Chapter 25: A Friendly Negotiation
Following the path back, Harry was still wrestling with those little wooden sticks. But he had made some progress compared to before; he could now make the stick pointy. With a bit more effort, turning it into a needle was just a matter of time. After all, his father was a young genius who had mastered the Animagus transformation on his own, and his mother was also exceptionally talented. Harry had inherited at least some of his parents' excellent genes.
However, Ezio didn't let Harry follow him to Snape's office.
By the time he neared Snape's office, the first afternoon class had just ended. A moment later, Snape emerged from the darkness with a cold expression, like a vampire bat ready to devour its prey.
He paid Ezio no mind, pushing open the door and walking straight into his office.
"Did I say you could come in?" Snape turned his head to look at Ezio, who had followed him through the door.
"Don't be so petty, Professor Snape. Show a little more tolerance for the children," Ezio said, waving his hand dismissively. "I just had a talk with Professor Dumbledore. He's quite supportive of my ideas. After all, I'm doing this for you, for Slytherin, and even for the good of all Hogwarts students."
"You must also be tired of those clumsy dunderheads who can only brew a cauldron into a fecal polymer, right?"
"This is your office, so I won't invite you to sit down." Ezio casually pulled up a chair and sat down, his expression relaxed.
"Do you think you can speak to me like this just because you have the headmaster's permission?" The malice in Snape's eyes was about to overflow. He stared at Ezio, looking as if he was about to throw him out in the next second.
"Perhaps we should first honor a Slytherin tradition, my esteemed Head of House."
With a flick of his wrist, the foot-long broken spear was in Ezio's hand.
"Wizards cannot Apparate within Hogwarts, and I am pretty quick. We are now less than two meters apart. Is your non-verbal spell faster, or is my ability to cut through a protective spell faster?"
"We are not actually enemies. There's no need for such hostility between us." As he spoke, Ezio flipped his hand and slammed the broken spear into the armrest of the chair. He stood up and looked at Snape without fear. "I was the one who brought Harry to Slytherin. That made you happy, didn't it?"
"His eyes are so much like his mother's. Does that bring back some memories for you?"
In an instant, the veins on Snape's forehead bulged, as if a forbidden territory had been touched. He gripped his wand.
"I have no interest in the grudges and entanglements of your older generation. Just now, I even helped Harry understand the meaning you were trying to convey to him. He was surprised to learn that you were once his mother's good friend. On his behalf, I convey his gratitude to you."
Snape narrowed his eyes, his expression as icy as before. His gaze on Ezio was devoid of any fluctuation.
"Thanks to a certain unnamed Gryffindor alumnus, I have a rough understanding of what happened at Hogwarts back then." Seeing the fire in Snape's eyes burn ever more fiercely, Ezio said softly and calmly, "It's not wrong to like a smart, beautiful, and kind girl..."
"Shut your mouth!" Snape hissed through gritted teeth.
"But the mistake was not cherishing her back then."
The tip of Snape's wand pointed at Ezio, who was two steps away. A few sparks flickered at the tip. The master's anger and fury had been transferred to the wand; it was already ignited.
"I even know that you were very close to that group of people back then. For example, Lucius Malfoy, and those other Slytherin scum who later became Death Eaters."
"My dear Head of House, you wouldn't want Harry to know about these things, would you? Don't tell me you don't care about him. You've shown too many weaknesses when it comes to him. The way you look at him is as if you're looking at a son you haven't seen in over a decade. The affection is practically overflowing."
Snape's face stiffened slightly, but fortunately, he already wore the face of a dead man, so he barely showed a flaw.
"You've seen it too. Harry has inherited his mother's talent. He's a smart and outstanding child. Do you want him to hang around with those idiots and fools for the next few years? And turn into an irredeemable moron?"
"You know better than I do what Slytherin is like now. It takes a lifetime to learn to be good, but only a moment to learn to be bad."
"If I were to wash my hands of Harry and let those idiots mix with him, what do you think he would become? The kind of person you hate the most?"
"If you think you can use this to threaten me—" A sneer squeezed onto Snape's lips.
"You loved his mother. Isn't that enough?"
The half-finished sentence died in Snape's throat. At this moment, he strongly suspected that Dumbledore had told this little bastard something. Otherwise, how could he be so certain and constantly use it to threaten him? A sense of powerlessness suddenly rose from the depths of Snape's heart, and his hatred for Ezio grew even stronger.
"I have no ill will towards Harry. Professor Dumbledore can vouch for me on that. I need something from Harry, so I want him to become better more than anyone else."
"Voldemort is not dead, is he? Sooner or later, Harry will have to face that resurrected Dark Lord. It's something he must face. Perhaps it's his destiny. The blood feud for his parents needs to be settled by his own hands. He already has that resolve now. And as it happens, I can help him grow faster. Professor Dumbledore has tacitly approved of this."
"It seems Dumbledore has reached the point of old age and senility," Snape said sinisterly, but the wand he held slowly lowered.
"He didn't tell me. I found out myself. I found some things that didn't add up, made a deduction, and later confirmed it."
"Voldemort created Horcruxes. He will come back sooner or later. His greatest dream is immortality, isn't it? That's no secret."
"Harry has come to Hogwarts, so the gears of fate are beginning to turn. Voldemort has been dormant for ten years. Ten years is a long time. We can't be sure when he will return, but I don't think he will keep us waiting for long."
"Do you hope that the Harry of that time will be a mediocre wizard who has wasted his talent?"
"You can hate me, but you cannot deny that I am the most outstanding one in Slytherin. Looking at all of Hogwarts, there is no one more eager to become stronger than I am. I have enough talent, and I am willing to work harder than anyone else. I will inevitably become the most dazzling person at Hogwarts. To be able to follow by my side and receive my help is an honor."
"We are both Slytherins. We both know that there is nothing more important than gaining benefits. Cast aside those irrelevant negative emotions, Professor. Compared to what we will gain in the future, some personal likes and dislikes are insignificant now. To give up cooperation just because you hate me—what a foolish choice. That's not very Slytherin at all."
"Do you think Slytherin and Gryffindor had a good relationship? But if it wasn't good, why would they stand together to found Hogwarts? This very castle was even provided by Slytherin."
"Because of benefit, because of glory. Because by founding Hogwarts, they became great wizards who are still praised and remembered a thousand years later. Even if Slytherin was later criticized by posterity as an evil wizard who pursued the Dark Arts, no one dares to crown him with the title of a Dark Wizard, because he is a founder of Hogwarts. This has made his name immortal. His contribution to the wizarding world is undeniable!"
"Slytherin has always walked the path of pursuing glory. We are the same. We don't need to care about the process. As long as the result is what we want to see, then that is enough."
"Cunning sophistry," Snape said coldly.
"That's because I firmly believe that you can also become the first great wizard to change the old, outdated practices of Potions, a wizard who will be remembered by people in the future."
"I want to obtain the power to complete my revenge!"
"And what you can obtain is the respect and adoration of the people, and the future of having raised Harry into an outstanding wizard."
"Don't you want to attend Harry's wedding one day, and as his mother's best friend, personally give him your blessing?"
A smile appeared on Ezio's face. "Our interests are aligned. So, are there any misunderstandings that cannot be resolved?"
*****
Hi guys,
My Patreon page is officially up and running..
The deal is simple: you get cool rewards (like reading 20 chapters ridiculously early) and I get to keep writing, fueled by your amazing support. It's a win-win!
I'd be absolutely thrilled if you'd spare a moment to take a peek. (Fingers crossed you'll join!)
https://Patreon.com/CanonTwist