Hogwarts: I am Snape

Dumbledore took the broken ring and examined it carefully in his palm.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the empty ring setting and the devastating mark, his fingers lightly tracing the rough gold surface.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something extremely absurd and funny, he burst out laughing, his shoulders trembling slightly.

“Alright, alright…” Dumbledore shook his head, his laughter tinged with relief and a hint of self-deprecation. “So it was you… I had been worried for so long, thinking I had misjudged Tom, and I kept trying to figure out which part I had missed…” He raised his eyes, his azure eyes looking at Snape. “You little rascal… you always manage to surprise me.”

“Don’t worry, Severus,” he paused, his voice becoming even gentler, “I’ve already ‘died’ once. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.”

As they were talking, Dumbledore's expression suddenly hardened. He realized with a start that if the ring was with Snape, and the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak were already in his possession...

“You…” he blurted out, but immediately realized his mistake, shut his mouth, and swallowed the rest of his words.

At this moment, Grindelwald, who had been silently observing, leaned lazily against the armrest of the sofa and spoke for Dumbledore, saying what he had not finished saying.

“Severus, so,” he said, his grey eyes sweeping over Snape with a hint of amusement, “you now have all three Deathly Hallows in your possession?”

"Yes, I finished what those two old guys didn't finish back then." Snape just shrugged indifferently.

He casually took out the cold black gem from the inside pocket of his robe, then took out the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak with the black hole in the center, and casually placed a small parchment package on the table.

“Take a look,” he said casually. “The Elder Wand, the Invisibility Cloak, the Resurrection Stone—they’re all here. I’ve tried them, and I haven’t found any special way to conquer death when they’re combined.”

"Neither Death stepped forward to claim him as his master, nor did he gain any invincible power. Now it seems that a fairy tale meant to amuse children has fooled so many adult wizards. People always tend to believe what they want to believe."

Grindelwald gave Snape a deep look before picking up the three holy artifacts.

He rose and walked to the long table in the center of the room, placing them side by side on its smooth surface. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall also rose and followed him to the table.

Grindelwald gently stroked each of the holy artifacts with his fingers, occasionally picking up the Elder Wand and lightly touching it, whispering a few obscure syllables, trying to stimulate or sense something.

His brows furrowed slightly, his expression focused and serious.

However, after a short while, he stopped what he was doing. The look of inquiry on his face gradually faded, replaced by a detached understanding.

He offered no comment, but simply gathered the three relics together, picked them up, turned and walked back to Snape, who was still sitting on the sofa, and handed them back to him.

Dumbledore watched as Snape took the artifacts and casually stuffed them back into his robe pocket. His blue eyes flickered as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed softly and followed Grindelwald back to the sofa area to sit down.

After everyone was seated, the atmosphere became somewhat silent for a moment.

Snape turned his gaze back to Professor McGonagall, clearly not having forgotten the previous topic.

Under his gaze, Professor McGonagall took a deep breath and spoke up, "Elphinstone Elcott, he was my superior whom I met many years ago when I worked at the Ministry of Magic."

“He is a high-ranking official in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, an upright man who utterly despises dark magic…” She hesitated for a moment, her cheeks seeming to flush slightly, and lowered her voice as she added, “He… is also a very good friend of mine, someone I’ve known for a long time. I swear on my honor that he is absolutely trustworthy and that his sources are reliable.”

Seeing Professor McGonagall's unusually embarrassed and uneasy expression, and her words full of protection and trust for Mr. Elcott, Snape immediately realized that their relationship was probably far more than just that of ordinary "old friends" or "former bosses".

He quickly judged in his mind that this source was most likely reliable. So he nodded and turned to Dumbledore:
“Professor, now that the information is reliable, we obviously shouldn’t ignore the unusual activity within the Department of Mysteries. I think we can begin planning our trip to the Ministry of Magic.”

Dumbledore crossed his fingers, deep in thought. After a moment, he said, "Very well. This matter is of utmost importance. I will personally go to the Ministry of Magic to investigate..."

“You can’t go in person,” Snape interrupted the headmaster immediately.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him.

“Professor, Tom is all too familiar with your magical aura and style,” Snape continued. “The moment you leave a trace at the Ministry of Magic, Tom will likely be the first to recognize you.”

"Our ultimate goal is not just to find and destroy the last Horcrux, but to create an opportunity to lure Voldemort and his core followers out and eliminate them all at once."

