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Dusk spread over the Forbidden Forest like spilled ink. Damp mist, carrying the scent of decaying leaves, swirled amongst the trees.
The old man turned to face the bronze door.
"Professor!" Hermione's voice was full of worry. She hesitated, wanting to rush forward, but Snape stopped her. Unusually, the Potions professor didn't sneer. He only spoke in a low voice.
"Don't make things worse."
There was helplessness in his tone as he spoke. There was nothing else he could do at this moment. As a mature man who understood his own limits, Snape knew that this was beyond his control.
In a way, he and the young witch beside him were equal in terms of wizardry. If Dumbledore could not pass the test of the bronze door, Snape did not believe that he was any more qualified.
In truth, it was precisely because of his respect and admiration for Dumbledore that Snape understood that if anyone in this world was capable of bringing Ian back, it could only be the Headmaster of Hogwarts standing before him.
If the Headmaster failed, then no one in the wizarding world could succeed, not even if they released Grindelwald from prison.
After weighing everything up,
Snape knew that Dumbledore's decision was the best possible choice under the circumstances. Of course, giving up on Ian entirely was also a choice, perhaps the one that would best protect the greater good.
However, judging by Dumbledore's expression and Snape's own feelings, that path would never be taken.
"Dumbledore is always right. Trust him." Snape whispered to Hermione.
It was as much a reminder to himself as it was to her.
'But...'
Hermione suddenly realised that this might be the last time she ever saw Dumbledore. The thought made her throat tighten. She wanted to speak, but she couldn't find the words.
'Don't worry about me, Miss Granger.'
Dumbledore seemed to see right through her thoughts. He turned to Snape. "Severus, take my collection of books back with you. You can also ask Nicolas Flamel to study the bronze door."
He paused, his gaze landing on Hermione before he continued. "Of course, make sure that Miss Granger is properly taken care of first."
"She mustn't sneak back here again."
His tone was half-teasing as he spoke. Yet Hermione felt two sharp gazes fall on her at once: Dumbledore's eyes were kind yet unfathomable, while Snape's held his usual cold scrutiny.
"I didn't sneak out!"
Hermione's voice carried a hint of guilt.
But neither of them seemed to care much about that detail, though.
"We can't go back. This forest..." Snape remembered wandering aimlessly through the patchwork woods, which seemed to be stitched together from different places.
"Someone will come for you." Dumbledore's voice was calm and certain.
Before Snape could ask who, he looked at Hermione again.
"I trust you won't mention this matter to any of the other students in your house, will you?" Dumbledore asked softly with a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"After all, the curiosity of Gryffindors can sometimes be more dangerous than dark magic."
Gryffindors were notorious for being big-mouthed, and as an old Gryffindor himself, Dumbledore thought it best to prevent that in advance.
"Ah?"
Hermione's face flushed red.
"Of course not, Professor! I swear!" She said quickly, feeling genuinely flustered. She had no idea who had started the rumours that she was a gossip, which even Dumbledore believed.
"It must've been Ron! He's the real blabbermouth!"
The little witch silently made her judgement.
At that moment—
"Good girl."
Dumbledore nodded, then turned back to the bronze door and took a deep breath. "Then… it's time. I think I should begin a new adventure of my own."
As a true Gryffindor, he was never afraid of a dangerous adventure.
Just then, Snape suddenly stepped forward.
'Albus, you should prepare yourself, or at least wait—'
He hadn't even finished his sentence when—
"Sometimes waiting is more dangerous than acting." Dumbledore did not turn around but spoke in a quiet yet firm tone.
He raised his old wand, tracing a series of complex runes in the air with its tip. Each time a golden symbol appeared, the corresponding rune on the bronze door lit up and emitted a deep, resonant hum.
The air was filled with the aura of ancient magic, as if a long-sealed history was suddenly being awakened. In truth, this was merely a retracing; not an actual understanding of how to open the bronze door.
How should one put it?
It was akin to exploiting a design flaw. Relying solely on memory, Dumbledore was reproducing the exact operation of the bronze door as it had once appeared before him.
What else could one expect from the greatest magical genius of this age?
It was an unbelievable feat, throughout history, the number of wizards who could accomplish something like this could be counted on one hand.
