The candlelight in the principal's office seemed to dim.
A bright silver doe flew out from the tip of Snape's wand, leaping lightly in the air around the office, and finally flew out of the window and disappeared into the night.
Dumbledore looked back in a daze as it went away, watching its silver light disappear, then turned around and looked at Snape, his eyes already filled with tears.
"Lily... after all this time you still...?"
"Always," said Snape.
Dumbledore was silent for a long time.
Snape just stared at Dumbledore, as if waiting for the scheming old headmaster to give him an explanation and tell him the meaning of everything he had done to protect Harry.
After a long time, Dumbledore sighed deeply and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with emotion.
"I will give you an explanation, Severus." He said slowly, "You should know that I also don't want Harry to go down the destined path like this... He is still so young."
Dumbledore's voice was very soft, almost as if he was talking to himself, as if this explanation was not for Snape, but for himself.
"That's why I revealed the existence of the Elder Wand to Voldemort. I need him to get the wand... But before Voldemort gets the wand, the owner of the wand must be you!"
Snape was stunned.
"Are you kidding me?" He frowned. "How can I possibly get the Elder Wand's approval from you? It's a Deathly Hallows anyway!"
"I'm not kidding, Severus." Dumbledore said softly, "I will find a suitable opportunity for you to kill me in front of other Death Eaters... Only if you kill me personally can you completely gain Voldemort's trust."
"I'm telling you, Dumbledore, this joke isn't funny at all!" Snape sneered and said in a sarcastic tone, "If you want to change the subject in such a boring way, then I can only say that you are really stupid."
"Please listen to me, Severus, I am telling you seriously about a plan - a plan that has a glimmer of hope of keeping Harry alive." Dumbledore looked at Snape and said seriously.
"Then continue talking." Snape threw his cloak and sat back on the sofa. "I'm curious about what tricks you are playing."
Dumbledore smiled, looking into Snape's eyes through his glasses with his deep blue eyes, his expression looking relaxed.
But the words that came out of his mouth were like a huge wave, shaking Snape's heart heavily.
"This plan came to me not long ago, and I got the ring from Voldemort by coincidence."
Dumbledore smiled and rubbed the black gem ring on his index finger, and said to Snape, "Perhaps you have guessed that this is one of the legendary Deathly Hallows - the Resurrection Stone."
"Now I have both the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone in my hands, and I also know where the Invisibility Cloak is... So just by chance, the Deathly Hallows that we have been searching for for decades in vain are easily gathered in one place."
"In the legend, the person who collects the three Deathly Hallows will become the master of the god of death. This is obviously a myth and an exaggeration. The Deathly Hallows are just three extremely powerful magical creations."
"But after my research, I found that these three magical creations combined do have some special effects... They can give the holder the freedom to choose on the road to death, and allow them to stay between life and death."
"With this ability, I can wait for Harry's arrival in the Lost Land and guide his wandering soul back to his body... This is the only way to keep Harry alive."
Dumbledore looked at Snape gently, his tone was quite calm, as if he was chatting about some ordinary family matters.
Snape seemed shocked by Dumbledore's idea. His anus contracted violently, his throat was choked, and he didn't make any sound for a long time.
Dumbledore didn't say anything either. He just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to digest this complex and shocking information.
The starlight outside the window gradually dimmed, and a ray of dawn flashed across the distant sky.
"Are you crazy?!" Snape shouted, "What do you think? To exchange the life of a great wizard for an ordinary student? And at this time when the wizarding world is in chaos?!"
"The value of life is equally precious, Severus, no one is more precious than anyone else." Dumbledore chuckled, "Why not use my old man's life in exchange for the survival of a young man?"
"This is totally different!" Snape growled, "Can I understand it this way? Voldemort is trying to destroy the stability of the wizarding world. At this time, as the only wizard he fears, you are planning to escape?"
"Don't worry too much. I am not the only one in the wizarding world who can deal with Voldemort." Dumbledore still said gently, "Professor Dracula will not leave his students alone."
"What about Grindelwald?" Snape asked, "He escaped from Nurmengard not long ago. Don't tell me you don't know this news!"
"Don't worry, Grindelwald has changed a lot since he was 50 years ago. He won't start another war." Dumbledore said, "As for his philosophy... Actually, that was also my opinion. It may not be a bad thing to change the thinking of the wizarding world."
"Don't look at me like that, Severus. I didn't go down this path just to save Harry's life; I had other things to do on my way to death..."
"The wizarding world is not only threatened by Voldemort, but also by the even more terrifying god of death waiting behind him."
"When the time comes, I will deal with the threat of the god of death... As for Voldemort and other dark wizards in the world, I will leave them to you."
His tone was light, but his blue eyes looked at Snape sharply, as if he could really see into the soul they had been talking about.
After a long pause, Snape nodded stiffly.
Outside the window, bright rays of sunlight lit up from the horizon, illuminating the Black Lake and the castle inch by inch, dispelling the last darkness before dawn.
Dumbledore seemed satisfied.
"Thank you, Severus..."
He spoke softly, walking around the desk and leaning close to Snape's ear, slowly telling him his plan.
…
A lot happened this summer.
Voldemort has returned, the Daily Prophet published the event, and the Ministry of Magic distributed emergency Defense Against the Dark Arts home booklets to every wizarding family for free.
Fifty years later, the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald, escaped from Nurmengard and took over as the headmaster of Durmstrang School of Magic.
