Hogwarts i am snape

"Severus."

A hazy call seemed to drift from afar.

He awoke with a start and lifted his head. The clock on the wall showed it was five o'clock in the afternoon.

Outside, the setting sun was vibrant, sending golden rays through the tall, slatted windows of the Room of Requirement, bathing the room in light.

Snape instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare.

"It's getting late," Pandora's voice chimed again. "You overslept. We didn't wake you."

He propped himself up with his hands and rose from the armchair.

With a soft "thud," Tom's black diary tumbled to the floor.

"What's that?" Lily's voice suddenly came closer.

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Snape squinted, making out Pandora's and Lily's silhouettes standing silhouetted against the light at the long table. He quickly bent down, snatched up the diary, and tucked it into his robes.

"Nothing, just an old notebook," he shook his head, trying to shake off the lingering drowsiness. "How's the Wolfsbane Potion coming along?"

"Not bad," Lily tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and pointed to the steaming cauldrons on the long table. "It's probably enough for three werewolves. But we feel there's still room for optimization in the brewing process; we can keep improving it."

Snape walked over to the long table and leaned down to observe the misty potions.

"Good," he straightened up, stifling a yawn. "Both the formula and the process can be iterated upon."

"Let's bottle the potion first." Snape drew his wand and tapped the cauldron. The silver liquid, as if alive, leaped into the squat, pot-bellied vials. "I'll find you another helper, a house-elf."

"Let me try," he cleared his throat. "Dobby, Dobby—"

Nothing happened. Lily and Pandora exchanged puzzled glances.

"Ah, wait," Snape shook his head, as if suddenly remembering something. "I'll try outside."

Outside the Room of Requirement, he called the house-elf's name again. A faint pop sounded in the air.

A house-elf, clad in flowery socks and a small red waistcoat, appeared before him.

"Master Snape!" Dobby squeaked, his large ears trembling with excitement. "You finally called Dobby!"

"It seems you've adapted to free life, Dobby." Snape scrutinized Dobby's new attire—no longer a tattered pillowcase, but a neat little new outfit.

"Thank you, sir!" Dobby twirled, showing off his new clothes. "Dobby bought them in Hogsmeade. Dobby likes new clothes." He suddenly paused, his large eyes shining with firm resolve. "Of course, Dobby likes work too! Is there anything Dobby can do for you, sir?"

"Your clothes are very nice, Dobby," Snape genuinely complimented.

He turned and tapped the wall, and the door to the Room of Requirement reappeared.

Pushing the door open, he led the house-elf inside.

"See, Dobby the house-elf, the perfect little helper," he told the two girls, then looked down at the elf. "Dobby, these are Pandora and Lily."

Dobby bowed deeply: "Dobby is honored to serve the beautiful ladies!"

Lily stared at Dobby for a few seconds, her brow furrowing. "Isn't that Professor Malfoy's house-elf? I remember seeing him in Potions class."

"Not anymore." Snape waved a hand. "Don't worry about the details; you should focus on Dobby's clothes instead." He pointed to the house-elf's brightly colored socks. "Look, he even has socks now."

"He's a free elf?" Pandora asked, astonished.

"Yes!" Dobby puffed out his chest proudly. "Dobby has no master, but Dobby is willing to work for Master Snape."

"Severus," Lily's eyes widened. "No wonder you stopped attending Professor Malfoy's class. I thought it was just because you'd beaten him, I never imagined—" She hesitated. "Will you pay Dobby?"

"I'm not a slave owner, am I?" Snape rolled his eyes. He turned to Dobby. "Alright, Dobby, from now on, please help the two beautiful ladies with their potions and just follow their instructions."

"Yes, sir!" Dobby replied loudly, turning his head to gaze longingly at the instruments and ingredients on the table.

"Right then," Pandora pulled Dobby over and, along with Lily, began telling him what to do. "This is the timer…"

Watching their busy figures, a strange sense of warmth spread in Snape's chest. In the golden streaks cast by the setting sun, Lily diligently guided Dobby in weighing ingredients, while Pandora meticulously recorded every adjustment.

