Chapter 694: Snape's Heartbreaking Past
Chapter 694: Snape's Heartbreaking Past
That's it? Just like that?
Both Albert and Isabelle were taken aback. Moments ago, they had been informed by Snape that their remedial Potions lessons were over and they need not return. And just like that, they were shown the door of the Potions classroom.
The extra lessons had ended much sooner than they had anticipated.
The first session covered key knowledge, the second and third sessions involved practicing ingredient preparation, and the final lesson was about brewing potions. For this last lesson, they had to select and brew potions from the ingredients Snape had prepared, serving as an early assessment. The duo had performed flawlessly and handed in perfect answers.
And so, Snape had sent them away! With a month still left, they need not continue their 'remedial lessons'.
For Albert, the end of these lessons was a relief. Finally, he wouldn't have to see Snape's grumpy face during his weekends and holidays, which often put a damper on his mood and appetite.
After their final lesson, the pair headed straight to the Room of Requirement to celebrate the end of their 'detention'. The house-elves pulled out all the stops and prepared a sumptuous French feast for the two of them.
"Where did you get all these ingredients from?"
"I think the house-elves fetched the seafood from the seaside themselves. You know, house-elves possess strong magical powers, and they're capable of using the Accio spell to retrieve ingredients from the sea with ease."
The most expensive part of their candlelit dinner was probably the glass of red wine they were holding.
"Thank you for the scarf. I really like it. Did you knit it yourself?" Albert asked, looking at Isabelle's flushed cheeks in the candlelight, and casually changing the subject.
"I've been practicing for a long time. My knitting used to be a mess, but I got better, so I wanted to knit a scarf for you. Unfortunately, I didn't quite have enough time, and I had originally planned to give it to you for Christmas. I'll lengthen it for you another day." Isabelle was well aware of her own skill level, but she was still very happy that Albert had complimented her.
Outside the glass window beside them, heavy rain poured down.
"No need. I think the scarf is perfect as it is."
Albert didn't actually plan on using the scarf. He had plenty of scarves and couldn't possibly use them all, so he kept them stored away.
Noticing that Isabelle seemed like she wanted to say something, Albert interrupted, "I've recently found out some interesting things."
"What is it?" Isabelle asked.
"The precious Whomping Willow beside the school was said to have been planted by Professor Lupin when he was a student at Hogwarts."
"Is that the one Potter crashed into with his car last year?"
"Yes, there's a tunnel under that Whomping Willow that leads to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade." Albert intended to share some of his findings with Isabelle as casual conversation.
"You've been inside?"
"Yes, the Weasley brothers went in last year and found numerous scratch marks inside the Shrieking Shack. Later, when it was discovered that Professor Lupin is a werewolf, I guessed the reason behind those marks."
"Professor Lupin is so pitiful. He's a good teacher, and his Defense Against the Dark Arts class is so interesting!" Isabelle felt a bit of sympathy for Professor Lupin. "By the way, it seems like Professor Snape really dislikes Professor Lupin. Is it because of his werewolf identity and the fact that he took the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"
"Not entirely. Professor Snape's dislike for Professor Lupin is more related to his own heartbreaking past." After a sip of wine, Albert found himself becoming more talkative.
"Snape has a heartbreaking past? I never expected Professor Snape to have had a love interest." Isabelle was equally intrigued by Snape's dark history; it was in a girl's nature to be a little gossipy.
"Did Lupin snatch away Snape's girlfriend?"
Isabelle found it a little unbelievable. It was hard to imagine anyone falling in love with a werewolf; it was simply too dangerous.
"It should be said that Lupin's best friend took Snape's girlfriend away." Albert smiled and proceeded to tell Isabelle about Snape's heartbreaking story.
"After Black escaped from prison, I looked into his background. Black was convicted of betraying and murdering his friends, as well as killing quite a few Muggles. After he was caught, he was thrown straight into Azkaban without even a trial."
"Was Professor Lupin friends with Black?" Isabelle was astonished. She never expected that Dumbledore would allow someone with such a connection to teach at the school.
"Yes, they used to be very good friends, along with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew."
"Just like the group of four in your dormitory?" Isabelle knew that Albert and his roommates had a great relationship and even planned to open a shop together in the future.
"James Potter is Harry Potter's father, and his wife is Lily Evans." Albert said mysteriously, "It is said that this Miss Lily Evans has known Snape since they were young, and they were very close. Yes, Miss Evans later joined Gryffindor, and like me, she's a Muggle-born witch."
"You're also considered a Muggle-born wizard?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow, having already guessed the outcome. "Snape's first love was taken away by Potter, and he seemed to have loved her deeply, which is why he never married?"
As for why they separated, it wasn't difficult to guess.
