harleyscars Chapter 271, Section 270: Snape's Terrification
Chapter 271, Section 270: Snape's Terrification
Chapter 271, Section 270: Snape's Terrification
The Dementors want to give Neville and Ron to the Black Robe as new toys.
have to say.
It has probably truly gained intelligence.
He had grasped the astonishing truth that the death of the young wizards would not cost him his own life. This was a wisdom that most Dementors lacked, and the black-robed skeleton was also very interested in the two young wizards.
"it is good."
The black-robed skeleton took the two young wizards, and it was unclear how the wizards would "play" with the unfortunate two. One could only say that, whatever Neville and Ron were about to encounter, they probably would never want to go out at night again.
Especially Ron.
Fortunately, no one witnessed their ordeal, especially no Slytherin students were there to see it, otherwise the story of him wetting his pants in fright would surely have spread throughout Hogwarts.
Slytherin students would be happy to spread rumors about Gryffindor's shameful deeds. Especially the incident of a Gryffindor student wetting their pants—such an event could give Slytherin the "courage" to attack them for a full seven years, or perhaps longer. It might even become a legend, used by every Slytherin student thereafter to attack Gryffindor.
From a certain perspective.
Ron, who wets his pants, will surely become a disgrace to Gryffindor.
of course.
Ron probably doesn't care either.
After all, he'd already made quite a few jokes since the start of the semester. Sometimes, these jokes, after a while, might become so commonplace that people become numb to them, get used to them, and even start to enjoy them. But regardless, tonight's experience will undoubtedly leave an irreparable scar on Neville and Ron's hearts.
Maybe.
It might also have a positive effect on correcting their reckless nature, especially Ron's—no one can say for sure whether this experience will be good or bad for Ron and Neville's future.
Anyway.
They certainly wouldn't like to be toys for the black-robed figures.
Leaving aside Ron and Neville's "adventures" for now.
the other side.
Dark as ink.
The edge of the forbidden forest was shrouded in a thin mist.
The silhouettes of the trees appeared particularly menacing in the moonlight. Snape, gripping Hermione's wrist, moved with lightning speed, his black robes billowing like bat wings, giving him a distinctly bat-like appearance.
It's no wonder the students gave him that nickname.
His steps were hurried.
Soon they had dragged Hermione to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Because her legs hadn't grown long enough yet, Hermione was panting heavily, clearly the kind of unorthodox wizard who didn't exercise much.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute."
Hermione felt like her lungs were about to explode.
She missed Ian's magic carpet.
Snape's wand slid silently into his palm, a faint green light illuminating the bushes ahead. Damp mist clung to the fir branches like rotting cotton.
The glowing light from the tip of the wand cast an eerie glow on the spiderweb.
"Which way?" Snape's voice was as cold as ice, cutting through the howling wind from the depths of the Forbidden Forest, without even giving Hermione a second glance.
"Over there, Professor, I remember it very clearly, we came back from that side." Hermione's fingers trembled involuntarily as she pointed to the dark, intertwined branches in the southeast.
The air there seemed to freeze, and even the faintest insect chirps were swallowed up by some invisible force.
have to say.
She has to be a top student.
This might be why Snape chose to bring Hermione instead of Neville or Ron. At least Hermione had a real record, while Neville and Ron would probably be completely lost here.
He couldn't say anything.
In the end, Snape might still have to use Legilimency to find their way—but experience truly matters; Snape will bring Hermione with him.
This was clearly also because they valued Hermione's meticulousness.
"Um."
The Potions professor nodded.
He led Hermione into the Forbidden Forest with a wary expression.
at this time.
The head of Slytherin House didn't forget to take the opportunity to belittle the house he hated the most.
"You foolish Gryffindors, ignorant little wizards, have no idea of the dangers of the Forbidden Forest." He laughed, the sound of his boots crushing dry leaves eliciting a piercing scream. "The Forbidden Forest is home to more than just harmless creatures like Bowtruckles; it also harbors many dangerous beings that even adult wizards would find difficult to contend with."
