The sickly, iron-fisted beauty in Harry Potter

Snape finally spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse.

He knew that Dolly and Lily weren't actually that related, but Lily's current choices and the difficulties she faced made Snape vividly recall the day Lily died tragically.

Like, it’s really similar.

And it was all for the sake of protecting Harry!

The fact that Snape didn't develop PTSD again is a result of him having activated a closed-off brain.

"Miss Dursley, haven't you considered protecting yourself?"

"After all, you can choose not to protect them and only protect yourself, which is more than enough for your intelligence."

Snape asked a question that seemed ruthless and would seem absurd to anyone.

Those are Dolly's family, her brother, and her best friends. Why would Dolly want to protect them?

They even had to sacrifice their own bodies to protect them?

Even if she could be saved with a potion, Snape knew very well that such a sacrifice would cause permanent damage, the effects of which would slowly show as Dolly grew up.

This was undoubtedly a far greater consequence for Snape than he could have avoided.

He genuinely didn't understand.

At least for now, he is still a person filled with remorse for Lily, and besides his love for Lily, he has at most a sense of responsibility as a potions professor.

Compared to Snape, who was the last one to carry Hogwarts, he was far inferior.

Dolly, who knew all of Snape's secrets, understood Snape's confusion at this moment, even though Snape's expression remained as cold as a stone.

As for Snape, wouldn't Alyssa be enough on her own?

What does the life and death of others have to do with him?

If Lily had been like him back then, wouldn't he and Lily have been a match made in heaven? From then on, everything in the magical world would have been irrelevant to them, and they could have lived a carefree life in the magical world.

Answering this question can be very simple, or it can be very difficult.

The simplest answer is that loving others is a matter of course, a principle that anyone can understand, and then to accuse Snape of not understanding love. This is already a perfect answer, and Snape would accept it.

Because he really doesn't understand these things.

However, if we want Snape to understand this issue, then we must also make him understand the other feelings besides his love for Lily.

This was undoubtedly a very difficult topic for Snape, who had closed himself off from a young age, much like how people cannot understand things beyond their comprehension.

Dolly then spoke slowly, her voice calm but carrying an undeniable firmness.

"Professor, because I don't want to live alone."

"Perhaps I can possess endless wealth, powerful magic, and no one dares to look directly at my majesty."

"But ultimately, I still hope to have family and friends around me, as well as a loved one."

"You can drop your pretense at any time, show your most vulnerable and real side, and then get a genuine response from those close to you, connecting your hearts."

"I would give my life to protect this wonderful feeling."

"Life should simply be about living, and living itself is about gaining a better life experience."

"If you're just living to survive, what's the difference between you and a walking corpse?"

After saying all that, Dolly changed the subject and said, "But I was just saying, these are all lines I saw in movies and TV shows. I hope the professor doesn't think I'm spouting nonsense."

Snape neither blamed Dolly nor was he provoked by her.

Because apart from Lily, no one had ever had this level of intellectual exchange with him, not even Dumbledore.

In particular, Dolly's line about shedding her disguise in front of her closest people and showing her most authentic, even despicable, side almost broke Snape's defenses again.

Back then, when he and Lily broke up, wasn't it because Snape revealed the despicable aspects of his character and then, out of anger and embarrassment, insulted Lily?

If he had been more aware back then and let Lily understand his feelings beforehand, perhaps things would have been different.

Snape softly repeated Dolly's words, saying, "Life shouldn't just be about living; it's about living in order to have a better life experience."

Unfortunately, he no longer has that opportunity.

His sole purpose in life has become revenge.

No... perhaps there could be other purposes as well.

Snape refocused his gaze on Dolly and said, "Miss Dursley, are you sure you can sacrifice yourself for a better life?"

Dolly coughed lightly and said, "It's not that serious, Professor. At most... there will be a few minor side effects."

"I am a rather selfish person. If you ask me to truly sacrifice my life for someone else, I probably couldn't do it."

"At most, I might have to sacrifice a little bit of my health; that's the limit."

Snape laughed, a rare occurrence for him, and said, "It seems I really should have brought you into Slytherin back then. After all, it's not bad to have someone who dares to admit their selfishness."

"However, he would be a perfect fit as my disciple."

121 Dragon Skin Trading

Dolly stared in surprise, never expecting Snape to say such a thing.

