Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 82 At first they hunted down the rebels

Snape's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared incredulously at the familiar figure in the doorway.

"Lily... Lily?"

Why is she with Dumbledore? And why is she here on this stormy night?
What happened?
Her soaked red hair clung to Lily's pale cheeks, and her usually bright green eyes were now dull and lifeless.

Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.

Seeing Lily's trembling figure, Snape subconsciously took a step forward, took out his wand and waved it in a complicated manner, a puff of heat rising from the tip of the wand.

He pointed his wand at her, and steam rose from Lily's cloak, forming a hazy mist in the dimly lit living room.

Just as Snape was about to turn his wand toward Dumbledore, he found that Dumbledore had already calmly dried his clothes, and his blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles were watching him calmly.

“I hope I haven’t bothered you, Severus,” Dumbledore said, his voice icy.

“No.” Snape waved his wand and silently pulled out chairs from the table, inviting them to sit down.

He turned and went to the kitchen, where he lit a fire. The whistling of the teapot soon followed.

When Snape returned to the living room with the tray, Dumbledore sat quietly opposite Lily, who just sat there blankly, like a soulless shell, barely breathing.

He placed steaming teacups in front of them, but no one touched them.

"What happened?" Snape asked in a low voice.

No one answered.

Dumbledore remained suffocatingly silent.

Then, Lily's shoulders suddenly began to shake violently. She began to sob silently.

Snape walked quickly to her side.

Before he could even think of how to comfort her, Lily had already clung tightly to his waist like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, gripping his black robe tightly, and burying her head in his body.

Snape stood frozen in place. He could feel Lily trembling through their bodies pressed together, and warm tears quickly soaked through his clothes.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally raised his hand and carefully placed it gently on that familiar red hair, without saying a word.

After an unknown amount of time, Lily's sobs gradually subsided.

She let go.

He watched silently as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand; her emerald eyes were now red and swollen.

“I’ll go get you a blanket,” he said softly, but was interrupted by Dumbledore’s movement as he turned around.

Dumbledore gently waved his wand, and Lily's sorrowful green eyes slowly closed. She swayed and leaned forward.

Snape quickly reached out and cushioned her tilted forehead with his hand.

“She’s too tired,” Dumbledore explained, a hint of weariness in his voice. “She’ll feel much better after crying. Let her rest for now.”

Snape gently placed Lily on the bed in the guest room and draped a thin blanket over her.

He silently watched the tear tracks on her face, and after a while, he returned to the living room.

“Professor,” Snape asked softly, “what exactly happened?”

"The Dark Mark appeared above the Evans' house, and Mr. and Mrs. Evans collapsed in the living room," Dumbledore said coldly. "If Lily hadn't happened to be out, you might not be seeing her now."

“I was supposed to pick you up today to meet the members of the Order of the Phoenix, but I received a message from Mundungus that the Death Eaters are planning a ‘purge’ of Muggle-born wizarding families in protest against the current policy that allows them to learn magic,” Dumbledore said in a low voice. “By the time the rest of the Order of the Phoenix and I arrived at Evans’ house, it was already too late.”

Snape remembered Mr. Evans, who had greeted him warmly last summer.

“Where’s Petunia? Lily’s sister, is she home?” he asked. “There’s no one else here,” Dumbledore said. “We’ve confirmed that Petunia is in London and has escaped.”

He stood up, walked to the window, his silvery-white beard gleaming coldly in the dim light. Outside, the torrential rain continued to rage.

"The Death Eaters' activities became increasingly rampant, starting with those who strongly opposed them."

"Later on, it was those who merely expressed their disagreement with them."

“Now, they have turned their hands on the innocent, on anyone they consider ‘impure’.”

Dumbledore turned to Snape: "Now, I want to know, are you still willing to join the Order of the Phoenix?"

“Professor,” Snape stood up and said calmly, “the moment I handed you the Ravenclaw crown, I had no way out, did I? If Tom finds out, do you think he will let me off the hook?”

“Yes,” Dumbledore laughed, though there was no warmth in his smile, “but I can keep your secret.”

“Of course you should keep it a secret, but that doesn’t matter,” Snape said in a low voice, recalling his days at school. “Although Hogwarts didn’t teach us these things, I think one shouldn’t always choose to protect oneself. Some things… are worth fighting for.”

“I want to join the Order of the Phoenix too.” Lily’s hoarse but determined voice came from the side.

She had woken up sometime earlier, wrapped in that thin blanket, and stood quietly at the entrance to the living room.

Dumbledore did not answer her directly, but silently gazed into her eyes.

“I know I don’t need to offer you any advice, Lily,” Dumbledore said, “but you can still take some time to think about it.”

“I don’t need to think about it. The Death Eaters won’t give me time to think about it.” Lily’s voice was unwavering. “Even if I don’t resist them, will they let me go?”

“Tomorrow,” Dumbledore sighed deeply and said slowly, “you, Severus, will come with me to meet the other members of the Order of the Phoenix.”

Silence enveloped the room, with only the sound of rain echoing softly in my ears.

“Professor, I have another request,” Snape broke the silence. “Let my mother come to Hogwarts when the next term begins.”

Dumbledore nodded. "Will she agree?"

“I don’t think she’ll approve of me joining the Order of the Phoenix,” Snape said, “but there’s no need to tell her. I’ll find a suitable reason to get her to accept going to school.”

Lily walked over to them.

Snape looked at her, and she looked at him too.

The moment their eyes met, Snape recalled the scene outside the Gryffindor tower.

He slowly extended a hand to her.

“Lily, last year outside the Gryffindor Tower, I didn’t have a chance to tell you that I would never join the Mystic.”

She took his hand.

The rain outside the window continued.

　Thanks to the following book friends for their monthly votes: Father of Stella, 20210227142539833, Memories of the Wind, Moonrise over Mikasayama, 20190207050402150, Yakumo Oil Curry, Peanuts Falling to the Ground, 20220731022913820, Bitterly Making a Name, and Really Don't Know What Name to Use.

　　------

　　Let me explain the setup here. According to Rowling's interviews, Harry's maternal grandparents were ordinary people who died naturally as Muggles. But this doesn't quite make sense, otherwise it would mean that his Potions genius parents died of natural causes in their forties. So, I personally believe that Lily's parents were killed by Tom sometime shortly before her death. This also helps explain why she resolutely joined the Order of the Phoenix so young after graduation; and why her acceptance of James changed so drastically.

　　------

　　Also, it currently takes me about two hours to write one chapter. Maybe in the future I can finish writing two chapters and post them together?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)