i am snape

"None of your business!" Hagrid's face suddenly darkened, and he waved his massive hand dismissively, speaking roughly. "Get away from me!"

He then strode towards his small wooden hut, and Snape had to jog to keep up with his pace.

"Hey, Hagrid!" Snape called out to his retreating back. "What's going on?"

*Bang!*

Hagrid slammed the door shut.

This was troublesome. Snape stood there, frowning. He knew he wasn't Harry; Hagrid would never easily confide the truth of those past events to him. But he hadn't anticipated such a violent reaction from Hagrid, not even giving him a chance to communicate. As for asking staff members or the common ghosts, as Abott had suggested, it would likely be difficult to get useful information from them. Dumbledore surely would have already instructed those in the know to keep silent.

Was he truly going to have to simply barge into the second-floor girls' lavatory? But he also had no direct reason to seek out Moaning Myrtle. He had to obtain appropriate information through seemingly reasonable channels before he could question that poor girl. Otherwise, given Dumbledore's keen mind and wisdom, it would be quite difficult to explain himself.

It seemed he would have to risk a bolder approach.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

Snape walked to Hagrid's hut and knocked forcefully on the door.

"Hagrid! Don't you hide in there without a sound! You're brave enough to cause that poor girl's death, but not brave enough to open the door? Open up!"

A few seconds later, the door flew open. Snape was met with the sight of Hagrid, holding a gigantic crossbow, pointed directly at him.

"No, I didn't! Aragog would never kill anyone!" Hagrid roared, his eyes red.

"Who's Aragog? Is that the spider mentioned in the *Daily Prophet*?" Snape took a step forward, pushing aside the crossbow aimed at him. "Hey, don't try to scare me, Hagrid. You wouldn't hurt anyone."

Hagrid lowered his weapon, but his eyes still glared fiercely, and his bushy beard quivered with his breathing.

"Did I guess correctly? You're the one who was expelled from Hogwarts thirty-three years ago? Let's go inside and talk."

Hagrid was silent for a moment, then moved aside to let Snape enter. The hut had only one room. Hams and pheasants hung from the ceiling, a large bed with a patchwork quilt lay in the corner, and Hagrid's pink flowery umbrella leaned against the back wall of the hut. Snape sat down at the only large wooden table in the room.

"Abott told me a few things about you. Could I try some of your rock cakes?"

Hagrid snorted loudly. Finally, he pulled a large platter of rock cakes from a cupboard and placed it heavily in front of Snape. Snape quickly regretted it; the rock cakes nearly broke his teeth, but he had to pretend he enjoyed them.

He put down a half-eaten rock cake, checking that he hadn't left any teeth marks on it, then said, "Hagrid, I believe you weren't the culprit in that matter. If you were, I don't think Dumbledore would have allowed you to remain at Hogwarts. I was just guessing wildly a moment ago, hoping for a chance to talk to you. Since you're still here, there must have been another hidden truth to what happened back then."

Snape pulled out a few folded copies of the *Daily Prophet* from his robes. "Take a look," he said, pushing the newspapers across the table to Hagrid. "These are the reports from that year."

Hagrid shifted uncomfortably.

"Can you tell me Aragog's story?" Snape asked.

"I can't tell you," Hagrid said gruffly. "I won't say anything."

"Then allow me to venture into the realm of speculation and conjecture." Snape sat up straight, staring directly into Hagrid's dark eyes. "In 1943, a series of attacks occurred at Hogwarts, and a female student even lost her life, causing widespread panic. Tom Riddle discovered you were raising a giant spider in the castle and believed it, Aragog, had killed the girl."

"No... Aragog didn't..." The parts of Hagrid's face not covered by his beard turned ashen.

Ignoring Hagrid's protests, Snape continued, "Regardless of the truth, the Chamber of Secrets attacks ceased then. Riddle received a 'Special Services to the School' award, and the so-called 'student responsible'—" he looked at Hagrid with a shrewd, deep gaze—"you were expelled from school, and your wand was snapped, wasn't it?"

Sweat began to bead on Hagrid's forehead, and his beetle-black eyes were filled with panic.

"Can we talk now?"

Hagrid nodded stiffly, his face blank.

"If Aragog wasn't the killer, what do you know then?"

"It wouldn't tell me."

"What?"

"I asked Aragog many times, but it wouldn't say. It only told me that there was an ancient creature wandering the school that it feared most, but it would never utter the name of that terrifying creature."

Snape tapped the table lightly with his fingers; he was close to the answer he wanted.

"What do you know about Riddle?"

"He was brilliant, top of every class, and he was even Head Boy."

"And after that? Such an outstanding person."

"I don't know," Hagrid shook his head. "After he left school, there was no news of him."

It seemed Hagrid knew almost nothing about Riddle.

"Then what do you know about that poor girl?"

Hagrid hesitated, seemingly unsure whether to reveal information about the girl.

"Look," Snape said again, leaning forward and spreading the newspaper in front of Hagrid. "If the true culprit remains at large, how can she rest in peace in the other world?"

"She didn't go to the other world," Hagrid said, his voice hoarse and low. "She's still in the castle."

"What do you mean by that?" Snape asked, feigning surprise.

"Moaning Myrtle, the girl who died," Hagrid said. "Her body was found in the lavatory, and she came back."

"You mean the ghost who's always sadly crying in the girls' lavatory?"

"Yes." Hagrid hunched his shoulders awkwardly, his voice almost inaudible.

"Thank you, Hagrid. This information is very helpful to me," Snape said. "I swear I won't tell anyone other than Dumbledore about your situation. Of course, I imagine he already knows all of this. Furthermore, out of personal interest, I will try to uncover the truth of what happened that year. If possible, at the appropriate time, I will clear your name."

Snape stood up and walked towards the door. He walked back to the castle in the deepening twilight, the lamplight spilling from the windows floating in the crisp air. Later, when he found a moment alone, he would just need to meet with Myrtle, and then he could legitimately discover the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets—that tap engraved with a small serpent. Though he still couldn't enter it at the moment, it was certainly welcome progress.

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