Chapter 953: Memories
Chapter 953: Memories
The Headmaster's office disappeared, and Professor McGonagall felt as though she had flown through many shapes and colors before finally landing back on the ground.
Then Kael arrived, and he was also very curious about what memories Dumbledore had left behind, to cleanse Snape’s name.
If Snape were here, he definitely wouldn’t let Kael see this... almost a black history of memories.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the head master’s office at this moment, which was one of the reasons Kael was willing to help.
They appeared exactly opposite Snape.
He stood on a desolate, cold mountaintop, tightly gripping his wand, as though waiting for someone.
Professor McGonagall stood opposite him, her expression stern.
If this weren’t a memory, she would have already punched Snape.
"Kael, what exactly do you want me to see..."
Suddenly, a white light flashed across the sky, like lightning, but Snape fell to his knees with a thud, and his wand fell beside him.
"Don’t kill me!"
"That wasn’t my intention!"
Kael subconsciously reached into his pocket, and only then realized that he was in Dumbledore’s memories, and he didn’t have a deformed lizard skin bag on him.
Actually, he didn’t plan to do anything.
Kael put on a facade of nothing happening, and then pulled his hand back... but it wasn’t that simple. The only person he could see was Professor McGonagall, who had just apparated next to Dumbledore.
He stood in front of Snape, a bolt of white light flashed across the sky, and Snape fell to his knees with a thud, his wand falling beside him.
"Don’t kill me!"
"That wasn’t my intention!"
Kael subconsciously reached into his pocket, and only then realized that he was in Dumbledore’s memories and didn’t have a deformed lizard skin bag.
Actually, he didn’t plan to do anything.
Kael put on a facade of nothing happening, and then pulled his hand back... but it wasn’t that simple. The only person he could see was Professor McGonag all, who had just apparated next to Dumbledore.
He stood in front of Snape, his long robe fluttering in the wind, the light from his wand illuminating his face, the pressure palpable.
"How, Sybill, what message did the Dark Lord have you bring to me?"
"No, no message... I came for myself... for that prophecy... Trel aw ne..."
Snape seemed nervous, his speech broken and unclear, possibly due to the immense pressure from Dumbledore.
After all, Dumbledore looked like he really wanted to kill him, his wand’s light never dimming.
Professor McGonag all whispered something, but Kael couldn’t hear clearly, he guessed she was urging Dumbledore to quickly deal with the traitor.
"But as a return... I would do anything."
The wind on the mountaint became fiercer, even covering Snape and Dumbledore’s voices, even though Kael moved closer, he could only hear the howling wind.
By now, Kael already knew what Dumbledore had done in the memory, and what it had concealed.
Professor McGonag all frowned, as if she had guessed something but was unsure.
At this moment, the mountaint disappeared, and they returned to the headmaster’s office in Hogwards.
Snape sat dejected in a chair, like a wounded beast, emitting a pained sob...
"I thought... you would ensure her safety..."
"She and James trusted the wrong person!" Dumbledore’s face looked just as bad.
"But he doesn’t need protection, the Dark Lord is dead..."
"The Dark Lord isn’t dead, and one day he will rise again..."
The scene disappeared again.
"The arrogant, the conceited fool, why can’t he learn? Can’t he see the Dark Lord is deliberately luring him to the Department of Mysteries?"
"He’s as mediocre and conceited as his father,, can’t he see the situation clearly, does he think he is you? He even does less than that annoying Kael."
Kael raised an eyebrow, He didn’t expect Dumbledore’s memory to include his part... but being annoying had a few meanings, he felt quite popular.
The colors continued to spin, and the scene shifted from the headmaster’s office to another place... It was a desolate, stony path covered in broken stones.
Dumbledore looked injured, limping along the path, faintly visible footprints on his robe.
"You saved me, Sybill, but you didn’t really need to use that much force."
"I didn’t have time to think much back then," Snape said, He looked fine, walking lightly, "If I had known you and Kael had a magical contract, I wouldn’t have bothered to help you at all))
"Yes, I didn’t think Kael would have a magical contract to restrain his magic, and yet he saved my life... but I still have to thank you..."
"That ring... give it to me to keep safe..."
"I must refuse, Sybill, and it’s for your own good. After all, when you couldn’t resist temptation, you wouldn’t have a magical contract..."
