Soul

A stifling silence spread between them. Outside the window, the trees in the enchanted scenery swayed violently in the wind, and the moonlight falling over them flickered without cease.

Snape raised his eyes and stared at the girl leisurely drinking a milky beverage with her head lowered. His voice was low, carrying a faint sneer. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Of course I do. I'm explaining why I used Legilimency on the adorable Mr. Harry Potter. To be honest, I've studied snake language for many years and can understand some of it. Tonight, I followed a snake there and ran into Mr. Potter, who seemed to understand snake language."

Snape cast her a doubtful look.

"It would be very simple to verify whether I'm lying." Cyberlina set her teacup on the table and looked up into Snape's eyes. "Use Legilimency on me, Professor."

Snape paused and avoided Cyberlina's direct gaze.

He did not need to deliberately use Legilimency. He was familiar with the spell and had mastered it well; he could intuitively sense whether the person opposite him was lying—just like Dumbledore.

So, from the moment Cyberlina spoke, he had known she was not lying. He had only questioned her because he was too shocked.

"It seems I underestimated you, Professor. My apologies." Cyberlina immediately understood what Snape meant and gave him an apologetic glance. Then she fell into thought. "I'm quite certain that, among Slytherin's recorded descendants, only the Gaunt Family remains in Britain. And Albus said that Voldemort is the only one left of the Gaunt Family, while Harry is a Parselmouth..."

The girl's voice was gentle, but to Snape's ears, it was like a thunderclap.

What did she mean? What was she saying...? Did she know—what she was saying?!

"Clink—"

Snape rose slightly, both hands slamming down onto the little round table. The vibrations overturned the teacup in front of him, spilling its contents across the table.

"What are you—suspecting?" Snape gritted out, barely suppressing the surging fury in his eyes as he looked at Cyberlina.

Cyberlina's eyes widened in bafflement, her face full of shock. Her enlarged golden-brown eyes were filled with confusion and innocence—as innocent as her apparent age.

"I, I suspect... Merlin! Why are you getting worked up?" Cyberlina frowned lightly. After a brief pause, she raised her wand and cast Scourgify on the table before the spilled drink could run onto her robes. "Calm down, child. Don't get agitated. Do you remember what I said at the banquet about that thing in Mr. Potter's forehead?"

Snape froze. Under Cyberlina's helpless gaze, he slowly looked away, awkwardly and slowly withdrawing his arms before sitting upright again.

"I remember." Snape rather deliberately turned to look out at the enchanted scenery beyond the window. "You said there was no hurry to deal with it."

"Theoretically, that's correct."

"Theoretically?"

"Yes." Cyberlina nodded. "I didn't sense any danger from that thing. I could sense a trace of life force hidden within it, but it hasn't awakened yet. At present, all I can tell is that it's the remnant of dark magic—which should be the same as what you noticed."

Snape gave a vague "Mm." In truth, he had not sensed anything in that scar at all, and he knew perfectly well that Dumbledore had most likely lied when he agreed with Cyberlina that day.

Cyberlina did not notice his guilty conscience and continued with her speculation. "The thing in Mr. Potter's forehead must be closely connected to Voldemort himself. Otherwise, he couldn't have been affected to the point of understanding snake language."

Snape did not doubt that. But as he habitually ran through Cyberlina's words to confirm her deduction, he suddenly noticed something he had overlooked earlier—

"Wait. If I heard correctly, you said you were following a snake tonight, at Hogwarts?"

"Or perhaps... a magical creature that speaks snake language?" Cyberlina tapped the tabletop, and two cups of the special milky beverage reappeared. "Professor Snape, as the Head of Slytherin House, you should have heard of the Chamber of Secrets left behind by Salazar Slytherin, shouldn't you?"

"Of course."

"That creature should be the one Slytherin imprisoned in the Chamber of Secrets."

Snape immediately understood what Cyberlina meant and was so shocked that he did not know what to say for a moment. Yet seeing how calm Cyberlina looked, he began to wonder whether they were even talking about the same Chamber of Secrets.

"Does Dumbledore know about this?"

