[Chapter Size: 2200 Words.]
Third Person POV
Hogwarts.
...
...
"I'm glad you asked, Headmaster. What I want is quite simple: I want permission to leave Hogwarts, access to the restricted section of the library, and my right to self-defense against any student who attacks me," he said calmly, because even though he found this school lacking, there was still much to enjoy about it, and in this world with scarce advanced technology, he could absorb a great deal of knowledge from the tomes and study magic.
Dumbledore looked at him for a while, trying to understand what he had just heard. Even the portraits fell silent as they waited to see what would happen.
"You want to leave the school whenever you wish, access to the forbidden wing, and the right to use magic against other students?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the audacity of this new Snape.
Snape merely shrugged. "That's my deal, and I'm not looking to negotiate it, but don't take it too seriously. I need to leave school sometimes outside of classes; I won't let my grades drop, that much I can assure you. As for the forbidden section, I'm looking to develop new branches of magic. I'm certain it will be very useful for the magical world. Regarding using magic on students, it's not like I'm going out there shooting spells at just anyone. I just hope to have my right to defense without worrying about someone claiming what I did was wrong afterward," Snape spoke calmly, and Dumbledore was still processing these words.
"I can't do that, my boy," he said at last.
"Then sign the letter, and I'm leaving," Snape spoke calmly.
"I can't do that today either. Can you wait a few days?" He tried another approach.
"Fine, I'm going to the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure the papers would love to publish how the wizard of light uses his students for Legilimency. I thought that was something that landed people in Azkaban. They'd certainly love to read my memories and what I felt in this room tonight with a Pensieve," Snape said as he turned to leave.
"WAIT!" Once again, a magical explosion occurred as Dumbledore released his true emotions, rising from his chair.
"Directly, are you threatening to draw your wand on a student?" Snape just smiled, looking at the Headmaster's hand near his wand, yet prepared to counterattack. His gaze turned to the portraits while ignoring the Headmaster. "Elders of other times, have you fallen so low as to read memories and threaten to use a wand against a sixteen-year-old student?" Snape raised the question.
"I think he's right..." said one portrait.
"In my time, there were students who really needed a lesson, but even teachers who did such things were expelled and even imprisoned," said another portrait.
"Albus truly shames us..."
"The boy is right; I don't know why Albus won't let him go..."
"Hogwarts has really declined from my time..."
"SILENCE!" Once again, Albus silenced all the gossip, looking furiously at Snape.
"..." Snape just looked at him without saying anything, poker-faced, but his eyes showed he was amused, as he thought this old man a hypocrite. He had seen in his memories something Snape had never realized before: how this man, proclaimed by all as the wizard of light, was actually a manipulator. He had good intentions of always keeping the world balanced, and that in itself was something Snape could admire. But this wizard was willing to sacrifice anyone for it, with the idea that he is the guardian of the world and that his choices are best for everyone.
'Just a fool who thinks he's better than everyone. He might be the most powerful wizard in England, even more so than Voldemort, but his pride has made him a foolish hypocrite.' Snape thought calmly as the man still stared at him. Albus sighed but did not return to his friendly demeanor. He sat back down, cornered, and looked somberly at the young man in front of him.
"I'll grant your conditions, but you must not miss any classes, drop your grades, use dark magic, or seek anything related to it, and you cannot attack any student unless attacked first," he said, each word seeming like a dent in his pride.
Snape couldn't blame him for that; it's not every day that you get outmaneuvered by a 16-year-old when you're a wizard whose name has been at the top of the century.
"That's good, with that I'll stay at Hogwarts, but if you once again use Legilimency on me or threaten me by reaching for your wand... Azkaban will be the least of your problems," Snape said with a sharp look.
"Are you threatening me, Snape?" Dumbledore spoke still in a somber tone.
"I am... And I'm not one to use empty words, Headmaster. I hope we can coexist in peace, but if you threaten me again, I will kill you," Snape spoke each of these words with a pause, making his intention crystal clear, leaving the portraits stunned and swallowing hard.
Dumbledore unleashed his magic once more, this time trying to press Snape, but Morfin was a man who lived with death embracing him all the time, having been through countless battlefields, he had faced things far worse than an old man with some power and a bruised ego.
The magic passed through Snape, but he did nothing, absolutely nothing, while just standing there with his chin raised, staring at the Headmaster. Even his phoenix seemed a bit scared and the portraits fell silent.
His pressure soon began to wane, gradually, until everything was quiet, "You are dismissed, Severus Snape," he said in the end, maintaining his somber voice. Snape looked at him for a while, waiting to see if he would try anything as he turned, but when he saw no indication of this and his instincts were calm, he nodded.
"Have a good night, Headmaster," Snape said and turned with his bag, heading to the place he had come from without looking back at the seated Headmaster.
He followed the stairs, leaving.
Moments before, in the common room, everyone was still noisy with the first week of classes, students still teasing the rival houses, while talking about the year's expectations.
"Lily! Why have you been looking like this all week?!" At the Gryffindor table, James exclaimed to Lily, who had remained quiet and silent all week since classes resumed.