After graduation, after the war ends— The thought came to him, and he quickly stopped it, reaching to scratch his back as if trying to pull out invisible flags and cast them into the void. Such words shouldn't be uttered lightly.

"I'm going to take the Wolfsbane Potion to the volunteers," Snape said. "Are you coming along or…?"

Lily replied without looking up, "We're going to try brewing another batch of potion; we feel we can do even better this time. Dobby, could you please hand me the Murtlap tentacles?"

"My pleasure, miss—"

Snape nodded, not disturbing them, and left the Room of Requirement alone.

Once downstairs, Snape suddenly realized he didn't know where Remus Lupin was. He then remembered that he hadn't seen James and his friends in classes or otherwise these past few days.

However, the bustling crowd in the Entrance Hall reminded him that it was currently dinner time. He decided to go to the Great Hall for a meal first, then inquire about Lupin's whereabouts.

The Great Hall was abuzz with activity. He chose a less crowded corner at the Slytherin table and sat down.

As he was enjoying a steak and kidney pudding, he happened to catch sight of the four Marauders entering the Hall.

Aside from Lupin, who looked particularly haggard in his old robes, the other three seemed to be in good spirits. James's hair was as messy as ever, but a contented smile graced his face; Sirius, meanwhile, had an arm around James's shoulders, occasionally leaning in to whisper something that made James laugh; even Peter, usually so timid, walked with his head held high.

After finishing his meal, Snape rose and walked towards the Gryffindor table. He deliberately kept his footsteps light, but still drew everyone's attention. When he sat down next to Lupin, the long table fell silent for a moment.

"Hello there," Snape said amicably, ignoring the hostile glances directed his way. "Haven't seen you around lately?"

"Bang!" Sirius slammed the table heavily. Everyone around looked over, and whispers erupted.

"You're not welcome here," James reached out and gripped Sirius's hand, examining his knuckles carefully, then looked coldly at Snape. "Stay away from us."

"Don't say such hurtful things. Besides, I wasn't looking for you, so why are you so agitated?"

James's action struck Snape as odd, and he suddenly understood something. His eyes flickered between Sirius and James. Could Sirius have already used that potion? But he hadn't done anything to upset James recently, it was strange. He turned to Lupin, lowering his voice so those around wouldn't hear: "Remus, do you know about Wolfsbane Potion?"

"I do, but what about it?" A flicker of pain crossed Lupin's eyes, his voice dry.

Of course, Lupin knew about Wolfsbane Potion. The first time he read its description in the Daily Prophet, the feeling of elation had almost suffocated him.

He thought his life was about to undergo a second complete transformation, just as his world had plunged into shades of grey after he was first bitten by Fenrir Greyback; this time, his world might regain more color.

But then, after contacting Mr. Damocles and learning the price of Wolfsbane Potion, he fell into an even deeper silence.

James had offered to pay for him, and he would just have to repay it after he started working. But he couldn't accept. Even for the wealthy Potter family, seven days of Wolfsbane Potion each month was no small sum. James couldn't afford it himself, and he couldn't ask James to approach Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Besides, he knew he would probably never be able to repay the amount.

Later, the Practical Potions Master that he and his friends had so eagerly awaited offered no further comfort—they couldn't even gather all the ingredients.

Lupin thought: perhaps he was simply meant to live as a werewolf; let the rumors of the Shrieking Shack persist.

"Then it's simple," Snape pulled out a large, smoking vial from his robes; silvery liquid swirled gently within. "See what this is? Look at the color—"

"No, Remus!" Sirius abruptly stood up, as if reacting instinctively, leaning across the table and grabbing Snape's collar. "Take your potion away!"

But Lupin's eyes couldn't tear away from the vial in Snape's hand. That silvery glow seemed to possess magic, captivating his entire attention.

"Careful, Padfoot," Snape said, his voice remaining calm despite being clutched by the collar. "If you break this potion, I'm afraid you won't be able to afford it; the Black family certainly won't pay for you."

"But the Potters will," James stood up then, looking firmly at Sirius. "Let him go." He turned to Snape, his voice immediately turning icy. "Get out of here."

"Alright." Snape was now certain where that Amortentia had been used; he leaped from his chair as if his backside was on fire, eager to leave.

