Chapter 419: Master
Chapter 419: Master
"Have you made the necessary preparations for your retirement? Are you planning to have Professor Mcgonagall take over your position?"
Sherlock no longer dwelled on Dumbledore's decision to step down at this point. Instead, he asked about the plans for afterward.
Dumbledore stared at him and said with a light laugh.
"Before I recruited you into Hogwarts, or before I finalized today's plan, my intention was indeed to have Minerva take over my position. But now, do you think she can still rightfully become the headmistress of this school?"
Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
"Stop being so naive, Sherlock", Dumbledore said. "You know very well that if we force Minerva to take my position while you remain above her, it would cause her a lot of trouble. Moreover, I recently hinted at her about this, and it seems she holds you in higher regard."
Sherlock and Dumbledore met each other's gaze.
"So, no one thought to ask for my opinion?"
"I am trying to understand your thoughts, Sherlock. I am well aware that you are not particularly enthusiastic about power. If you were, you would have already joined the Ministry of Magic when Scrimgeour offered you the position. Given your recent achievements, you could have even taken over as Minister of Magic. Compared to that, the position of Hogwarts headmaster is nothing."
Dumbledore spoke earnestly.
"If you truly do not wish to take over my position, you can continue as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I will convince Minerva to be the headmistress. The school will remain the same, except I will no longer be in the castle. However, your life will no longer be as peaceful as it once was, and this is something you must accept."
Sherlock rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
To be honest, the reason he did not want to take over as headmaster was to avoid the public scrutiny that came with the role.
Sherlock always found being a public figure exhausting, whether in the Muggle world or the Wizarding World.
While some people chased fame and fortune, Sherlock tended to avoid them.
However, Dumbledore was right about one thing: his life would never be as peaceful as it once was.
This was not a decision he could make in a hurry. When faced with a problem he couldn't immediately solve, Sherlock's instinct was to avoid it.
"Let's discuss your retirement later. Even if you are eager to leave, it will take some time to hand over your responsibilities. You also plan to resign from your positions in the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards, right?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"I do need some time to prepare. There is more than one reason I called you here today."
His tone grew serious, and Sherlock knew the important part of their conversation was about to begin.
"After you left this afternoon, Scrimgeour arrived at the battle site. He directed the Aurors to arrest all the Death Eaters who were captured there. I took this opportunity to have him gather a few key Death Eaters, weaken their resistance with magic, and then use Legilimency to extract a significant portion of their memories related to Voldemort."
"The most crucial part of these memories concerns Harry."
"Harry?" Sherlock frowned.
"Yes, Harry. During the summer, Harry mentioned several times that he often had dreams where he became Voldemort. You were aware of this, and I immediately suspected that if Harry could see what was happening with Voldemort, Voldemort might eventually discover this and use it to influence Harry."
"Recently, he did discover this and made plans with his most loyal followers to stage a performance to lure Harry out. However, these plans were interrupted by today's events."
"Of course, that is not the main point. The real issue is the nature of the connection between Harry and Voldemort."
Dumbledore's eyes never left Sherlock's face.
"Regarding this, I mentioned a theory to you not long ago, and now I believe it has been largely confirmed."
"Over a decade ago, on the night Voldemort learned from Snape about the prophecy and went to kill the boy who could defeat him, the Killing Curse backfired. In the process, Voldemort unintentionally created a Horcrux."
Sherlock's breathing grew heavy. He could already imagine how shocking the news would be if it were to become public.
"Even Harry himself was unaware of this. Harry's mother, Lily, became the victim of this Horcrux, helping him successfully split his soul for the seventh time. The fragment of soul that was split off remained within Harry Potter!"
The night at Hogwarts was unusually quiet.
Snape's office was still brightly lit.
He needed ample light while brewing potions, so countless candlesticks floated above him, illuminating the area around the cauldron.
He did not participate in yesterday's battle in any capacity.
Voldemort had not yet placed complete trust in him and did not inform him of this secret mission in advance.
And because the final outcome of the battle was uncertain, the Order of the Phoenix had no intention of involving him.
If things had not turned out as well as they did today, Snape would have had to continue his role as a double agent.
Fortunately, the current situation was exactly what he had hoped for.
He was not afraid of death, but he did not want Harry, who carried a fragment of Lily's soul, to face any more danger. With the greatest threat, Voldemort, now gone, Snape felt he could finally relax his constantly tense heart.
As he gently stirred the potion in the cauldron, contemplating the changes that would occur in the Wizarding World after tonight, a translucent, blurry figure passed through his door.
Even with his attention not fully focused, Snape immediately sensed something was amiss.
At first, he instinctively thought it was the school's most mischievous ghost, Peeves, daring enough to cause trouble in his office in the middle of the night. But when he fully recognized the even more ethereal figure, his body froze!
"Lily!"
Lily appeared extremely anxious, looking at Snape with a pleading expression, just like that night years ago when she begged the Dark Lord to spare Harry.
"Please, Severus, save Harry. Please, save him."
Snape's face darkened immediately. He quickly threw on his robe from the coat stand and, without hesitation, abandoned the valuable potion he was about to complete. He then left the office swiftly with Lily.
"What's wrong with Potter?" Snape asked as they hurried out of the office.
Lily was visibly panicked, her voice filled with urgency and worry.
"I don't know. Something appeared inside his body in the afternoon. I don't know what it is, but it's very powerful. Even the protective magic I left for Harry couldn't block it. I was expelled from his body, and that thing is still inside him. I can feel that Harry is in a very bad state. I went to Professor Flitwick and Professor Dumbledore's offices, but they were not there. I could only come to you."
Hearing Lily's recount, Snape's mood grew even heavier.
He did not understand what was happening to Harry, but his instincts told him it was far from simple!
They quickly arrived at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. Even without the password, Snape, as one of the four headmasters of Hogwarts, had the authority to enter and exit.
Before entering, he took a precautionary step and instructed the Fat Lady to wake Professor Mcgonagall and bring her to Harry's dormitory immediately.
Once inside the Gryffindor common room, Snape, guided by Lily, quickly found Harry's dormitory.
He pushed the door open without any attempt to be quiet.
The loud noise woke Seamus and Ron, who were light sleepers. They looked bewildered as they lifted the curtains of their four-poster beds, watching Snape approach Harry's bed.
Just as he entered the dormitory, Snape felt a familiar, unsettling presence.
When he saw the faint, dark mist surrounding Harry, his entire body trembled!
"Get out!"
He said this to Ron and the others.
Seamus and the others, already somewhat afraid of Snape, quickly put on their clothes and left the dormitory, though they did not fully understand what was happening.
Ron, worried about Harry, hesitated to leave and tried to ask a question, but Snape swiftly waved his wand, sending him flying out of the dormitory.
Harry, lying in bed, slowly opened his eyes.
He saw Snape looking at him, his face showing no hint of panic or confusion, his eyes as calm as still water.
"Severus, you are indeed my most loyal servant, recognizing me at first sight."
Hearing the familiar voice with its familiar tone, Snape's voice trembled as he spoke the title.
"Master."
(End of Chapter)
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