Of course, there was a reason Dumbledore had spent so long studying it earlier. He had only ever seen his own distorted reflection emerge from the bronze door, never Ian activating it.
This was undoubtedly a perilous gamble. If Ian had triggered the door differently, everything could have gone terribly wrong.
"I've always trusted my luck."
Dumbledore's eyes remained deep and unreadable, betraying no emotion.
"It's starting! It's starting again!"
Hermione held her breath, watching as the runes lit up one after another. Some resembled ancient runes, though far more intricate, while others looked like no writing she had ever seen.
In that moment, the young witch silently vowed to herself that she must study harder. Perhaps one day, if she encountered something like this again, she wouldn't feel so powerless and lost.
"Hōng lóng!"
As the final rune was illuminated, the centre of the bronze door began to spin, forming a deep, bottomless vortex. Within it, points of light flickered like stars, yet they were deeper and more profound than the night sky itself.
Dumbledore turned to look at them one last time. His blue eyes shone brilliantly under the glow of magic.
"Remember, knowledge is like moonlight. It can guide the lost, but it can also expose those who walk in darkness. Use it wisely."
These words were clearly intended as a warning to Hermione.
"Ah?"
Hermione froze, startled that he had read her thoughts so easily.
So...
Had Dumbledore used Legilimency on her?
Silently and effortlessly? The idea left her both awed and uneasy. Snape's expression did not change. He merely kept his gaze fixed on Dumbledore, who was standing before the bronze door.
"Remember, don't tell anything to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Keep an eye on him." Dumbledore glanced back at Snape as he spoke. Then, without hesitating for a moment, he stepped into the swirling vortex.
"Headmaster!"
Hermione lunged forward instinctively, but Snape caught her arm and held her back. They both watched helplessly as Dumbledore's figure was swallowed by the whirlpool. The hem of his robe was the last thing to disappear, then the bronze door gave a deafening boom.
Silence.
Absolute silence filled the room.
The vortex disappeared. The runes dimmed. The bronze door returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened at all. Neither Snape nor Hermione had the power to open it again.
Snape's hand still gripped Hermione's arm tightly, hard enough to make her wince. Yet that pain was almost comforting, proof that this was real and not a nightmare.
"Will… will he come back?" Hermione whispered. Her voice trembled so much that it hardly sounded like her own.
Snape didn't answer right away. His black eyes stared into the surface of the bronze door, dark and unreadable. After a long pause, he released her arm and spoke in a voice so low it was almost a murmur.
"Dumbledore always knows what he's doing."
'It wasn't an answer, ' Hermione thought. 'But perhaps it was the only answer they could have.'
The night wind from the Forbidden Forest rose once more, carrying the scent of damp earth and new growth. The bronze door stood silent and motionless, like an unsolved riddle. The darkness of the Forbidden Forest pressed down around Hermione, heavy and almost tangible.
Oh.
So, it was Snape's large hand.
The Potions professor was clearly in a foul mood. His grip had been a little too strong.
"You're hurting me, Professor." Hermione spoke up quickly.
"..." Snape immediately loosened his grip.
"Let's go."
He was preparing to explore the area.
"But didn't Headmaster Dumbledore say someone would come and rescue us?" Hermione asked with a confused expression on her face. Snape's black robes looked like a moving shadow under the dim glow of his wand.
Without turning back, he said in a voice as sharp as ice: "Rely on Nicolas Flamel? That old fool is probably dozing off over his alchemy notes right now.'
Clearly, Snape trusted his own efforts far more than waiting for rescue.
Hermione bit her lip. She wanted to protest, after all, Nicolas Flamel was the greatest alchemist in history and one of Dumbledore's oldest friends but Snape suddenly stopped and raised a hand sharply to signal for her to be quiet.
His motion was so abrupt that Hermione nearly bumped into his back.
"There's something there." Snape's voice was barely audible. His wand was already pointed towards a bush to the right.
Hermione's heartbeat quickened. She followed his gaze. The bushes were trembling ever so slightly and rustling softly.
In this strange, lifeless place, not even insects existed.
So how could there be any movement?
Any movement here could only be unnatural.
