Hogwarts i am snape

The moonlight was bright; standing outside the tree's shadow, Snape didn't even need to light his wand to clearly see the patterns on the Whomping Willow's branches.

As he gradually approached the dangerous tree, the drooping willow branches began to sway gently, making a faint rustling sound, as if sensing his presence.

When he was still twenty feet from the Whomping Willow, the willow branches suddenly creaked like they were in a gale, lashing back and forth like whips, refusing his approach.

Seeing a thick branch maliciously swish and lash through the air, about to strike him, Snape swiftly raised his wand, flicking his wrist — a stone flew up from the ground, and under his command, it weaved and dodged, as agile as a fish, slipping through the dancing branches and accurately sticking to a knot on the tree trunk.

A gust of wind blew, but the tree didn't move. It seemed to have turned to stone, not even a single leaf trembled.

Snape nodded in satisfaction, maintaining control over the stone, and quickly walked to the trunk. He bent down and squeezed into the large opening among the tree roots.

The tunnel was pitch black. Snape lit his wand, illuminating the damp earthen walls and a broken spiderweb.

He crawled headfirst into it, sliding down an earthen slope into the bottom of a very low tunnel.

The tunnel reeked of earth and mould. Snape wrinkled his nose but didn't stop. He hunched over, bending very low, his robes dragging in the tunnel, picking up dirt and cobwebs.

The tunnel stretched onward, the light from his wand steadily moving through the darkness, illuminating a few feet ahead.

After reaching the bottom, the earthen path beneath his feet began to incline upwards again. After a while, it turned a corner, and Snape saw a faint glimmer of light, a small exit. He slowed his pace, approaching cautiously.

The light at the tip of his wand silently extinguished; he didn't want to expose himself in an unknown environment.

He slowly inched forward sideways, entering a messy, dusty room from the exit.

By the faint rays of light filtering through the gaps in the wooden boards covering the room's windows, he observed the famous Shrieking Shack:

The wallpaper was peeling, the floor was stained, and the furniture was all broken, as if it had been smashed. All the windows were tightly boarded up. There was no one in the room, and a door on the right was open, leading to a gloomy hallway.

His gaze swept around the room, landing on a nearby wooden chair, which had a large piece of wood torn off and one leg missing. But these marks looked old, at least not fresh.

Snape kept his wand cautiously raised. In this situation, even if their homemade Wolfsbane Potion hadn't worked, Lupin couldn't harm him.

Suddenly, he vaguely heard some movement overhead; something seemed to be stirring upstairs.

He looked up at the ceiling, his ears catching every subtle sound. Dust fell from the gaps in the wooden boards.

Moving as quietly as possible into the hall, Snape stepped onto the slightly crooked staircase.

The wooden stairs creaked faintly under his feet. He held his breath, treading lightly.

Everything was covered in a thin layer of dust, and messy footprints were scattered on the floor. He could barely make out that two people seemed to have walked side-by-side along this path, and perhaps a few animals had also trodden upon it.

His eyes fixed on the footprints, he reached the dark landing.

Following the jumbled marks, he walked towards a closed door. At the doorway, he heard low, joyful animal sounds coming from inside.

"Interesting, they're all here," Snape thought. "Sounds like they're having a grand time."

He gripped his wand tightly and suddenly kicked open the door. The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

Inside the room, on a four-poster bed draped with dusty hangings, sat a werewolf covered in yellowish-grey fur.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the wooden boards, outlining the werewolf's tall silhouette.

But the werewolf's appearance was surprisingly calm, even a little confused. He was touching his whole body with sharp claws, as if confirming his physical condition.

A stag and a large black dog were circling the bed, cheering softly, and a small rat was squeaking and scurrying on the bed.

The moment the door opened, the rat jumped as if shocked, quickly hiding behind the werewolf, while the stag and the black dog immediately turned towards the intruder, their eyes gleaming with hostility.

Before Snape could speak, the stag and the black dog charged at him.

"Impedimenta!" Snape's wand was out almost at the same moment he saw their movement.

A red light struck the pouncing stag and black dog. The two animals were flung back by an invisible force, hitting the wall. But they immediately got up, still wanting to charge again.

However, the werewolf stood up, blocking their way, emitting a low growl from his throat. The sound was not like an ordinary wolf's howl, but carried a certain rational restraint, as if persuading his companions to remain calm.

The stag and the black dog stopped moving.

When the werewolf turned to face Snape again, the stag and the large dog behind him had already transformed back into human form — James and Sirius stood there. Both were dishevelled, their hair messy, but the hostility in their eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.

James's hand rested on Sirius's shoulder, and Sirius stood close to James.

Both looked at Snape, their eyes full of wariness.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape, equally wary, pointed his wand at them and shouted.

But no wooden sticks flew from their persons.

"We don't have our wands, Snape," Sirius said, without a smile. "Thanks for the Wolfsbane Potion."

"Oh, that puts my mind at ease," Snape said, a pleasant smile appearing on his face. "Long time no see, everyone. Don't misunderstand, I didn't want to come here. Tonight, I'm merely here as a Potions Master, making a follow-up visit to our first user. I suggest you remain friendly."

Fury burned in James's eyes, but Sirius pressed his arm.

"Don't be rash," Sirius whispered. "He's here to see Remus."

Snape walked up to the werewolf. Despite the obvious difference in size, he fearlessly met Lupin's beastly eyes.

The werewolf likewise looked down at him. Under Snape's calm gaze, he slowly shuffled backwards, retreating to the bed and sitting down.

James and Sirius returned to the bedside, guarding Lupin, looking at Snape with full vigilance, taking no further action.

