Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 94 The Person Who Dotes on the Fire Dragon
Snape sat on the edge of the flying carpet, his black hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

In a calm tone, he recounted his experiences over the past two days to everyone.

“That old witch’s experiments were utterly evil,” he said, his gaze drifting to Anna huddled in the corner. “This little girl and her family are victims…”

He spoke for about fifteen minutes, and everyone listened attentively. The only sounds were the whistling wind and the occasional cooing of an owl.

“Parseltongue,” Mr. Weasley’s voice was tinged with obvious concern, “is a very rare ability, and Salazar Slytherin himself was a famous Parseltongue.”

His gaze shifted between Snape and Nagini, who was perched on his shoulder.

“Of course I think you’re a good boy.” Mr. Weasley unconsciously swallowed, his voice becoming hesitant. “Although Parsley is said to be related to dark magic, and many famous dark wizards in history have used it, using it as their mark, like…Vanguard…”

When Mr. Weasley mentioned the name, a flash of hatred crossed Lily's eyes, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around her wand.

“Professor Dumbledore speaks Parsley,” Snape said casually, deliberately making his tone light after noticing the reactions of the crowd. “There are Parsleyers among great and kind wizards, aren’t there?”

As he walked, he noticed that Anna's father's face was frighteningly pale, his lips were an unnatural bluish-purple, and his chest was rising and falling slightly.

The healing spell he had cast on Anna's father had worn off so quickly.

Snape quickly moved to the man's side and reached out to touch his forehead—it was frighteningly hot.

“We have to get to the hospital right away,” he said urgently, quickly casting a few more healing spells on the man before turning to Mr. Weasley. “His condition is not good.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Weasley frantically rummaged through his robe pockets and pulled out a crumpled copy of "The Albanian Magical Travel Guide".

“Found it!” He pointed to a small red cross on the map. “The only magic hospital nearby is about fifty miles to the southeast.”

The flying carpet immediately changed direction, drawing a sharp arc in the air.

Mr. Weasley crouched down and used the drowsy owl on his flying carpet to send a message to the local Ministry of Magic, saying that they had captured a dark wizard.

The owl hooted in dissatisfaction, but still disappeared into the morning light with the note.

When they dragged the unconscious old witch into the hospital, the receptionist almost called an Auror. It wasn't until Mr. Weasley showed them his British Ministry of Magic work pass that they were barely convinced they weren't kidnappers.

“You British people are always so…” the therapist muttered, looking at them warily, “reckless.”

They had just finished the admission procedures for Anna's father when several wizards dressed in elaborate black robes rushed into the ward.

The leading official sported a meticulously trimmed mustache, wore an exaggerated, fake smile, and waved a yellowed arrest warrant in his hand.

The old witch's black-and-white photograph above is smiling sinisterly, occasionally spitting outwards.

Snape narrowed his eyes and saw that the wanted poster stated that the old witch was suspected of kidnapping, illegal human experimentation, and at least seven wizard disappearances (with a special note: extremely cunning and skilled in disguise). Anyone who helped the Ministry of Magic capture her would receive a bounty of 500 Galleons.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement!" the mustachioed official announced in a booming voice, rubbing his hands together, his eyes fixed on the old witch tossed in the corner. "We've been tracking her for three months; you've really been a great help!"

His assistant behind him couldn't wait to pull out his wand, eager to take over the old witch.

"Wait," Snape stepped in front of them, "have you forgotten something?"

The official with the mustache blinked, his forced smile freezing on his face: "Of course, of course, thank you very much for helping us catch the wanted criminal..."

He tried to get around Snape as he spoke.

“Bounty,” Snape said, blocking his path and emphasizing each word.

After a standoff, Snape finally got his hands on a heavy bag of Galleons.

He weighed it in his hand to confirm the number was correct before stepping aside to let the Albanian Ministry of Magic take the old witch away.

After the Ministry of Magic staff left, he turned around and stuffed the money pouch into Anna's hand. The girl was so surprised that she couldn't speak, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“Take it, you need it more,” Snape said, his tone much gentler than usual. “Besides, Mr. Weasley has contacted your family, and they are on their way to Albania.”

"Thank you, sir," Anna said timidly. "May I know your name?"

“Severus Snape,” he replied gently.

