Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 57 Forbearance and Wealth

Snape and Dumbledore appeared in a very crowded room.

This room looks like a hybrid of a magical antique shop and a plant greenhouse.

Inside, there were exquisite cabinets filled with magical items, bookshelves lined with gilded books, shelves displaying celestial bodies and astrolabes of various sizes, and many lush plants growing in bronze vessels.

In front of them, a very fat old woman was busy working in front of a small mirror inlaid with jewels.

She took a large powder puff and applied rouge to her face, which was already as red as a ripe apple.

Ms. Hepzibah Smith wore an exquisite ginger-yellow wig and a vibrant pink robe. The layers of her skirt flared out around her, making her look like a melted ice cream cake.

Hao Qi was kneeling at her feet, carefully putting tight satin shoes on the old lady's plump feet and fastening the buckles.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Snape couldn't help but exclaim, "Tom has quite the appetite. It seems he really doesn't want to work hard anymore."

"How do I look?" Ms. Hepziba asked, turning her head to admire her reflection in the mirror from every angle.

“Absolutely gorgeous, madam,” Hao Qi exclaimed in a shrill voice.

“Very wealthy, madam,” Snape said almost simultaneously with Hawthorne.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized his mistake and corrected himself, "No, it should be—extremely wealthy, darling."

Dumbledore shook his head and gave him a disdainful look.

“Sir, do you know where Lady Hepzba’s most beautiful feature is?” Snape asked Dumbledore, turning to him.

“What?” said Dumbledore. “Can you be quiet for a moment, Severus?”

“Well done, sir,” Snape said without hesitation. “Her most beautiful quality is precisely that she only has a few days left to live. She’s the kind of partner that so many young men dream of. Tom’s vision is too narrow.”

The doorbell rang, and the old lady and the little elf jumped up.

"Quick, quick, he's here, Hao Qi!" Hepziba exclaimed excitedly, his voice filled with undisguised joy.

The little elf ran out of the house at a speed beyond her years.

She returned shortly after, followed by a tall young man.

Tom was wearing a sharp black suit, his hair was longer than when he was in school, and he looked even more handsome than before.

He walked up to Hepziba, bent down low, and gently touched Hepziba's chubby little hand with his lips.

"I brought you flowers," Tom said gently, producing a bouquet of roses with glistening dewdrops on the petals.

Snape stood aside, watching Tom and Mrs. Hepzba's sweet interaction with astonishment, his face full of disbelief.

"Oh dear, oh dear, don't be in such a hurry, or I'll think you only came for my stuff!" Hepzba pouted and said in a coquettish voice, her whining manner just like a little girl.

After a long while, Snape seemed to recover from his shock and regain his ability to speak: "Tom is destined for great things. You should never have kept him."

At this moment, amidst Ms. Hepzba's girlish giggles, Hao Qi had already brought over two leather boxes stacked together.

Ms. Hepziba stretched out her plump, ball-of-flesh hand and opened the lid of the box above. Inside was a small golden cup with two delicate handles, its body shimmering with a soft golden light.

“This is…” Dumbledore murmured his question, his voice tinged with surprise.

Ms. Hepzba and Tom quickly explained it to him.

“A badger,” Tom murmured, staring greedily at the carvings on the gold cup. “This is…”

“Helga Hufflepuff, you’re quite the expert, clever boy!” said Mrs. Hepzba, leaning down to pinch Tom’s sunken cheek, her bodice creaking loudly. “Didn’t I tell you I’m a distant descendant of the Hufflepuffs…”

Then, she excitedly showed Tom a small gold pendant box she had bought from Borgin-Bock. A gorgeous serpentine S-shaped mark shimmered on the box.

“The Slytherin mark…” Tom said softly, staring at the serpentine symbol. His eyes gleamed red, and his knuckles, gripping the locket chain, turned white.

“That’s right! I paid a hefty price for this…” Hepzba boasted to Tom proudly, “I bought the Burke from a poor woman who probably stole it and didn’t know its true value… I bet she didn’t pay the Burke a penny…”

"It's time to go, Severus," Dumbledore said softly.

He grabbed Snape's arm, and together they passed through a dark void back to his office.

“It seems Tom not only took Slytherin’s locket, but he also swiped Hufflepuff’s golden cup,” Dumbledore said, sitting down and gesturing for Snape to sit down as well.

“I think,” Snape said, “that we now know what Tom’s other two Horcruxes are. That means that only one of the Hogwarts founder’s relics remains, Professor.”

As he said this, his gaze fell on the glass box behind Dumbledore, where Gryffindor's sword lay quietly.

“Oh, I guess he tried.” Dumbledore noticed Snape’s gaze. “Years ago, Tom tried to apply for a teaching position in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts.”

"Fortunately, I was already the principal by then. Just like you refused Mullsab's request for help, I told Tom directly that I didn't want to give him a job."

“He must be furious,” Snape said.

“Yes, he turned and left with a furious look on his face,” Dumbledore said. “Although I could have scared Tom with the burning wardrobe and forced him to atone long ago, he still didn’t dare to lay a hand on me.”

“I know you’re amazing.” Snape stood up. “Then I’ll head back now, Professor.”

“Wait, Severus,” Dumbledore called after him, speaking slowly, “I’ve been wanting to ask you…would you like to join the Order of the Phoenix?”

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Snape stopped in his tracks.

“It’s a secret society,” Dumbledore said sincerely. “I founded it, and it’s full of people who are willing to fight Voldemort. You should get along well with them.”

"If you'd like to join, I'll take you to the next meeting."

“Great,” Snape said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

"If I join the Order of the Phoenix now, I'll at least be considered a founding member, right?" Snape thought.

Wouldn't that make him a senior to a whole bunch of classmates?
　Thank you for your monthly tickets, @看你淡妆浓抹, @书友20170815190137064, @山中一羽士, and @天上大风.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)