[Chapter Size: 1800 Words.]
Third Person POV
Hogwarts.
...
...
While Snape finished his private conversation with Rosaria in the empty classroom, at that very moment, in the headmaster's office, the professors were gathered—except for a few, Rosaria among them.
After all, this meeting was important, and newly hired teachers had not been summoned, especially since they did not trust her.
Present in the room were none other than Professor Flitwick, Professor Longbottom, Professor Slughorn, and Professor McGonagall, along with a few other long-standing and trusted members of the school. Even the nurse, Madame Poppy Pomfrey, was there, having returned to the school a few years after a period of absence. During her time away, Penelope had taken her place, but she had now been transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, where she would continue her medical career, and Madam Pomfrey had resumed her position as the school's nurse.
"Have we received any letters? Any information?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking around for answers, her voice heavy with concern.
The professors exchanged glances, but all shook their heads negatively, a sense of unease settling over them.
"What is happening? Albus can't just disappear like this!" Professor McGonagall could not accept it.
"I don't think You-Know-Who could have defeated him..." Flitwick commented hesitantly, unable to accept it either.
"That shouldn't be possible. With his magical strength, Dumbledore is practically unbeatable! Even You-Know-Who wouldn't face him easily," Professor McGonagall added.
She simply couldn't believe the headmaster would fall so easily. But at the same time, more than a full day without any news was worrying. Even more so when not even Fawkes had returned. That fact alone increased the tension in the room.
"Calm down, Minerva," Slughorn tried to soothe her.
"How can I calm down, Professor?" McGonagall retorted, exasperated. "If Dumbledore falls, the entire wizarding world will suffer!"
"We still don't know what really happened. We're waiting for someone to answer that question. That's why we're here today—to wait for the Ministry..." Slughorn said with a sigh, trying to maintain his composure.
Everyone was tense, and the silence in the room became almost suffocating. The portraits of the former headmasters also remained silent, unsure of what to say in the face of such a grave situation. The problem was that Dumbledore hadn't said where he was going when he simply left, and Fawkes had gone after him when he was in danger—both had vanished.
At that moment, the fireplace beside the portraits suddenly ignited. Emerald flames shimmered, and then, a group of five people emerged into the room. The professors immediately searched for Dumbledore among them, but the old wizard was not there. Instead, it was the Minister for Magic, Eugenia Jenkins, accompanied by some of the most renowned wizards from the Ministry. Among them was Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, who had been personally tasked with investigating the headmaster's disappearance following the battle in Diagon Alley.
"Well, you're all here," murmured Minister Jenkins.
"Tell me, Minister Jenkins, is there any news about Dumbledore?" Professor Longbottom was the first to ask, urgency evident in her voice.
The Minister sighed before shaking her head. "Unfortunately, we have found nothing. He has simply disappeared."
The response cast a dark shadow over everyone in the room.
"No... It can't be," murmured Professor Flitwick, now even more worried.
"Yes, unfortunately, we have no leads on what happened to him. Dumbledore is missing."
"What do we do now, Minister?" Slughorn asked, clearly disturbed.
He had always preferred to remain neutral in this war but had never supported the ideals of radical pure-blood wizards. As a professor, he favored brilliant students regardless of their heritage, like Lily Evans.
"Well, we will have to conduct a thorough investigation," the Minister said seriously. "Perhaps even adopt more aggressive measures against the Death Eaters to try and uncover where Dumbledore is. We can't just sit still now that we've lost a wizard like Dumbledore on our side."
"Voldemort would never attack Hogwarts with Dumbledore here. Now, without him... The wizarding world is not just in panic— all of England is on the brink of collapse," Professor Flitwick said in a grim tone.
"Yes, you're right. If we announce that Dumbledore has disappeared, the wizarding population will panic. It will be complete chaos, which only benefits You-Know-Who."
"So, are we not going to reveal that he has vanished? How will we handle this?" Slughorn murmured, visibly concerned about the matter.
"We will have to take some measures if we want to maintain order," the Minister said firmly.
"What are you thinking, Minister?" Professor McGonagall asked cautiously.
"First, we must ensure that the public believes Dumbledore is still alive. The Ministry of Magic's artifact that detects his presence has not faded, which means his heart is still beating. We can use this to our advantage. There are many strands of his hair in this room… We can use them to disguise one of our agents," the Minister explained, while the professors stared at her, surprised by the suggestion.
"Polyjuice Potion..." Professor Slughorn murmured.
"Don't look at me like that. Either we do this, or we announce to the world that Dumbledore has disappeared, and suddenly, we'll have Death Eaters knocking on our door without hesitation. What do you prefer?" She crossed her arms and looked at each of the professors, who, although hesitant, recognized that this was the only alternative at the moment.
"Are you sure this will work?" Professor Lorraine asked.
