Harry Potter: I became Snape

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Puppy Cabbage



"Don't hide! We know you're in there! We've got several wands pointed at you, so don't think we're afraid to strike just because we might hurt someone!"

In the dead of night, a shrill shout pierced the air, accompanied by the heavy, chaotic thud of footsteps closing in from all directions.

Inside the tent, Dumbledore sat calmly, showing no intention of getting up.

Seeing the headmaster's composure, Snape swiftly grabbed a small bag nearby. His fingers rummaged inside and pulled out a few small, faintly glowing green orbs.

Without a second thought, he hurled the orbs toward the tent's entrance with a flick of his arm.

"Merlin's beard! What are those things?" came a panicked cry from outside.

Dumbledore, hearing the commotion, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his usually steady demeanor slightly shaken.

Snape rapidly muttered an incantation, casting a Shield Charm. A transparent magical barrier instantly enveloped him.

Then, with a swift motion, he flung open the tent flap and strode out.

"Help! Get away from me!"

Outside, chaos reigned. Four or five figures writhed on the ground, screaming in agony, as flashes of spell-light streaked through the air.

The plants Snape had thrown had now unfurled their leaves and were leaping about wildly, snarling. Their wide, jagged thorns snapped open and shut relentlessly.

Snape carefully navigated the blood-soaked battlefield, aiming his wand at the few enemies still resisting.

"Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus!" Snape shouted, his wand tip firing two dazzling beams of light straight at his foes.

"No, please!" came desperate cries as the now-disarmed attackers lost all means of resistance. In an instant, the frenzied plants pounced, dragging them to the ground amid piercing screams.

Snape casually caught the wands that flew toward him.

Without so much as a glance, he tossed them to the ground and stomped hard. With a series of sharp cracks, the delicate wooden wands snapped in two.

"Professor," Snape called back toward the tent, "you can come out now."

Dumbledore slowly emerged, taking in the chaotic scene before him. For a long moment, he stood speechless, stunned.

Finally, he raised a hand, pointing at the blood-drenched plants, his face full of confusion. "Severus… what are those things?"

"Devil's Snare," Snape replied simply.

"You call that Devil's Snare?" Dumbledore's beard seemed to quiver with indignation. "Then what do you call actual Devil's Snare?"

"Er, well, Professor," Snape said, lowering his head sheepishly and glancing up at Dumbledore, "these are an improved version. If you like, you could call them Puppy Cabbage."

"Puppy?" Dumbledore asked skeptically. "Where did you even get these rabid things?"

"Professor, perhaps we should deal with the attackers first!" Snape quickly changed the subject, feigning urgency. "If we don't treat their wounds soon, they'll bleed out!"

Dumbledore huffed, his beard twitching in irritation, but he raised his wand.

With a wave, the crazed plants were pushed back by an invisible force, leaping away from the scene.

The attackers were bound tightly by conjured chains, unable to move.

Under Dumbledore's powerful healing magic, their gruesome wounds began to close at a visible rate.

"My wand!" one attacker, a hulking figure resembling a troll, roared as he opened his blood-crusted eyes. "Where's my wand?!"

"Where are their wands?" Dumbledore asked, turning to Snape.

"Oh, right here," Snape said, pointing at the pile of broken sticks on the ground, his expression unchanging.

Dumbledore seemed to take a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. "Well, Hogwarts certainly never taught you manners in a fight."

Snape pulled a small glass vial from his robes, dabbing some of its colorless liquid onto himself. He approached the plants, gently stroking them. They let out contented purring sounds and folded their leaves back up.

Dumbledore watched Snape thoughtfully, then waved his wand at the attackers again.

A blinding white light flashed, and the attackers' eyes turned vacant and dull. Their furrowed brows relaxed, replaced by dazed, indifferent expressions.

A series of brilliant red flashes followed, and a powerful gust swept across the grass. The attackers fell into a deep, infant-like sleep.

"Brilliant, Professor!" Snape said, clapping after gathering the plants. "It always takes your touch!"

"Next time, I won't need your help," Dumbledore said dryly. "If I'd come out any later, you'd have more soul fragments than Tom ever did."

"Oh, come now, there were hardly six of them," Snape said, scratching his head. "I had it under control, Professor. The plants did the work."

Dumbledore ignored him, raising his wand and circling the area, murmuring incantations.

The air shimmered faintly, as if heat were rising from the ground.

"There. Now no one will disturb us. Inside, Severus."

They returned to the warmth of the tent. Fortunately, the battle had ended quickly, and aside from some crushed flowers at the entrance, the tent remained a haven of calm.

The night passed dreamlessly.

The sun was rising, casting a blue-purple sky above the churning waves.

Amid the crashing of the tide, Snape heard faint footsteps circling the tent, muffled as if through thick leather.

He glanced at the Sneakoscope on the table. It remained still—not enemies, then.

"Professor, someone's here," he said, rousing Dumbledore.

"Oh, that must be Alastor," Dumbledore replied, rising to dispel the protective charms around the tent.

A tall figure leaning on a cane appeared before them.

"What's this? You lot even brought me some extra work?" Moody growled, limping toward the tent.

"Good morning, Alastor," Dumbledore said. "Pack up the tent, Severus. We'll leave shortly."

"Hold on," Moody said, entering the tent and grabbing a cream cake from the table. "Let me eat something first."

After Moody finished breakfast, Snape packed the tent back into the small bag.

Dumbledore had already pulled a black-sailed boat to the shore.

They boarded one by one.

With the aid of magic, the boat sailed against the wind, heading toward the open sea.

————

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