Why Did You Say That Name?!

"Sectumsempra!" A familiar voice rang out from beyond the crackling ring of fire.

At the sound of that voice, the faces of those behind the wall of water immediately relaxed.

Even the Weasley Twins, who had always hated Snape the most, now found the sound of him casting spells as heavenly as music.

"George, lend me your hand." Kyle's weak voice sounded.

George did not understand, but seeing Kyle raise his palm, he copied his posture and raised his own arm.

"Water Release! Great Waterfall Technique!" Kyle's palm slammed against George's, and George suddenly felt the magic within him being continuously drained away.

The Water Barrier surrounding the four of them abruptly swelled, transforming into a raging flood that pressed against the curtain of flames around them.

Before the immense volume of water, the blazing flames struggled helplessly and were quickly extinguished. Billowing steam spread through the Forbidden Forest.

By the faint light, Kyle saw the dark figure standing not far away, as well as the headless corpses strewn all around.

They were werewolf corpses.

"Professor Snape! It's so good to see you!" Hagrid's face was drawn tight.

George and Fred looked as if a great burden had been lifted. "We're saved!"

"Are you all right?" Snape still wore that same eternal corpse-like expression, but Kyle could hear a trace of concern beneath his flat tone.

His gaze settled on Kyle's right hand, which he had hidden behind his back.

Snape grabbed Kyle's hand and, by the light of Lumos, saw the injury on Kyle's arm. His pupils abruptly contracted.

An injury like this—let alone for an eleven-year-old child—even few adults could endure it without changing expression.

After using magic to clean away the melted, fused rubber from Kyle's hand, Snape took out a bottle of potion and poured it over Kyle's severely burned right hand.

The burning sensation faded, replaced by the coolness of being soaked in ice water.

The raw redness caused by the burns rapidly receded, while the blackened areas with more severe burns quickly scabbed over. His entire arm was healing at an astonishing pace.

In the blink of an eye, Kyle's right hand had recovered seventy to eighty percent.

Though it had not fully healed, it no longer affected him much.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. This potion was really convenient. He suddenly had the urge to learn potion-making from Snape.

If there were potions that could strengthen the body, then as long as his body became strong enough to withstand lightning...

Or perhaps a potion that could make him directly immune to lightning...

If the timing and setting had not been so inappropriate, Kyle would have liked to slide forward and kneel before Snape. Professor! I want to learn Potions!

"Let's go." After giving Kyle preliminary treatment for his arm, Snape turned and headed toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "There may be others nearby..."

Suddenly, a red beam tore through the air and struck Snape in a flash, sending him flying.

Snape's wand flew into the air, spinning as it fell somewhere out of sight.

Before anyone could react, several more beams flew out from the darkness and struck them one after another.

Kyle, who had thought the battle was over, had already lowered his guard while Snape treated him. Unable to react to the sudden ambush, he too was struck and sent flying.

Kyle slammed heavily into a tree, his head spinning. When he regained his senses, he was already bound by ropes conjured through Binding Magic.

George and Fred were just like him, the three of them tied together.

Hagrid lay on the ground not far away. Judging from the rise and fall of his chest, he was not dead—only unconscious.

"Severus, I've finally waited for this day." An unfamiliar voice came from nearby.

He was a black-haired wizard with a tall, straight build. A faint smile lingered on his face, but his eyes were like bone-chilling ice.

"Professor Tom?" The moment Fred recognized the attacker's face, he called out his identity.

"Professor?" Kyle was the one who questioned it.

George explained in a low voice, "He's our Dark Arts Defence Professor."

Kyle did not care whether the man was a professor or not. From the looks of things, he was an enemy, and escaping was the priority.

"Fred." Kyle turned sideways, angling the Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist toward Fred. "There's a knife in my pouch."

Tom Hiddleston stepped out of the darkness, his face filled with the pleasure of revenge as he advanced on Snape one step at a time. "Do you know how long I've waited for this day?"

With his wand confiscated, Snape's voice showed little fluctuation. "You brought the werewolves here? Why?"

"Of course. For revenge. You haven't forgotten who you are, have you?"

A sickly green glow lit up at the tip of Tom Hiddleston's wand.

"Former Death Eater... Severus Snape?"

Seeing the light at the wand's tip, Snape remained composed. "Don't harm them."

"I never intended to take their lives. I only plan to kill you. Oh, no—Bellatrix Lestrange too. Sooner or later, I'll go to Azkaban to find her."

Hearing Tom's words, Snape closed his eyes in relief and prepared to welcome death.

"Lily, I can finally see you again." A tear slipped from the corner of Snape's eye, leaving a faintly glistening wet trail down his face.

The expected green light did not descend upon him. Snape slowly opened his eyes, only to see Tom suddenly pounce on him and viciously seize his robes.

"Why did you say that name?!" Tom Hiddleston roared hysterically at Snape. "Why did you say that name?!"

Struggling to breathe under his grip, Snape barely managed to force out a sentence. "That is the name of the person I loved most!"

Tom Hiddleston let go dejectedly. "That is also the name of the person I loved most."

Snape fell to the ground, propping himself up on one elbow. He noticed the movements of Kyle and the others in the distance. "Before you kill me, can you at least let me understand why?"

"For Lily's sake, I'll tell you why!" Tom Hiddleston picked up the wand he had just thrown to the ground.

At that moment, Fred finally took the dagger from Kyle's Ninja Tool Pouch without alerting Tom.

"Do you remember the Heimsworth family you and Bellatrix killed thirteen years ago?" A trace of pain appeared on Tom's face.

Fred cut through the ropes binding Kyle's hands.

"The person I loved most, Lily Heimsworth... when I finally gathered the courage to confess to her..." Tom spoke in a sorrowful voice.

Kyle had already climbed to his feet and silently approached Tom from behind.

George and Fred, who had also freed themselves, scarcely dared to breathe.

"Do you know how I felt when I arrived at her home and saw a Dark Mark floating above it?"

Snape's eyelids trembled almost imperceptibly. His gaze grew unfocused, as though some memory had been stirred.

"I watched with my own eyes as you and Bellatrix left her home... Now, you, one of the murderers, are about to be brought to justice..." The pain on Tom's face vanished, replaced by the joy of imminent revenge.

Kyle formed the Tiger Seal with both hands, a faint spark of lightning silently dancing at his fingertips.

"After killing you, I'll head to Azkaban. Once I kill..." Tom's expression froze instantly.

Two fingers accurately and swiftly "thrust♂ into" his body.

Watching this, Snape, George, and Fred all felt a sudden tightness in a certain area.

A deranged, twisted smile spread across Kyle's face as he shouted behind Tom, "Lightning Release: Thousand Years of Death!"