"I'm fine, James, you don't need to worry," Lily said calmly while stirring her food.
"You've been like this since that scumbag insulted you!" James accused.
"It's not that..." Lily tried to deny.
"Don't mind what that snake has said! He even ran away from school like the coward he is, probably got involved with the Death Eaters of You-Know-Who," he said, and continued, "He's lucky he fled, because I was preparing everything to get back at that scumbag..." James spoke with a tone of hatred, after what happened in Diagon Alley, he hated Snape on another level, he never expected Snape to retaliate that way and beat up his entire group.
His group, known as the Marauders, looked at Snape agreeing with him, they all wanted revenge on Snape for what happened, so they spent the entire next month planning every prank and every humiliation Snape would suffer at their hands, but they were shocked to find Snape was already not at school in the first week, with many rumors that his disappearance was due to him joining Voldemort's side.
This was something James expected from that treacherous snake, as he put it, he was already happy that Lily had finally distanced herself from him, but what happened during the holidays left a deep wound in James and his friends' pride.
While the Gryffindors were chatting, at the Slytherin table, Snape's name was also mentioned, Lucius Malfoy was with his senior year mates, near the Black sisters, one of whom was his fiancée after their families decided so.
"Where's your lapdog, Lucius? We need some potion tips, Professor Slughorn seems to be in a bad mood lately!" A seventh-year student said.
"I don't know... he disappeared, not even my owls can find him..." Lucius commented a bit frustrated, since his father asked him to contact Snape on behalf of You-Know-Who.
"So, has he joined?" One of the students asked with narrowed eyes.
"Impossible," Lucius said. "My father would have informed me if that happened. Snape simply vanished off the map," Lucius commented.
"Why are you all so worried about a half-blood, half trash?" Bellatrix Black complained beside her sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa. Everyone fell silent after that, knowing how moody this girl could be.
"Have you heard the rumors about a very handsome young man walking through the corridors of Hogwarts tonight?!" Andromeda suddenly raised the question, not caring about her moody sister and the boys around rolling their eyes.
Leaving the Slytherin table, heading to the main table, Minerva had just joined the new teachers.
"Good evening everyone, Professor Slughorn. I've just seen your missing student," she commented calmly.
"Snape?! He really came back?" Slughorn said with an excited smile, seeing that Snape returned to school after disappearing.
"I wouldn't say that after you see him," she commented.
The man dropped his fork and looked at Minerva with questioning eyes. "What do you mean by that?" He asked.
"You better see for yourself as soon as he enters the hall or in tomorrow's class..." Minerva had left out that Snape said he might not come back to Hogwarts and expected Slughorn to be surprised and even shocked by the boy's change.
Slughorn was about to speak, but suddenly, something happened. The common room began to tremble, causing everyone to stand up scared, especially the younger students.
"What's happening?!"
"What is this?"
"An earthquake in Hogwarts?"
Hundreds of students exclaimed while the ghosts surrounding the hall began to flee in fear, screaming they could die, something quite bizarre, but no one paid attention to their words amidst their own fear.
"THIS!" Slughorn stood up alarmed.
"Is it Albus?!" Minerva also exclaimed.
"He's furious, what's happening?!" Professor Flitwick murmured, trying to understand and already grabbing his wand.
"It's not just the common room, the whole castle is shaking!" Slughorn said, frowning.
But the tremor began to calm down after a while, returning to normal a moment later. "Something happened..." A teacher exclaimed.
Minerva, already standing, looked at the other teachers, "I'll go check what happened, you stay here and calm the scared students," she said, and after seeing the teachers nod, she left the table and went to the main tower.
She followed the path past the trophy room near the entrance to the headmaster's office, still wondering what had happened. She saw from afar the staircase opening and Snape calmly coming out, making Minerva frown.
She continued and was even more speechless when Snape, heading in her direction intending to return to his quarters in Slytherin, just looked ahead, ignoring her existence as he passed by her.
Minerva looked at him, but Snape didn't bother to look sideways or speak to her, leaving the transfiguration teacher speechless because no one had ever acted like this with her, and she could only watch Snape's back as he left.
Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the stairs and before they closed, Minerva began to climb them. In the headmaster's office, she found an unusual silence from the portraits, something quite uncommon because they are always gossiping about something, and in the middle was Albus, slumped with his chin on his fist, thoughtful but with a still somber look after everything he heard.
"ALBUS! What happened, the castle shook with your fury!" She asked worriedly, already guessing it had to do with Snape.
"I lost control..." He simply said, trying to sound calm.
"You lost control? You made hundreds of students panic..." She said, still alarmed.
Albus sighed. "I'll go calm everyone down, telling them everything is alright," Albus said in the end.
"But what happened? It was Snape, wasn't it? What did Snape say to make you act like this?" She insisted.
"Yes, we made a deal, he wanted to leave school, but I need to keep him close," Dumbledore spoke enigmatically.
"What do you mean by that, Albus?" She asked with a bit of fear, seeing Albus like this.
"Snape... I think someone has replaced his body," he said, starting to leave, leaving the professor even more alarmed.
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