"If you were to take action yourself, given Tom's personality, he would never choose to confront you head-on."

"In this way, even if you successfully obtain the Horcrux, you will only alert him, making him realize that his Horcrux is no longer a secret to you, thus prompting him to check other hiding places and even do more extreme and unpredictable things."

Snape's voice turned serious: "In my opinion, the most terrible and unpredictable disaster is a powerful Dark Lord who realizes his hope of immortality has been shattered, has lost all attachments and constraints, and has fallen into utter madness."

“We must avoid this situation. Therefore, this operation must be meticulously planned and executed in one fell swoop.”

"What are your thoughts?" Dumbledore asked Snape, his tone becoming serious.

“I’ll go.” Snape picked up the small old parchment package that had been placed on the table. “Use this.” He unwrapped the parchment, revealing a First Class Order of Merlin medal inside. “This is the illegal portal key you made for me before, with the destination set to the Headmaster’s office at Hogwarts.”

Upon seeing the medal, Dumbledore was initially taken aback, but a smile quickly spread across his face. He remembered this little trinket he had made to help Snape go to Malfoy Manor.

“I can make two more backups for you, with different trigger conditions and destinations,” Dumbledore said.

“No need, this one is enough.” Snape shook his head. “My goal is Hogwarts, and this is fine.” He elaborated on his plan. “I will infiltrate the Department of Mysteries to find Horcruxes.”

"If I find it, or if I encounter any danger that I cannot handle, I will immediately activate the Portkey to return to Hogwarts. If I successfully obtain the Horcrux, I will find a way to let Tom know that my destination is Hogwarts."

“And you,” he said, looking at Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Grindelwald, “led everyone ahead of time to secretly return to Hogwarts Castle and set up an ambush.”

“By taking advantage of the rule that Apparition is prohibited in the area, we might be able to buy ourselves an opportunity to capture Tom and his core Death Eaters who are tracking us down.”

“Even if I don’t find the Horcrux, we’ve been wandering long enough. It’s time to go home.”

Before Dumbledore could comment on this bold and risky plan, Grindelwald spoke first, his tone full of admiration:

"Good, you truly are an outstanding student I taught! I've been wanting to ask this for a long time: why are we hiding like mice? You have a clear mind, are bold yet meticulous. Go now!"

Dumbledore gave Grindelwald a reproachful look, as if he thought he had been too rash.

Grindelwald, however, nonchalantly glanced back at Dumbledore, a defiant smile playing on his lips:
"What are you looking at, old man? Severus can fly on his own without a broom now. Do you think his combat ability is much worse than yours back then, with the Elder Wand in hand? Besides, it's infiltration and retreat, not a head-on battle."

"Alright, alright," Snape quickly smoothed things over. "I'll be prepared and won't risk my life. Of course, if you have any unique magic or protective items, feel free to bless me with them; I won't refuse..."

Seeing that Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were still weighing the risks of the plan, their faces showing hesitation, Snape didn't try to persuade them further. Instead, he reached out and shook the silver bell on the small tea table beside him. The clear, tinkling sound echoed throughout the cabin.

The three were taken aback, not quite understanding his intention in summoning the house-elf at this moment. Snape didn't explain, but simply waited quietly.

About half a minute later, a soft knock sounded on the door.

After receiving permission, a wrinkled house-elf, dressed in a neat tea towel, walked in respectfully and bowed deeply to everyone.

“Good evening, Kreacher,” Snape said. “Go find Crouch and Abbott and have them gather all the sixth and seventh graders on board immediately. Also, notify Moody, Fenwick, Vance, the Longbottoms, the Prewitt brothers… all the core members of the Order of the Phoenix to come here.”

"There are a lot of people, so remember to find a few more sprites to help you notify them, and be quick."

Kreacher blinked his large eyes and replied in his frog-like voice, "Yes, Mr. Snape, Kreacher will take care of it immediately!"

He bowed again, turned nimbly, left the captain's cabin, and gently closed the door behind him.

The wooden door closed gently.

Snape turned to Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, whose faces were filled with confusion:

"Professors, we will take action. Even if Professor Dumbledore hadn't woken up, we were already planning to take action."

“Hogwarts belongs to you, and to us, but ultimately it belongs to us young people. We can’t stay on this ship forever.”