"What… what is it?"
Hermione's mind raced. Her fingers gripped her wand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Was it a copy of Snape from the bronze door? Myself? Or another Dumbledore? Or could it be Ian, replicated?
Hermione's imagination ran wild.
While her thoughts churned, Snape stood rigidly, utterly vigilant. The rustling grew louder. Hermione could barely breathe. Snape stood as still as a statue, his wand trembling ever so slightly, ready to cast a deadly spell at any moment.
He was thinking much the same as Hermione: 'Please, not another Dumbledore. And definitely not a copy of Ian, his magic is far darker than Albus's ever was.'
And then—
A blonde-haired boy stepped out from the bushes.
"Lirim?"
Hermione blurted out in surprise, recognizing the Ravenclaw fourth-year student.
He had his trademark golden curls and slightly pale skin. His blue school robes were spotless, as though he had just stepped out of the library rather than the middle of a forest.
"Hmm?"
Snape didn't lower his wand in the slightest.
"He can't be a student," Snape said coldly, his black eyes narrowing as though to pierce through the boy's disguise. This was not a place where a normal student could simply wander in.
No first-year, or anyone, for that matter, should be as abnormal as Ian had been.
"Professor Snape, who says I'm not a student? I am a student!" Lirim pouted, his expression full of aggrieved innocence, like a Ravenclaw being wrongly accused.
"Heh."
Snape let out a cold laugh.
"Levicorpus!"
Without hesitation, he cast the spell. Snape would immobilise the boy first and ask questions later. To his credit, he didn't choose anything too harmful, just something to restrain him with.
A red light flashed from Snape's wand, slicing through the darkness towards Lirim's face.
Hermione gasped. It wasn't an especially dangerous spell, but attacking a student so suddenly was... well, typical of Snape, she supposed.
She still hadn't realised at that moment that there was a reason why the Potions professor wasn't exactly well-liked.
But the boy...
"You're so mean, Professor Snape." Lirim sighed lightly while raising his right hand and brushing the air as though flicking away a speck of dust.
The red beam curved in midair and shot right back at Snape!
Snape swiftly dodged to the side, his wand already pivoting towards the new threat.
"Protego!" He barked, causing a shimmering barrier to flare up in front of him and Hermione.
"See that, Granger? No student could do that."
"Alright, Professor…"
Hermione raised her wand towards Lirim as well, though her hand was trembling. The boy's effortless counterspell had been too smooth and casual. It was as if an adult wizard had just brushed off a first-year's prank spell.
"You attacked first, didn't you?" Lirim muttered in protest.
And then—
"Turn." He suddenly spoke another word, quietly but sharply.
"What?"
Snape didn't even have time to react. The instant the word left Lirim's lips, a powerful force slammed into his back causing his own spell to be reflected! It hit him squarely and, in the next second, he was pulled upside down and suspended helplessly in mid-air.
He hung there between two trees, flailing awkwardly, just like one of his students caught in a prank years ago.
"Damn it!"
Snape swore loudly, struggling furiously as he swung his wand, trying to break the spell. But, to his horror, he found that his magic was somehow being interfered with and suppressed.
"Professor, what should I do to save you!?" Hermione shouted, her heart pounding as she stood a few steps away, witnessing everything unfold. Summoning her courage, she gripped her wand tightly and stepped forward to fight.
"Don't move." Lirim turned his gaze towards her. His tone was calm, even gentle, but carried an undeniable authority. "You have to go back. I'll stay here."
Before Hermione could respond, Lirim raised his hand. A faint halo of light shimmered in his palm.
Hermione barely had time to gasp before her body became weightless and the world around her blurred.
The next moment, she and Snape, who was still upside down, were standing inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
The familiar stone walls surrounded them, the fire flickered warmly in the hearth, and the scent of candle wax filled the air.
"What just happened!?" Hermione gasped, turning in disbelief. Her mind couldn't process how they had been transported back.
"Put me down!" Snape roared furiously, twisting in mid-air. "Granger! Cast a spell, dispel this ridiculous charm at once!'
And through the castle... echoed Snape's furious shouting.
He could only hope that this was all just a nightmare, that this was all just a nightmare.
(End of Chapter)
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