Polyjuice Potion and the Infiltration Plan (I)

"But if Snape really uncovered something, would Dumbledore act at once? No. He would wait. He would gather more intelligence, wait for a better opportunity, and overturn the board the moment the Malfoy Family believed victory was theirs. That was what politicians did. He did not care if the pieces broke. He only cared whether he could checkmate the other side's king."

"Then do you think Snape would do it?" Dilys asked.

"He would." Phineas answered without hesitation. "Not because Dumbledore ordered him to, but because of that thorn in his heart. Lily Potter had been dead for sixteen years, yet Snape's guilt was still fresh, like a newly cut wound. As long as Dumbledore lightly touched that thorn, he would bleed. And once he bled, he would do anything."

"So Dumbledore was using his feelings for Lily."

"He had always used them." Phineas's voice turned cold. "From the day Snape knelt before him and begged him to protect Lily, he knew—this man would never escape the palm of his hand."

The portraits in the office fell silent for a while. The fire crackled in the fireplace, stirring the light and shadows on the walls until they flickered uncertainly.

"You are all wrong." An aged voice, so frail it seemed close to falling apart, came from the portrait frame in the farthest corner. It was an extremely old portrait, its frame blackened with age. The old woman within had blurred features; one could barely make out her dark robes and snow-white hair. Her eyes were closed as though she were dozing, but her lips moved.

"He was not a politician, not an educator, not Slytherin's enemy, and not Gryffindor's hero."

The old woman spoke slowly, as though each word took an age to force out.

"He and Grindelwald were the