"The bones buried under those tree roots, each one engraved with the name of a fool who tried to defy the laws of nature, I don't think you want to know how many wizards have perished in this forest."
Snape's voice was sinister.
It felt a bit like scaring a child. To be honest, after reaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he wasn't as anxious as before.
After all, you can hear what's happening in the Forbidden Forest from here.
So far, there has been no major movement from the Forbidden Forest. This either proves that Ian has not yet found the dragon, or it proves that Ian has already been eaten by the dragon.
In either case.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that worrying was pointless. Of course, Snape thought Ian might be lost, since he knew his nephew didn't have a very good sense of direction.
"I·-
Faced with Snape's mockery, Hermione was about to say something.
"Don't try to argue with me." Snape had anticipated Hermione's possible behavior. "You should thank your ancestors for knocking their heads off in their coffins so you can walk out alive."
His voice remained as sharp and sarcastic as ever.
"Ian also said that."
Hermione had a feeling of déjà vu.
She stared wide-eyed at Snape's suddenly tense jawline.
Moonlight brushed past the Potions professor's slightly twitching lips. Snape whirled around, and the glow at the tip of his wand suddenly intensified, compressing Hermione's shadow into a twisted black mass, pinning it to the tree trunk.
He was clearly furious.
But it's not appropriate to physically attack the little wizard.
In the end, he could only glare at Hermione fiercely, flick his black cloak, and suddenly quicken his pace. Hermione, who was behind him, had to start jogging again to keep up.
"Professor, do you think Ian is still alive?" Hermione's heart was pounding, both worried about Ian's safety and also because of the excessive exercise.
It was too much for her rather slender frame.
"His life is much tougher than you think."
Snape's tone was cold, but he still responded nonetheless.
"Hiss—"
Just then, a loud cracking sound of snapping branches echoed from the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Snape whirled around and stood in front of Hermione with astonishing speed. Three spiders, each the size of a hound, dangled from the treetops.
The dark red compound eyes reflected an eerie light in the firelight. Hermione's scream caught in her throat—Hermione hadn't even had a chance to cry out...
Snape's wand had already drawn a sharp arc.
No incantation was chanted.
The instantaneous spell killed the three spiders instantly.
"Wow! That's amazing!"
Hermione gasped, looking at Snape in shock. She hadn't expected Snape to be so powerful; perhaps most junior wizards wouldn't have guessed.
"Don't look at me like that." Snape flicked his wand. "Miss Granger, if flattery could get you through the Potions exams, Hogwarts would be a den of liars. Flattery won't win you the professors' favor; it'll just expose you as a hypocrite."
Snape's sarcastic tone remained unchanged.
......
Hermione was speechless after being choked.
The slight admiration I had felt for Snape vanished instantly. No matter how powerful a professor is, it's hard for him to be liked by his students when he's being sarcastic.
He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!
Snape cast another spell.
The shadowy figure froze in mid-air for a moment before crashing heavily to the ground. Hermione looked closely and saw that it was a highly venomous snake, now limp and lifeless in a pile of fallen leaves.
He completely lost consciousness.
It's a protected animal, and its numbers are scarce, so Snape didn't kill it. After all, he often ventured into the Forbidden Forest to collect venom from this snake.
The principles of sustainable development are very important to masters of potion brewing.
The two continued on their way, Snape's steps still steady, as if the dangers of the Forbidden Forest were merely a passing fancy to him. Hermione cautiously observed their surroundings.
Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a glowing plant.
"That's—Moonlight Grass?"
Hermione said instinctively.
Snape paused, seemingly not particularly worried about Ian. Eiffel Tower glanced at him warily. "Wrong, it's a luminous mushroom. Moongrass leaves have serrated edges, but this one doesn't."
have to say.
As a Potions professor.
He did have some appreciation for Hermione's talent, so he promptly corrected her mistake. Every Potions Master is, in fact, an expert in herbalism.
but.
Hermione was taken aback at first.
He was immediately somewhat unconvinced.
"But Professor Snape, I remember it clearly stated in the textbook, in the Herbalism textbook, 'A Thousand Wonderful Herbs and Mushrooms'—"
She hadn't finished speaking.
