Ashes of Hogwarts

"Severus, let me ask you one last time, have you really decided to go to that unknown world by yourself without my company?"

On the belly of the huge flying dragon stone sculpture of the Dragon Academy, the bonfire on the royal weapon is burning brightly.

Ash sat in front of Snape with a serious look on his face.

Beside them, Dumbledore had prepared props, ready to record this moment.

Dumbledore was originally the candidate for the first experiment, but Snape sternly rejected it.

Although it was said that something unexpected might happen, Hogwarts could not lose its principal.

But Ash knew that Snape couldn't wait to see Lily.

"Don't worry, I researched the potion, and my understanding of it is far better than yours."

Snape looked confident.

For this moment, he even went to a bathhouse in Chinatown to take a good bath, and put on the clothes he wore most often when he was staying with Lily.

"You'd better wear this just to be safe."

Ash took out a transparent piece of clothing from his bag.

It's Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Ah, the Potter family heirloom. When I see him, I think of Potter's damn face."

Despite his harsh words, Snape put it on quickly.

After all, this is an item belonging to the God of Death, and it should have a special function in hell.

"Then let's begin."

Dumbledore's speech represents the beginning of the first communication between the world of the living and the dead.

Snape drank the grayish liquid in the bottle in one gulp, and then lay down holding the soul anchor that Ash made for him tightly.

This is a ray of king soul separated from Ash. As long as Snape carries it, Ash can bring his soul back at any time.

In a daze, Snape fell into a deep sleep.

Ash felt a very weak soul take his royal soul away and go to an unknown world.

It was part of Snape's soul, enveloping him in all his will.

"Did you make it?"

Dumbledore asked softly.

But his eyes showed great desire.

Meeting his eyes, Ash nodded affirmatively.

Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief.

A good start is half the battle.

……

Chaos, drowsy.

Difficult, very uncomfortable.

The last time I felt like this was when I learned about Lily's death, and the last time was when Old Potter hung me up with an upside-down golden bell.

A sudden sadness from deep within swept through Snape's soul.

Deserted and desolate.

He struggled to cry out, but found that he couldn't do anything.

Snape's consciousness was traveling in chaos, and there was a constant cold current as black as ink around him that wanted to sweep away his weak soul.

The coldness went straight to one's bones, and Snape couldn't help but shiver.

Fortunately, Ash's soul anchor started to work.

A faint golden light appeared in Snape's hand, driving away the cold air around him.

"Lily, Lily..."

Holding the soul anchor tightly, Snape began to whisper Lily's name.

That smiling face appeared in his mind as if it had never gone away.

His intense longing for Lily was the only connection he had with her now.

There is no other way, we can't kill Harry and sacrifice him to heaven.

After drifting in chaos for who knows how long, Snape was exhausted.

His soul slowly began to sleep.

The soul anchor turned into a horse and took him on an endless journey.

After an unknown amount of time passed, Snape slowly woke up and felt a pair of hands caressing his face.

"Here you are, Sev, I'm here."

The gentle voice had appeared in his dreams countless times, and Snape's body could not help but tremble.

He didn't dare to open his eyes, for fear that he would see a ferocious and terrifying world when he opened them, and the sound was just a way for the devil to trick him into opening his eyes.

"Don't worry Sev, you found me."

Snape felt his nose itchy, as if something was tickling him.

He couldn't help but sneeze and then opened his eyes.

bush.He was pretty sure he was lying in a bush.

Lily stood in the sun, her red hair set off like fire by the golden sun.

This is a playground with almost no one around.A large chimney towered in the distant sky.

The place where they first met.

"Remember this place, Sev? Then you suddenly jumped out and said I was a witch. That was really rude."

Lily giggled. She picked up a dead flower on the ground and put it in the palm of her hand.

The petals opened and closed in her hand like some weird, multi-layered oyster.

This scene has been repeated again and again in Snape's dreams, but now the protagonist has become a grown-up Lily.

Is this a dream?

If this is a dream, I really hope not to wake up.

Snape stood there dumbly until Lily came to him.

"Don't just stand there Sifu, this is the world of the dead, and you don't have much time."

She took Snape's hand and the two began to run in the sunshine.

Snape's tears finally flowed down, like floods bursting from a dam, covering his entire face.

They soon came to a small forest. A small river in the sun flowed through the trees, sparkling, and the shade of the trees cast a dark green coolness.

A small wooden house stood there quietly.

Snape suddenly became nervous. He was afraid that there was another man inside.

He held the hot soul anchor tightly, which seemed to bring him only a little comfort.

"Come in and sit."

The door creaked.

The wooden house is very simple, but it can be seen that it is a small house where one lives alone.

Snape couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

After pouring a glass of water for Snape, Lily sat opposite him, holding her chin with her two small hands, and looked at him quietly.

"Am I like this?"

Even though there were thousands of words in his mind, Snape couldn't say them out, so he only asked this dry question.

"You look different Sev, much neater than before, not so sloppy anymore."

Lily narrowed her eyes and gave him a smile.

Snape felt as if his heartbeat had skipped a few beats.

After a few minutes, Snape was finally able to talk to Lily normally.

He first expressed his apology to Lily and began to tell her about his current life.

Talking about Hogwarts, talking about the rejuvenated Dumbledore, talking about Ash and Illya who are new to the school, and talking about the wedding held at Hogwarts.

When talking about the wedding, Snape couldn't help but look into Lily's eyes.

He deliberately ignored Harry's news, and did not mention Sirius who was framed and Pettigrew who betrayed them.

Snape's voice became softer and softer. Lily didn't listen to him, but fell asleep with her head on the table.

Outside the window, there are lush green leaves.

Snape looked at her longingly, as he had done when he was a child under the shade of a tree.

He held tightly the soul anchor that had been burned to redness.

"In a moment, in a moment."

he told himself so.