Snape's gaze fell on the grey rat on the bed, hiding behind the hangings.

"Peter," he asked, with a hint of mockery in his voice, "why haven't you transformed back into human form yet? Or do you find the rat form more suitable for you?"

The rat's small grey body twitched. Then, like a fast-forwarded film of a tree growing, a head emerged, and then limbs.

A moment later, a short, cowering man stood where the rat had been, wringing his hands, his eyes afraid to meet Snape's.

"Severus," Wormtail said fearfully, "how are you?"

"I'm perfectly well, thank you," Snape said, walking towards the four-poster bed. "Now, let's see how the potion is working."

James and Sirius hesitated briefly, then moved aside for him.

Coming to Lupin's side, Snape began to professionally examine the transformed Lupin.

He occasionally tapped Lupin's body lightly with his wand, and reached out to touch here, poke there, even opening the werewolf's mouth to check his teeth and gums.

"No signs of mutation," he murmured to himself. "Aggression significantly reduced —"

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked Lupin, his voice almost gentle. "Are there any uncomfortable side effects after taking the potion?"

Lupin gently shook his head, a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

"Excellent," Snape said. "It seems the potion is working well."

After finishing his examination, he turned to James and Sirius.

"According to the moon phases, this full moon will last for two more days," Snape said. "I won't be coming back during these two days. However, during this time, I hope you will carefully observe Remus's condition, and not just cheer for him. If he shows any unusual symptoms, be sure to record them. This will help us further refine the Wolfsbane Potion's process to better assist him."

"Alright," Sirius hesitated for barely a second, then answered him hoarsely. "We'll do it."

"Furthermore," Snape said to them, his gaze sweeping over the four, "I suggest that on subsequent full moon nights, you still choose to transform into animals to accompany him. After all, Damocles's paper explicitly mentioned that after taking the Wolfsbane Potion, werewolves may still occasionally have moments of losing control."

"Similarly," he continued, "perhaps before graduation, you'll have the opportunity to spend the full moon in the dormitory. But for now, for safety's sake, it's better for you to stay here. We need more practical experience and refinement with a larger sample size before we can ensure the potion's stable effect —"

Just then, with a CRASH, the wooden door was knocked open again, and a red-haired girl rushed in, her face drained of colour.

Lily stood in the doorway, her chest heaving violently, clearly having run all the way.

There was still a scratch on her face, and her robes bore marks from being lashed by branches.

She gripped her wand tightly, her green eyes exceptionally bright in the dim room. Her gaze swept past the four-poster bed, seeing the peaceful werewolf sitting on it and Snape, as well as James and Sirius not far away.

The air in the room seemed to freeze. James opened his mouth, as if to say something. But his Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

Snape turned around, saw Lily, and immediately stood up.

"Lily, your face —"

Before she could answer, Snape had already approached her, his wand pointing at the wound on her face: "Vulnera Sanentur."

Lily immediately felt her face become burning hot, then icy cold.

"Ah," she raised her hand and carefully touched her right cheek, saying somewhat confusedly, "was there a wound here?"

Snape nodded. "It's already healed," he said, then softly asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Not at all," Lily gently shook her head.

"By the way, why did you come?" Snape finally asked.

"N-nothing," Lily quickly hid her wand in her sleeve, her gaze flickering. "I decided to come and see the actual effects of the Wolfsbane Potion."

"That's my purpose here too," Snape said. "It seems the efficacy is quite good." He turned sideways so Lily could see Lupin. "See, Remus is sitting there so quietly, like a big furry stuffed animal."

Lupin — despite being in werewolf form — sat calmly by the bed, raising a pointed claw to give Lily a clumsy wave.

"Perhaps we shouldn't disturb them any further," Snape waved to Lupin, then turned to Lily. "Shall we go back together?"

Lily nodded, not looking at anyone else. "Okay," she said, turning and leaving the room with Snape.

As they walked out of the Shrieking Shack and stood under the moonlight again, Snape noticed Lily's shoulders relax slightly. The Whomping Willow's branches swayed in the night breeze, but didn't attack them — the stone was still firmly pressed against the knot.

"So that's how it is," Lily said, watching his movements.

"Did you force your way in?" Snape then noticed some wounds on the Whomping Willow. "You didn't cause the injuries on it, did you?"

"I didn't know I needed to go in like that," Lily said sheepishly. "So I just —"

She took out her wand and healed the scars on the Whomping Willow's branches.

On the way back to the castle, Lily looked back at the quiet Whomping Willow again.

"Sev," she said softly, "don't you hate them anymore?"

Snape's steps didn't stop, but he slowed down a bit.

"I do hate them," he answered frankly. "But they're not important to me. I just don't care much about them."

Lily nodded thoughtfully.

After walking a bit further, Snape suddenly stopped and looked at Lily.

"You followed me," he said, looking into her eyes, his voice low, "were you worried I'd do something to them?"

Lily's steps halted. She lowered her head, her red hair falling to cover the side of her face, and didn't speak for a long while.

At her reaction, Snape felt a pang of disappointment. Fine, he thought. After all this time, if she still cares about those people —

He resumed walking towards the castle.

Just as he passed her, Lily spoke.

"When I was going back to the dormitory," her voice was very soft, almost carried away by the wind, "I saw you from the window," she looked up, her green eyes shimmering in the moonlight, "I was afraid you'd get into danger like last time, afraid no one would pull you back this time —"

Snape froze. He looked at Lily's bright eyes in the moonlight, unsure how to respond for a moment.

Lily's face seemed to have turned as red as her hair, but she didn't avert her gaze.

"With my power, I could take on ten of them, you know," he said. "Don't worry about me, Lily."