"Something is wrong, very wrong!"
Snape paused at the entrance, his brow furrowed deeply.
He took a few steps back and looked up. It was indeed the Great Hall; he was definitely still in Hogwarts.
'What on earth is going on?'
Snape reached into his robes, discreetly gripping his wand.
Thick smoke obscured everything, but the sounds of spells whistling through the air were unmistakable. The sheer density and speed of the casting were far beyond what any student at Hogwarts should be capable of.
"You filthy Gryffindors! Tremble before the might of the noble purebloods!"
An incredibly chuunibyou roar echoed from within the smoke, followed by a sharp 'Sizzle... bang!' A bolt of blue magic streaked through the haze and seemed to strike its target.
"Argh!"
"Curse you, Slytherins! I'll take you all down with me!"
The pained cry was followed by a furious shout. A barrage of magical bolts retaliated along the same path, though they didn't seem to hit anyone.
Mockery immediately erupted from the Slytherin side. "Trash Gryffindors! Are you all blind? My grandmother could aim better than you with her eyes closed!"
"Is that all? Gryffindors are nothing special."
"Is that it? That's all?"
Outside the door, Snape's brow relaxed, and his grip on his wand loosened.
So it was just a brawl between Slytherin and Gryffindor. It looked like Slytherin had the upper hand; at least they weren't embarrassing the house of the serpent.
Snape was no longer in a hurry to get to dinner. He pulled his heavy black cloak tight around him, looking like a bat folding its wings, and stood silently at the entrance to watch the chaos.
The performance of these students was completely unfamiliar to him. He knew the typical skill level of Hogwarts students, and this was not it. Something must have changed in secret.
He decided to let them fight a bit longer. Once they were exhausted, he would sweep in, dock a mountain of points from Gryffindor, and then find out exactly how they were doing this.
"Despicable Slytherins! If you have any guts, stop hiding in the smoke!"
"Exactly! Come face us head-on! What kind of wizard hides in a cloud?"
"Yeah! A real wizard should settle things with their fists!"
Snape shook his head. Those Gryffindor barbarians were as crude as ever, possessing not an ounce of wizarding grace.
However, plans are always subject to change.
"Die, you filthy Mudblood! Hahaha!"
The arrogant laughter rang through the Great Hall, so loud that even the thick magical smoke couldn't muffle it.
The word 'Mudblood' drifted through the open doors and reached Snape's ears.
Snape's expression darkened instantly. His temples throbbed, and his muscles twitched with an uncontrollable fury.
The image of Lily Evans surfaced in his mind.
But the past cannot be changed. The beautiful girl he had met at Spinner's End had broken off their friendship over that single word, eventually marrying his rival, James Potter, and becoming Lily Potter.
Severus Snape had replayed that moment in his mind countless times. If he hadn't said that word, would things have been different? Would Lily have ever considered being a Snape?
There are no 'ifs' in this world. Neither magic nor potions can restore the dead. Life is a one-way journey.
Snape wasn't the type to scream 'Arise, my love!' at a gravesite, but right now, his blood was boiling. He wanted to find that foul-mouthed Slytherin and make him realize that some things are never meant to be said.
Wand in hand, Snape stormed into the Great Hall, immediately disappearing into the smoke.
Besides being a Potions Master, Snape was a formidable Death Eater. With a sharp wave of his wand, he vanished a large area of the smoke.
He then spotted two strangely shaped devices flying through the air, which immediately began spewing more smoke to fill the void he had just created.
Magical bullets hissed past his nose. Both sides were truly locked in combat, pouring every ounce of magic into their attacks. They wouldn't stop until they collapsed.
Because he had cleared the smoke, both sides noticed his presence and redirected their fire toward him.
A golden cup was knocked flying toward Snape's head. He tilted his head to dodge it, only to see more pale blue magical orbs shrieking his way.
"Protego!"
These students were strangely skilled. Snape immediately cast a shield. A moment later, countless magic bullets slammed into the invisible barrier, ricocheting away.
Each impact was relatively weak, but the rate of fire was insane. Snape felt his shield flickering, on the verge of breaking.
A strange cube-like object flew right in front of his face. Just as he was about to swat it aside, a blinding white light erupted. Snape instinctively squeezed his eyes shut as his world turned white.
'What is this? A Lumos variation?'
Bang!
The invisible barrier was shattered by the concentrated fire. Without protection, Snape was exposed. The students intensified their casting, and pale blue magic orbs grazed Snape's scalp, tossing his greasy hair.
Several smaller orbs struck his body like a flurry of punches, each one letting out a dull thud.
"Enough! Stop this at once!"
His magically amplified voice thundered through the hall. Students from both houses flinched in unison.
Snape's voice was unmistakable. Every student knew a professor was here—and that he was absolutely livid.
The young wizards snapped out of their battle-trance, realizing they were in deep trouble.
Snape panted, his greasy hair as messy as a bird's nest.
Having been caught off guard by the flash, his vision was still a hazy mess of white. He pointed his wand at the stone floor, and a pale yellow ripple emanated from the tip.
"Finite Incantatem!"
The spell swept across the floor. Everywhere it touched, the smoke vanished as if erased from a sheet of paper.
As the smoke cleared, the students at the front of the lines were revealed.
Snape squinted, the white spots in his vision fading but still leaving his sight blurry.
He glared at the hazy silhouettes, intending to pick a victim to face his full wrath.
A small figure gradually came into focus, and a pair of emerald-green eyes met his.
In the chaos, Harry's glasses had been knocked off. He had just found them in the smoke when Snape appeared. Without time to put them on, he simply stood there, blinking his innocent eyes.
He knew he was in for it.
Snape blinked. His retinas, still recovering from the flash, saw the blurry image, but those eyes were unmistakable.
They were Lily's eyes.
"Lily..."
Snape whispered the name under his breath. He reached out with his left hand, as if trying to grasp a dream, yet terrified it would vanish at his touch.
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