Hogwarts i am snape

"Interesting question, Spike." Tom's handwriting gradually steadied. "It seems you've encountered a sweet problem that a talented wizard faces. Are you pursuing two girls at once?"

"Pursuing? No, they're vying for me," Snape wrote back with an intentionally irritatingly arrogant flourish. "They both want me all to themselves, but I'm so exceptional that if I only belonged to one person, wouldn't that be a great injustice to others? Besides, it's not just two."

The ink spread on the paper, then slowly formed words. "Exceptional people certainly deserve more choices," Tom's handwriting became stiff again. "I faced a similar situation in my fifth year. Three girls, all very friendly towards me."

"You?" Snape quickly scribbled. "But I've never even heard your name. Are you as exceptional as I am?"

The ink was absorbed swiftly, and Tom's reply appeared faster than before.

"Perhaps my current name is different. What year is it now? Who is the greatest and most powerful wizard in the world?"

Snape's eyes narrowed slightly, his fingertips gently stroking the quill. This question was too direct, almost revealing the eagerness of the diary's other end. He intentionally paused for a few seconds before slowly putting pen to paper.

"It's nineteen eighty-three," he wrote, mixing truth with lies. "The current Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, is widely regarded as the greatest wizard of our time."

"Professor Dumbledore is already Headmaster of Hogwarts?" Tom replied immediately, his handwriting suddenly becoming hurried. "In my time, he was still the Transfiguration professor. Do you know—"

Snape didn't wait for him to finish before interrupting again.

"Professor Dumbledore has been a Transfiguration teacher for quite some time, Riddle," he wrote. "If you want information from me, what can you give me? Not empty promises. If you can't help me, then as a fellow Slytherin, tell me, why should I waste my time with you? Let's solve my problem first. You said you also faced troubles with girls; how did you handle it?"

The diary remained silent for longer than any previous time. Snape almost thought the conversation had ended, but finally, a new line of text slowly appeared:

"Mediocrity is the enemy, Spike. If I may be frank, you've made a mistake common to ordinary people. True power isn't constrained by 'choices,' but rather makes choices serve it."

Snape read the words. A familiar argument, he thought.

"I made them understand that I was worthy of their affection," Tom continued to write. "I think you should understand that power is the key. Girls are attracted to powerful individuals. Showcase your abilities; let them see your worth. In my fifth year, three girls took turns helping me organize my notes every week—they even made a roster for it. So all you need to do is strengthen yourself."

A hint of sarcasm flickered in Snape's black eyes, and he gave a slight scoff.

"But this only solves the macro problem," he wrote. "My immediate dilemma hasn't been resolved, Riddle. Do you have anything else to say? As a memory, you don't seem to know much."

Another, slightly scrawled, line of text appeared in the diary:

"If you're so concerned about girls, then I'll tell you, the key is to make each of them feel special—this doesn't mean she's the only one. Specifically, you need to make each of them feel they're getting enough attention, different from the attention you give others, and share secrets with each of them. But you also can't let them realize each other's existence. You need to create 'coincidences'—for example, 'casually' running into one in the library, and 'just happening' to practice spells with another after Charms class."

"Is that all?" Snape stared at the passage, deep in thought, but deliberately wrote, "Too much trouble, and too much of a waste of time. Never mind, I'll stick with my original plan. I think Amortentia is a more efficient choice; Professor Slughorn taught us about it."

The diary seemed to give a slight, unusual tremor. Snape could almost imagine a young Voldemort frowning on the other end of the diary.

Just then, Lily and Pandora waved to him from the long table. Snape closed the diary and walked towards them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking down at the steaming cauldron in front of them.

"Severus," Pandora exclaimed excitedly, "with the help of these tools, we're almost successful on only our second attempt! I can't believe I have such a talent for Potions!"

"Indeed, your talent isn't just in spell experiments," Snape leaned closer. "Let me see." He noticed that the potion had become clear and transparent, emitting faint purple-white smoke, which was precisely the sign of nearing success mentioned in Practical Potions Master. "Looks good, but I don't know if it actually works. Perhaps we need a volunteer."

After speaking, he exchanged a glance with Lily.

"It'll be ready in about another hour," Lily said with a smile, holding a timer. "I'll keep watch to determine the optimal brewing time."

"Alright," Snape said, "Regarding a volunteer, I already have a preliminary candidate. The full moon is in just over a week. I'll go talk to the volunteer later tonight."

"Those werewolves living in the Forbidden Forest?" Pandora asked curiously.

"No," Snape winked at her, then shook his head. "Other werewolves; I need to keep it a secret."

Lily, hearing Pandora's words and seeing Snape offer no further explanation, seemed even happier. But Pandora looked equally pleased. She thought Snape was referring to another group of werewolves, those living in the Forbidden Forest. He had mentioned them to her in casual conversation once and told her to keep it strictly confidential.

Seeing the expressions on both their faces, Snape paused for two seconds before realizing he had unintentionally caused a misunderstanding—both girls thought he meant different werewolf volunteers. Tom's advice had actually worked—he was sharing a secret with each of them, and they both thought they were special. He couldn't help but rub his chin, chuckling inwardly.

"Very good," Snape made his tone deliberately nonchalant. "You two carry on. I'm going to rest a bit more. Remember, don't add sugar."

Both readily agreed.

Back in the corner, Snape reopened the diary, which was now blank.

"Did you say something just now, Riddle? Two girls came to find me, so I didn't notice what you wrote," he scribbled.

