Hogwarts: What wicked thoughts could a little wizard possibly have?

Chapter 50 The Doubt of Dumbledore

"trade?"

Snape frowned slightly.

"Yes, a deal." Dumbledore gazed at the Pensieve, its shallow, clear water reflecting his bright eyes. "He helped me raise Harry, provided assistance to the best of his ability, and fought against Voldemort..."

"Vo..." Snape's cheek twitched, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Seemingly sensing his inner turmoil, Dumbledore murmured, "Yes, just as I said before, Severus, Tom is not dead!"

As he spoke, he beckoned to Snape: "Come with me and take a look. Vaughn provided his memories of fighting in the fourth-floor corridor... By the way, I've restored the corridor, but there might still be some places I haven't noticed. Go check it again tomorrow."

Snape didn't say anything, but silently walked to the Pensieve and released Occlumency.

As Dumbledore waved his wand, his thoughts suddenly plummeted into the basin, and countless ink-like streaks followed, turning into smoke.

In the blink of an eye, a corridor appeared before our eyes.

Harry, clutching his head and screaming in pain, Hermione, crying in fear but still standing in front of Harry, and Vaughn, loudly proclaiming "The Unseen Blade."

Also, in the middle of the corridor, at the very center of the memory, there is that dark, twisted, sinful figure in black robes, and the green light emanating from his wand!

Snapped!

Dumbledore clapped his hands beside him, and the people in his memories froze like insects encased in amber, the scene frozen in time!

In the frozen image, the black-robed man who unleashed the deadly curse can be vaguely seen in appearance.

Quirinas Quiro!

But neither Dumbledore nor Snape looked at him with their eyes on his face, but rather seemed to be looking through his face into his body and his back!

The memories restored by the Pensieve were bathed in a hazy glow, a light that seemed to make Snape somewhat uncomfortable.

His gaze wandered, his pupils trembling.

"You see, Severus, Tom is back... though he is now just a remnant soul, a parasite on a cowardly one," Dumbledore said in a low voice. "But he is not truly dead, and is preparing for resurrection."

As if from a long time ago, the fearful memories of his former master assaulted Snape's mind.

Even though he had sensed the magical fluctuations of the other party beforehand and was mentally prepared, when he actually stood in front of it—even if it was just a memory—Snape still found his throat dry and unable to speak.

Countless emotions were boiling over: there was worship, fear, and even more hatred!

It wasn't until Dumbledore clapped his hands again that the frozen image resumed motion, showing Vaughn's "Sword of Despair" piercing through the Iron Armor Curse and injuring Voldemort.

Dumbledore's tone brightened again: "I must say, Severus, you've developed a very powerful spell and taught a very capable student—there aren't many people who can hurt Tom."

Snape said blankly, "...It was Quirrell who was injured, not him, but he must hate Vaughn now."

Dumbledore knew who Snape was referring to when he said "him," and smiled, "At least until he is truly resurrected, Vaughn is safe, and we all know that he will always hate Harry the most."

The fleeting memory quickly fades, and thoughts return.

But Snape's expression wasn't much better. He kept a straight face and his tone was still sarcastic: "Yes, a savior who killed him, a little wizard who inexplicably blocked him from taking the Philosopher's Stone, injured him, and brought him humiliation... What a wonderful combination. In a few years, after he is resurrected, he may be able to forgive others, but he will never forgive these two."

"He's the perfect person to stand against him!"

Dumbledore listened silently, and only after he finished speaking did he sigh helplessly: "You suspect that I arranged this?"

Snape gave a cryptic chuckle: "I didn't say that."

But his expression was enough to show his skepticism.

Dumbledore knew that Snape had always been prejudiced against him because of the despicable methods he had used to coerce him.

They exploited his remaining love and kindness, forcing him to teeter on the edge of life and death.

Although Dumbledore didn't see anything wrong in this matter—Snape, a former Death Eater, had committed countless sins for the Dark Lord, and he was now forcing him to atone for his sins.

But today is not the time to argue. Dumbledore sighed, "Everything that happened today, except for Quirrell bringing the troll into Hogwarts, was an accident... Remember what I told you? Fate, the fate of Tom and Harry."

"This unseen force influences all things in the world, and the fates of all things intertwine into a vast web, but sometimes, unique individuals with unique destinies are born."

"That's how Tom and Harry's fates are intertwined. Once they start getting close, they're like iron balls caught in a net. Wherever they roll, the net sinks and collapses with them. Many people's fates are involuntarily swept up by them until one of them dies, and only then will this big iron ball break apart."

"What's happening today is the fate of Tom and Harry being shaken."

destiny……

Listening to Dumbledore's analogy, Snape could not comment, for he had never seen fate, but knew that it truly existed.

Otherwise, the magical world wouldn't have prophecies and divination.

He even knew that Dumbledore had once been "Iron Ball".

But he didn't want to delve into this incomprehensible, mystical topic, so after a moment of silence, he asked:

"Since it's a deal, Vaughn will help you train Harry, so what will you give in return?"

Dumbledore, lost in thought about "fate," snapped out of his reverie upon hearing this, and his tone brightened again: "Ah, speaking of which, I must say, Vaughn's thirst for fame and fortune amazes me; he's asking me to find a way to increase his reputation!"

Snape: "?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard with a troubled expression: "He laid out a whole bunch of conditions, such as not allowing me to favor Gryffindor by giving them excessive points; that I should help promote any achievements he makes; and that if he makes any success in potions, I should personally nominate him for the Order of Merlin..."

Listening to Dumbledore's incessant complaints, Snape suddenly wanted to laugh.

Vaughn's first point thwarted Dumbledore's plan—the old man had previously planned to give Harry extra points at the end of the semester to establish Harry's leadership position in Gryffindor.

But what puzzled Snape was that Dumbledore seemed to have agreed to Vaughn's conditions.

Why?

What did Vaughn say that made the old man abandon his favoritism towards the Savior? Snape couldn't figure out the answer until he left.

Watching Snape's retreating figure, Dumbledore's smile vanished. He gazed at the Pensieve and switched to another memory—

His conversation with Vaughn as they watched the battle memories in the fourth-floor corridor.

"Albus, have you ever wondered why Voldemort didn't die?"

"Oh, I've been looking for the answer. What are your thoughts, Vaughn?"

He asked that question with a smile, without expecting any answer.

Then, his smile froze at Vaughn's words:

"Horregularities!"

The image freezes.

Dumbledore paced back and forth in the illusory corridor constructed of memories.

He looked at his own stunned expression, and at the way Vaughn looked at Harry when he said that word.

A variety of indescribable thoughts surfaced in my mind.

Hesitation, doubt, fear... and sadness...