As they left the hospital, they bumped into Mrs. Weasley, who was carrying Percy and panting as she rushed over.

Behind her followed Bill and Charlie, both of them with sleepy eyes and hair as messy as birds' nests, clearly dragged out of bed by their mother.

“Oh, Severus!” Mrs. Weasley hugged Snape tightly without saying a word. “Thank God you’re alright!”

Snape stood stiffly, unaccustomed to such close contact, but did not break free.

Shouldn't this be the treatment Harry deserves? He thought that in the future Christmases, he must give the future Weasleys more gifts, such as wizard robes of various sizes that can be used for many years to come.

Mrs. Weasley released him and immediately turned to her husband, her voice rising eight octaves: "Arthur Weasley! Is this what you call an 'absolutely safe' family trip?"

Her voice trembled slightly with lingering fear: "If something had happened to Severus, I really don't know what I would have done!"

“I’m sorry, Molly,” Mr. Weasley apologized repeatedly, bowing his head like a child who had done something wrong. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.”

No one dared to interrupt Mrs. Weasley's reprimand of her husband.

Bill and Charlie took the opportunity to bypass their mother and surround Snape, bombarding him with questions about the details of his adventure.

Charlie even curiously reached out to touch Nagini.

Nagini raised her head warily and hissed as a warning, startling him so much that he quickly withdrew his hand.

“She’s just a little nervous,” Snape said, patting Nagini’s head reassuringly.

Charlie and Bill exchanged an envious glance.

"I want to raise a fire dragon someday," Charlie muttered defiantly, "It's way cooler than a snake..."

Later, at Mrs. Weasley's insistence, they decided to end their trip early.

The Weasleys were much more relaxed on their second flight. Although Bill and Charlie almost got into a fight over window seats, they were stopped by a single look from Mrs. Weasley.

When the plane landed, it was almost dawn outside the window.

They dragged their luggage to the parking lot, and Mr. Weasley opened the trunk and stuffed all the luggage inside.

He yawned, slammed the car door shut, and prepared to leave.

Just then, the Muggle parking attendant suddenly walked up to the car. "Parking fee, sir," the Muggle attendant said, knocking on the window, "one hundred pounds."

Mr. Weasley nervously pressed a button, and instantly the windows turned an odd color to prevent others from seeing the unusually large interior and the number of passengers far exceeding the vehicle's capacity.

Of course, from a Muggle's perspective, the interior of the car was just a normal space, with only Mrs. Weasley sitting in the passenger seat holding little Percy. Snape was the only one sitting in the back seat.

The Muggle administrator scratched his head in confusion, recalling that he seemed to have seen more people get into the vehicle just now.

“Hello,” Mr. Weasley said hastily, opening the car door and getting out.

The moment Mr. Weasley opened the door, the Muggle warden tried to peek inside, but Mr. Weasley quickly closed the door.

"How much?" Mr. Weasley's voice came from outside the car. In the past few days, he had come to understand the purchasing power of Muggle currency. "Why don't you just rob Gringotts?"

"What is Gringotts?" the Muggle administrator asked, puzzled. "It's this rule: let me see your car. It's been parked here for over six days. So, the parking fee isn't a small amount."

“No,” Mr. Weasley glanced into the car, where Mrs. Weasley was soothing Percy, “this expense is not reimbursable.”

He waved his wand lightly, and the Muggle administrator walked back to the guard post in a daze.

After a bumpy ride, they finally returned to their crooked and dilapidated dwelling, stopping next to a run-down garage.

The rusty crucible by the door of the humble dwelling seemed even more dilapidated. Several plump brown chickens were still pecking at food in the yard, just as they had when they left.

Charlie and Bill cheered and rushed inside. At Mrs. Weasley's invitation, Snape and the others followed them in to have breakfast before going back.

Eileen and Mrs. Weasley were busily preparing breakfast together. Sausages and roast meat sizzled in the skillet, and the aroma of toasting bread filled the kitchen.

Snape watched his mother's busy figure; her movements were much lighter than usual. He then turned to look at Lily, who seemed to be in much better condition as well.

It seems that although the trip was thrilling, it also helped them regain a lot of energy. Perhaps it's always good to go out and explore more in the future.

