Empress Vivi, Savior Tom Riddle

Contrary to James's expectations, Snape did not pull out his wand at James's words as he had done before.

After all, having practiced Occlumency for so many years, if he couldn't control his emotions, he would have been caught by Voldemort long ago and chopped into mincemeat.

In addition, he was getting older and had become more mature. Faced with James's provocation, he simply turned down the corners of his mouth and let out a disdainful sneer.

"Grow up, Potter." Snape sat down next to Dumbledore. "I have no interest in reminiscing about childish games with you."

"Alright, James," Lily said, offering James a way out. "Let's hear what Dumbledore to say first."

After being left speechless by Snape, James couldn't say anything more and obediently listened to his wife's opinion.

After all, if he continues to nitpick at the Snivellus guy, he'll become what Uncle Benshan calls "stubborn to the point of being blocked at both ends."

He sat back down in his chair, intending to wait and see what Dumbledore was going to say.

"Actually, Snape wasn't wrong," Sirius sighed. "If I had actually gone to find Dumbledore and told him the whole truth, I certainly wouldn't have spent so long in Azkaban —but at that time, all I could think about was atoning for my mistakes. It was I who suggested that you change the Secret Keeper to Pettigrew, and I should have borne the consequences..."

"This isn't your fault, brother," James said vehemently. "The fault lies with the traitor who betrayed us, and the one who sold the information to Voldemort..."

"No, James!"

Sirius shook his head with a complicated expression. He looked up, glanced at Snape, and said again, "I know you have a problem with Snivellus, but I still have to say—admittedly, it was Snivellus who sold this information to Voldemort, but he also made amends afterward... Also, I need to point out, James, my brother—if you had listened to Dumbledore's advice and chosen him as your Secret Keeper, you and Lily would never have been killed by Voldemort. After all, no one could have gotten your exact location out of Dumbledore."

As the saying goes, lies don't hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife. Even his best friend said so, and for the first time ever, James began to doubt himself.

Am I really an arrogant, conceited, and incorrigible person?

Lily reached out and gently took James.

"Darling," she said softly, yet with strength, "I believe in your choice."

Snape's eyelid twitched almost imperceptibly.

"However, I still suggest you should know the whole story." Dumbledore stood up and said to them, "There are some things I intended to keep to myself, but considering the current situation and the misunderstandings between you, I have decided to invite you to see my memories."

"Your memories?" James frowned and looked up.

Lily also looked up, her gentle gaze sweeping over Snape, lingering on him for a moment, before finally settling on Dumbledore.

"Mr. LeMay," Dumbledore said, turning around, "Do you have the Pensieve here?"

"Oh~" Mr. LeMay looked on with amusement. "The Pensieve? That's so outdated—please allow me to recommend my new product, well, this mobile phone."

He reached out, picked up the Crystal Ball from the table, and handed it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore took the Crystal Ball, looked at Mr. LeMay suspiciously, and asked hesitantly, "So—how do you use this?"

Before Mr. LeMay could speak, Snape's face darkened.

It should be said that ever since he walked into the room and saw James, his face had never "shown up".

"Dumbledore," Snape said coldly, "You swore an oath to me."

"Oaths are meant to be broken, Severus," Dumbledore said casually. "Besides, I don't want you to continue being misunderstood..."

Snape chuckled, stood up, and said expressionlessly, "If you insist—but I have other things to attend to..."

He flicked his black robe and turned to walk outside.

"Stay."

Lily suddenly spoke, addressing Snape's retreating figure.

As intelligent as she was, she naturally had some guesses about what Snape had done over the years.

Snape stopped in his tracks, hesitating for a moment.

"Stay here, Severus." Lupin stood up, walked over to Snape, and led him back to his seat.

Snape neither refused nor accepted, and simply followed Lupin back to his seat.

To be fair, Snape didn't actually want anyone to know those things.

The problem is that ever since he hurt Lily because of the "Mudblood incident," the two have become like strangers and have had no contact with each other since.

Deep down, Snape desperately wanted to reconcile with Lily, even if things couldn't go back to the way they were before, at least not to be like strangers...

So he only verbally stopped Dumbledore and didn't take any real action.

He sat back down in his chair, glanced at Lily, then quickly looked away as if burned, his gaze landing on James beside him.

However, at that moment, James was also looking at him.

The two men were like Flaubert sitting opposite the Alps, mutually disgusted by each other, and in unison snorted coldly with nasal tones before turning their gazes away.

"Use your wand," Mr. LeMay said to Dumbledore. "Use your wand to extract your memories and place them in this Crystal Ball. It will take you into those memories..."

Dumbledore did as he was told, using his wand to pick out the silvery-white threads of memory and place them into the Crystal Ball.

Suddenly, a cloud of silvery-white smoke rose from the Crystal Ball, and then the whole room began to spin.

After the spinning sensation subsided, they found themselves standing in Dumbledore's office.

It is Dumbledore's memory.

Something was making a terrible sound, like some kind of injured animal.

Snape slumped into his chair, leaning forward, while Dumbledore stood before him, his expression stern.

After a moment, Snape raised his face, and no one knew what he had been through; it was as if he had endured a hundred years of suffering.

"You promised me, Dumbledore... you promised... that she would live safely..."

"She and James trusted the wrong people," Dumbledore, standing by the bed, gazing at the moon outside the window, "Just like you, Severus, didn't you also hope Voldemort would spare her life?"

