Snape had always believed himself to be sufficiently forbearing.
Yet at this moment, facing Peter Pettigrew, he realized just what kind of forbearance and terrifying destructive power a true mastermind possessed.
Even a Dark Lord like Voldemort, whose magic and intellect surpassed almost everyone else, had been calculated to his death by Peter Pettigrew...
"This earth-shattering plan proceeded exceptionally smoothly."
Peter Pettigrew finished recounting his past schemes with a sense of self-satisfied fulfillment, then slowly lowered his gaze to Snape. "The only person who might have caused a variable in this plan was you, Snape. You almost ruined my plan."
"..."
Snape lifted his head, a mix of doubt and unease in his expression.
This was the first time Snape had ever laid eyes on Peter Pettigrew's true face, so when on earth had he almost ruined Peter Pettigrew's plan?
If he truly had ruined it...
That could barely be considered a pleasant surprise.
"Lily."
Peter Pettigrew uttered a woman's name.
This name made the corners of Snape's eyes twitch violently and instantly plunged him into a rage. He glared furiously at Peter Pettigrew!
Because Lily was the person Snape loved most in this lifetime!
Yet Lily had become a sacrificial pawn in Peter's plan!
This bastard Peter had known that Lily had learned charms potent enough to harm Voldemort, and actually dared to use Lily as a piece to eliminate Voldemort!
"You've always loved Lily, haven't you?"
Peter Pettigrew pierced straight through Snape's thoughts in a single sentence, continuing calmly, "I suppose that after you defected to Voldemort, you must have pleaded for her in front of him..."
"..."
Snape's body couldn't help trembling slightly.
Peter Pettigrew lived up to his reputation as the culprit who had orchestrated that earth-shattering catastrophe of the past; even such a hidden secret had been guessed by him...
"You even know about this..."
Snape's trembling palms braced against the ground, and he involuntarily recalled that nightmarish evening, gripped by a grief-stricken agony that made him want to shed tears.
"Of course."
Peter Pettigrew couldn't help letting out a light chuckle, explaining indifferently, "Because I saw with my own eyes when Lily resisted Voldemort. That murderous Dark Lord even hesitated for a moment over whether to kill Lily—that wasn't very normal..."
"I guessed that someone must have pleaded for Lily in front of Voldemort, and the person who did must have been you, because only you would want to protect that woman."
Peter Pettigrew stared at Snape, suddenly letting out a cold laugh. "Hmph, if Voldemort hadn't killed Lily at the time, her blood wouldn't have triggered the charm, and my plan would have failed—I might even have exposed myself..."
"What a great pity."
"Voldemort was far too arrogant and conceited."
"As it happened, I understood his personality very well."
"I knew that a proud Dark Lord would never halt his path of slaughter merely on account of a few words from a subordinate."
"And so Voldemort killed Lily, and then wanted to kill Lily's son, Harry Potter. Coincidentally, the charm was already triggered the exact moment Lily died..."
"In the end...
everything was over."
Peter Pettigrew slowly spread his arms, closing his eyes in smug contentment as he sighed, "My plan succeeded, the Dark Lord vanished from that day on, and James Potter and Sirius suffered the consequences of their own arrogance..."
"It was always you..."
The usually composed Snape could no longer restrain himself. He didn't even want to ask about what Peter did afterward, slowly and forcefully tightening his grip on his wand.
He couldn't strike blindly...
Because with someone like Peter Pettigrew, it was hard to say whether a sneak attack could actually kill him!
As if sensing Snape's movement, Peter Pettigrew snapped his fingers offhandedly and crisply cast a Disarming Charm!
"Expelliarmus!"
"..."
The speed at which the surprise Disarming Charm was cast far exceeded Snape's reaction time!
The wand flew straight out of Snape's hand and landed in Peter Pettigrew's grasp!
Peter Pettigrew gripped the wand in one hand while pointing the other toward Snape's body, chanting another spell.
"Crucio!"
A flash of red light vanished in an instant from his fingertips!
Snape collapsed limply to the ground.
