i am snape

Pandora was absolutely stunned by the sight before her. The Inferi had already started crawling out of the staircase, their putrid stench wafting as they pressed towards the exit.

With a sudden shriek, she whipped out her wand, aimed it at the small bag on the ground, and yelled with all her might, "Powerful Detonation!"

Hearing her voice, Snape twisted desperately in mid-air, trying to see if Pandora was hurt.

Everything seemed to slow down. He watched, wide-eyed, as the small bag, under the influence of the spell, first trembled slightly, then, with a flash of white light, expanded rapidly as if being inflated.

Almost at the same instant, Snape reacted instinctively without a moment's thought, shouting, "**Protego Maxima!**"

An invisible barrier, shimmering with a faint blue light, instantly formed, enveloping the three of them.

"**BOOM!**"

The explosion was deafening. The previously sturdy passage tore apart in an instant as if it were made of paper.

Stairs collapsed, walls crumbled, stones tumbled, and dust billowed. The entire castle seemed to tremble with the tremendous roar.

The powerful impact immediately broke the magical grip on Snape's ankle, sending him flying sideways.

Pandora, just ahead of him, was also flung high by the force. She soared like a drifting leaf, about to crash heavily into the stone wall of the corridor.

"**Bind Him! Accio Rope!**" Snape cried out anxiously.

"Ahh!" Pandora shrieked in terror, her body uncontrollably flying towards Snape.

Using the opposite force generated when he caught her, Snape managed to adjust his posture in mid-air with great difficulty.

Then, they both landed with a heavy thud.

Snape felt as if his back had been slammed by a heavy hammer; the pain was excruciating. He could barely feel his back anymore.

"Are you alright?" he asked, enduring the pain, as he untied the ropes binding Pandora. He patted her, as she was still slumped against his chest, and shouted, "Are you hurt?"

Pandora seemed to still be recovering from the earlier fright. Her hair was covered in dust, and her mouth hung open silently.

After painstakingly helping her up, Snape smacked himself on the head, trying to get his still ringing ears to return to normal.

As the swirling dust gradually settled, the devastated state of the passage was revealed.

The secret passage was now riddled with holes, the staircase completely gone, leaving only scattered debris and glinting shards of mirrors.

Several pale, dismembered Inferi limbs twitched weakly; a half-bodied Inferius, like a puppet, still stubbornly crawled towards them, dragging a deep black trail behind it.

Snape used a stone to pin down its only remaining arm, allowing it to struggle only in place, unable to get any closer.

"Where's James?"

He suddenly remembered James was there too, and his heart tightened as he quickly looked around.

Finally, in a corner, Snape saw him.

James lay silently on the ground, blood streaming from his forehead, tracing down his cheek, and one arm was bent unnaturally.

"**Episkey.**" Snape waved his wand, casting the healing charm.

As the spell took effect, the wound on James's head rapidly healed.

Next, Snape bent down again, tapped James's twisted right hand with his wand, and chanted, "**Brackium Emendo.**"

Bandages automatically wrapped around James's arm, securing it tightly to a thin wooden splint.

James let out a soft groan, seeming to regain some consciousness.

Snape reached out to check his breath, then raised his hand and slapped him. "Hey, time to wake up."

James weakly opened his eyes, his face pale with pain.

His gaze was a bit unfocused as he groggily looked at Snape, instinctively reaching up to touch his face.

"Don't touch it, you just fell on your face," Snape said grumpily. "Do you realize you almost caused a disaster?

"I saved your life, James Potter, do you understand? I saved your life!"

Before James could reply, hurried footsteps echoed, and the professors, still in their dressing gowns, rushed in.

Leading the way was Professor McGonagall. Her face was stern, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes filled with both authority and urgency.

The short Professor Flitwick, the plump Professor Slughorn, and the grey-haired Professor Grubbly-Plank followed closely behind her.

"What in Merlin's beard is going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded, staring at the chaotic ruins in disbelief. "Snape! Potter! Is it always you two?!

"Flahos, why are you here too?

"Who did this?!"

She looked as if she was about to faint from anger, her fingers trembling uncontrollably as she angrily pointed back and forth between Snape and James.

The pinned Inferius struggled, making a slight noise.

"What is that thing?" Professor McGonagall shrieked.

"An Inferius," Professor Grubbly-Plank said, kneeling down to carefully examine the struggling creature, her face grim. "Not a normal Inferius, it's weaker than usual."

"Wilhelmina, what does that mean?" Professor McGonagall pressed.

"They weren't made from fresh corpses," Professor Grubbly-Plank said, sniffing and wrinkling her nose in disgust. "These Inferi are practically rotting."

"This isn't something they could have done," she said, standing up and pointing at the three students. "I think you all need to explain exactly what happened here."

"Let's seal this off first," Professor McGonagall said.

Flashes of light appeared, and a magical barrier quickly formed.

The professors isolated the collapsed passage, preventing any entry or exit.

"Professor McGonagall," Filch the caretaker huffed and puffed, arriving red-faced from running. "What's happened? More mischievous students?"

He glared fiercely at James and Snape with his beady eyes. "Utterly lawless! You never consider my workload!"

Just then, a series of urgent bell tolls echoed from a distance, sounding particularly stark in the quiet night sky.

It was from the direction of Hogsmeade.

The expressions of the professors suddenly tensed.

Professor McGonagall paced anxiously, as if hesitating.

"Argus," she said, making up her mind, "take these three to the Hospital Wing.

"Horace, Wilhelmina, the school is in your hands. Protect the students, and have the prefects gather them in the Great Hall.

"Filius, this is an emergency. You're a dueling champion; come with me to Hogsmeade."

The faculty members nodded, taking their orders and quickly springing into action.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Snape called out to Professor McGonagall's retreating back.

But he received no answer.

Professor McGonagall left in a hurry, her figure quickly disappearing around the corner.

The Hogsmeade bells still echoed over the castle.

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