Shaking off Sirius's grip, he took two steps back and looked at Lupin. "Remus, Professor Dumbledore asked me to give you this. If you don't believe me, you can come with me to see him, how about that?"

"Don't trust him, Remus!" Sirius looked at Snape with a complicated expression.

"But he can trust Professor Dumbledore." Snape pursed his lips in annoyance. He couldn't help but think: How could Sirius have such an attitude? Shouldn't he be thanking him? Sirius certainly couldn't brew Amortentia of this quality.

"Let's go, Remus," he put away the large vial and walked towards the Entrance Hall. "We'll go find the Headmaster."

"Don't go," Sirius called out softly to Lupin, his voice pleading. "He's not trustworthy."

Lupin hesitated for a long time, then finally leaned down and whispered something to Sirius. Sirius, looking helpless, nodded to Lupin, then glared fiercely at Snape.

"No tricks, Snape," he said, "or I won't let you get away with it."

Seeing Lupin rise and walk towards him, Snape gave a quiet sniff and ignored Sirius's threat.

The two walked silently towards the Entrance Hall, with James's soothing voice and Sirius's reluctant mumbles drifting from behind them.

"Did you brew this yourself?" Lupin suddenly asked as they walked down the corridor.

"Indeed, Remus," Snape nodded. "Ever since I saw that report, I've been thinking of you. And look, as soon as it was ready, I came to find you."

Lupin looked at Snape, neither assenting nor nodding, nor making any other response.

But in his eyes, Snape saw the answer—a deep longing and a cautious reluctance to hope.

"Oh, well," he sighed. "You should learn to change your mindset and see me as a good person."

"The Amortentia for Sirius was from you?" Lupin asked, his question blunt.

"You—" Snape turned his head. "You know?"

"When you wake up," Lupin's face showed a weary expression, "and one roommate is passionately in love with another, and lashes out furiously at the others when they try to stop him, despite having previously liked a girl."

"Then why are you still coming with me?" Snape asked curiously.

"Because you don't understand what it's like to be a werewolf," Lupin's voice was very soft.

"I certainly don't," Snape called out to the gargoyle, "but it must be awful."

"Think about it," he continued as they ascended the spiral staircase, "do you think things have gotten worse? Two best friends, the closest of companions, will now be able to stay together forever. Isn't that a good thing?"

Lupin didn't reply, simply stepped forward and knocked on the brass knocker of the oak door.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice came from within.

Snape took out the Wolfsbane Potion and followed Lupin into the Headmaster's office.

"What's wrong?" Dumbledore looked up from a pile of documents, his gaze falling on the vial Snape held aloft. "You succeeded, Severus?"

"Yes, Professor." Snape gave a brilliant smile. "I am honored to present it to you." He walked forward and placed the vial on the desk.

Dumbledore glanced at Lupin's eyes and his tightly clasped hands.

The Headmaster picked up the vial, observing the state of the magical liquid and its fumes, then pulled out the stopper and sniffed gently.

"Don't worry, Remus," he said gently. "This Wolfsbane Potion is perfectly fine."

Dumbledore waved his wand, and a goblet appeared out of thin air. He poured a seventh of the potion into it and handed the slightly steaming goblet to Lupin.

"Here."

Lupin took the goblet, his fingers trembling slightly. He took a deep breath, downed the potion in the goblet, and then gave a long shudder.

"From now on, Severus, bring the potion here every month," Dumbledore said. "And Remus, you just come here to collect it on schedule."

It took Lupin a while to regain his ability to speak: "Tha—thank you, Professor, and Severus. How much will this cost?"

"Free," Snape answered plainly, and seeing Lupin's surprised expression, he added, "The ingredients were mainly sponsored by the Professor, and the brewing was handled by me and my friends."

"If you absolutely must give something in return, then please promise me one thing: take the potion regularly, especially don't forget the last dose on the full moon night."

"Oh, and one more thing," he paused. "If you still plan to marry and have children, with the help of the Wolfsbane Potion, I hope you find someone your own age, not a girl a full generation younger than you. I've heard some werewolves have that preference."

"Really?" Lupin frowned in confusion. "Oh, well, anyway, thank you, Severus. I think that's fine."

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