Dumbledore: Another Sleepless Night

The interplay of light and shadow in the Great Hall.

Amidst a hushed murmur, Professor Flitwick was explaining the key points of the duel to the young wizards.

"Rhythm! To you, this seems like a very abstract concept. In this exercise, Professor Snape perfectly demonstrated the importance of rhythm!"

"Professor Black initiated the initial offensive. But Professor Snape held firm, guiding the duel in the direction he envisioned, leading to a stalemate, which forced Professor Black into a standoff..."

"Unless it involves life and death, I don't recommend that you emulate Professor Black's final struggle. In my opinion, it's very impulsive and unwise..."

Loren listened in the crowd, then turned his head and noticed Snape quietly leaving through the side door.

Walking briskly, her clothes fluttering in the wind.

Snape strode into the Headmaster's office, his face grim, his anger rekindled.

"He doesn't deserve it! He doesn't deserve it at all! He's not fit to be a professor!"

Dumbledore wore a loose, off-white robe, which appeared the same color as his beard under the slightly yellowish light. A cup of Hot Cocoa sat on the table, its rising white steam indicating its temperature.

He looked up from behind the desk. "Hmm, Severus, you didn't say your name, but I guess you meant Professor Black."

"Don't mention his name!" Snape growled.

Dumbledore sighed softly, handed his cup of Hot Cocoa to Snape, and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

"Try it, it might help you regain some of your sanity."

"I don't need it!"

Snape looked up and met those deep blue eyes, as dark as Black Lake.

After a moment of silence, Snape picked up his Hot Cocoa and took a sip.

It tastes awful, extremely awful; it's sickeningly sweet and sticky.

The texture is thick and silky, sliding down the throat into the stomach, slightly warm, making the chest feel warm.

Dumbledore smiled and said gently, "Would you like to tell me about what just happened?"

Snape hesitated for a moment, then said, "A duel, tonight's duel..."

"I should cut him in half, in front of everyone! To see if Animagus would turn back into his original form after being cut in two," Snape said through gritted teeth.

On the shelf in the Headmaster's office, a rustling sound suddenly came from a glass bottle, and the Beetle inside trembled uneasily.

"Calm down, calm down! You've frightened our little guest." Dumbledore waved his wand, and the Beetle in the glass bottle fell into a deep sleep, motionless.

Snape chuckled.

"You should hate him. Years ago, he was the one who told you that you could get into that house by poking the knots in the tree trunk with a long stick. If he hadn't said that, you wouldn't have been saved by Harry's father. Maybe none of this would have happened."

"Of course I should hate him! Not just him, but that despicable Werewolf, that arrogant, unruly, attention-seeking, and rude James Potter! Do you think they're any good people?"

Dumbledore acted as if he hadn't heard, picked up his hot tea and took a small sip. "You didn't go through with it in the end, did you? Severus, you know what that means."

What does it mean?

Dumbledore smiled but did not answer, "I knew it from the moment you found me and promised to protect Harry."

"Don't mention it! You swore an oath, Dumbledore! Only you and I know!" A painful fog clouded over Snape's eyes. Too much had happened tonight, and those distant memories were surging restlessly.

Dumbledore paused, then continued, "When you asked me to promise never to reveal my best side, it made me even more certain—"

"Love has changed you, Severus."

"Love?" Snape raised an eyebrow and scoffed sarcastically. "A ridiculous word, Dumbledore. You're still clinging to your so-called power of love."

Dumbledore smiled and said, "Severus, ever since you gave the Sectumsempra to Loren and told him it was a spell for processing herbs, can you still use it to cut the flesh of living people without any scruples?"

"Not long ago, I used it to cut a forty-foot Basilisk into pieces," Snape said dismissively.

"And today, why didn't you cut open Black's body?" Dumbledore's tone was very relaxed; he seemed pleased to see the changes in Snape.

Snape's tone remained firm. "The blade of the Sectumsempra is too sharp. I just don't want to kill him outright, as that would soil the Great Hall."

"Kill him..." Dumbledore murmured, "And your soul will be torn to Sectumsempra."

Snape's expression shifted, and his anger subsided for a moment.

"Sirius Black... I think he was deeply influenced by the Dementor. The long time he spent in prison affected his emotional development, making him prone to rash actions, which also stemmed from his passionate and impulsive nature..."

Upon hearing Dumbledore string of words, Snape could no longer suppress the deepest memories in his mind, which surfaced layer by layer.

Like a corpse submerged in the deep sea gradually rising to the surface, the sound of rumbling, indistinct water fills the ears, then suddenly becomes clear as it surfaces.

"Is this for real? No joke? Petunia said you're lying to me. Petunia said there's no such thing as Hogwarts. Is this for real?"

"Was the letter really delivered by an owl?"

"Severus, tell me more about the Dementor."

This is Lily at the beginning, before she had any contact with Hogwarts.

"We're best friends, Sev, but I don't like the guys you hang out with. What do you see in them, Sev?"

"That's Dark Arts, if you think it's fun..."

These were the happiest years of their lives after entering Hogwarts.

"Let him go!"

"But you're nothing but an arrogant, rude bully, a scoundrel, Potter. Let him go."

This is Lily, who is protecting him; she is the only reason he keeps those painful and humiliating memories.

Until he angrily yelled that unforgivable word at her, "Mudblood."

"I'll never worry about this again... Snivellus."

"No need to apologize, I'm not interested, don't waste your breath."

"You didn't mean to call me Mudblood? But you call people of my kind Mudblood, Severus. How am I any different?"

Snape downed the cloyingly sweet Hot Cocoa in one gulp. As the temperature dropped, the liquid in the cup became even thicker, and the sweetness made Snape's throat itch.

"I have no intention of exonerating him. If you wish, you can talk to Sirius Black. Of course, you can also teach him a lesson in the next duel."

"This is your choice, Severus."

"Also, if Harry asks you to teach him Occlumency, I'd like to ask for your help," Dumbledore concluded.