"You don’t trust me..."
"This isn’t about trust, because I know how great its temptation is..."
The stony path was gradually shrouded in a thick fog, and after passing through it, it was another place...
"That Kyle, he's so careless, and that stupid big dog. Do they not realize how important what they took is?"
Snape spoke angrily, "The Dark Lord asked me to handle this matter. I erased the goblin's memory, but I don't know if I can keep it hidden from him."
"It should be fine," Dumbledore said, sitting across from him. "Tom has been preoccupied with something else recently."
"But Severus, I didn't expect you to take the initiative to help Kyle."
"I just don't want his carelessness to ruin our original plan," Snape said. "Have we found all the Horcruxes?"
"If the count is correct, I think we're almost there," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Apart from what we discussed before, you should also pay more attention to Tom's surroundings.
"I guess he'll probably keep the last Horcrux close to him for protection."
"What is it..."
"I don't know," Dumbledore shook his head. "There was a guess, but someone took her away from Tom.
"However, based on my understanding of Tom, he will probably choose another serpent-like magical creature, maybe a Horned Serpent or a Runesnake."
After the scene faded, Professor McGonagall slowly rose from the Pensieve, and a moment later, she found herself on the floor of the Headmaster's Office, her expression filled with complexity.
She never would have thought that Snape was an undercover agent working for Voldemort, and before this, she had never doubted Snape's allegiance, firmly believing him to be a Death Eater.
It's just that Snape's disguise was too convincing, and it was probably because of this that Voldemort had never discovered him.
Professor McGonagall tried to convince herself, but she became more and more agitated.
Merlin's beard... How could Snape possibly be on our side? Was his typical Death Eater demeanor all an act?
She even suspected that this memory might be fake.
"You already knew about this, didn't you?" She looked up at Kyle.
"Sort of," Kyle said. "Professor Dumbledore had given me a hint, but I only realized what he meant recently."
In this situation, it's best to just blame everything on Dumbledore; after all, no matter what is said, he won't be able to refute it.
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and did not doubt Kyle.
Dumbledore's hints... sometimes they are genuinely incomprehensible, and without explicit clarification, even she wouldn't have realized that Snape was an undercover agent.
"Then what about this memory?" She thought for a moment and continued, "You seem to know its location well. Who told you, Severus?"
"No, it was also Professor Dumbledore," Kyle said calmly. "After the war, the Phoenix told me about this."
"Is that so?" Professor McGonagall still had no doubts.
The Phoenix was close to Kyle, and this was not a secret among the professors at Hogwarts. With the wisdom of the Phoenix, achieving this was not difficult.
But Professor McGonagall couldn't understand why Dumbledore couldn't tell her directly. After pondering for a while, Professor McGonagall, who still had no answer, turned to look at Dumbledore's portrait on the wall.
However, the Dumbledore in the portrait was just like the other headmasters, pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed. And when Professor McGonagall stared at him, his eyelids would twitch from time to time.
Getting an answer from him seemed unlikely, and Professor McGonagall sighed.
Logically, with this memory as proof, Snape could be completely cleared of his Death Eater identity.
Not only could all the warrants be revoked, but even if he wanted to continue as a professor at Hogwarts, there would be no issue.
The wizarding world needed heroes, and Amelia should be more than willing to publish Snape's deeds in the newspaper to divert people's attention... so they wouldn't keep fixating on the Ministry of Magic's past mistakes.
However, all of this required a prerequisite.
Snape needed to tell everyone where he had taken Voldemort, and he needed to explain why he did it.
If he couldn't provide a reasonable explanation, the usefulness of this memory wouldn't be as significant.
And most importantly... where was Snape now?
Professor McGonagall looked at him in confusion.
"It was a coincidence," Kyle said in a low voice. "When I returned, I just happened to see him outside the school grounds."
"What did you say?" Professor McGonagall looked over sharply, but soon a hint of doubt appeared on her face.
Such a coincidence? With almost all the Aurors and Strike Force members deployed, none of them had found Snape, and Kyle had managed to find him? And right here at Hogwarts!
If her memory served her right, there were at least five Aurors and thirty Strike Force members surrounding Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, sealing off the entire school.