Snape seemed to realize that his words had been a bit too harsh, and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "But with your level, you're still a long way from becoming my disciple."

Dolly didn't expose Snape; instead, she smiled calmly and said, "So, can I take that as you agreeing to cooperate with me?"

Snape had regained his composure, gave a cold snort, and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Miss Dursley."

"The pursuit of power is an unbearable desire for Slytherin. Although you are not a Slytherin student, you clearly have this drive within you."

“You’ve been taking my potions all along, so of course I can’t let you die from abusing them; that would be an insult to my reputation.”

“Miss Dursley, I can cooperate with you. But in return, your use of potions will be strictly supervised by me.”

Dolly agreed without even thinking.

While Snape could supervise Dolly's use of the potions he brewed, he couldn't supervise the potions Dolly brewed herself.

Moreover, Dolly didn't dislike Snape's serious attitude.

Snape may have only used her as a means to protect Harry, but providing Dolly with the support of an adult wizard at this stage was already a valuable help for her.

"Put the potion down. You can come see me once every weekend from now on. I can give you some pointers and supervise you in brewing a potion."

"As for the rest, let's focus on getting excellent grades in your potions class first."

Dolly placed the potion on the table, bowed to Snape, and left.

She didn't discuss with Snape which topics should be kept secret from Dumbledore, because she believed Snape was also aware of their unspoken understanding.

In Snape's eyes, Dolly probably knew about his student days and Lily's story, which was a secret that Snape absolutely could not reveal.

It's not just about losing face; it also involves whether he can succeed in taking revenge on Voldemort in the future.

Therefore, Snape would naturally keep Dolly's secret in order to achieve a balance of mutual restraint and compromise between the two.

Of course, ultimately, it's because of Dolly's unique position.

If Harry were to do this, he would have already been given Truth Potion and revealed all his secrets, and then Snape would have erased his memories of those secrets.

After Dolly left, Snape eagerly retrieved Dolly's essence antidote.

He was no longer interested in how the potion was made, but he was very interested in its effects.

According to normal usage standards, he took half of the potion orally and poured the other half into gauze to cover his injured leg.

Before long, Snape felt the poison begin to subside and his wounds showed signs of healing.

With just one healing spell, the Cerberus bite can be completely healed.

This surprised and delighted Snape, but also made him feel heavy-hearted.

Although he roughly understood the logic behind Dolly's acquisition of power, he couldn't think about or imagine the specific principles behind it.

It's like everyone knows that the Philosopher's Stone can turn stones into gold and can also be used to make elixirs of immortality.

But why is the Philosopher's Stone able to do this?

The only explanation is probably that of Nicolas Flamel himself, the alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone—even he himself might not be able to explain it.

Snape was well aware of the cost of using the Philosopher's Stone: it would severely damage one's health, making even a minor ankle sprain a potentially fatal fracture.

It could be said that although Nicolas Flamel and his wife lived for hundreds of years, they had long since lived a rather low-quality life, let alone having the same passion for the world and alchemy as they did in their youth.

They could no longer even live a peaceful retirement like ordinary people, which is why they ultimately chose to die peacefully in the original story.

So, according to the Philosopher's Stone, what was the price Dolly paid for using this power?

Snape didn't know, but he felt he might be able to help Dolly reduce some of the price she had to pay.

Dolly's desire for power ultimately stemmed from the trouble Harry caused.

"That damned Potter."

Snape muttered angrily, then put the potion bottle away.

Not many people gave him gifts last Christmas. Apart from the professor and Lucius, only two students, Malfoy and Dolly, gave him gifts.

And now, he has received another gift from Dolly, and this one is so valuable.

Perhaps this bottle is worth collecting.

Having done all this, Snape roused himself and decided to take another stroll through Quirrell's office.

Since his leg has now fully recovered, what can he do?

But just as he stepped outside, something occurred to him.

He then adopted a limping posture, as if his injury had not yet healed.

Perhaps this feigned injury could become a trigger to lure someone into making a move?

Dolly, of course, had no idea what Snape was thinking.

However, during the Potions class later, when Dolly saw Snape still limping, she understood his thoughts and secretly gave him a thumbs up.

Snape is a character whose morality and morality are open to debate, but one thing that cannot be denied is that he was an extremely intelligent person.