Snape interrupted her, his tone still cold, "If you had actually read the latest revised edition of the Potions Botanical Encyclopedia, you wouldn't have made this mistake."
Hermione's eyes widened.
"There's a revised edition?"
She was clearly caught off guard, and Snape's expression was mocking, as if he were ridiculing her ignorance, but he didn't say anything more and just continued walking forward.
"Alright, Professor, I was wrong." Hermione bit her lip and silently memorized the book title. The two didn't stop walking, which didn't delay their search for Ian too much.
Perhaps admitting your mistakes really works.
When a poisonous tentacle vine with metallic-looking leaves emerged from the pile of decaying leaves.
Snape's guidance continued.
"Tell me the correct way to handle this mutated potion herb." His voice was chillingly calm as he crouched down to collect the potion ingredients he had stumbled upon.
What's more important than the potion ingredients than my nephew's safety?
That guy deserves to be taught a lesson!
"Uh..." Hermione stared at the twisted tentacles, the textbook descriptions clashing violently with the reality before her. "Should we... use a diluted moonstone solution to clean them?"
She tentatively began to speak.
But then the professor's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Outdated theories should have been sent to Gringotts vault long ago," Snape sneered mercilessly. Textbook content sometimes truly was outdated to him.
"If you're smart enough, you should know to use—" Snape continued walking with Hermione, explaining as they finally arrived at a scorched clearing.
Hermione's breathing suddenly quickened.
"This is it!" she pointed to the scorch marks on the ground. "It was right here that Senior Ian conjured a flying carpet to send us back to the castle! Look, you can still see traces of his magic there!"
Snape's gaze fell on the ground, his pupils contracting slightly. The scorched earth still retained a large amount of magical energy, a powerful force that made even him feel a chill.
The area swept by the raging fire precisely avoided a small open space, clearly where the three unfortunate students had stood. Even he would have found such control difficult to achieve.
After all, it is a fierce fire.
Few wizards are able to control it to this extent.
"Dumbledore's teachings?" Snape seemed to have gained a new understanding of Ian's strength, while still believing that it came from Dumbledore's teachings to Ian.
have to say.
Even as an elite spy, Snape lacked some keen insight, perhaps because he had never witnessed Grindelwald using the Fiendfyre spell.
Otherwise.
He should be able to roughly discern that Ian's Fiendish Curse bears the mark of Grindelwald. Although it has become its own school, it still ultimately shows traces of "mentorship".
of course.
Although it's not obvious.
After sensing the lingering magical fluctuations, Snape felt slightly relieved; the dragons in the Forbidden Forest might actually be no match for Ian.
"Dumbledore probably couldn't have reached this level of strength when he was a child." Snape didn't know whether he should be annoyed or happy. He only knew that it was fortunate that Dumbledore had a very special affection for Ian.
That kind of indulgence is very illogical.
However, it was indeed a good thing for Ian. Otherwise, if Ian had been treated as the second Riddle, Snape didn't think Ian would have had a chance to live to adulthood.
He was getting to know his old headmaster better and better.
"Which way did he go?" Snape turned to look at Hermione again. Hermione also checked the direction and recalled the location from which the terrifying dragon roar had come when she heard it earlier.
"Ian went in that direction."
Hermione has an excellent memory. She raised her hand and pointed in a direction, just as she was about to say something.
"roar!"
A deafening roar tore through the clouds.
The treetops in the distance were shaking violently.
That was a terrifying dragon's roar.
Not only Hermione felt a tremor in her soul, but even Snape was terrified by the sound—it was definitely not the terrifying sound that any dragon he knew could make.
"Damn it! This isn't a dragon at all!"
Snape looked shocked.
Before Hermione could react, Snape dragged her towards the direction from which the dragon's roar had come. The night wind howled, and the shadows of the trees flew backward; she had never seen Snape so out of control.
His black robe billowed like raging waves.
The coldness in his eyes was replaced by a desperate, angry look.
Hermione's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.
Even the professor was frightened?
Is Ian still alive?