While they were having breakfast, they heard a visitor's voice outside the door.

"Arthur, Molly! It's been a long time, you're back!"

Two people with dark blond hair walked in through the door.

The brothers, Fabian and Gideon, greeted the people inside the house warmly.

“Severus, Lily, you’re here too. And this is—” Gideon said, “Let me guess, judging from that hooked nose, you must be Severus’s mother.”

Eileen smiled in response and used magic to add plates for both of them as well.

“We were just running some errands in the village,” Fabian said. “We saw smoke coming from your chimneys and came over. Why are you back earlier than planned?”

“There have been some unexpected events,” Mrs. Weasley explained, giving Mr. Weasley a glare. “Albania is not as safe as Arthur says.”

At that moment, Nagini popped out from Snape's sleeve, and Snape affectionately picked up a piece of roast meat and fed it to her.

“Ah, Severus,” Gideon said, looking at the little snake in surprise, “are you the Hogwarts student who speaks Parsleyan, the one mentioned in the Daily Prophet?”

"Why would The Daily Prophet report this?" Eileen asked, frowning, her fork frozen in mid-air.

“Bertha Jorkins,” Mr. Weasley said with displeasure, “it must be her. She worked for the Daily Prophet, knows a lot of people, and she’s notoriously big-mouthed and nosy…”

Bertha's tendency to gossip was something Snape had anticipated. However, he wondered if, with the flapping of his wings, this habit would ultimately harm her.

“Yes,” Snape said with a laugh, making a hissing sound as he did so. “Don’t I look like the Dark Lord to you?”

"Haha!" Fabian patted him on the shoulder exaggeratedly. "You're the Dark Lord, then who is the mysterious man?"

After breakfast, Eileen, Snape, and Lily prepared to say goodbye and go home.

As they were getting up, Gideon suddenly called Snape and Lily back, saying he wanted to talk to them about their internship at the Ministry of Magic.

“Mom, you should go home now,” Snape said. He saw Gideon wink at him and immediately realized that this so-called “internship” was just a pretext.

After Eileen left, Bill and Charlie ran off to play in the backyard; Mrs. Weasley put the sleeping Percy inside.

The rest of the people sat down in the makeshift kitchen.

As they chatted, the Gideon and Prewitt brothers talked about the Order of the Phoenix and invited Mr. Weasley to join them.

“Arthur, why don’t you come over?” Gideon asked. “Dumbledore is leading us, we will surely win!”

Mr. Weasley seemed somewhat tempted, his eyes darting around.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley slammed her hand on the table, her voice making the cutlery clatter. "Arthur, think of Bill, Charlie, and Percy! Think of this family!"

Snape never imagined that Mrs. Weasley, such a plump and kind-looking woman, could be so much like a tiger with its teeth bared.

“Molly, the situation is dangerous, we need more people,” Gideon tried to persuade Mrs. Weasley, “As a Gryffindor, Arthur…”

"You know the situation is dangerous?" Mrs. Weasley exuded a dangerous aura. "In my opinion, you two should also leave that gang! Have you thought about how heartbroken I would be if something happened to you?!"

“But Severus and Lily have also joined the Order of the Phoenix.” Pewter shrank back and added in a low voice, “You guys say a few words for me.”

"What?!" Mrs. Weasley's eyes flashed with anger, her chest heaving. "What are you all doing here? Do Mom and Dad know?!"

Just as Snape was about to speak, Lily's voice rang out.

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley,” she said. “My mom and dad both died in the attack by the Mystic.”

“Oh, Lily,” Mrs. Weasley’s tone softened instantly, her anger turning into tenderness, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s alright. Mr. Weasley really shouldn’t have joined the Order of the Phoenix.” Lily shook her head and said, “I understand how it feels to lose family members, and I don’t want you to go through that too.”

Mrs. Weasley went to Lily's side and gently placed her head in her lap.

But she still glared fiercely at her two brothers.

The conversation between the relatives ended unhappily, and Mr. Weasley apologetically saw Fabian and Gideon out of the Burrow.

　Thank you to I will always love Ximo-chan, Flash Chicken, Winter Rain, zkr, EVA Lone Wolf, One Thought Flower Blooms ~ Qingdi, and Book Friend 151210134912702 for your monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)