The Prisoners of Hogwarts

Chapter 20 Magic Potion

Inside the office, Snape sat at the edge of the candlelight, almost blending into the darkness.

He was reflecting on himself.

Ever since I got the latest news about that damn Jim Lynch from Dumbledore yesterday, my mind has been racing.

Especially the meeting in the lobby last night.

That despicable and shameless executioner!

They actually used Lily's death to attack him!

How dare he?!

Thinking of this, Snape's anger flared up again.

No, I need to calm down!

With immense willpower, Snape once again suppressed the anger in his heart.

Jim Lynch is a different kind of adversary from the Dark Lord. Their danger lies in different aspects, but what they have in common is that they can see into people's hearts and have eyes that can see right through them.

Don't let him provoke you!

It's dangerous to let your emotions control your thinking in front of him!

Snape glanced at the clock on the wall.

He'll be here in fifteen minutes.

When the time comes, we must remain calm and consider every word he says.

To discern his true intentions hidden beneath his words and actions.

want...

"Knock knock knock"

Snape's thoughts were interrupted.

"Severus, an old friend has come to see you~"

Snape's eye twitched; he felt all the mental preparation he had done was for nothing.

He stood up, took out his wand from his sleeve, and gripped it tightly in his palm, the pressure in his hand shifting between loosening and tightening.

Finally, Snape breathed a sigh of relief and forced himself to calm down.

He waved his wand, and the wooden door opened silently.

"Come in," Snape's deep voice came from the office.

Lin Qi narrowed his eyes for a moment, then put on a smile again.

He stepped into Snape's office, the wooden door closing silently behind him.

Lynch stood in the center of Snape's office, turning his head to look at the bottles and jars on the surrounding walls with great interest.

Snape didn't say anything, he just stood behind the desk and quietly watched Lynch.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Did you come here to see my collection? Perhaps I can give you some; after all, we're 'old friends'..."

Lynch glanced at Snape, then turned to face him, keeping his eyes fixed on Snape the whole time.

His smile widened: "Of course I didn't come to see your collection. It's just that I couldn't help but be curious about something after I came in, so I've been thinking about it for a little while."

"What is it?" Snepra's drawn-out tone made the words sound like they were being squeezed out from between his teeth.

Lynch replied, "That is—with such dim lighting, how do you ensure you don't pick up the wrong ingredients when concocting potions?"

Snape's eye twitched again, but Lynch didn't see it because the office was too dimly lit and he was standing in the dark.

But Lynch could tell Snape's attitude from his voice.

This time, the words were truly squeezed out one by one from between his teeth: "This is none of your business!"

"Under normal circumstances, that would be correct," Lin Qi said with his smile unchanged, "but now, it concerns me."

Snape's face darkened. "What...did you say?"

Lynch continued, "Because you are a renowned potion master, and the most skilled potion maker I know and can find, I need you to brew a potion for me. That is the main reason I'm visiting you today."

Snape laughed angrily: "What makes you think I'd brew potions for you? Because you're the great Executioner? So you think I'd have to grovel before you?"

"Of course not because of that." Lynch seemed relaxed, but his words were full of certainty. "It's because I'm going to make a offer that you can't refuse."

"What are the conditions?" Snape couldn't help but let a mocking smile creep onto his lips.

He couldn't think of anything Lynch could offer in exchange other than information about the Dark Lord, which was exactly his goal: to extract all the valuable information from Lynch as soon as possible, squeeze him dry, and then kick this damned executioner back into the Forbidden Forest with Dumbledore!

Perhaps I overestimated Lynch because of the legend of the hangman. Last night, he only accidentally hit my weakness, not it was a premeditated attack.

But Lynch's next words shattered everything for him.

Lynch said, "These were the last words Lily spoke about you in this world."

He held up one finger: "I don't think it's very likely that Lily and James will mention you in their daily conversations, so this is... Lily's last words about you, left behind in this world."

Snape found himself unable to speak again; he could only struggle to utter a single word: "...How...could this be?"

“August 19, 1980,” Lynch explained. “Just before the couple hid in Godric's Hollow, I went to her house to visit her and her newborn child. You, as our mutual childhood friend, were working for Voldemort, who was hunting her at that time, so naturally we talked about you.”

Snape felt his throat tighten, like a dry desert. He swallowed hard and struggled to squeeze out a few sounds.

"How...does she...see me?"

"We agree," Lynch said. "We both believe that you made a mistake and went astray, but you still have the potential to get back on the right track."

Snape slumped into his chair, staring blankly into the darkness, silent as a stone statue.

Lin Qi turned around and walked to a huge glass bottle containing animal carcasses, continuing to examine it with great interest in the dim light.

It felt like a century had passed.

Snape finally raised his head and looked at Lynch: "What potion?"

His voice was still low and somewhat hoarse, but it carried a resolute determination to do whatever it took.

Lynch smiled at Snape: "You don't have to act like a hero who's decided to sacrifice himself, my friend. Whether you agree to help me concoct potions or not, I will give you this memory. You need it more than I do."

"Now, let's take a look at the potion recipe." Lynch walked to Snape's table, ran his hand across the surface, and a parchment appeared on the table.

He reached out and pressed the parchment, pushed it off the table, and placed it in front of Snape.

Snape looked at the parchment in front of him, stretched out his wand, and flicked the tip of the wand in the air.

The candlelight in the office began to shine brighter.

Snape picked up the parchment and looked at it for a long time.

"If you want to commit suicide, I can help you, as long as you give me what I want before you die."

Snape raised his head and looked at Lynch, his tone still habitually tinged with sarcasm.

"You don't need to worry about that."

With a flick of his wrist, a huge glass bottle appeared in his hand, filled with viscous venom.

Lynch placed the glass bottle on Snape's table and continued, "On this one point, Voldemort and I are somewhat aligned: I will try my best to live as long as possible."