His expression was a rare mix of anger and… concern.
"You have no idea how sensitive Dumbledore is to dark magic. If you want to stay at Hogwarts— if you want to avoid Azkaban— you may very well need me to plead on your behalf."
It was clear now. Snape's fury wasn't just about the act of killing— it was the use of Fiendfyre. Ian had crossed a line Dumbledore would never ignore.
"Didn't you already handle it?" Ian nodded toward the silenced portrait.
"That will fool the other professors, but not Dumbledore. He always knows what he shouldn't." Snape's voice dropped. "That's the man who runs this school."
"The most powerful wizard of the 20th century! If you knew anything about his past, you'd understand that Dumbledore's strength and reputation are more than just stories."
"Prince isn't the Boy-Who-Lived— he's the victor."
Under normal circumstances, Snape would never utter such words. But recent events had unsettled him. He could no longer predict Dumbledore's thoughts, and so, for once, he chose to speak plainly to his reckless yet undeniably gifted pupil.
"Hmm."
Ian recognized Snape's seriousness but felt no regret. What was he supposed to do? Stand by while Carrow burned down the school?
Dumbledore had not intervened while the professors were battling the Ashwinders. He likely wasn't even in the castle. This was the most vulnerable Hogwarts had been in years.
Perhaps there were protections in place. Perhaps it wasn't as dire as it seemed. But that wasn't a gamble Ian was willing to take. If he had bet wrong, Hogwarts would have lost more than a few walls.
Ian had made a silent promise to the castle when he had taken its gold and its forgotten Diadem from the Room of Requirement.
If not for that, he wouldn't have followed Carrow up the stairs simply because Snape told him to.
Of course, Ian had already considered the consequences of using Fiendfyre.
"I might need to ask a friend to write a letter on my behalf."
If Snape's warnings weren't exaggerated— if Dumbledore truly knew everything— then keeping secrets were no longer an option.
This was something Ian had never predicted. Before helping a friend inquire about things, how could he have anticipated it would lead to the school headmaster?
Ariana seemed so delicate… how could she have such a fierce elder brother! When he received news from Penelope, Ian had been unsettled for quite a while. Penelope had clearly revealed her connection with Dumbledore, and that line about Dumbledore hoping he would tell her was undoubtedly an interesting remark.
Even if Penelope didn't know what secrets lay within, she had subtly conveyed Dumbledore's emotions to Ian.
"If you're counting on little Grindelwald to plead for you, you'd better dismiss that ridiculous thought. Little Grindelwald is probably struggling to save herself right now."
Snape recalled Dumbledore's previous gaze.
He still felt a chill down his spine.
"What happened to Aurora? I haven't seen her today." Ian frowned and asked.
"What could happen to her? It depends on what she did." Snape clearly didn't want to elaborate, maintaining a stern expression as he looked at Ian with disappointment.
"She's being temporarily protected by some people. You should worry more about yourself!"
The cold-hearted Potions Master muttered under his breath.
"I actually have more than one friend besides Aurora."
Ian felt Snape misunderstood him.
Was he really that kind of solitary person?
"Besides relying on me, if you can get Godric Gryffindor to crawl out of the grave to speak for you, it might be somewhat useful. Now, come with me back to the Great Hall and pretend nothing happened."
"I'll go find Dumbledore. This matter must not be discussed after he finds out. Before I give you a response, you'd better behave and not cause any more trouble."
Snape gripped his wand and quickly walked ahead. The Ashwinders were no longer acting strangely, but they were still not completely harmless.
After all, all magical creatures have a sense of territory. If one approached the Ashwinders' nesting area, the Ashwinders that had laid eggs would still be highly aggressive.
"Is Godric Gryffindor buried near Hogwarts?" Ian followed closely behind Snape. He didn't know Godric Gryffindor, but he had a piece of clothing that Ravenclaw had touched.
He wondered if it could fetch a high price. Ah, he regretted not seizing the opportunity earlier. If only he could get Rowena Ravenclaw to sign it! He could then add some words before the signature and present it in Ravenclaw's common room...
"I told you to behave! Do you not understand human language?" Snape slapped the back of Ian's neck, his thoughts drifting to the events in Hogsmeade village.
'The Inferius Curse.'
Now there was Fiendfyre... compared to this troublesome magic, learning the Inferius Curse seemed almost innocent; at least controlling the dead was merely a moral issue.
Fiendfyre was different.
Snape hoped Dumbledore would consider his years of loyalty and not react with any "old friend" triggers... The Prince family hadn't produced any good people in generations, but they also hadn't produced any dark magic geniuses. How had Ian emerged as such a little troublemaker?
Perplexed, Snape urged Ian to return to the Great Hall.
Thanks to Snape destroying the mysterious ruby, the crisis in the Great Hall was averted, but the professors still needed to lead the older students to assist Professor McGonagall in clearing the source of the problem.
It took more than one fierce magical flame to give rise to such a large number of Ashwinders; any corner of Hogwarts could be a breeding ground for them.
"Follow them back and go to sleep."
Snape led Ian through a side door into the Great Hall, where the not-so-powerful Madam Pomfrey was organizing students to return to their respective houses alongside Madam Hooch and other staff members. The first area to be cleared was the common room, as the young wizards needed a night that might not be very restful.
Of course, compared to the anxious and tense young wizards from the other three houses, the students from Gryffindor were mostly excited.
"I have to write to my dad! Tonight was so thrilling; he'll definitely be envious of my experience."
"Did you see? I just saved Professor Flitwick! The snake was still over ten meters away from him, but I bet Professor Flitwick didn't even see it."
"Dumbledore should give us three days off so I can take some friends to the Forbidden Forest for another adventure... uh, I mean, so we can calm our terrified hearts."
Although Ian found Gryffindor's chatter annoying, he couldn't deny their fighting spirit; they provided the most help to the professors.
"Aren't you going to comfort the Slytherin kids?" Ian watched Snape turn to leave and glanced at the one or two first-year Slytherin wizards crying in a corner.
"This is a lesson for those snot-nosed brats. Those flowers of the greenhouse can't uphold the glory of their house." Snape flicked his cloak and disappeared around the corner.
"Doesn't Slytherin have mixed-blood wizards too?" Ian noticed Ravenclaw's Prefect starting to organize people to return to the common room and immediately joined the throng.
Tonight's encounter might have been a crisis, but after the storm passed, everyone was reflecting. Some older wizards were discussing their shortcomings in performance as they walked.
Meanwhile, the young wizards were more concerned about the belongings they had left in their dormitories.
"I'm definitely smarter."
Ian shook his bulging robes; all his valuables were on him, and the borrowed books were wrapped in oil paper and stuffed into the water tank in the washroom.
(To Be Continued…)
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