Magical Studies at Hogwarts

Chapter 300 Night, Unfinished
Dumbledore watched Harry leave the principal's office and walked towards the Gryffindor tower. After confirming through the portrait that he had returned to the dormitory, he turned and returned to his desk.

With two taps of the wand, two cups appeared on the table.Another tap, and the butterbeer automatically filled the glass.

"I thought you were going to be later, Severus." Dumbledore pushed one of the butterbeers forward, raised his head, and looked at Snape who appeared in front of him with a smile.

"Leave the rest, Dumbledore." Snape's tone was cold, ignoring the glass of butterbeer.With a flick of his clothes, he sat directly opposite Dumbledore, staring at his intact right hand.

"Strider did it?" he asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore nodded, took a sip from the cup in front of him, and accidentally got some foam on his white beard.

"Hmph!" Snape snorted coldly, "He just likes to do flashy things, just like his flashy magic!"

"Severus, you have to admit that sometimes these flashy things are very useful." Dumbledore put down his glass and said indifferently.

"Besides, those are not flashy. Aginbad was so embarrassed that he almost lost his life."

"I don't want to get hit." Dumbledore shook his head, looking terrified.

Snape quietly watched Dumbledore performing in front of him, and suddenly his eyes swept over the ring on his left hand, and his expression became a little colder.

"Don't you think it's too early to tell Potter those things? His impulsive character can't keep a secret at all." Snape said, "Just like his stupid father."

"Harry is not a child anymore, Severus, and I'm sure he can tell what's okay to say and what's not." Dumbledore pushed his glasses.

"You still believe he can defeat the Dark Lord?"

"Only by him?" Snape said disdainfully, "You're so confused, Dumbledore."

"Maybe." Dumbledore shook his head lightly, he was not going to continue this topic with Snape.

Taking a sip of butter beer, he asked, "How did you think about the matter I asked you to do earlier, Severus?"

Snape didn't answer, but looked away unnaturally, and lowered his head a little.After a while, he asked in a muffled voice, "Have you already decided?"

"You know, I only have one year left." Dumbledore sighed, and said, "The curse Tom left on Gaunt's ring cannot be removed, and I may have even less time." maybe."

He was silent for a while, before slowly uttering a word.

"Draco is a good boy, he still has a conscience in his heart."

"You mean, I don't have a conscience anymore?"

"You know I didn't mean that, Severus." Dumbledore shook his head, "The child hasn't completely fallen into darkness, we can still save his soul... Besides, Narcissa didn't ask you for help ?"

"Hmph!" Snape said, staring at Dumbledore coldly, "You can find other people, don't you have a tacit understanding?"

"Strider is not suitable," said Dumbledore. "He has more important things to do."

"What's the matter? Keep killing your followers?"

"I'd be very happy if he killed that stupid dog." Snape's tone was full of disgust.

"But he won't, he will keep that stupid dog alive! Just because you don't allow that stupid dog to die!"

"None of us can escape death, Severus, the only difference is whether our death is worthwhile." Dumbledore said calmly.

"You mean, that smuggler, Fletcher, died worthwhile?"

Dumbledore was silent, but Snape sneered sarcastically.He picked up the cup in front of him, raised his head and drank half of it.

"It's really ugly, Dumbledore." He said coldly, "A person who believes in you so much will not believe it until his death. His fate has long been used as a bargaining chip by you..."

"It's all about the ultimate victory, Severus. For it, there is no one who cannot be sacrificed."

"Like Lily?"

"It was an accident..."

The office fell into silence, both Dumbledore and Snape just stared at each other without speaking.

"Hey……"

After a while, Dumbledore let out a long sigh and said, "Severus, you didn't come here today to quarrel with me and talk about things that have passed?"

Snape raised his head, his eyes filled with bloodshot eyes.It closed slightly, and when it opened again, it was calm again.

"As you ordered, I told Granger something and stabilized her temporarily."

"Very good." Dumbledore nodded, "We are a little more sure."

"You don't really think she's going to help that idiot Potter all the time, do you? We all know she's going to go after Stryde sooner or later," Snape said. character, the chances of the Dark Lord dying at his hands are far greater than that fool defeating him."

"Stryder's pursuit is different from ours." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, "His obsession with magic has a very strong purpose, and for that purpose, he can wipe out anyone who stands in his way .”

"Yes, we can indeed pin our hopes on him, hoping that Tom will be the one who stands in his way, hoping that he will kill Tom completely before we do... But Severus, we There is no guarantee that things will happen as we hope."

"So in the final analysis, we still have to follow the original plan?"

"I'm afraid so, because we have no choice," said Dumbledore, "and we have to be prepared for something more dangerous to happen..."

"You think Strider is going to stop us?"

"We can't rule out that possibility... I know he made an unbreakable oath never to harm anyone who truly considers him his friend, never to harm Hogwarts, but at some point, he doesn't need to To do something that violates the oath, just obstructing it is enough..."

"As long as doing something like this can bring him closer to his goal..."

Snape looked directly into Dumbledore's calm eyes, and the earnestness in them made his heart palpitate.Inexplicably, he felt a trace of fear.

"Granger, she..."

"I'm afraid Miss Granger is the last resort, Severus..."

Hearing this, Snape was silent for a while.Standing up suddenly, he lifted his robe and turned to leave, leaving only one sentence echoing in the principal's office.

"You're wrong, Dumbledore, I won't let that happen..."

Dumbledore's eyes remained calm as he watched Snape's figure disappear through the door.Looking at the butter beer in the glass, the magic wand turned into honey water.

He drank it all in one gulp, and the sweet taste made him squint his eyes unconsciously.Looking at the bottom of the empty cup, he murmured:
"Forgive me, Severus..."

(End of this chapter)