Bloodletting

"Quick, James!"

When Pomona led the temporarily blinded Snape near Hagrid's hut, she heard voices coming from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

By moonlight, she saw two figures. One was Sirius Black. The Blacks had jet-black hair and skin as pale as vampires'; moonlight fell upon his face, giving it a pearly glow, like one of the castle's ghosts. From time to time, he looked back at the other figure, whose back was turned to her. Even without seeing his face, she knew it was James Potter.

"Stupid Gryffindors." Snape suddenly seemed energized. With his eyes closed, he straightened his back, a mocking smile curling his lips. He no longer seemed as frightened as before.

What was going on?

Pomona did not understand what was happening before her.

"You said there are werewolves in the forest?"

"There are plenty of Jameses in the world. How do you know he's a Gryffindor?"

"I'll remember that voice forever. Wasn't he the one who raised his hand at the docks and asked those two unforgettable questions?"

First, whether someone had died at Hogwarts. Second, whether he could drop out if he was sorted into Slytherin. Merlin's beard, why was James Potter so good at causing trouble?

"They actually dared to sneak into the Forbidden Forest at night. I'm going to tell a teacher. Tomorrow, they can finally get their wish and go home."

"How are you going to explain how you discovered they were sneaking into the Forbidden Forest at night?" Pomona reminded him. Snape swallowed as though he had been choked.

"Why are there only two of them? Where are his roommates?" Pomona looked around, but she did not spot Lupin or Pete Pettigrew.

"You can have many friends, but perhaps only one or two are truly close." Snape's face was full of disgust. "Especially the sort who all love showing off."

"How many classes have you had with Gryffindor?"

"What are you asking that for?"

"I'm just curious," Pomona said. Some people said that the longer people spent together and the better they understood one another, the more harmonious their relationship became. She wanted to see whether that was true.

"Do you still want to work with me?" Snape tried opening his eyes, apparently wanting to see if his vision had returned so that he would no longer need to rely on her.

Just then, the door to Hagrid's hut opened. The half-giant came out carrying a large bucket of hot water and poured it outside the door. Then he noticed the two young wizards.

"Hello, Professor Martin. What brings you here so late?" Then he spotted Snape behind her. The moment he saw the House badge on Snape's robes, his expression immediately turned disgusted.

"Hagrid, I just saw two students enter the Forbidden Forest." Pomona immediately pointed in the direction James Potter and Sirius had disappeared. "I heard there may be werewolves in the forest. You should go find them."

"What about him?" Hagrid glared at Snape, his deep voice rumbling. His features had scrunched up, and together with his beard, he truly looked as savage as a giant.

"I'll take him back to the castle," Pomona said.

"Why were you at the edge of the Forbidden Forest after dark?" Hagrid bypassed Pomona and questioned Snape directly.

She had thought he would keep hiding behind her, but instead, he stepped to the side and moved half a step in front of her, sneering at Hagrid.

"I came here to follow and watch them. They broke school rules. You should go catch them, half-giant."

He spoke with firm conviction, as though every word he said was the truth.

Look at that—the power of words was so great. Being able to make tattling sound so righteous was a skill in itself. Though he too had broken school rules by wandering Hogwarts at night, he had done so to help a teacher. Gryffindors were always framed by Slytherins, but who could blame them for acting without considering the consequences?

"You're a snake," Hagrid said with utter disgust. Muggles often compared snakes to despicable informers and those who tempted others into evil.

"Thank you for the compliment." Snape beamed and touched the silver-white little snake on his House badge. "It is my glory."

The sharp pain at the back of her neck made her open her eyes. She left that woodland cottage filled with gentle lamplight and found herself in a silent, desolate room. The enlarged face of middle-aged Severus Snape, whose hair was still as greasy as ever, was right before her. Behind him stood a pot of Christmas cactus that was nearly withered.

"Sometimes, I'm truly grateful that I met him," Snape said softly. "He taught me many things, things you and Hogwarts could never teach."

What did you do to me?

She could feel intense pain spreading down her spine from her neck, but after it passed, she did not feel exhausted. Instead, she felt an indescribable discomfort—and still had enough strength to open her eyes and glare at him.

"Do you remember the Wolfsbane Potion I brewed for Lupin? After drinking it, he could retain his sanity even after transforming. He wouldn't run around biting people like a mad dog."

He smoothed her sleep-mussed hair, then shifted position and leaned against the headboard, placing Pomona's head against his chest.

"Dumbledore hoped I would make the formula public, or sell it to the Ministry of Magic, but I refused both. After he died, I handed it over to the Aurors. One of its ingredients is extremely precious, and this is how it is extracted." He abruptly stopped midway and took two ragged breaths, as though he were exhausted. In comparison, Pomona felt much better. "Fenrir Greyback is the leader of the werewolves. On the surface, he served the Dark Lord, but in reality, he was planning for his own kind. They bite young wizards to infect more people, separating those children from their parents so they can grow up among the wolves, accept that they are werewolves, hate normal wizards, and conquer humanity. He called himself a pure-blooded werewolf, and he truly possessed unusual abilities. He could retain his sanity after transforming, so the Dark Lord ordered me to study him. Later, I discovered that his blood had peculiar magical properties. His blood was the main active ingredient in the potion I gave Lupin. But it did not last long and vanished quickly. It also had to be extracted with special tools. The potion had to be completed and drunk as soon as possible after extraction. That day, after I handed him the brewed potion, I noticed someone wandering the corridor on my way back to the dungeons. Later, I discovered it was Harry Potter. I guessed Lupin had not gone far at the time. He heard the noise and came rushing over, helping that savior by returning the magical artifact James Potter had made for him." Harry's father's name seemed like excrement to him; merely saying it made him sick. Yet the utterly exhausted look on his face vanished at once.

There truly were natural enemies in this world. To defeat them, living creatures could awaken their vitality and unleash strength beyond even their own imagination.

"How do you feel?" he asked softly.

"Much better," she answered weakly. He smiled.

"Me too." He held her in his arms, let out a long breath, and sighed softly. "I feel much better."

"How did you get Fenrir's blood?" Lupin had arrived during Harry's third year. Had Snape already resumed contact with the Death Eaters by then?

"He's in Azkaban now, having his blood drawn by Aurors like a leech." He avoided the question. "They won't let him escape."

"Sirius escaped. How do you know he won't?"

"What would you like to eat later?" He changed the subject again.

"Honey cake and chocolate."

"All right, I know." The thing inserted into her neck was removed. The steady flow of strength entering her body disappeared, and she became overwhelmingly drowsy again, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

"See you tomorrow, Pomona," she heard him say before she slipped back into that dream.

"See you tomorrow, Severus," she murmured hazily, not knowing whether he could hear her clearly. Then, in her dream, she truly tasted honey cake and chocolate.