i am snape

Snape and Abbot left the castle together, walking through the lush green vegetable patch towards the greenhouses, where various magical plants were cultivated. As they approached the greenhouses, quite a few students had already gathered on the lawn, waiting in small groups for Professor Sprout.

Snape saw the Whomping Willow in the distance. At that moment, its branches swayed gently in the breeze, and the new, tender leaves were almost transparent in the sunlight. His thoughts couldn't help but drift back to a full moon night last term. At the malicious urging of Sirius's "prank," Snape had poked the knot on the Whomping Willow's trunk with a long stick and entered the passage leading to the Shrieking Shack. At the other end of the tunnel, he had hastily glimpsed a ferocious werewolf with bared fangs. Just before the werewolf could pounce on him, James Potter rushed in and pulled him back. That's how James saved his life.

Yet, Snape clearly remembered Dumbledore telling Harry after Peter Pettigrew had escaped in the chaos—"When one wizard saves another wizard's life, a bond is formed between them." Later, Pettigrew was even strangely strangled to death by his own silver hand right in front of Harry. Thus, a wave of worry washed over Snape. He was concerned that this bond might, one day, lead to unforeseen and uncontrollable consequences.

"What are you staring at?" Abbot nudged him with his elbow.

"Nothing."

Snapping back to reality, Snape looked up at the crowd. Remus Lupin—in human form—stood there, looking pale and haggard. Snape mused that this might be because the full moon was just a few days ago, and Lupin must have just endured a painful transformation.

As Snape's thoughts wandered, Professor Sprout strode across the lawn. She was a dumpy witch, with a patched hat perched on her wispy hair, always a bit of mud on her clothes, and a perpetual cheerful smile.

"To Greenhouse Three today," Professor Sprout said cheerfully. "From now on, we'll be learning about even more interesting plants there."

The students murmured excitedly. They had only been into Greenhouse Three once before sixth year. Compared to Greenhouse One, which they were used to, the plants in Greenhouse Three were more interesting and more dangerous. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and opened the door to Greenhouse Three. Snape smelled damp earth and fertilizer, mixed with the rich scent of flowers. Some of the flowers were as big as Hagrid's umbrella and hung down from the ceiling.

Professor Sprout walked behind a bench in the middle of the greenhouse, where a dozen pairs of earmuffs of various colors lay. After all the students had trickled into the greenhouse, she cleared her throat and said, "Today we're going to repot Mandrakes again. Now, who remembers what Mandrakes are like?"

After two weeks of classes, Snape noticed that students from all houses had grown too lazy to raise their hands; someone would always rush to answer anyway.

"Mandrakes, also known as Mandragora, are powerful restorative agents. They are an essential component of most antidotes, but they are also very dangerous..."

"Hmm, yes," Snape thought to himself, "'Absolutely correct, ten points to Gryffindor!'"

"Excellent, ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Sprout said, exactly as everyone expected. "It seems you haven't forgotten what I taught you in second year."

However, looking at the more than one hundred green and purple seedlings before him, Snape thought it would indeed be best to wait until this batch of Mandrakes matured before considering entering the Chamber of Secrets.

"The Mandrakes we're handling today still need some time to grow," Professor Sprout said, pointing to a row of deep trays. "Hearing their cries will, at most, only guarantee you an unforgettable Christmas in the hospital wing."

"Here, take this." Abbot snatched two pairs of pink fluffy earmuffs and, with a triumphant look, handed them to Snape.

"Excuse me, why did you pick this color?" Snape asked, bewildered. "Why?!"

"They're so pretty! I think this color suits us both," Abbot said carelessly, putting on his own earmuffs.

Snape looked desperately at the bench—the earmuffs of other colors had already been snatched up by everyone.

"You're too much! Why didn't I see your true colors before—"

"—What did you say?" Abbot tapped his earmuffs with a finger. "I can't hear you—"

"~!@#￥%..."

"They sound like a bickering couple."

Snape heard a soft voice. A girl with a messy, dirty, waist-length golden hair stood beside them, a necklace made of Butterbeer corks around her neck. She had light-colored eyes, very light eyebrows, and a faint, elusive smile on her face, exuding a distinctly unusual aura.

Luna?

A skipping, ethereal figure immediately appeared in Snape's mind. He had never noticed her existence before. Of course, in his former life, his eyes were likely only fixed on those bright green ones.

"You're Loony Pandora Vlahos!" Abbot shouted loudly. Evidently, the earmuffs had affected his volume control.

Pandora wasn't offended by this. She just blinked her large eyes and said gently, "Do you call me Loony too?" With that, she turned and walked towards an empty table on the other side.

"Wait," Snape called out to her, and casually gave Abbot a knock on the head. "This one's not quite right in the head, don't mind him. There's an empty spot here, why don't you sit with us?"

"Okay!" Pandora said happily, sitting opposite Snape.

"Do you know?" she said mysteriously. "The cry of a Mandrake is actually a healing charm. If paired with a Carthaginian spell, it can have miraculous effects."

"Three hundred years ago, a witch named Elfrida used the wail of a Mandrake to cure a vampire's sun allergy..."

Listening to her whimsical words, Snape could be absolutely certain that this girl was indeed Luna's mother. Luna was destined to lose her mother in a magical experiment gone wrong when she was nine years old. Now, Pandora was right in front of Snape, animatedly sharing her imaginative ideas. From her joyful demeanor, it seemed no one had ever patiently listened to her speak like this before.

The light filtered through the greenhouse glass, falling upon her profile. It was a beautiful day.

---

It seems like Snape is facing quite a few revelations and unexpected encounters! What do you think of his meeting with Pandora, and what do you make of his concerns about the "bond" with James Potter?