[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
England.
...
...
While Snape was enjoying his first night at Hogwarts, on the coast of the country, a team of Aurors was dispatched to investigate the explosion that had occurred there.
The Minister of Magic had asked them to cover up the incident, claiming it was an accident caused by some potions master. However, she provided little information about the case, as this was the favor she owed to Snape.
They passed through nearby villages, visiting people and checking what they remembered about what they had seen, modifying their memories as needed.
"Man, we're stuck here while all the action is happening in London. These things always happen at the same time!" one of the Aurors muttered in frustration.
"We have no choice. They sent us here, so let's do our job," the other replied calmly as he exited a Muggle house alongside his colleague.
The locals only reported seeing explosions here and there. Some described bright lights and even strange shapes amidst lightning and blasts.
"We can't just say it was fireworks. We'll have to keep altering everyone's memories... this is so tedious," one of them complained, frustrated.
"From what they're saying, it sounded more like a battle than an actual potions accident. But anyway, stop whining. We only have a few more cases to check," his partner said as he knocked on the door of a family.
"We're from the local authority. We're here to investigate what happened tonight. Can you tell us anything?" the Auror quickly asked as the Muggle family opened the door with suspicious eyes.
He then cast a spell to alter the family's memories, making them forget everything strange they had seen that night, without affecting other memories, so as not to violate magical ethics.
Thus, they finished their visits and regrouped.
"Hey, why don't we check out the site? Everyone said it felt more like a fight than an accident, contrary to what the Minister of Magic told our boss... but it's strange what kind of potion could cause everything we've heard about," one of them suggested.
His partner sighed and nodded. "Fine. It won't hurt to take a look."
They both retrieved brooms from their bags and flew directly to the coast. There, they spotted a solitary house and a forest, but everything seemed perfectly normal. They descended to investigate, wands at the ready.
"The house is empty, but it has magical protections. A potions master definitely lives here and uses this place as their base. And it seems like someone important, considering the Minister of Magic asked us to personally clean up their accidents. What kind of potion were they working on, huh..." one of them commented.
"Who knows? These masters are usually very important in the wizarding world with their crazy ideas. But don't get too amazed. Have you seen that new shop that reopened in Diagon Alley? It's open again and doesn't have stock shortages anymore. My cousin bought one of their potions there yesterday," the other replied.
"I heard about it, but whatever. Let's investigate the area just to be sure..."
They began to search, casting revealing spells to try to identify anything. However, there were no traces. Not even the revealing spells worked. Snape had used a special potion of his own creation to hide magical traces, preventing any tracking, except by magical eyes like those of Alastor Moody, who was busy investigating the battle in Diagon Alley, not here.
"Well, there's nothing more here. Let's meet up with the others and leave for good. In the end, there was nothing to discuss, just an indication that it was indeed a common chemical accident," one of the Aurors said.
Snape had successfully deceived the investigators once again.
"Let's head back to London. Did you know they saw Albus Dumbledore himself fighting? It's probably something related to the Dark Lord. So, we'd better join the other teams," he said.
"That would definitely be way more interesting!" his companion replied, excited.
And so, they returned to the city, not imagining that Albus Dumbledore himself had been at that very location just a few hours earlier, battling Snape. A 17-year-old boy had defeated the powerful wizard, but no one would believe it. For this reason, no evidence pointed to Snape. Not even the Minister of Magic suspected that he had been fighting Dumbledore himself.
The next morning, Snape woke up to sunlight streaming through his window and someone shouting shrilly.
"The master is back! The master is back! The master is back!" exclaimed Dobby, Snape's house-elf, bouncing excitedly around the bed.
"Dobby, can you stop yelling?" Snape requested, still groggy.
Even so, Dobby continued hopping around the room but soon tried to compose himself. "I'm immensely happy that the master is back! I was so worried when classes started and the master didn't show up!" he said with a tone of happiness.
"Alright, I'm back, as you can see. Just tidy up my potions area. I'll be working intensely on it over the next few weeks. Also, make sure to put Shadow back in the aviary. She spent the night in my bag," Snape instructed, referring to his owl.
Dobby nodded quickly. "It will be done! The master is sure that Miss Pandora and Miss Clarisse will be very happy to hear you've returned," Dobby said cheerfully.
"They came here?" Snape asked, lazily getting out of bed.
"Of course! They came every day to see if you'd returned! I'm sure they'll be surprised. Does the master want breakfast? I can ask Papa to prepare something special!" Dobby offered.
"That's fine, but I won't eat here. I'll head to the common hall," Snape replied. After all, he needed to announce his return.
"Very well! It will be done!" Dobby said before vanishing in a flash.