"Of course he does—" Before she could finish, Cyberlina heard the man opposite her let out a cold snort. She paused, then raised her brows mischievously. "Oops, did I say too much?"

"There is no such thing as saying too much. He has never trusted anyone." Snape gave a cold laugh and looked at Cyberlina with a faintly malicious smile, clearly implying something.

"But he had you receive me." Cyberlina looked out the window, narrowing her eyes slightly and tilting her head up as though she could feel the nonexistent wind. "Albus trusts you completely, Mr. Snape. He simply thinks too much."

Cyberlina wore a kindness that did not belong to someone of her apparent age. And when Snape considered whom that kindness was directed toward... a chill ran down his spine.

As his gaze unconsciously shifted, it swept over the freshly served drink on the table. Remembering the other two cups he had destroyed for no reason, as though possessed by a troll, Snape stiffly picked up his teacup.

What entered his mouth was not the sickeningly cloying sweet milk he had imagined, but a slightly bitter flavor carrying notes of fruit and medicinal herbs.

Unexpectedly, it seemed quite suited to Snape's tastes.

"Is it good?"

After draining the cup and setting it down, he found Cyberlina looking at him with affectionate eyes. Snape paused, awkwardly lowered the cup, and asked, "What did you put in it?"

"Some Eastern herbs." Cyberlina moved her wrist, and several sheets of parchment appeared in her hand. Smiling, she handed them to Snape.

Snape accepted the parchment and discovered several recipes for brewed tea and milk, along with notes on quite a few Eastern herbs—some of which were unfamiliar to him.

Snape pressed his lips together. He suddenly realized this was another "bribe." He began to wonder when he had stepped onto the path Cyberlina had laid out for him. Had it begun when she served him this tea, when she brought him into the Room of Requirement, or when he discovered her with Harry...?

He suddenly felt irritated and angry—angry at being manipulated, and even more so because he had failed to realize he was being manipulated—again.

"You truly are impressive, worthy of being the great and mysterious Madam Sekerei." Snape spoke with biting sarcasm, raising his eyes to Cyberlina. There was a cold, gloomy severity in his gaze that did not belong to a professor, chilling to the bone.

Yet faced with that look and those barbed words, Cyberlina continued to smile kindly and affectionately. As if coaxing a junior, she said, "Would you like to study these herbs, child?"

"...Of course." Snape gritted his teeth.

After Cyberlina lit the candles in several rooms where herbs and magical plants were cultivated, Snape immediately began plundering them like a locust swarm, mercilessly riding the momentum of his anger. Cyberlina could only watch in amazement.

"Not letting me take them? Could it be that the great Madam Sekerei is deceiving me, a poor junior who is always kept in the dark?"

"...No."

In the end, Snape prepared to leave the Room of Requirement with a huge bag full of spoils, thoroughly satisfied. Before pushing open the door, he noticed a circular stand of unknown purpose to its left. Beneath it was a plaque engraved with—Sabrina with Ominis.

Leaving the Room of Requirement, Snape glanced thoughtfully back at the blank wall behind him. As a professor, he naturally knew of the Room of Requirement's existence, but he had never paid much attention to its location or how to enter it, nor had he considered what use it actually had. But seeing that Cyberlina's room could grow plants, hold workbenches, and control the environment... Snape found himself somewhat disdainful of his own little office.

But he still had to return to that little office. After all, he had gained quite a lot today. Yet after spending some time sorting everything out, Snape's excitement had completely worn off. Staring at the fresh herbs in their jars, he fell into thought—what exactly was Sekerei trying to do?

Though he had fallen into two traps that could practically be called open schemes, he had suffered no tangible losses. On the contrary, he had come away with plenty—the pitiful feelings Dumbledore held over him, which were bound to be exposed sooner or later, did not count. A Slytherin would not make such an unequal deal, so Snape once again carefully considered his interactions and conversations with Cyberlina today and over the past few days at school.

As Snape pondered, Fawkes the phoenix appeared before him. Something seemed to click in his mind, and his thoughts instantly cleared.

"So... you mean Cyber may be trying to drive a wedge between us?" Dumbledore had not yet recovered from his surprise at how quickly Snape had arrived in his office when he heard this startling speculation.

