Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 39 Pineapple Candy
Honeydukes was bustling like a small market, packed with Hogwarts students.

Rows of shelves were filled with the most delicious and juicy candies: plump chocolate balls, peppery little devils that would make your mouth water, sparkling pink coconut ice cream, buckets of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans...

After shopping, Snape and Pandora wrapped their faces tightly with scarves again, put on gloves, and squeezed out of the warm, sweet-smelling shop, carrying paper bags full of candy.

The biting wind whipped at their faces again, like knives.

They braved the howling wind and made their way along the main road toward Hogwarts.

Snape frowned, his heart heavy, and every step he took felt like a struggle.

All the way, he kept thinking about the news that Mundungus had just told him.

Karaktakus Burke, one of the co-founders of the Burke-Burkin Black Magic Shop, lost all his memories last month and was admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries.

Snape went through everything he had done since his transmigration in his mind and did not believe that anything he had done so far could have a direct and significant impact on Mr. Burke's fate.

In the original book, it seems that Borkin is always the one busy at Borkin-Burke's shop. Burke's only appearance is in the Pensieve in the Headmaster's office, presented as a memory.

So, according to the original timeline, when would Dumbledore have obtained Burke's memories?

The more he thought about it, the more his brows furrowed.

Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, Snape realized a crucial difference.

Of all the memories Dumbledore showed Harry, only Karaktarch Burke's memories were spoken by Burke himself.

"From among those constantly spinning, silvery-white objects, the figure of a small old man emerged... as pale as a ghost... his hair was so thick that it completely covered his eyes..."

Other memories, whether they were Dumbledore's own, Bob Ogden's, the captain of the Magical Law Enforcement Detective Team, Voldemort's uncle Morfin Gaunt, the house-elf Hawthorne's, or even Slughorn's altered memories, were all experienced by Dumbledore and Harry, who were immersed in the Pensieve.

Did Dumbledore already retrieve Burke's memories?

Or perhaps, because Burke's resistance was too fierce and his magical level too high, Dumbledore had to take harsh measures, which caused problems for Burke's mind.
Snape felt uneasy. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became: apart from Slughorn, his old colleague, why did all the other people or elves whose memories Dumbledore had gained die for various reasons?
I wonder if, with the timeline moved up significantly, they will still leave one by one due to old age or illness, just as Dumbledore told Harry in the original book.
Thinking about this, Snape felt a chill run down his spine, and the cold wind seemed to grow even more biting. He didn't even want to speculate further about the reasons behind it.

But in any case, he knew he had to be more careful and absolutely could not let Dumbledore discover his secret as a time traveler.

Even more troublesome was that Snape also had to find a way to prevent Dumbledore from going to Gaunt's old house alone and wearing Peverell's ring.

If Dumbledore were to fall ill prematurely, Snape felt he might have to do everything he could to trick and coax a group of people into immigrating to Australia.

Recently, the principal has indeed been frequently not eating at the faculty and staff dining table, and it's unclear how far along he has progressed in this regard.

Moreover, the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak are now in Dumbledore's possession.

If we add the Resurrection Stone to the collection, what would happen if we gathered all three Deathly Hallows...?

"Hey, Severus, what are you thinking about?"

Pandora’s clear voice rang in Snape’s ears, and she waved her finger in front of his eyes.

Before they knew it, they had reached the castle gate. "Ah, it's nothing," Snape suddenly realized. "Let's go in."

Looking at Pandora's concerned face, his worries deepened.

All that remained was the howling of the wind.

From the second day onward, Snape found himself constantly searching for Dumbledore on campus, but he never saw the headmaster.

Until the next gathering of the Slug Club, he still didn't know where Dumbledore had gone.

At every gathering, Snape would bring Slughorn a carefully prepared box of jackfruit. After all, the old snotty fellow loved it; it was something the once clever and handsome Tom himself had vouched for.

“If you keep sending me pineapple preserves, Severus, I believe you’ll soon be making a name for yourself in the Ministry of Magic.”

Slughorn wiggled a finger covered in icing and said smugly.

"Within twenty years, no, maybe only fifteen, you can become the director of some core departments. You know, I have very strong connections in the ministry."

Snape merely smiled slightly, nodding as he listened to Professor Slughorn's long-winded ramblings about the wizarding world's past scandals and his various connections, while silently waiting for time to pass.

Finally, the little gold clock on Slughorn's desk struck eleven.

"Good heavens, it's time again?" Slughorn said, still wanting more. "Fun times always pass too quickly. Time to go, kids. Black, stop focusing on Quidditch practice and hand in your paper tomorrow, or you'll be in solitary confinement."

Upon hearing this, the students all stood up and lined up to leave.

Slughorn slowly got up from his chair and took the empty cup to the table.

But Snape remained standing in the office; he had questions for Slughorn.

Snape knew he couldn't let the sword of Damocles hang over his head forever. Even if he couldn't see Dumbledore for the time being, he had to prepare in advance. He would just wait for the headmaster to return before going to meet him.

He believed that Dumbledore hadn't yet contacted Slughorn. Given the current situation, it was impossible for Dumbledore to have had the opportunity to deduce from Riddle's diary that Voldemort had created more than one Horcrux.

"Cough, cough." Snape made a slight sound.

The commotion behind him made Slughorn turn around and see Snape.

"Hurry up, Severus, you don't want people to know you're still outside during lights out, do you?"

Snape paused for a moment, feeling that something about what he said sounded a little awkward.

But he couldn't think about that now. He took a deep breath and said, "Sir, I want to ask you something."

"Then ask quickly, child, ask quickly..."

"Sir, I want to ask you if you know anything about... Horcruxes."

(End of this chapter)