Snape's breathing was weak and feeble, and his face was contorted with pain, as if he were recalling painful memories.

Just then, Dumbledore suddenly said, "Her son survived."

Upon hearing this, Snape shook his head violently, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

"Her son is still alive, and his eyes are exactly the same as his mother's—I think you surely remember Lily Evans ' eyes, their shape and color, right?"

"No!" Snape roared, "Gone... dead..."

"Is this regret, Severus?" Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, his tone somewhat contemptuous.

Snape clutched at his chest in anguish, "I wish... I wish it was me who died..."

"What good is that to others?" Dumbledore said coldly. "If you Lily Evans, if you truly love her, then the path before you is clear."

James's expression suddenly turned as if he had swallowed a fly. Of course, he knew Snape's twisted feelings for his wife, but being hit so hard right in the face was never a pleasant experience.

It wouldn't be a problem if it were anyone else, but the problem is that it's Snivellus...

He took a deep breath and continued looking at Snape.

Snape seemed to be shrouded in a painful fog, and Dumbledore's words seemed to reach his ears only after a long time.

"What—what did you say?"

"You know how she died, why she died... Don't let her sacrifice be in vain. Help me, protect Lily's son."

"He no longer needs protection! The Dark Lord is gone—"

"The Dark Lord will return, and then Harry Potter will face terrible danger."

After a long silence, Snape slowly regained his composure and was able to breathe freely again. Finally, he said, "Very good... very good, but please—please don't tell anyone, Dumbledore! Only you and I should know! You swear! I can't bear it... especially Potter's son... I want you to swear!"

"You want me to swear, Severus, never to reveal your best side?" Dumbledore looked down at Snape's agitated yet pained face, and sighed, "If you insist... but I must remind you, that boy may never understand what you've done until he dies..."

The office disappeared, and the screen rotated again.

Harry's expression was somewhat complicated. He hadn't expected that the reason Snape always treated him well for a short while before turning bad was because he had actively asked to be a bad person.

Only by playing the role of a bad guy can one avoid suspicion and better serve as a qualified double agent.

But Harry didn't consider the other side of the story—perhaps Snape's dislike for him wasn't fake, and his affection for him at times wasn't fake either.

He was liked because he had his mother's talents and eyes—while the dislike was simple: he looked just like James.

It's fair to say that a significant portion of it was a natural performance.

Lupin and Sirius's gazes toward Snape also changed somewhat, especially Sirius, who even showed a rare hint of admiration in his eyes.

If that's the case, then this old Snivellus isn't completely rotten yet.

That's the whole story.

Dumbledore severed his memory, painstakingly piecing together a somewhat positive image of Snape, not wanting it to be ruined by James cricketing in his office the next moment.

"In fact, Snape did indeed do it," he said again. "In the first year, Voldemort's remnant spirit possessed Quirinus Quirrell, attempting to steal the Philosopher's Stone... Severus and I were also secretly protecting Harry."

James wasn't one to hold grudges; he temporarily set aside any past disagreements.

"I admit it, old snot... Severus."

For the first time ever, James called Snape by his name affectionately. Of course, he couldn't admit that it was because "Snivellus" was an adaptation of "Severus," and that he could change his address so subtly.

"Thank you for protecting Harry."

Snape's lips curled down slightly. Although James didn't say anything nice, and it even sounded a bit forced, it was still quite remarkable for this arrogant bastard.

It's worth noting that even when Professor McGonagall held James down, she didn't make James or Snape say a single soft word.

Harry stood up and said to Professor Snape, "Thank you, Professor..."

Since his parents had already let it go, he naturally had nothing to say.

"Thank you," Lily said gently. "Severus, thank you for all you've done for Harry over the years."

Snape suddenly straightened his face and turned his head to the side.

After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"It's what I should do."

"Since that's the case..."

Dumbledore stood up, quite pleased with the result. "How about we have a meal together, at the Great Hall of Hogwarts?"

"Good suggestion." Sirius added, trying to lighten the mood. "It's been so long since we ate together, Prongs... Lily, I always missed your cooking when I was in Azkaban..."

"Okay." Lily's eyes were gentle. "Just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."

However, as soon as they stood up, they saw Lady. Perenelle running over from outside with a frown on her face.

Seeing them stand up, she raised her hand to stop them. "I suggest you don't leave this room yet..."

"Why?" Sirius asked, puzzled. "Mrs. LeMay, has something happened?"

Perenelle raised his other hand, which was holding a stack of newspapers.

"Take a look at this," she said worriedly. "Because you summoned the Potters with the gems, the timeline has been slightly altered... This Alchemy Room can shield you from the effects of this timeline shift, but if you go outside, who knows what might happen."

Is it that serious?

The group exchanged glances, Harry quickly stepped forward and took the newspaper from Perenelle's hands.

It's the Daily Prophet.

He quickly glanced at the newspaper, and Veratia stepped forward, crouching behind him, intending to see what was written in the paper.

However, the front page of the newspaper stunned Harry.

Can the valiant resister Tom Riddle become the Savior of Britain, saving Britain from Queen Grindelwald's tyrannical rule?

The lead scribe was still Rita Skeeter, and the article included a photograph of a handsome middle-aged man giving a passionate speech to a group of wizards.

It's Tom Riddle... uh, Voldemort.

No, where did you get this from?

Is this still Britain?

(Requesting monthly votes)

(End of this chapter)