rainwater off his body.

The figure who followed Dumbledore in was still standing there, trembling, his hair wet and clinging to his body.

“Professor, let’s dry your robes with magic first, or change your clothes,” Snape said after a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll get you some clean towels and robes, and brew some hot tea. There’s an empty room here—”

“Severus…” The figure raised his head.

In the dim candlelight, Snape recognized those green eyes.

Lily Evans.

　Thank you to Happy Luca, One Day Eye, Yakumo Shiro, Tofu Original Color, Seven Days Cave Heaven, Pigs Can Fly, Xiaoxiang Sword Soul, and Summer Red Flame for the monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)