Many parents at Durmstrang protested, but the students at the school seemed to be possessed. Most of them were unwilling to go home for the summer vacation, but preferred to stay at Durmstrang and listen to Grindelwald's lectures.
The Austrian Ministry of Magic turned to the International Confederation of Wizards and tried to arrange for Aurors to sneak into the school to investigate the situation. However, usually before entering Durmstrang's castle, the Aurors would lose their minds and fly around like headless flies.
Many of the original seventh-year students graduated. Victor Krum, a well-known seeker in the wizarding world, did not stay in Durmstrang like his other classmates to listen to Grindelwald's teachings because of his grandfather's old grudge.
He left school and returned to the Bulgarian Quidditch team to become a professional player. However, due to the activeness of the two Dark Lords, most wizards tended to stay at home, and the sport of Quidditch therefore declined somewhat, and its prospects were worrying.
Fred and George also graduated successfully, and they used the Galleons they won from Bagman to open a joke shop in Diagon Alley;
Due to the increasingly depressing atmosphere in the wizarding world, the joke shop became popular among many wizards, and their business was booming. It only took them two months to have the confidence to open a branch in Hogsmeade.
In addition, there was a change of government at the British Ministry of Magic -
"So you are no longer Minister for Magic?"
Dracula took a newspaper away from his face and looked with interest at the guy in front of him with a pale round face and two teeth sticking out of his lips.
"Yes... yes, my lord." Fudge answered cautiously.
The newspaper that Dracula had been holding was thrown lightly onto the table next to him. The title on it read:
"Ms Bones succeeds Fudge as the new Minister for Magic"
Most of the front page was taken up by a large black-and-white photo of a witch, standing solemnly on a platform, waving her hand out of the frame.
"Madam Amelia Bones, former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, has been confirmed as the successor to Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic. Rufus Scrimgeour, former Head of the Auror Office, has been confirmed as the successor to the post of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Because of the evasion and inaction of the former Minister of Magic Fudge, and the confirmation of the rumored evidence that he had become a vampire, this appointment was widely and warmly welcomed by the wizarding community." The newspaper wrote.
Dracula looked at Fudge, who looked reserved, and said "tsk".
"You hid your vampire identity very well, how come you were exposed?" he asked, "I thought you could keep hiding it forever."
"It was Amelia Bones and Scrimgeour, those two bitches, who tampered with my public speech to win over people," Fudge said bitterly. "It was a cloudy day, which is why I agreed to give the speech outdoors."
"Who would have known that these two people used the crude excuse of needing good weather to appease the mood of the wizarding world, and used a weather spell to move the clouds away!"
"So your identity as a vampire was exposed right on the spot?" Dracula laughed gloatingly. "Be thankful. It's already pretty good that a low-level vampire like you didn't turn into ash right away when you came into contact with the sun."
"But... but all my previous efforts have been wasted!" Fudge covered his round face and said painfully, "The same goes for those who voted. I tried my best to give each of them a temporary Defense Against the Dark Arts Manual the day before, but they turned their backs on me the next day!"
"What manual?" Dracula asked curiously.
"Temporary Defense Manual in Wartime." Fudge said, taking out a purple booklet from his arms and handing it to Dracula.
The booklet has the following striking words printed on it:
"Published with permission of the Ministry of Magic
Protect You and Your Family from Black Magic
…
If you see or encounter an Inferi, please report it to the Ministry of Magic immediately."
…
Dracula flipped through the wartime pamphlet and then curled his lips.
"It's just such a thin booklet with no substantial content. Do you expect to get the wizards to support you with this?" He looked at Fudge mockingly and said casually.
"That's not the way to say it..." Fudge stammered, "I'm just a little unwilling to accept it. I feel like I shouldn't be kicked out so hastily."
"Why, can I understand that you are blaming me for turning you into a vampire?" Dracula raised his eyebrows.
"I dare not, I dare not..." Fudge shook his head quickly.
His current identity is just a low-level vampire who came to Dracula's castle to pay a visit to the leader of the blood clan. He is surrounded by high-level blood clans with terrifying auras and dares not even think of offending Dracula.
What's more, he also needed help this time, otherwise he would just find a place to hide secretly. Why would he come to a place full of vampires to suffer
"Tell me, what is your purpose in coming to see me?" Dracula asked casually, "I don't believe you are someone who is willing to completely integrate into the vampire clan."
"Yes... Yes, I do have something I want to trouble you with, Lord Earl." Fudge bent over and said with an apologetic smile, "I know you have absolute say in the vampire clan, and you also have influence over the werewolves not far away, so I came to you on purpose."
"I'm here on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. I hope to form an alliance with the vampires and the two races to fight You-Know-Who and Grindelwald together!"
Dracula glanced at Fudge and felt a little amused.
"Haven't you already abdicated? How can you still come here to negotiate on behalf of the Ministry of Magic?" Dracula asked.
"I haven't failed completely. As long as I can negotiate cooperation between the Ministry of Magic, vampires and werewolves, I can make great contributions to the Ministry of Magic." Fudge saw that he couldn't hide the truth from Dracula, so he simply told the truth.
"When Amelia Bones makes some serious mistakes, I may get another chance to return to the position of minister!"
"Is that so?" Dracula chuckled. "Why don't you take a look at who this is?"
He snapped his fingers.
A curtain was pushed open, and a middle-aged witch stood behind it, looking at Fudge with a serious expression.
Her face was exactly the same as the one in the newspaper next to her.
…
…