"We have no choice. As long as we keep public opinion in our favor, we need to calm the population," the Minister replied with a sigh.
For a time, this might work, but everyone knew that, in the end, the truth would come to light. However, there was no other choice. The desperation of not having Dumbledore by their side was greater than the need to be completely transparent with the world.
The possibility that the headmaster was in the hands of the Death Eaters, being tortured, was everyone's greatest fear. No one knew exactly where he was, and that was the gravest problem.
Meanwhile, in another place, a ring gleamed, reflecting the candlelight in a luxurious room. Severus Snape gazed into the open space before him. Despite being a room, there were at least a hundred meters of space around, with a large tent in the center filled with artifacts and magical objects, which Rosaria seemed to have added during her stay.
Snape observed everything carefully, but what truly caught his attention was Atlas, his Graphorn. The creature looked different… It was fat, lying in a corner of the room.
"Do you like my room?" Rosaria asked beside him, clearly trying to start a conversation.
"Yes..." Snape simply said, practically ignoring her and sighing as he realized his Graphorn had overfed and lost all the muscle it had developed over time. It hadn't even been two months, and it was already like this...
And Atlas, upon seeing his former master, tried to lift his head and let out an animalistic cry, seeming outraged.
"You ruined him," Snape murmured, ignoring the animal's protest, casting a severe look at Rosaria.
"I took care of him!" She quickly defended herself. "My father initially wanted to kill him, but I stopped him. I'll admit this creature surprised me," she commented, crossing her arms. "Despite the awful smell, he became my companion over the past month, waiting for you to return, and I gave him everything he wanted to eat," she said with a proud tone.
"Whatever. I'm taking him now," Snape said coldly as he approached the creature. "And thank you," he added with a hint of sincerity as he stood before the Graphorn.
Upon hearing this, Rosaria seemed a bit embarrassed, averting her gaze.
"Hm? Wait, you're already leaving?! I wanted to..." But before she could say anything else, Snape had already touched the Graphorn and vanished from the room, leaving her alone.
"He's already gone..." she murmured to herself, looking slightly frustrated. She knew she would have another chance during her class.
Meanwhile, Snape reappeared in the enclosure and placed Atlas back in his space. The Graphorn tried to stand, but let out only a frustrated sound before collapsing back onto the ground after attempting to get up on its side.
"Let's see if you lose some weight now," Snape murmured, crossing his arms as the creature rolled to the side, trying to find a comfortable position.
Atlas, though not as strong as before, still managed to stand and glare at Snape, clearly looking for a fight… and quickly charged at him. However, the wizard remained still as always, though this time, his gaze held a hint of amusement.
The Graphorn tried to push him back as soon as it rammed into him with its head. But Snape only slid backward a few centimeters.
"You know, I've gotten much stronger since we parted ways, Atlas. Now, to me, you're nothing," Snape mocked, watching the creature's frustration grow.
Atlas seemed offended, but Snape simply grabbed him and, with a single motion, lifted his massive body over his head and threw him several meters away. Despite weighing tons, Snape was incredibly strong now.
After that, he left the enclosure and entrusted Dobby with the task of feeding him.
Upon returning to the room where he was staying, he sat down and drank a cup of coffee prepared by Dobby. Snape was already ready to retire for the night and sleep.
Everything seemed calm until, suddenly, a system alert sounded, catching his attention. A screen appeared before him.
"What is this?" Snape murmured as new information appeared on the indicated display.
The next moment, an arrow appeared on the screen, pointing to the exact location he needed to follow. He observed it carefully until the marker stopped over a small, peculiar painting inside his personal room.
"Is that… a dungeon portal?" Snape narrowed his eyes. "Like the ones from the board?!" He was genuinely surprised.
He studied the screen for a moment, reading the information, and then smirked. Without hesitation, he advanced toward the painting in the highest part of the room. Though he didn't fully understand what it meant yet, he wasn't about to miss the opportunity.
Upon reaching it, he examined the painting closely, and as soon as he touched the artwork, lightning began to crackle around it, transforming it into a portal before his eyes.
"This..." He stared at it for a moment, then glanced at his bed. It was either go on this adventure or sleep. In the end, he chose to step through the gate.
"So, another dungeon..." he murmured to himself, analyzing it.
"This is a chance to grow!"
Without hesitation, he moved forward—it was an opportunity to acquire more shadows, more power, and to level up, far better than simply staying here.
And so, he stepped inside. As his body was engulfed, before he was completely absorbed, Snape vanished.
No one knew what had just happened. Snape had left this dimension and moved into another—one where he would begin creating his true army of shadows.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 168 - Forbidden Forest Again.
Chapter 173 - The dungeons are everywhere.
Chapter 183 - A Ball Among Ghosts 02
Chapter 192 - The Battle in the Muggle World 05.
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