Kyle had returned without alerting anyone because he had the assistance of the Phoenix, and the anti-Apparition restrictions of Hogwarts itself did not affect him.
But how could Snape have evaded the patrols of the Aurors and Strike Force, as well as the detection of the Sneakoscopes?
There was only one possible explanation: he had never left Hogwarts.
If that were the case, then it meant that Voldemort, whom he had rescued, had also never left...
"Oh, damn..." Professor McGonagall instinctively drew her wand.
Kyle was startled and quickly asked, "Professor, what are you doing?"
"I'm asking you," Professor McGonagall said seriously. "When you saw Severus, what was he doing, and was there anyone or any creatures with him?"
Kyle quickly understood what Professor McGonagall meant.
"No," he shook his head and said, "When I saw Snape, there was only him, and he was coming to find you."
"To find you?"
"Yes." Kyle pointed to the Pensieve on the table, "I guess he wanted to explain this."
"But I think it's best for him to wait elsewhere before we review the memories, so I asked him to wait somewhere else."
"Well... I have to say, that was a good decision." Professor McGonagall agreed, glancing at Kyle.
It was fortunate that Snape didn't come, otherwise, she might not have wanted to see the memories first.
Professor McGonagall's fingers traced the Pensieve, "Kyle, could you bring him here... No, forget it, I'll go find him."
She remembered there were others in the castle, and if Snape was discovered on his way here, it might trigger an immediate battle.
After all, the contents of the memories had not been made public yet, and in the minds of others, Snape was still a genuine Death Eater.
Walking into Hogwarts so openly would be no different from seeking death.
"Where is Severus?" Professor McGonagall stood up.
"At the school hospital, I suggested he see Kanna first, and he agreed." Kyle said as he opened the oak door and stepped out.
"Miss Prince..." Professor McGonagall paused, her footsteps halting.
Kyle waited at the door for a while, but hearing no movement, he had to peek in again.
"Professor McGonagall, weren't you going to find him?"
"Yes, that's right." Professor McGonagall nodded and left the Headmaster's Office.
The two of them walked through the castle and encountered Professor Slughorn coming in from outside.
After a brief conversation with him, Professor McGonagall, with Kyle, changed direction and headed towards the other side.
"Poppy is treating several wizards affected by Dark Magic. They need a more spacious and well-ventilated area, and Miss Prince is also there to help."
The place Professor McGonagall mentioned was near the Quidditch Pitch, and upon arriving, she soon saw Kanna and the middle-aged wizard impersonated by Snape.
She recognized the middle-aged wizard, and he should have left the school ten minutes ago.
Disguise? Or Polyjuice Potion...
Professor McGonagall stood there, deep in thought.
"Shouldn't we go over there?" Kyle asked in a low voice.
"Since we've found him, there's no need to rush," Professor McGonagall shook her head and said, "If there's anyone who should know the truth first, it's Miss Prince."
"Severus might be busy for a while. Before that, we should give him some time to explain everything to Miss Prince."
She turned and surveyed the surrounding situation.
"It's a good time for us to thoroughly inspect the situation inside the school as well.
"Kyle, could you trouble Mr. Peverell and the Fat Friar to lead the other ghosts in checking the castle and the surrounding grounds?"
"Also, find the Aurors on duty and ask them to relax their vigilance over Hogsmeade. Have them inspect the Forbidden Forest thoroughly."
"Okay." Kyle understood that Professor McGonagall was concerned about Voldemort's possible presence here.
Although he knew it was impossible, it was hard to say...
To say that Voldemort was killed by him and the Dark Wizard Rozier seventy years ago? Or that Grindelwald left Nurmengard and continued his seventy-year-old grudge with Dumbledore? The characters involved were too complex, and even if one saw it with their own eyes, they might not believe it, let alone hear about it.
By the time he explained it, the Aurors and Strike Force members might have finished inspecting the Forbidden Forest.
So, forget it. Or wait for Snape to explain; after all, he won't have anything else to do in the next few days.
"Professor, is there anything else?" Kyle asked again.
"That's enough." Professor McGonagall said softly, "It's a good time for me to think carefully about how to tell Amelia about this."
"The last Death Eater turned out to be one of us, it's simply unbelievable."
...
(End of Chapter)
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