The Contract Stirs

What was the world after death really like?

Ever since regaining consciousness, he had found himself standing here.

He walked through darkness, with no light around him, no sound, no breeze, and no other living beings.

At least there was lasting peace here.

He gave a self-mocking smile, but kept walking forward like a mindless corpse. It was the only thing he could do now.

All the kindnesses and grudges from before his death had faded over the long passage of time. Even his most deeply etched memories had gradually grown indistinct.

He kept moving forward like this. After an unknown length of time, a flash of bright color suddenly appeared before him in the endless darkness.

It was a butterfly, speckled with glimmers of light, fluttering gracefully through the pitch black.

The light it gave off was not the red he remembered so vividly and longed for, as warm and radiant as the sun, but a very soft, gentle silver-white.

The complete opposite of scorching sunlight, it was the radiance of the moon.

The butterfly slowly fluttered onward before him, as though showing him the way.

Whether heaven or hell lay ahead, he had truly had enough of this unchanging darkness.

Quickening his pace, he strode after that glimmer of silver-white light. In a daze, he caught a damp, sickening stench of alcohol.

It was the same suffocating, utterly loathsome smell as in his childhood.

Realizing this, Severus Snape snapped his eyes open.

"This is the place, miss."

He heard a voice from the doorway, a very young one, followed by a polite knock.

Damn it, what on earth is going on?

Snape crawled out of the cramped cupboard. The pain in his body reminded him that this was no dream.

Memories came rushing back like a violent tide. He felt his neck; the gruesome wound from Nagini's bite was gone. Then he realized that his entire body had shrunk.

The familiar sights of the room, the liquor bottles piled in the corner, and the shabby, dim living room all struck his consciousness with force.

After a dazed moment, he finally came to his senses and accepted the fact that he had returned to his childhood.

He did not know what year it was. Judging by his height, he could only guess that he was around seven or eight.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking sounded again. Though he looked like a young child, Professor Snape was now inside. He frowned and used Occlumency to forcibly suppress his emotions, then walked slowly over and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Creak-

The shabby wooden door made a grating sound. North Nagel, standing at the entrance, withdrew the hand he had raised to knock again.

"Hello. May I ask if Ms. Eileen Prince lives here?"

The young man before him wore an ordinary overcoat. His clothes would have been unremarkable on a London street, but this was a British slum. No one dressed like that would ever appear here.

What was more, he had mentioned his mother's maiden name. Snape was certain he came from the Wizarding World.

Realizing this, he pushed his Occlumency to its limit.

"Yes. May I ask who you are?"

After visiting more than a dozen homes, North could not help breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that he had found the right place. A gentle smile appeared on his face.

"My name is North Nagel, and this is my young lady."

As he introduced Anna, she stood behind him, wearing a black cloak. Its oversized hood covered half her face, making it hard to see her features.

She was staring intently at her slightly warm right palm, where an intricately patterned contract mark, invisible to others, was slowly revolving.

It was the contract mark Death had left her.

It had never shown any unusual movement over the past few years, but just now, when North knocked on the door, it had begun to turn in her palm.

Did this happen because I finally came into contact with an important character from the original story and changed the course of fate?

Or was it because of some other unknowable reason?

What exactly is it trying to tell me?

"Miss? Miss?

Lady Anna?"

North's slightly anxious calls brought her wandering thoughts back. She blinked, clenched her right hand, and drew it back.

"Are you feeling unwell, miss? The air here really is rather poor. Why don't I take you back to the manor first? I can handle the rest..."

Seeing that Anna had finally come back to herself, North crouched down and carefully asked how she was feeling. If Anna had not stopped him in time, he might well have pulled out his wand the next second to give her a full-body examination.

"Sorry, North. I was thinking about something just now. I'm perfectly fine, so don't worry."

She lifted her black hood, and her long silver hair spilled down like moonlight, revealing a delicate face.

Severus Snape, who had grown somewhat impatient waiting at the door, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Her hair is exactly the same color as that butterfly in my dream!

"Sorry for the wait, sir. My name is Anna. We come from the Witching World and would like to visit Ms. Eileen Prince about a matter. May we come in?"

Her voice was soft, and she unconsciously gave off an approachable air. Like the bright moon in the dark of night, she brought a sense of reassurance to those traveling through it.

"Come in."

He heard his own dry voice. Only after the two entered the house did he belatedly realize what he had done, and he felt somewhat regretful.

Was I just bewitched? Could this girl have Veela blood?

But he also knew full well that he could not possibly be bewitched by a Veela.

He had certainly never met anyone like her in his previous life. Where in the Wizarding World had these wizards sprung from?

It was a small living room that felt like a dimly lit padded cell. A worn, threadbare sofa, an old armchair, and a rickety table were crowded together. Empty liquor bottles stood in the corner and on the table, giving off an unpleasant smell.

"Would you mind if I cast a cleaning spell here?"

At the sight of these surroundings, North could not help frowning. He truly could not believe that a descendant of the illustrious Prince family could live in a place like this.

"Go ahead. I'll go get my mother."

Snape understood that, as he was now, he had no ability to stand against an adult wizard. Besides, he hated those liquor bottles too. Every one of them reminded him that Tobias Snape, that bastard, was still alive in this world.

After casting several Scourgify charms, he finally got the place clean. Just then, the sound of objects knocking together suddenly came from upstairs, along with a woman's quiet sobbing.

"Let's go up and take a look."

The two waiting downstairs exchanged a glance. Anna went up first, with North close behind.

The room upstairs was just as cramped and dreary. A woman sat on the bed with her knees drawn up, her disheveled long hair covering most of her face. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, and she gave off an air of despair.