"Perhaps she doesn't know there is no need to drive a wedge between us." Snape kept a stiff, expressionless face, inwardly ashamed that he had followed Fawkes here without thinking things through.

"That is rather hurtful, Severus."

Dumbledore gave him a reproachful look. Snape noticed that his complexion was extremely poor and could not help speaking up.

"If you summon me again at this hour, I think Hogwarts will soon have a new headmaster."

"Thank you for your concern, my child." Dumbledore smiled.

"Don't call me that—" Snape frowned in disgust. He suddenly realized that Cyberlina seemed to have addressed him that way not long ago as well, and her repulsive tone had been remarkably similar to that of the Old Bee before him. "Should I say you truly are master and apprentice? Even your disgusting turns of phrase are the same."

Dumbledore paused, then changed the subject. "I called you here because I have confirmed something. I needed to tell you first, so you could prepare yourself."

Snape asked with sudden insight, "About the Chamber of Secrets having been opened?"

Dumbledore shot Snape a surprised look. Snape gave a cold snort. "That is why I said she is trying to drive a wedge between us."

At that, Dumbledore gave Snape a kindly smile. "Then I am very glad that you can trust me and tell me all this honestly."

Snape pressed his lips together and turned his head away.

"Then Cyber must have said more than just that the Chamber of Secrets was opened."

"Yes. She also implied that I was the one who opened it—the Dark Lord, the only descendant of Slytherin." It would have been impossible to say Snape felt no ripples in his heart, but Voldemort had already appeared at Hogwarts last year. If he had hidden himself here again this year... Snape was not all that shocked.

Dumbledore nodded silently. "So be extra careful. Protect the children."

"Of course I understand."

Snape also told Dumbledore that Potter was a Parselmouth, then hurriedly left the headmaster's office as though he did not want to remain for even another second. Watching his retreating back, Dumbledore felt that the "Old Bat" the students spoke of truly lived up to his name.

Snape said Cyberlina was trying to drive a wedge between the two of them, but Dumbledore did not think so.

Because Slytherins valued promises, and Cyberlina herself did so even more.

Since Cyber had said she would not obstruct him, she could not possibly split away from him someone she had practically presented to her with "capable subordinate" written across him.

Moreover, she had even had Snape bring him information—Voldemort was at Hogwarts, and Potter was a Parselmouth.

As the person watching Miss Weasley tonight, Dumbledore knew better than anyone who had opened the Chamber of Secrets. But Cyberlina seemed certain that Voldemort had opened it, and she was even more concerned about Potter being a Parselmouth—

No, why had she passed the information through Snape?

Wait...

—Tom had opened the Chamber of Secrets, but what he saw was Miss Weasley opening it.

—Tom was a Parselmouth, and so was Harry, who bore the traces of dark magic he had left behind.

—There was dormant life force within Harry's scar.

—Tom wanted to attain immortality.

—Cyberlina had not come to tell him about this herself...

Dumbledore abruptly rose to his feet, the pounding of his heart filling his ears.

The documents he had personally destroyed sixty-two years ago surfaced vividly in his mind once more. They concerned the most forbidden and dangerous field of dark magic research—

The soul.

Cyberlina, feeling somewhat guilty, was standing before the Room of Requirement's floor-to-ceiling window. With both hands hooked around her wand behind her back, she stared straight out at the magical landscape shrouded in night. Bluish, unnatural moonlight streamed through the window and fell across her face.

"Omi, once Albus learns what is inside that young Mr. Savior's head, he'll be so furious his beard will stand on end.

I'd better not go poking that hornet's nest. He may not be that old, but once he starts nagging, he never stops."

She murmured to herself.

"But... do you think Voldemort might have referred to something I left behind when he researched these things? Oh dear, I cannot let Albus find out that I hid my experimental notes at Hogwarts."

She laughed softly, lowering her head to stroke the wand's handle. Beneath her lowered lids, her light golden-brown eyes held suppressed pain and frenzied love. Yet the widening smile on her lips grew ever more bitter, making her expression seem both strange and mad.

"Omi... why was I the only one who came back..."