The pages in his hand trembled slightly again, and a line of text slowly appeared:

"Even as a Slytherin, don't you think Amortentia is a bit too extreme?" Tom's handwriting seemed particularly forceful. "That's a vile form of compulsion. Truly great wizards should rely on their own strength."

Rely on his own strength to attack a baby? Snape almost couldn't control his expression. A fragment of a dark wizard's soul trapped in a diary was lecturing him on morals? It was laughably absurd.

"Let's not dwell on this," he wrote dismissively. "Since what you just said was somewhat useful, is there anything you'd like to know? Being trapped in a diary for so many years must be tough."

"Hmm—it hasn't been very pleasant indeed. Apologies, Spike, that's why I've asked you so many questions. I can't hear, nor can I see; writing is the only way I can communicate with the outside world." Riddle's gentle reply appeared in turn. "Professor Horace Slughorn is still your Potions teacher; he's quite old now. I wonder if the Slug Club is still holding meetings. I still miss those gatherings. Did the professor ever tell you who his favorite student in the club was?"

Snape unhesitatingly wrote: "Me."

After his brief reply vanished, a small blot of ink, as if accidentally spilled, spread on the paper, followed by Tom's reply. Snape also noticed that the ink seemed to permeate more slowly:

"Alright," Tom asked, "Let's change the subject. Is the wizarding world peaceful these days?"

He'd finally gotten to it after all that circling. Snape's eyes lit up; this was what Tom truly cared about. After a moment's thought, he decided to tell Tom that Voldemort had been defeated; otherwise, logically, this diary would never have fallen into the hands of a Hogwarts student.

"Not bad," Snape replenished his quill with ink and continued to scratch away. "Since Voldemort was defeated by Dumbledore four years ago, there hasn't been much unrest in Britain."

"Voldemort? Is he the most powerful Dark wizard recently?" Tom's words were more heavily imprinted. "When this memory of mine was recorded, the most famous Dark wizard was Gellert Grindelwald."

"That's ancient history," Snape continued his half-truthful lie. "In nineteen forty-five, Grindelwald was also defeated by Professor Dumbledore, so you understand why he's the greatest wizard, don't you? The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts records both these events."

"I think that's excellent news," Tom stated. "In my time, both wizards and Muggles were consumed by endless fear, worrying that the wizarding war and the Muggle war would engulf them. Everyone lived without peace."

"Indeed," Snape wrote, "Thankfully, the wars in both worlds have ended, and peace reigns. There's nothing for anyone to worry about. Except for my romantic troubles, of course."

"So, what happened to those two Dark wizards later?" Tom ignored Snape's latter remark and continued to ask.

"I can suddenly understand why you'd be concerned about these matters," Snape wrote casually. "Things were truly difficult in your time. After Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore, he was imprisoned in the high tower of Nurmengard. As for Voldemort, he vanished completely. It's said that after Dumbledore defeated him, only a wisp of smoke remained, not even a body."

"What do you mean, not even a body remained?" Tom's writing became more scrawled.

"Literally, he simply vanished into thin air," Snape couldn't help but chuckle a few times. Lily and Pandora turned to look at him strangely, and he quickly waved his hand, signaling them not to worry. "Even Voldemort's loyal Death Eaters, after his disappearance, quickly defected, abandoning their master's cause."

"Thank you, Spike." After a moment's wait, the words on the diary were written out stroke by stroke. "It's getting late. Let's talk another time."

"Don't rush, Riddle," Snape quickly wrote, intentionally making his handwriting appear somewhat flustered. "I have one more question: do you know how to break the curse on a Maledictus?"

"Maledictus? That's quite rare." The ink flowed slowly, and Tom's handwriting became cautious. "This isn't one of the girls you hope to choose, is it? Regardless, as it happens, I might be able to help you with that."

"Then please tell me, Riddle," Snape wrote, his handwriting eager and sincere.

"I'd be delighted to help you, Spike. Decades without anyone to talk to is very painful, my new friend." The diary was silent for a moment, then a passage appeared that made Snape's breath catch. "But first, let's start with your true name. I need to know your name before I can help you."

Cold sweat suddenly broke out on Snape's back, his fingertips trembling slightly. He surmised that Tom's diary perhaps needed the writer to reveal their true self to it in order to absorb their soul. Tom likely judged from this feedback that he hadn't told him his real name. After much consideration, Snape decided to take the risk, but killing the Basilisk would have to be put on the immediate agenda.

"Hm—apologies, Riddle," he carefully chose his words. "Out of caution, I think you should understand why I'm doing this. My name is Severus Snape."

The ink spread on the paper but didn't immediately disappear, as if the person on the other end was processing the information.

"Alright, Snape." The handwriting appeared unusually fluid. "With that, we have a basis for mutual trust. Tell me, what is your Maledictus girlfriend's animal form, and what stage is she at?"

"She can no longer transform from a snake back into a human."

"A snake?"

"Yes."

"You speak Parseltongue?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing, but Parseltongue is exceptionally rare. I thought you were Muggle-born."

"No, I'm half and half," Snape wrote. "My father was a Muggle."

"Is that so?" Tom continued his questioning. "So, do you possess Parseltongue? And where does your maternal lineage trace back to?"

"To the first question, yes," Snape replied. "To the second question, I don't know. Are you willing to help me break the Maledictus curse?"

"I think so."

"What do I have to give in return?"

"I'll tell you later."