Snape had been about to step forward and intervene when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something he never could have expected.
An Auror was frantically casting healing spells on Umbridge, only to discover, to his horror, that none of them worked. Her wound showed no sign of closing, as though it had been cursed.
Snape's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at Hermione in disbelief.
He drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Though his mind was full of questions, saving a life had to come first.
He disliked Umbridge too, but if she actually died here, they would be in serious trouble.
There would be no salvaging the relationship between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic.
Snape strode over to Umbridge, waving his wand and muttering an incantation.
"Episkey!"
A flash of white light fell upon Umbridge's wound.
However, the wound merely twitched before going still again.
Snape's expression darkened, and he cast the spell again.
"Episkey!"
"Episkey!"
"Episkey!"
One flash of white light after another fell upon Umbridge.
Beads of sweat gradually formed on Snape's forehead.
His face grew paler and paler.
Finally, with Snape on the verge of collapse from his efforts, a slight change began to appear in Umbridge's wound.
Blood flowed back into her body, and the edges of the wound began to shift at a snail's pace, slowly growing new flesh.
Only then did Snape let out a long breath and slump to the floor.
Without even wiping the sweat from his forehead, he stared fixedly at Umbridge's wound. Only after confirming that the countercurse was still working did he look back at Hermione, his eyes filled with horror.
Hermione controlled the giant fiery serpent as it circled above the Ministry of Magic.
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