Harry Potter: I became Snape

"How many people have you actually spied on?" Severus Snape asked, instinctively pulling his wizarding robes tighter around himself.

"Oh, a few in the past," Myrtle Warren replied, her ghostly eyes glinting with interest as she gazed at him. "But lately, it's just been you."

"Ugh, you perverted ghost," Snape sneered, snatching a golden cauldron from the table and setting it on the floor. "Am I supposed to feel honored or something?"

"I haven't seen yours yet, Severus," Pandora Abbott chimed in suddenly, stepping closer with a mischievous grin.

"Want me to show you right now?" Snape shot back, rolling his eyes with exaggerated irritation as he flicked his wand, casting Aguamenti.

A clear stream of water soon filled the cauldron. With another tap of his wand, a ghostly blue magical flame sprang to life beneath it.

"No need for that. I'm sure it's nothing to write home about," Pandora teased, sticking out her tongue before darting to the workbench. She picked up her wand and began idly toying with it, occasionally nudging the nearby potion ingredients.

Neither spoke further. Myrtle drifted upward, perching lightly on the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, watching the scene below with keen interest.

"First, the main ingredient," Snape said, taking a deep breath. He reached into his bag and pulled out two small, frost-covered eggs. "Two ashwinder eggs from Professor Kettleburn's private stock. Shell them, then chop into one-inch cubes…"

Once the ingredients were prepped, Snape began brewing the potion in earnest.

He started by pouring a vial of goblin wax into the simmering cauldron. Thick, inky-green smoke billowed upward instantly.

After precisely nine minutes and thirty-two seconds, Snape tossed in the chopped ashwinder egg fragments. He stirred the mixture three times clockwise, then seven times counterclockwise.

Seven minutes of simmering later, Snape methodically added measured amounts of crushed fluxweed, garlic cloves, angelica, henbane petals, honey, powdered dried ginger, and ground calamus root—petrified and finely milled.

The cauldron's contents gradually transformed into a soft, pale pink suspension. After maintaining this state for a few minutes, Snape added the final ingredient: two bay leaves.

The potion now emitted faint, shimmering lavender vapor, accompanied by a delicate, fragrant aroma.

"That smells divine," Myrtle murmured, having drifted silently above the cauldron. She leaned in so close that her translucent hair nearly dipped into the liquid. "It's been years since I've smelled anything."

"Merlin's beard!" Snape yelped, nearly knocking the cauldron over in his fright.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" he snapped, glaring at Myrtle.

"But I don't make any noise when I move," Myrtle pouted, her voice tinged with mock innocence.

"Then at least make some sound with your mouth when you're coming closer," Snape grumbled, still shaken. "Stop startling me every time."

The potion required slow simmering over a low flame for the entire night.

Early the next morning, Snape and Pandora returned to the Room of Requirement.

They stood before the blank wall, repeating the agreed-upon passphrase several times before Myrtle finally appeared, lazily opening the door.

The moment it swung open, she zoomed toward the cauldron, her face breaking into a blissful, almost silly smile.

By now, the potion had lost its pink hue, turning into a pale, tawny liquid with a pearlescent sheen. Spirals of vapor rose lazily from its surface.

"I know what this is," Pandora said, leaning in and inhaling deeply. A dreamy smile spread across her face.

"Why does it smell like you, Severus?" Myrtle asked suddenly, turning to him with a puzzled glint in her eyes.

"Does it?" Snape replied, snapping out of his own reverie. He'd just caught a medley of enticing scents from the potion. "You're starting to unnerve me."

"Why?" Myrtle asked, genuinely confused. "What is it?"

"Amortentia," Pandora answered. "The most potent love potion there is. Why are you brewing this, Severus? Isn't it banned at Hogwarts?"

"It's not for personal use," Snape said, carefully decanting the potion into a crystal vial. "I just have a bold idea that might require it." He pocketed the vial and smirked. "Besides, since when do you care about school rules?"

"Fair point," Pandora grinned. "As long as we don't get expelled."

After bidding farewell to Pandora and the ghost, Snape tucked the Amortentia into his robes and left the castle. He strode across the lawn toward the Quidditch pitch.

The weather was clear but crisp, right in the middle of the Quidditch season.

Cheers from the pitch echoed in the distance. Today's match pitted Gryffindor against Ravenclaw.

Snape, of course, wasn't there to watch the game, nor to study Quirinus Quirrell cursing Potter from the sidelines.

Though James Potter, as a Chaser, had once famously nicked a Golden Snitch, let it dart away, and then caught it again just to show off, Snape had no intention of pulling such a reckless stunt.

Yet, as he squinted at the pitch, scanning the players, he couldn't spot James anywhere. The Gryffindor seemed to be absent from today's match, and none of his usual friends were in the stands either.

Even after the cheering crowd dispersed, Sirius Black was nowhere to be found.

Leaving the Quidditch pitch, Snape wandered aimlessly around the grounds until he spotted Sirius sitting alone in the shadow of a towering beech tree by the lake.

He approached the tree, a Hogwarts landmark that had stood watch over generations of students.

Sirius heard Snape's footsteps and looked up. His dark hair was disheveled, falling inelegantly over his forehead.

"You," Sirius growled, leaping to his feet and gripping his wand, his eyes blazing with loathing and suspicion. "What do you want now?"

"No need for such hostility," Snape said, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. "This time, I'm here to help."

"Help me?" Sirius's anger flared. "What's that supposed to mean? You've already ruined James's life! If you think you can blackmail me with that illegal Animagus nonsense, I'll take you down with me!"

"Calm down," Snape said, his tone laced with contrition. "I admit I went too far this time. I'm sorry for putting James through that mess. I'm here to make amends."

Slowly, Snape reached into his robes and pulled out the crystal vial. The pale, tawny liquid inside shimmered faintly. "I thought this might help you and James feel a bit less miserable."

"What is that?" Sirius asked, eyeing the vial warily.

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