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall exchanged a complex glance. They sensed from Snape's words his determination and strength to take responsibility.

They looked at Snape, offered no further advice, and simply nodded, tacitly approving of his actions.

Not long after, a cacophony of footsteps and voices could be heard outside the door.

Students and members of the Order of the Phoenix, having been notified, arrived one after another, their familiar faces filling the captain's cabin.

There were too many people, and the small captain's cabin clearly couldn't accommodate everyone. Snape, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Grindelwald all stood up as well.

Snape waved his wand and used a spell he had learned from Dumbledore to make the sofa, coffee table, armchair, and other furniture in the center of the room disappear, clearing out a large space.

Once the crowd had gathered and almost everyone had arrived, Snape walked to a slightly forward position, took a deep breath, and raised his voice:

"We're ready to fight Voldemort! We're ready to go home—back to Hogwarts!"

There was a moment of silence.

Immediately—"Great!" "Kill those Death Eaters!"

The crowd erupted in brief cheers and shouts, but quickly fell silent again.

Everyone stared intently at Snape, Dumbledore, and the others, awaiting the specific arrangements.

"Professor Dumbledore has only been awake for a short time and may not yet be fully aware of some of the new powers we've developed," Snape continued jokingly. "Perfect, tomorrow everyone will go to the artillery range in Wales as usual for Muggle weapons training."

"Professor Dumbledore will be there with us, and I would appreciate it if you all could give him a good demonstration and help him better understand our current mastery of the combination of magic and physical power."

Upon hearing this, a knowing laugh rippled through the crowd, who were eager to demonstrate the power of rocket launchers, heavy machine guns, and mortars to the respected principal, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.

“Tomorrow,” Snape continued, “I will personally request the Muggle Prime Minister and his cabinet secretary to allow us to leave the firing range with a stockpile of firearms, light artillery, and ammunition. Combined with the inferior items we can obtain using the Copy Charm, this should be enough to sustain us in the subsequent battles.”

“The operation is expected to begin the day after tomorrow.” He turned to Moody in the crowd: “Mr. Moody, you will be in charge of the overall coordination the day after tomorrow.”

"The first and fourth squads are responsible for blocking the direction of the forbidden forest to prevent the enemy from escaping from the forest area; the fifth squad is deployed along the Black Lake line to cut off the enemy's water retreat route."

"The third squad needs to seize the high ground of the Astronomical Tower as soon as possible and set up firing positions there; the second squad will be the last to block the main gate of the school and cut off the enemy's main retreat route."

“Understood, Severus.” Moody nodded solemnly and tapped his cane.

"As for Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Grimm, they will serve as the general reserve, ready to support all sides at any time," Snape added finally, then softened his tone slightly, "Well... when the time comes, please try to avoid the head and torso unless absolutely necessary..." He raised his voice again, "Gentlemen, we're going home!"

"Good!" the crowd cheered in unison, their morale soaring.

Immediately, each team began to whisper among themselves, confirming the mission details with each other.

After Snape told everyone to go back and rest so they could conserve their energy for tomorrow's training and subsequent operations, he allowed the crowd to leave in an orderly manner.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Pandora and Lily looked at Snape with concern, opened their mouths, but couldn't say anything in this situation, and could only leave with the others.

"Pandora, Lily, wait a minute," Snape suddenly called out to them.

The two stopped and immediately turned around to hurry toward Snape.

"Severus, you—"

Before they could finish speaking, Snape had already opened his palm and handed a small vial containing a golden potion to the two of them, lowering his voice to say:
"Here, Felix Felicis. Take a small sip before the battle begins, and share some with Abbott and Barty. There will be some left over; distribute it among your other companions as you see fit..."

Pandora and Lily looked at the bottle of precious potion, but both shook their heads and neither reached out to take it.

“You drink it,” Lily said firmly. “You need it.”

“If Mr. Moody is in charge of battlefield coordination,” Pandora looked at Snape with concern, “what about you? Don’t think we don’t know… We’ll be careful.”

Snape looked at the undeniable concern in their eyes, paused for a moment, and then shook his head.

“I don’t need this.” He gently shook the small bottle in his hand, the golden liquid flowing within. “True luck comes from meticulous planning, and I’ve prepared more than enough.”

“Take it,” he shoved the bottle directly into Pandora’s hand again. “This is an order. Don’t make me worry…” (End of Chapter)