The Black Envelope

Snape was very upset.

In recent years, he has offended someone, no one knows.

He receives photos every January 9th, as well as on holidays like Easter or Christmas.

A photo of Lily.

It started with Lily's elementary school graduation photo, photos from her time at Hogwarts, and photos from her wedding.

At this point, it's understandable.

These photos were taken by Lily herself or by others with her knowledge.

But then things changed. The photo was edited.

Next to all of Lily's photos from childhood to adulthood, there were captions of the awful James Potter at the corresponding age, as well as a picture of herself with ridiculous hair and a pout.

What's even more disgusting is that these photos were also given an incredibly strong, indestructible curse, and were firmly stuck to the office wall.

As a result, he had no choice but to tear down the wall and move to a different office.

These photos were undoubtedly invaluable treasures to him.

But he just couldn't do it; he couldn't crop James Potter out of the photo.

The next photos were even stranger.

He, who had once been incredibly close to Lily, was certain that these photos were not fabricated by magic.

Some scenes are even from his perspective as he looks at Lily.

It was as if someone who didn't exist was standing behind him and took a picture of Lily.

What's even more chilling is that these photos are incredibly detailed. They cover almost every stage of Lily's life—from losing her first baby tooth to the image of her lying close to that guy on the sofa after she became a wife.

He knew from his visit there after Lily's death that the place where the photo might have been taken was actually behind the fireplace.

Surely no one is so magically gifted and bored that they'd hide in a fireplace taking pictures of others.

Moreover, looking at the background of the photo, there's a toy flying broom in the corner.

This is a gift that stupid dog gave to Harry.

At that time, Lily and that guy already had Harry.

Moreover, they have already hidden themselves using the Fidelius Charm.

Who could possibly enter a house that even Dumbledore and Voldemort couldn't break into—or rather, a house in another dimension?

And just to take a picture for him?

Today, after brewing the Potions to prevent miscarriage under the almost constant watchful eye of that old Dumbledore, he received another letter.

It's that person.

The black envelope had two China characters written on it.

He had investigated and found that these were the characters for the Zhou Yi.

It is the name of the most famous Magic Book used by wizards in that mysterious country to learn Divination.

However, this could also be a person's name.

In China, there is a surname Zhou, and Zhou Yi is not an uncommon name among shamans.

He had no choice but to quickly look through the letter, which contained a piece of parchment.

However, the moment his hand touched it, the parchment burst into blue flames.

The flames burned so fast that his magic couldn't react in time.

However, the flame had no heat at all, like a mere phantom.

The fire spread from his fingertips to the top of his head.

Then countless indistinct images flooded his mind.

Then he fainted.

That was Hogwarts, next to a beech tree on the slope of the Black Lake where he was hanging upside down, his underwear almost turning black.

Harry appeared out of thin air, holding a ring in his hand.

Then Harry took another stone off the ring.

Harry was very excited and spoke to a woman with an ethereal, ghost-like figure standing beside him.

The stone spun in his hand three times, and then the woman appeared—it was Lily!

Then the scene shifts to the Headmaster's Office.

Dumbledore and Grindelwald were there.

Their conversation was faint and indistinct, as if it came from afar.

But he was also able to clearly 'hear' the content of the conversation using a strange sense.

They were speaking German. But the words remained vividly in his mind.

The story of the Deathly Hallows echoed in the Headmaster's Office.

James Potter's Invisibility Cloak was actually Deathly Hallows.

The wand in Dumbledore's hand is also the legendary Elder Wand, which he won from Grindelwald.

Grindelwald Prophecy a boy whose face was shrouded in mist and who was speaking to an unseen figure.

The Resurrection Stone was used to resurrect a woman whose appearance and figure were also unclear.

Then comes more familiar content.

The rules of the Triwizard Tournament and the schools that should be included.

How to deal with Voldemort.

How to raise Harry.

The Arborsage System.

Then, Snape opened his eyes.

He glanced at the clock; ten minutes had passed since he opened the letter.

At the same time, he felt a cool sensation on his wrist.

He stretched out his wide, loose sleeves, revealing wrists that were pale in contrast to his sallow complexion.

The address flashed by: opposite the Tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy Teaching Trolls Ballet on the Seventh Floor Hogwarts.

Then comes the countdown.

Based on the current time, the countdown will stop at 11 PM tonight.

Everything was strange.

But Snape knew he had no choice.

He couldn't tell anyone about it.

This matter concerns Lily's resurrection.

This is Dumbledore, or even Harry himself.

Late at night, after the 10 p. m. curfew bells rang.

An eerie silence returned to everything outside the four lounges.

The moon hung high in the sky, and the ghosts returned to the unused classrooms they had chosen.

Filch carried Mrs. Norris and leaped around in the ever-shifting Marble Staircase, as if they were flying.

Just then, a black figure flashed past in the corridor on the seventh floor.

It was Snape.

He walked calmly toward the Marble Staircase.

He knew that the ghosts of Hogwarts and the portraits in the frames were all Dumbledore's spies.

If he were to keep that important but strange appointment.

He must act openly and honestly.

Let Dumbledore know where he is going.

As professors at Hogwarts, night patrols are part of their job.

It's perfectly normal to wander around at night if you can't sleep.

Upon reaching the Seventh Floor, a door appeared on the wall opposite the Tapestry of a Troll Clubbing Barnabas the Barmy.

"Come in. Dumbledore can't see the folding door, nor will he notice your disappearance," a clear voice rang out.

Snape could tell that the voice belonged to a young person.

He was about to sneer, but a deep-seated intuition made him shut his mouth.

Looking towards the window not far away, the spider web that had been swaying in the wind suddenly stopped.

He turned and looked downstairs. Filch's excitement seemed to froze when he noticed the students' expressions had changed.

To his even greater surprise, Filch was now suspended in mid-air.

He turned his head again, and the Troll in the tapestry opposite him also stopped holding his wooden stick.

It's as if it were a creation of Muggle.

A portrait that cannot be moved.

"Time has stopped." Snape's voice was a little hoarse.

However, this made his expression even more resolute.

He understood that perhaps only a wizard like this could guide all of this.

Then Lily's resurrection wouldn't be a pipe dream either.