A wave of intense agony instantly swept across Snape's entire body, yet this pain still could not extinguish Snape's hatred for Peter Pettigrew. He was determined not to let this mastermind go unpunished!
Holding Snape's wand, Peter Pettigrew forcefully drove the wand straight down into the table inch by inch. Looking down at Snape, who was struggling in agony on the floor, he sneered, "Snape, you didn't really think I was still the same old me from the past, did you?"
His physical strength...
He was actually able to drive a wand deep into a wooden table using pure bodily strength!
Looking at Snape's astonishment-filled face, Peter chuckled lightly, "After killing the Dark Lord, I obtained the knowledge he left behind. Snape, you are far from being a match for me now..."
Peter tightened his fist once more, sneering, "There is no one in this world who is my match. This world will realize sooner or later that the true Dark Lord is the one who has the last laugh..."
"You've overlooked Dumbledore."
Snape looked at Peter Pettigrew with a face full of bitter hatred, his expression still maintaining its stubborn defiance. "Dumbledore is the most powerful White Wizard in this world..."
At the same time.
Snape hadn't lost his reason.
Because he needed to find a way to trick Peter Pettigrew into revealing why he was so certain he was the strongest, and to figure out what means Peter had to deal with Dumbledore.
"I understand what you want to know."
Peter Pettigrew seemed to see straight through Snape's thoughts at a glance, explaining without a single scruple, "I have never overlooked the greatest headmaster in Hogwarts' history, which is why I prepared a generous gift for him well in advance."
"I believe Dumbledore has figured it out as well."
"Voldemort is infinitely close to immortality; he will inevitably resurrect and make a comeback. No one can stop his return—not even with me having acquired his knowledge!"
"That is why I prepared a gift for our Headmaster, which is also one of the secrets I sought out at Hogwarts. To achieve immortality, Voldemort forged six Horcruxes, plus a seventh secret Horcrux that Dumbledore is bound to know about..."
"These Horcruxes total seven in all..."
"Unless those seven Horcruxes are dealt with, Voldemort will repeatedly resurrect for all eternity and can never be eradicated by anyone. That has been a headache for me as well."
"Unfortunately..."
"Dealing with each individual Horcrux could very well cost people their lives."
"Headmaster Dumbledore will certainly have to go and deal with these Horcruxes and sacrifice himself for the sake of eliminating Voldemort, because the Dark Lord's power is far more terrifying than mine..."
"Such is the destiny that the great Headmaster Dumbledore is bound to tread. I arranged it all for him long ago."
Peter Pettigrew laid these facts out indifferently, watching with a calm expression as Snape's face shifted through myriad colors. "This is a completely open scheme."
Indeed.
This was a completely open and aboveboard scheme.
Even Severus Snape knew all too well that Dumbledore had been investigating why Voldemort managed to resurrect, and now someone had delivered the answer right to their doorstep.
For the sake of destroying Voldemort...
Dumbledore was left with hardly any other choice.
Because they all knew how terrifying Voldemort was.
Even Peter Pettigrew would go to any length to exploit everyone in order to eliminate Voldemort.
"Then back then..."
Snape ground his teeth, nearly biting through his gums until they bled. "That explosion eight years ago—was that also a carefully plotted scheme of yours to fake your own death and escape?"
"Hehehehe... Yes, it was..."
Peter Pettigrew chuckled a few times, spreading his hands nonchalantly. "Sirius Black, my good friend, one of my very best friends. I understand him better than anyone else. He's just as reckless and self-righteous as Potter..."
"I engineered an explosion, and right at the start of it, I snapped off one of my own fingers with my bare hands to serve as a remnant piece of a corpse left behind in the blast. That made Sirius give up completely on looking for me, and also bought me a peaceful stretch of time to study the magic left behind by Voldemort..."
With that said.
Peter Pettigrew's smile gradually faded.
This grotesque and terrifying chubby man slowly raised his hand, revealing that one of his fingers was indeed severed.
Peter Pettigrew's expression looked extraordinarily cold and ruthless.
As if the finger he had broken off with his own hands in the past belonged to someone else entirely.
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