HP: Embrace the Darkness

Back in the cellar, Snape sat at his desk, still thinking about Barty Crouch Jr.

With such a fanatical Death Eater at Hogwarts, it was hard for him as a double agent to feel at ease.

"Can you determine his exact location?"

After struggling for so long, Snape still looked up at Artes and asked this question.

Artes was brought back from his thoughts by Snape's question.

He sat on the sofa by the fireplace, leaning back, the firelight reflecting on his face. Snape couldn't see his expression clearly, and could only see that he shook his head.

"Grandpa Joel told me in the letter that we can only confirm that he is at Hogwarts."

Joel had indeed put a tracking spell on Barty Crouch Jr., and he could only confirm that in Hogwarts, Artes' words were not a lie to Snape.

Upon hearing this, Snape greeted Dumbledore, the principal, again.

Artes listened with a smile, neither talking nor helping. When Snape was tired of scolding, he got up in time, poured a glass of water and walked over to hand it to him.

"Headmaster Dumbledore has been busy lately."

"He's busy emptying out all the sugar in Honeydukes?"

Snape took the water and took a sip. Hearing what Ass said, he subconsciously mocked.

Speaking of this, Assis suddenly remembered something that was casually chatted at the school board meeting a few days ago - the principal's office applied for additional funding, and the additional amount was about half of the original funding.

Although the Triwizard Tournament is going to be held, hasn't it been requested once before? He personally approved it that time, and it was used up so quickly?

This year's school director's turn is not Aces, so he only knows about applying for additional funding, but doesn't know the details.

"Maybe Principal Dumbledore just bought the Honeydukes store."

Since the school director started chatting with them, it meant that he had approved it. With so much money, it was easy to buy a Honeydukes.

Snape didn't understand what Asseth meant and looked at him doubtfully.

Seeing this, Asseth recounted the chat between several members of the school board that day.

He didn't sit down after he came over just now to hand over the water. Instead, he leaned on the desk, supporting the table with his hands, and flexed his knuckles without tapping them.

Snape felt tired of raising his head, so he lowered his gaze from Ass's face to the hand in front of him that kept making noises.

Suddenly, the unfamiliar bottle of potion in Asseth's hand burst into his eyes.

"You..." Snape was surprised and frowned suddenly, "Love potion? Yours?"

It was the potion master's instinct to quickly identify a potion by its appearance. He knew what kind of potion it was just by looking at it, and he was surprised just because he knew it.

And there were only him and Asseth in the cellar. If it wasn't his, it could only be Asses.

Following Snape's gaze, Artes also looked at the love potion standing quietly on the table, and finally remembered the potion he brought back today.

He explained softly: "The love potion is not mine. I confiscated it during class. I thought it would be useless if I kept it, so I planned to give it to you."

Not intending to use the love potion to test something and ruin the relationship between the two of them, Asses paused for a moment and refuted his own words in annoyance.

"Forget it, I didn't think carefully. How good is the potion they refined? It's useless if I keep it. I'll take it and destroy it tomorrow."

What Aces said was pure lies.

The color of the love potion in front of you can tell that it is of rare and perfect quality, so——

It should have been bought.

The two of them unanimously judged the origin of the bottle of love potion in their hearts.

Snape ignored Arthur's words and picked up the potion and shook it. The calm liquid inside instantly glowed with a different beauty than when it was left alone.

Looking at the luster of mother-of-pearl flowing inside, Snape was a little lost. He didn't know what he was thinking. His eyes were deep and heavy, like dark clouds on a rainy day.

After a while, he came back to his senses, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Do you think their brains allow them to refine such a love potion? Or is your brain also soaked in it?"

"of course not."

Seeing that Snape seemed to be interested in staying, Artes almost changed his mind.

He just didn't want to be misunderstood by Snape. Since he was not misunderstood, he kept the love potion.

late at night--

Snape took the time to open his eyes.

At this time, Asseth had fallen asleep, and his gentle and regular breathing could be vaguely heard in the silence.

Snape turned around, and through the darkness, quietly traced the profile of Arthas's face with his eyes.

He knew that Asseth had never thought of using a love potion to test him. What happened this time was just an accident. It was him who had the idea of ​​spying on himself.

The man in front of him was different from everyone he had met before, and he wanted to know what kind of feelings he had for Asseth.

But he doesn't know how to judge...

The love in his memory does not seem to be a good word.

His good mother almost gave everything she had, including her children, for that illusory love, but was that really love?

Snape looked at Arthas and replayed what Arthas did in his mind.

Finally, he was sure - he didn't understand love.

Dumbledore said many things, but the one that Snape remembered most was his comment on Voldemort - "Voldemort doesn't understand love."

He sneered at this sentence at the time. He never thought that Voldemort could be associated with the word love. There was no love at all, so why did he not understand it.

Until now when he met Asseth, he suddenly felt that he was the one who didn't understand love.

Otherwise, he would not need to use external forces to understand his own heart, or he would not be so hesitant to use external forces.

He is too rational. He knows that no matter which result it is, it will not be what he wants. So what if he doesn't want it...

he wanted to know.

Snape closed his eyes slowly, as if he wanted to use darkness to calm his chaotic heart.

But he seemed to have forgotten that he was still in darkness with his eyes open, which was no different from closing his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, Snape had regained his composure. It was never the Potions Master's style to shrink back. No matter how hesitant, he sat up carefully.

Without waking up Asseth, he sat alone on the only sofa in the room.

He placed it after he learned that Artes was ill. He would sometimes sit here at night to observe Artes' condition in order to find some ideas for treatment medicine.

Thinking of Artes' illness, Snape's face lost his calmness. He has not been able to find any clues until now.

Aces really hid it well.

Snape thought as he took out the bottle of love potion from the alchemy ring, and a slightly cold touch spread from the palm of his hand to his heart.