The Return to Hogwarts

When Remus was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, he would go to the Forbidden Forest to find swamps and capture Hinkpunk and Kaba from there.

The boggart he used to teach the young wizards was also captured from an abandoned old room in the castle.

Professor Sprout would occasionally come to the Forbidden Forest to dig up some wild vegetables or collect some manure, and as for Hagrid, the magical creatures he showed the young wizards in class were all native species of the Forbidden Forest.

The same was true of Snape; some of the materials used in Potions class were obtained by him from deep within the Forbidden Forest.

For professors, this is part of their daily work.

Following a secluded trail, Snape led Malfoy and the others through the towering trees for about an hour, finally arriving at the edge of a large swamp near the Black Lake.

Thick miasma floated on irregular puddles, twisting into bizarre shapes with the breeze.

The rotting carcass of some kind of animal floating in the water gave the area a strong, putrid stench.

Malfoy looked around and saw a faint orange-red halo in the hazy mist. The light beat like a heart and exuded an alluring charm.

After a brief moment of confusion, Malfoy immediately became alert.

He realized that it was Hinkpunk's trap, designed to lure lost people into a swamp.

"what should we do?"

Malfoy looked up and asked Snape, his voice also rousing the momentarily confused Pansy, Theodore, and Blaise.

Snape pulled several large glass bottles from his robes and handed one to everyone.

"Don't go deep into the swamp, stay at the edge."

"Then how do we find the leeches, Professor Snape?"

The howling wind made the area even more eerie and terrifying, while the dull waves crashing against the lake shore in the distance were also ravaging the minds of the young wizards.

Pansy Parkinson asked, her face pale.

“No need to search, Miss Parkinson—”

Snape's tone remained languid, but unlike his usual classroom manner, it was not tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

"As long as you stand in the water, they will come to you on their own."

Snape's casual remark successfully made Pansy gag, and the other three boys also felt a chill.

"Don't stand together. Everyone should keep a distance. Let me see your wands glowing. If you encounter danger, give me a signal. Fill the glass bottle I gave you and we'll head back."

Although they were extremely unwilling, they had no choice but to do it.

Suppressing the nauseating stench, Malfoy took off his shoes and stepped into the water with a sinister expression. He immediately felt his feet sinking deep into the mud.

Snape did not go down into the swamp. After giving Pansy Parkinson some pointers, he returned to Malfoy's side.

"What are you afraid of, Draco?"

Snape's calm gaze fell on Draco, who was bending over and using his wand to stiffen the leeches one by one, and he suddenly spoke.

Draco, who wanted to fill the glass bottle as quickly as possible and return to the castle, suddenly shuddered, slowly straightened up, and turned to look at Snape with a pale face.

“I’m not afraid of anything, Professor.”

Draco said.

"Don't lie to me, Draco—"

Snape stared calmly at Draco Malfoy, noticing that the boy's face was almost paler than the glow emanating from his wand.

Under those dark, unfathomable eyes, Draco knew his lies had nowhere to hide. He lowered his head, gazing silently at the ink-black water.

"This is not what I want to see."

After a long silence, Draco said dejectedly,

“I know what’s going on at the school right now. My dad wrote to me after the Deputy Minister of Magic was expelled from Hogwarts. The Board of Governors is planning to cut off Hogwarts’ funding to force Professor Blaine to comply.”

This is not what I wanted to see. I wrote to my father asking him not to do this, but he said it was not something I could interfere with.

“This has nothing to do with you, Draco.”

Snape said calmly,

"Do you foolishly believe that you can get involved in the dispute between the Ministry of Magic and Amostra?"

Malfoy's lips twitched, but no sound came out.

The dispute between the Ministry of Magic and Professor Blaine is essentially a dispute between Professor Blaine and the Dark Lord.

Draco knew perfectly well whether his father was a Death Eater who followed the Dark Lord, without needing anyone to tell him.

Previously, after the news of the Dark Lord's resurrection was announced, Dumbledore and Professor Blaine immediately made it clear that they would fight the Dark Lord to the end.

At the time, he and some classmates were spurred on by their own ridiculous ambitions and decided to follow Professor Blaine to make a name for themselves, but they were met with a 'head-on blow' from Professor Blaine.

It was only then that Draco truly realized the cruelty of it all.

If the Dark Lord ultimately triumphs, then his respected Professor Blaine will surely be doomed.

If Professor Blaine wins, the outcome will be even more brutal; his father will certainly face retribution this time. Professor Blaine has never tolerated any wrongdoing.

The troubles Hogwarts is currently facing are merely a sign that this struggle is becoming more intense.

"There are rumors..."

Draco's eyes flickered, and he stammered,

"So you also followed the Dark Lord, Professor?"

There have always been rumors at Hogwarts that Snape was once a Death Eater, but there is no evidence to prove it.

A chilly wind blew by, causing clumps of bushes in the distance to sway. Snape squinted at them, and after a moment, finding nothing amiss, he turned his head away.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Draco?"

Snape's face was slightly pale. He did not answer Draco's question, but instead asked with a sharp look in his eyes.

Oh, I just...

Draco bit his lip, his chest heaving slightly, and stammered,

"I just want to know, which side do you think will win?"

Snape's eyebrows rose high, and a hint of sarcasm flickered uncontrollably at the corner of his mouth, but after a moment, his expression returned to calm.

"You want to know which side will win, Draco? Why can't you be honest?"

Snape's dark eyes saw right through Draco's heart.

"You're thinking about which side will win, and making a decision in advance about which side to pledge allegiance to, right?"

Isn't this the right thing to do?

Draco mustered his courage and raised his head, but shame shone in his gray eyes.

"Only by standing on the side of the victors can one survive. That's what my father taught me."

Staring at Draco's hesitant face, Snape's thin lips moved, unsure of how to offer any words of advice.

Stand on the side of the victor.

Indeed, this is the Malfoy family's style, and it also aligns with Slytherin's values.

Snape looked at Draco, a complex emotion flickering deep within his dark eyes, as if he were seeing himself and Lucius twenty years ago.

"Which side would you prefer to win, Draco?"

After a long silence, Snape asked softly.

"I--"

"You don't need to tell me the answer—"

Snape interrupted Draco.

"The answer is in your heart; you know it yourself, Draco. It's not about taking sides with the victors, but rather—whichever side you want to win, join them and help them achieve victory."

Draco's gray eyes held a slight bewilderment.

"Join whichever side you hope will win."

The gentle breeze by the water carried away Draco's bewildered murmurs.

Which side does he hope will win?

Without a doubt, if the Dark Lord achieves final victory, the Malfoy family will certainly benefit even more.

Even today, some of the Dark Lord's ideas still hold an extraordinary attraction for Draco, and if the Dark Lord were to rule the British wizarding world, the Malfoy family, who have always supported him, would undoubtedly be rewarded, and the Malfoy family would be even more glorious than they are today.

If Professor Blaine ultimately defeats the Dark Lord, the Malfoy family will suffer enormous losses in the post-war reckoning. His parents would be lucky to spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban.

Therefore, should he join his father's camp, abandon those unrealistic 'hero' dreams, and return to real interests?

but

Draco's mind would conjure up the image of that young face with gray hair and purple eyes, always wearing a gentle smile, yet showing no mercy to enemies, like a harsh winter for all things.

Does he really want to make an enemy of such a remarkable wizard?

Chapter 1026 Let's Catch Leeches Together