Chapter 28: Chapter 28: The Graveyard
Snape quickly scanned both sides of the corridor, then tucked the map away and hurried into the passage. The mirror clicked shut behind him, blocking the light from the corridor's chandeliers, plunging the passage into darkness. He couldn't help but inwardly sigh, "Alas, compared to a Slytherin, I'm more like a Gryffindor now. I wonder if I'll ever get to be a sword saint..."
"Lumos!"
A soft glow emanated from the tip of his wand, revealing a flat, open space before him, with a downward stone staircase faintly visible at the far end. Isn't this that very secret passage that will collapse during the time of the Slytherin twins? What could this place be used for? Snape pondered, rubbing his chin. Transporting cursed objects through the passage, or secretly releasing dangerous magical creatures?
So, should he go down and take a look? What if he ran into Mulciber halfway? Thinking this, a cold sneer played on his lips. "Oh, no need to worry about that. That boy is definitely going to be a Death Eater in the future. I'm not Dumbledore; I don't have that unrealistic idea of saving everyone's soul. As long as sending Mulciber to meet Merlin doesn't split my soul, it's fine. Good luck to him."
For safety, Snape extinguished the light from his wand and chose to hug the wall, carefully descending the steps. Time passed unnoticed; he didn't know how long he walked, but the passage began to slope upwards. As he walked, a pungent, strange smell grew stronger and stronger. Without warning, Snape's head hit something hard. Rubbing his forehead, he paused for a moment before slowly pushing open the trapdoor above him, peering inside from the edge of the door, eyes squinting.
Once he saw the state of the room, Snape finally understood where the strange smell came from—the floor was covered in straw and dung, with scattered bones of small animals, indistinguishable as to their species. He climbed up and closed the trapdoor. Covered by straw, it blended perfectly with the surrounding floor, leaving no trace. This was the owlery of the Hogsmeade Post Office. Listening to the rustling sounds around him, Snape remembered the strange pattern he had drawn on the mirror earlier. It turned out to be the outline of an owl.
---
From time to time, owls flew in and out, and outside the window, the bright starry sky stretched. Snape carefully avoided the bird droppings on the ground and tiptoed out of the owlery. Hogsmeade was quiet at night. The shopfronts on either side of the street were dark, the distant mountain silhouettes merged into the darkness, and the winding road to Hogwarts was barely discernible ahead. Only the Three Broomsticks pub showed a faint yellow light from its windows.
"Where's Mulciber..." Snape muttered softly. He roamed the street; there was no one around. Just as he was wondering whether to approach the Three Broomsticks and peek into the pub through the window, a figure hurried from the end of the road outside the village. The person was cloaked and hooded, nervously glancing around as they walked. Snape stopped, calmly watching the figure pass him and enter the owlery. This person must be Mulciber.
Snape walked in the direction Mulciber had come from. He had never been in that direction before. The winding path led him to the desolate fields around Hogsmeade. There were only a few small wooden huts here, but their accompanying gardens were vast. Scattered ancient tombstones stood in the gardens. That was the Hogsmeade villagers' graveyard. There was a narrow gate at the graveyard entrance; Snape pushed it open as lightly as possible and slipped through. He occasionally saw some familiar surnames on the tombstones: Rosmerta, Davies, Puddifoot...
Was Mulciber here just now? What did he do here? He had originally thought Mulciber was coming to Hogsmeade to meet someone. Snape looked around; there was nothing here but cold stone, buried bones, and earth. Frustrated, he had no choice but to head back.
Back at Hogwarts, Snape suddenly realized a problem: why wait for the Death Eaters to act? Why not just blow up the staircase leading down the secret passage? Deciding to act immediately, he raised his wand:
"Confringo!"
"Reducto!"
"Bombarda!"
With a series of loud bangs, the wall was slightly chipped, and a bit of dust lightly drifted onto the stone steps. "Huh?" Snape stared disbelievingly at the scene before him, muttering, "How on earth did Fred and George manage to collapse this place?" Just then, he noticed several black dots on the Marauder's Map quickly approaching. Not daring to linger, Snape fled the secret passage as if chased, hurrying along the path towards the dungeons. When he returned to his dormitory, he noticed Mulciber's bed curtains were tightly drawn.
---
The next day, during Charms class, students were diligently practicing the *Aguamenti* spell, with streams of clear water gushing forth in the classroom. While everyone was practicing, Snape quietly turned to Pandora and whispered to her. "Can I ask you something?" he decided to consult an expert. "How can one efficiently and precisely blow up buildings?"
"Just use a Blasting Charm, it's very simple," Pandora answered offhandedly without thinking, twirling her wand as if it were the most ordinary thing.
"Simple? You've tried it?"
"Yes, many times," Pandora nodded vigorously.
Snape took a sharp intake of breath and pressed on, "You tried it on objects, right?"
"Well, of course, what else would I try it on?" Pandora looked at Snape with confusion.
"Ahem, ahem. What if the spell doesn't work?"
"Hmm... then it's probably because there's protective magic on it," Pandora mused. "But most ordinary protective magic would fail under a Blasting Charm."
"What if the protective magic isn't ordinary?"
Snape explained the effects of his spells to her. After hearing his description, Pandora's eyes lit up, thrilled. "That would require on-site assessment. Where is this passage? I'd like to see it."
"Alright, I'll take you there later," Snape said.
During the rest of the practice, Pandora was still lost in her reverie, waving her wand a bit too vigorously. The stream of water she meant to produce turned into a water dragon, charging straight at Professor Flitwick, who was standing on a stack of books observing everyone's practice. It knocked him up to the ceiling. After Professor Flitwick landed, magically dried himself, and reprimanded Pandora to copy the sentence "I am a witch, not a baboon swinging a stick," Snape looked at her with a bit of doubt.
"Are you sure you have enough experience with precise demolition?"
"Trust me!" Pandora said, thumping her chest in assurance.
---
It seems Snape is getting himself into quite a few late-night adventures! What do you think he'll discover when he finally gets Pandora to examine that mysterious passage? And do you really think her "precise demolition" skills are up to snuff?