Back then, when the mysterious person wreaked havoc in the wizarding world, it greatly affected Slytherin. Students from the two houses often didn't see eye to eye, and with Miss Evans being a Muggle-born witch in Gryffindor, their differing ideologies ultimately drove them apart.
"I think Snape must deeply regret being sorted into Slytherin.
Isabelle mused softly, "If he had gone to Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, he might have ended up with Miss Evans."
"Yes, he must regret it a lot." Albert winked and asked, "Do you want to take a guess at what Snape did later on?"
"Huh?" Isabelle was a bit puzzled. Did Professor Snape not just give up?
"When Snape found out that the person he loved was married, he wanted to take Lily Evans back for himself."
"Take her back?" Isabelle looked at Albert, curious as to how he knew such fantastical stories.
How could he take her back when they were already married?
Unless... Albert was just making wild guesses.
"Do you know about the prophecy concerning the Savior?" Albert continued, sharing more information. "It was made by Professor Trelawney, and when I was discussing prophecies with her, she mentioned this. Although Professor Trelawney didn't know the outcome of the prophecy, Snape interrupted her halfway through giving it to Dumbledore, and I think that must have been when Snape told the mysterious man about it and begged him not to kill Lily Evans."
Isabelle thought of Slytherin's ruthless pursuit of their goals and suddenly felt that Snape's actions made sense.
As long as James and Harry Potter were dead, Lily Evans would be "free," and Snape could have used the Killing Curse, Love Potion, or even altered Lily Evans's memory to get the love he desired.
"I see, no wonder he wasn't caught. So, after the mysterious man killed Miss Evans, Snape betrayed him," Isabelle immediately guessed the reason.
Only after the downfall of the mysterious man could Snape have avoided Azkaban and returned to Hogwarts as a professor, and it was clear that Dumbledore had vouched for him.
If Dumbledore was willing to protect Snape, it meant that Snape had become Dumbledore's spy or, perhaps, a double agent.
"There's no evidence, but based on Snape's attitude towards Harry Potter, I think that's what happened." Albert felt that Snape's story could fill a book titled "Snape's Heartbreaking History."
Indeed, it all made sense without any inconsistencies.
"If you were him, what would you have done?" Isabelle asked curiously.
"I wouldn't have given anyone a chance to steal my love away. If anyone's doing the stealing, it would be me stealing someone else's love," Albert replied confidently.
"Stealing love? Oh, so that's what you meant." Isabelle looked at Albert with a smile, "So, whose love do you plan on stealing? Is there a pretty girl you have your eye on?"
"I was just making a comparison," Albert rolled his eyes, "You should know I'm not that kind of person."
"With how popular you are, stealing someone's love would be a piece of cake." Isabelle didn't trust Albert one bit; exceptionally talented men always attracted women.
After they finished dinner, the pair snuggled up on the sofa, gazing at the rainy scene outside the window.
"There's a house for sale in Hogsmeade, and I plan to buy it," Albert changed the subject.
"You don't intend to settle down in Hogsmeade, so why spend so many Galleons on a house?" Isabelle knew that Albert didn't plan to live in Hogsmeade; they had already decided to find a place with beautiful scenery to settle down.
"Because of the frequent Dementor attacks, the price is very cheap. I spent two thousand Galleons on it," Albert said, having asked the house-elves to handle the transaction.
"Don't you want to open a shop? And where did you get so many Galleons anyway? I thought Gringotts didn't allow large-scale exchanges of Galleons," Isabelle raised an eyebrow.
"There's a black market in Diagon Alley where you can exchange Muggle money for Galleons, although the exchange rate is much lower than at Gringotts," Albert explained.
The wizarding world wasn't entirely closed off. After all, the number of wizards was limited, and they couldn't possibly grow all their food, raise all their livestock, or make all their own clothing and spices. Many things still came from the Muggle world; otherwise, how would Gringotts use the Muggle money they exchanged? Fairies or the Ministry of Magic weren't fools; they wouldn't engage in unprofitable ventures.
The amount of Muggle money Gringotts could exchange in a year might vary, but they could use it slowly, and if the amounts weren't too large, they wouldn't mind making a profit from it.
As for who to exchange it with, this was where the expertise of the Wildsmith family came in.
There were indeed wizards they knew, and so Albert was able to smoothly exchange his pounds for Galleons.
"I plan to buy it and renovate it," Albert continued.
"Don't expect me to live there next year," Isabelle said, rolling her eyes.
"The Vanishing Cabinet, I've also asked the house-elves to find it, so even after you graduate, we can still meet often," Albert winked mysteriously, "And you can use it as a temporary workplace. After all, you're alone at home most of the time anyway."
(End of Chapter)
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