Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 300 Night, To be continued

Dumbledore watched Harry leave the headmaster's office and walk towards the Gryffindor tower, confirming through the portrait that he had returned to his dormitory before turning back to his desk.

With a couple of taps of the wand, two glasses appeared on the table. A second tap filled the glasses with butterbeer.

"I thought you'd be a little later, Severus." Dumbledore pushed one of his butterbeers forward, looked up, and smiled at Snape who had appeared before him.

"That's all, Dumbledore." Snape's tone was icy, ignoring the butterbeer. He lifted his robe and sat down opposite Dumbledore, staring intently at his perfectly intact right hand.

"Did Stradwell do this?" he asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded, picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip, accidentally getting some foam on his white beard.

"Hmph!" Snape scoffed dismissively. "He just likes to do flashy, impractical things, just like his fancy magic!"

"Severus, you have to admit, sometimes these fancy things are quite useful," Dumbledore said, putting down his cup with a hint of nonchalance.

"Moreover, those were not just empty words; Akinbad was made extremely miserable and almost lost his life."

"I don't want to get hit," Dumbledore said, shaking his head as if he were terrified.

Snape watched Dumbledore perform quietly, then his gaze swept over the ring on Dumbledore's left hand, and his expression turned even colder.

"Don't you think it's too early to tell Potter all that? With his impulsive nature, he can't keep a secret at all," Snape said. "Just like his foolish father."

"Harry is no longer a child, Severus. I believe he can tell what can be said and what cannot be said," Dumbledore said, adjusting his glasses.

"You still believe he can defeat the Dark Lord?"

"Him?" Snape said dismissively. "You're senile, Dumbledore."

"Perhaps." Dumbledore shook his head slightly; he wasn't going to continue this topic with Snape.

He took a sip of his butterbeer and asked, "What's the matter I asked you to do, Severus? What's your thought about it?"

Snape didn't answer, but awkwardly looked away, lowering his head slightly. After a long while, he asked in a muffled voice, "Have you made up your mind?"

"You know, I only have one year left," Dumbledore sighed. "The curse Tom left on Gaunt's ring cannot be removed, and I may have even less time left."

He remained silent for a while before slowly uttering a sentence.

"Draco is a good kid; he still has a conscience."

"Are you saying I have no conscience?"

“You know that’s not what I meant, Severus,” Dumbledore shook his head. “The child hasn’t completely fallen into darkness; we can still save his soul… Besides, didn’t Narcissa turn to you for help?”

"Hmph!" Snape stared coldly at Dumbledore and said, "You can find other people; aren't you two quite in sync?"

"Strider is not suitable," Dumbledore said. "He has more important things to do."

"What is it? To continue killing your followers?"

"I would be very happy if he killed that stupid dog." Snape's tone was full of disgust.

"But he won't. He'll keep that stupid dog alive! Just because you won't let that stupid dog die!"

"None of us can escape death, Severus. The only difference is whether our deaths are worthwhile," Dumbledore said calmly.

"You mean, that smuggler Fletcher's death was worthwhile?"

Dumbledore remained silent, but Snape let out a mocking laugh. He grabbed the cup in front of him, tilted his head back, and drank half of it in one gulp.

"How disgusting, Dumbledore," he said coldly. "Those who trusted you implicitly will never believe, even in death, that their fate was used as a bargaining chip in your transactions..."

"Everything is for the final victory, Severus. For it, no one is exempt from sacrifice."

"Like Lily?"

"That was an accident..."

The office fell silent. Both Dumbledore and Snape stared intently at each other, saying nothing more.

"Why……"

After a long pause, Dumbledore sighed and said, "Severus, you didn't come here today to argue with me or talk about things that are in the past, did you?"

Snape raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. He closed them slightly, and when he opened them again, they were calm.

"As you instructed, I told Granger some things and managed to calm her down for the time being."

"Very good." Dumbledore nodded. "We're a little more confident now."

"You don't really think she'll keep helping that idiot Potter forever, do you? We all know she'll leave to go after Strayle sooner or later," Snape said. "Besides, I think given Strayle's gloomy nature, the Dark Lord is far more likely to die at his hands than that idiot will defeat him."

"Strider's pursuits are different from ours." Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "His obsession with magic is highly purposeful. For that goal, he can clear away anyone who stands in his way."

"Yes, we can certainly pin our hopes on him, hoping that Tom will be the one to stand in his way, hoping that he will kill Tom completely before we do... But Severus, none of us can guarantee that things will turn out the way we hope."

So, in the end, we still have to stick to the original plan?

"I'm afraid so, because we have no other choice," Dumbledore said. "And we must also prepare for something even more dangerous to come..."

"Do you think Streeder will stop us?"

"We can't rule out that possibility... I know he made an unbreakable vow never to harm those who truly consider him a friend, and never to harm Hogwarts, but at times, he doesn't need to break his vow; simply stopping him is enough..."

"As long as doing something like this brings him closer to his goal..."

Snape looked directly into Dumbledore's calm eyes, and the seriousness in them made his heart pound. For some reason, he felt a sense of fear.

"Granger, she..."

"I'm afraid Miss Granger is our last resort, Severus..."

Upon hearing this, Snape remained silent for a long while. Suddenly, he stood up, lifted his robe, turned and left, leaving only one sentence echoing in the headmaster's office.

"You're wrong, Dumbledore, I won't let that happen..."

As Dumbledore watched Snape disappear through the doorway, his gaze remained calm. He glanced at the butterbeer in his glass, then tapped his wand, turning it into honey water.

He downed it in one gulp, the sweet taste causing him to unconsciously squint his eyes. Looking at the empty cup, he murmured:

"Forgive me, Severus..."

(End of this chapter)