Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 5 Spider's End
The remaining days flew by, accompanied by sunshine and white clouds.

The students soon faced the last day of the winter semester on campus.

Snape packed all his luggage in about ten minutes.

The most time-consuming part was when, after trying to apply the wand for a long time without any effect, he had to dig out the ink bottle, frown, and use a quill to thickly erase the words "This book belongs to the Half-Blood Prince" that he had written on the back cover of his book "Advanced Potion Making".

But Abbott had a lot of things to pack up. He had several different dresses for different occasions, and it took him almost an hour to empty his closet.

"So many clothes, can you even wear them all?" Snape smacked his lips in admiration.

When the two of them arrived at the auditorium to attend the year-end banquet, it was already full of people.

The entire auditorium was newly decorated in yellow and black, representing Hufflepuff, and a huge banner depicting a Hufflepuff badger hung on the wall behind the faculty dining table.

With an unexpectedly brilliant performance in the Quidditch Cup, Hufflepuff House won the House Cup for the first time in five years.

Therefore, their table was the most lively, with everyone whispering and cheering in celebration.

A moment later, as the professors took their seats, the noise in the auditorium gradually subsided.

"Another wonderful year has passed!" Dumbledore stood up, his smiling eyes gleaming behind his half-moon spectacles. "Let us congratulate Hufflepuff!"

He waved his hand again, and a notice appeared in front of each student: "A reminder that all students under the age of seventeen should not use magic during the holiday."

"Alright, that's all the important stuff. Let the banquet begin!"

Immediately, a wide variety of food and drinks appeared on Snape's plate and wine glass, along with candies of various flavors, such as licorice wands, sizzling honey candies, bubble gum, pear hard candies, and more...

The next morning, more than a hundred horse-drawn carriages were parked outside the castle.

Every year, they are responsible for transporting students from first grade onwards between Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade Station.

Snape, Abbott, and two younger students boarded a carriage, and soon the wheels beneath them began to creak and turn.

As the Hogwarts Express traveled through mountains, fields, and lakes, the countryside outside the window became increasingly tidy, and Snape's mood became increasingly complicated; he even lost interest in the crucible-shaped cake.

To be honest, he didn't really want to go back. He didn't know how to feel about returning to the "home" he remembered, or how to face the "parents" he remembered.

He even wondered if he should just find a place to stay for two months, until September, until the day he could return to Hogwarts.

However, his intuition told him that some things had to be put to rest.

The train began to slow down with the sound of its whistle.

When the train came to a clanging stop at platform 9, he got off the train, dragging his suitcase, just as he remembered.

After waving goodbye to Abbot, he turned and joined the noisy, crowded flow of people, heading towards the enchanted brick wall.

Sunlight streamed down the street. Outside the wall, no one was waiting for him.

……

A huge chimney stood tall in Snape's sight, and the dark river murmured in his ears.

The suitcase made a clattering sound as it rolled over the cobblestones.

Snape slowly walked to the outside of a dilapidated brick house, where a dim yellow light shone through the curtains of a room downstairs.

After a moment, Snape pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket and used one of them to open the door.

With a creak, he saw a woman who looked very much like him, only much older.

She was thin, with a sallow complexion and messy hair.

Hearing the noise, the woman stopped her repair work, raised her swollen eyes, and looked towards the door.

“You’re back,” she said in a hollow voice.

Snape's lips twitched a few times, but he ultimately couldn't bring himself to call out.

"And him?" Snape asked.

"They've gone out," the woman murmured flatly.

"Out?!" A surge of nameless anger welled up inside Snape. The woman shook her head sadly, and her gaze towards him seemed to hold a hint of fear.

Her gaze was like a bucket of cold water poured on Snape's heart.

He suddenly felt a little unwell.

"I'm sorry." Snape calmed his rising and falling chest, trying to control his breathing.

"Have you eaten?" the woman asked.

Before Snape could answer, she placed the needles, thread, and clothes on the wooden table, got up, and walked toward the kitchen door.

A few minutes later, the woman returned, carrying a tray with a bowl of boiled potatoes and a small dish of parsnip root sauce.

She placed the tray on the slightly wobbly table and gestured for Snape to come and eat.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of chewing food remaining.

"Why is this?" he asked softly. "You are a witch."

The woman lowered her head slightly, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

He looked more like a child who had done something wrong.

"I've...I've been here...for over ten years..."

"But you—we—can all change, can't we?"

"He doesn't like magic..."

The woman's voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

He doesn't really like anything.

"You haven't used magic in all these years, so you probably don't want to be a witch anymore?"

"I……"

The woman stammered, but did not give a complete answer.

Snape looked at her, his anger long since replaced by an indescribable emotion.

He didn't want to be overly critical of her; he didn't believe these things were primarily her fault.

Only the dark shadows still swayed gently in the dim light.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of urgent knocks broke the silence.

Snape jumped to his feet, causing his chair to tilt backward, the legs scraping against the worn floor with a harsh screech.

He gripped the doorknob and gently turned it:
A man with a hooked nose stood unsteadily outside the door, reeking of alcohol.

“Hoo… Severus…” the man squinted for a moment, then mumbled, “What are you doing here…”

Snape chuckled, his shoulders trembling slightly.

He found the scene so ridiculous that a dozen Boggarts would hide in their closets, too scared to come out.

The man's face darkened instantly upon hearing his laughter.

He stretched out two large, dark hands and grabbed Snape by the throat.

"keep it!"

Seeing Snape pull his wand from his jeans pocket, the man roared like an enraged beast.

"Dirty stick! Don't think I don't know you can't use it!"

Staring into those hostile and furious black eyes, Snape seemed to see in them a thin woman trembling with her screams, and a little black-haired boy huddled in a corner, crying…

(End of this chapter)