The sickly iron fist beauty in Harry Potter

The safety of Harry and Dolly is naturally one aspect, and cooperating with Dolly will make her stronger, so outside the Hogwarts campus.

Harry is equivalent to having a powerful protector, which is undoubtedly something that Snape is motivated to do.

But Snape was most concerned about another aspect.

He finally spoke slowly, "Miss Dursley, I understand everything you said, and I do feel that cooperation is necessary."

"But there is only one thing I need your real answer to."

"Why do you want to study Potions?"

Dolly's pupils shrank slightly for a moment, then she became calm and said, "Of course it's for future safety considerations..."

"Then why don't you consider learning spells?"

"Well...actually, my spell skills are pretty good. Perhaps I could show you, Professor?"

Snape raised his hand to refuse, saying, "That's not necessary, Miss Dursley. I believe your spell skills are already among the best among your peers."

"You can even kill trolls with brute force, and ordinary wizards are unlikely to hurt you."

"But all of this is not a reason for you to learn potion techniques. You can't brew potions when you're seriously injured and dying after the battle. If you have that kind of time and energy, you might as well go to a Muggle hospital or St. Mungo's for help."

Snape seemed to see through everything and said, "Miss Dursley, you brew potions to make better use of your magical talents, right?"

Dolly sighed softly, but was still discovered by Snape.

Dolly had already considered this possibility. After all, Snape was the highest-level Legilimency and Occlumency expert, second only to Voldemort and Dumbledore.

It can be said that if Snape is given a few more decades, his attainments in this area may be no less than those of Dumbledore and Snape.

So even though Dolly had a strong will and was mentally prepared to confront Snape, he still discovered her clues.

He didn't need to discover the truth; it was enough for him to notice the slight difference in Dolly's attitude.

This is actually the reason why Dolly doesn't want to have too much contact with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore could also easily see through a person. If he regarded Dolly as someone who would do anything to pursue power, then Dolly might have faced even greater pressure.

After all, those who pursue power wholeheartedly never left a good impression on Dumbledore.

Grindelwald, Voldemort, and himself in his youth.

When Dolly really presents her ideas to Dumbledore, it might trigger Dumbledore's PTSD.

But Snape was different.

As a Slytherin, although Snape is now Dumbledore's most loyal subordinate, the two are very different in their approach and behavior.

So Dolly felt that Snape might understand her current situation more clearly.

So Dolly didn't answer Snape's question directly, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Professor, if I don't have power, how can I protect my brother, my family, and my friends?"

"Should I wait until their bodies turn cold, then hug them and cry bitterly, lamenting my own incompetence?"

Snape raised his chin slightly, feeling irritated.

Looking at the face in front of him that looked exactly like Lily's, he always felt that it was Lily using Dolly's body to ask him soul-searching questions.

Only when Lily died did Snape repent. What had he been doing before?

Didn't Snape feel any remorse when Voldemort killed others except Lily?

This was undoubtedly a heart-wrenching question for Snape, and also a judgment that forced Snape to face his bad past.

Did he regret it?

Although Snape had countless reasons to cover up his actions, such as there was no possibility of regret after joining the Death Eaters, once he became mentally shaken, the result would be that he would be killed directly by Voldemort.

But Snape could not deny that at that time he still chose to follow Voldemort and regarded Voldemort as his idol.

After hearing the prophecy of a boy who could kill Voldemort, his choice was not to find an opportunity to betray Voldemort, but to tell Voldemort the boy's secret.

At this moment, Snape was undoubtedly a Death Eater loyal to Voldemort.

Because at this time, more than one Death Eater had betrayed Voldemort, even though they paid the price of their lives.

There was even more than one Death Eater who pretended to obey Voldemort but actually disobeyed him. Although Voldemort was very unhappy about this and tortured and controlled them, they all survived.

For example, Malfoy's father Lucius.

It was because of his hypocritical behavior that Voldemort cast the Imperius Curse on him, which later became the opportunity for him to successfully escape punishment.

So when did Snape change?

The answer is undoubtedly Lily's death.

Lily's death filled him with regret, and at that time he only regretted that his choice led to Lily's death.

So does he feel regret now for the other people who died because of Voldemort, such as James and Lily's son?

This is a very critical question and also the most critical question used to analyze and judge Snape.

If from the beginning to the end, Snape only cared about Lily and only regretted Lily's death.

The lives of the remaining people, whether Harry or Malfoy died in front of him, did not matter to him. So Snape was ultimately an extremely selfish person.

His love for Lily is also his love for himself, which is a manifestation of extreme selfishness.

If after Lily's death, he became more like a human being in other aspects besides his regret for Lily.

That means he has really changed, and is no longer just living under the shadow of Lily's death and being a puppet controlled by Dumbledore.

Instead, he has his own thoughts and awareness, a reliable comrade who is unpopular but will not hesitate on key issues.

Even Dolly found it difficult to give an answer to this question, and it was also a controversial issue in previous lives.

But at least from the results, Snape succeeded.

Especially after Dumbledore's death, Snape took the blame for killing Dumbledore and also took up the banner of resistance against Voldemort.

He had to maintain Hogwarts under the influence of Voldemort, do his best to protect the students of Hogwarts from dying, and continue Dumbledore's imaginative and fragile plan.