Snape sighed as he dressed, discarding his black robe to don the Slytherin uniform once more. He knew the day would be busy, but at least he was back in control.
Snape was confident that no one would associate him with the person who fought Dumbledore, having taken every precaution to ensure that. Besides, no one would truly believe that a teenager had defeated the greatest wizard alive. No one had seen him leaving his shop directly or collapsing in the middle of the street. He had quickly cleaned up everything so no one would notice the broken glass. Even if they investigated the battle near his home, they wouldn't find any evidence. This allowed him, once again, to pass as just another Hogwarts student.
Even now, with Dumbledore no longer hunting him or seeking proof to incriminate him, Snape was sure that even if the headmaster tried, he wouldn't find him. He had much more freedom now with the Shadow Phoenix. The Ministry also wouldn't publicly announce Dumbledore's disappearance. After all, his name was a symbol of resistance against Voldemort. Revealing his absence would only encourage the Dark Lord's followers to act more openly.
And so, Snape vanished again. He trusted that Dobby would care for Shadow and that his lab would be ready for him to resume creating potions. It wasn't as early as usual, as Snape had allowed himself to sleep in a little longer. By the time he decided to head to the common hall, the space was already full.
He appeared at the entrance, surprising some students who hadn't noticed him suddenly appear. Even more surprising was who he was. Without hesitation, Snape strode forward as the doors swung fully open.
He saw the four tables for each house, where students ate and chatted animatedly. At the far end of the hall, the main table was occupied by the professors. However, the headmaster's chair remained empty.
Snape calmly walked toward the Slytherin table. As he advanced, people began to notice him. The hall, once filled with murmurs, fell silent. All eyes turned to him. There were expressions of surprise and disbelief. He was last year's top student, known for stirring up trouble and defeating anyone who dared challenge him. Moreover, he had achieved the best grades in the school.
As he passed through the middle of the hall, more and more people watched him. The gazes ranged from anger, curiosity, and even admiration from Gryffindor, to fear tinged with curiosity in Hufflepuff. At the Ravenclaw table, Pandora seemed the happiest to see him among them, her face lighting up with a bright smile. She was one of the few who dared to show joy at his presence. Snape nodded in acknowledgment as he greeted her.
In Slytherin, he noticed looks of respect, fear, anger, and even interest. His return would undoubtedly spark gossip and discussions throughout the school.
Snape greeted everyone he knew, but when his gaze fell on the professors' table, he immediately narrowed his eyes. There was someone there who caught his attention. Meanwhile, all the professors were staring at him in surprise. Some showed expressions of concern, though they perhaps didn't know how to react.
Professor McGonagall abruptly stood up and exclaimed, "Snape!"
All attention turned to her. "You've returned! When did you come back?" she asked, her expression a mix of relief and sternness.
The next to speak was the Potions Master, Horace Slughorn, who also stood. "Ah, finally! I thought you weren't coming back this year after being gone for two weeks!" he remarked, trying to sound casual but clearly curious.
"Hello, professors. I returned yesterday late in the afternoon," Snape replied calmly. "I even tried to speak with the headmaster, but he wasn't available," he explained, lying with a cold look.
"I see. Well then, welcome back," McGonagall said as she sat down again, withholding further comments. She would talk to him later in private, given the headmaster's absence.
"Welcome back, Mr. Snape. For a moment, I thought you weren't coming this year. We'll need you for the dueling tournament," commented Professor Flitwick, who sat beside Professor Longbottom, still serving as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
The professors took turns offering greetings, but Snape's gaze returned to a figure he hadn't expected to find there. As he recalled a news article he had read, everything became clear. Of course, they had been talking about her. After all, seeing Count Dracula's daughter among the professors was a surprising development for the magical community.
She was now the History of Magic professor. With her 200 years of life, she had accumulated vast knowledge. Since Dumbledore owed a favor to Count Dracula, he had accepted the recommendation to hire Rosaria, knowing she had an additional motive for being there: to monitor Snape. After his intrusion into the Count's home, there was a vested interest in learning more about the young wizard.
Rosaria, however, seemed to have reasons beyond her father's for being there. She kept her gaze fixed on Snape, as if her presence at Hogwarts was solely because of him. Then, she smiled—a smile as sweet as it was enigmatic—upon seeing him again.
Snape averted his eyes from the professors' table and went to sit next to Clarice, who had been watching him intently since he entered the hall.
"Well, I'm back," he said calmly, addressing her as he noted the curious glances from his peers nearby.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 163 - The Dungeons Begin to Appear.
Chapter 168 - Forbidden Forest Again.
Chapter 178 - Dealing with the Norton family.
Chapter 186 - Alliance.
-----------------------------
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the same time, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so become a free member on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
🔮 Danmachi - Infinite Mana System!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 times a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