If Snape's support was solely based on his belief in revenge, he obviously wouldn't be able to do so in such a comprehensive way. After all, the death of a few students wasn't worth mentioning to him, was it?

"Power. In order to gain power, one chooses sacrifice."

Snape finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse.

He knew that Dolly and Lily in front of him actually had little to do with each other, but Lily's current choices and the difficulties she faced made Snape clearly recall the tragic death of Lily that day again and again.

Like, it’s really similar.

It was all to protect Harry!

The fact that Snape did not suffer from PTSD again was the result of activating the closed-brain mode.

"Miss Dursley, then, have you not considered your own safety?"

"After all, you can choose not to protect them and only protect yourself. Your intelligence is undoubtedly sufficient."

Snape asked a seemingly cruel question, which would sound incredible to anyone.

Those are Dolly's family, brother, and best friends. Why should Dolly protect them?

Even to the point of sacrificing one's own body to protect them?

Even if she could be saved with potions, Snape knew very well that such a sacrifice would cause permanent damage, the consequences of which would slowly become apparent as Dolly grew up.

This was undoubtedly a consequence that was too great for Snape, a consequence that could have been discarded.

He really didn't understand.

At least now, he is still a person who is full of regret towards Lily. Apart from his little love for Lily, he has at most a sense of responsibility as a professor of Potions.

Compared to Snape, the last person to carry Hogwarts alone, he is far inferior.

Because Dolly knew all of Snape's secrets, she also understood Snape's confusion at this moment, even though the expression on Snape's face was still as cold as a stone.

Just like Snape, isn't it enough to love Lily alone?

What does other people’s life and death have to do with him?

If Lily was the same as him back then, wouldn't he and Lily be a match made in heaven? From then on, everything in the magical world would have nothing to do with them, and they could live a proud life in the magical world?

Answering this question can be very simple, but it can also be very difficult.

The simple answer is that loving others is a natural thing, a truth that anyone can understand. Then accusing Snape of not understanding love is already a perfect answer, and Snape will accept it.

Because he really doesn't understand these things.

But if you want Snape to understand this problem, then you must make Snape understand other emotions besides his love for Lily.

This was undoubtedly a very difficult topic for Snape, who had closed his heart since childhood, just as people could not understand things beyond their cognition.

So Dolly spoke slowly, her voice calm but with unquestionable firmness.

"Professor, because I don't want to live alone."

"Perhaps I can possess endless wealth and powerful magic, and no one will dare to look directly at my majesty."

"But ultimately I still want to be surrounded by family and friends, and loved ones."

“You can drop your disguise at any time, show your most vulnerable and true self, and then get a genuine response from those close to you, connecting your hearts together.”

"I would give my life to protect this wonderful feeling."

“Life should just be about living, and living itself is about gaining a better life experience.”

"If you live just for the sake of living, then what's the difference between you and the walking dead?"

After saying this, Dolly changed the subject and said, "But I'm just saying this. These are all lines I saw in movies and TV shows. I hope the professor doesn't think I'm exaggerating."

Snape did not blame Dolly, nor was he irritated by her.

Because apart from Lily, no one had ever exchanged ideas with him to this extent, not even Dumbledore.

Especially Dolly's words, that she took off her disguise in front of the people closest to her and showed her truest and even despicable side, almost broke Snape's defense again.

Wasn't it because Snape showed the meanness in his character and then insulted Lily out of anger that he broke up with Lily?

If he had been aware of this back then and let Lily understand his inner thoughts in advance, perhaps everything would have been different.

Snape softly repeated Dolly's words, saying: "Life should not just be about living, but living itself is to gain a better life experience."

It’s a pity that he no longer has this opportunity.

His only purpose in living is revenge.

No... maybe there could be some other purpose.

Snape refocused his gaze on Dolly and said, "Miss Dursley, are you sure you can sacrifice yourself for a better life?"

Dolly coughed dryly and said, "It's not that serious, Professor. At most... there are only a few side effects."

"I'm a very selfish person. If I were asked to sacrifice my life for others, I probably wouldn't be able to do it."

"At most, I can sacrifice a little bit of my health. That's the limit."

Snape laughed, a rare occurrence, and said, "It seems I really should have brought you into Slytherin. After all, it's nice to have someone who dares to admit that he's selfish."

"However, as my disciple, it is quite suitable."

121 Dragon Skin Trading

Dolly's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't expect Snape to say such a thing.

Snape seemed to realize that his words were a bit radical, and he quickly made amends, saying, "But with your level, you are still a long way from being able to become my disciple."

Dolly did not expose Snape. Instead, she smiled calmly and said, "Then I understand that you agree to cooperate with me?"

Snape had regained his composure. He snorted coldly and said, "Don't think I don't know what you are doing, Miss Dursley."

"The pursuit of power, that's a Slytherin's unbearable desire. Even though you're not a Slytherin, you clearly have that drive within you."

"You have been taking my potions all the time. I certainly can't let you die from potion abuse. That would be an insult to my reputation."

"Miss Dursley, I can cooperate with you. But as a price, your use of potions must be strictly supervised by me."

Dolly agreed without even thinking about it.

Although Snape could supervise Dolly when she used the potions he brewed, he had no way of supervising the potions Dolly brewed herself.