Snape was momentarily speechless.
This was a truly heartbreaking situation.
To be fair, although Andy's Patronus Charm was tricky, Snape didn't think he couldn't defeat him – but that was only if Andy's strength was still at the same level as the last time they fought.
However, several months have passed since then!
Thinking about Andy's unscientific rate of strength improvement, Snape decided to change the subject.
"Where's the Resurrection Stone?" Snape asked as calmly as he could.
Andy took the Resurrection Stone out of his pocket and placed it on the coffee table.
"This is it," Andy said indifferently.
Snape's gaze was completely captivated by the Resurrection Stone. If this black stone was really the Resurrection Stone, then he could see Lily again.
Lily...
He had so much he wanted to say to Lily.
Where should he start?
At one point, Snape wanted Lily to study dark magic with him. But if he could do it all over again, he would give up dark magic and his meaningless ambitions for Lily.
After losing Lily, Snape once felt that life had no meaning.
To this day, the only reason Snape can go on living is to protect Lily's child, the child he feels such disgust for.
Andy's pupils dilated!
Andy never thought that Snape was still in love.
This is outrageous!
If you put Snape in a romantic drama...
No! Andy can't imagine that scene.
"Professor?" Andy reminded him softly.
Snape came back to his senses. He looked at Andy and asked, "Where's the potion?"
"Well..."
Andy said, weighing his words, "Professor, before I get the potion out and tell you the secret of the Resurrection Stone, I want to make an unbreakable vow with you."
"I have to make sure you keep my secret!"
Snape looked at Andy with gloomy eyes. Andy thought he would say something, but he only said one word – yes!
"Wait!"
Andy said and went downstairs to bring Helen up.
Helen still had some recollection of Snape, after all, he was the ultimate villain during her school days.
But Snape had no recollection of Helen.
Back then, Snape only had eyes for Lily, dark magic, and his sworn enemies, the Gryffindor four bullies.
As for Helen...
Who would possibly remember a mere spectator?
"Let's get started!" Helen said.
Andy nodded, then glanced at Snape.
Snape stood up from the sofa with a gloomy face.
It was quite ceremonial when making an unbreakable vow.
Andy and Snape knelt face to face, clasping each other's right wrists with their hands. Helen took out her wand and tapped it on the hands that Andy and Snape were holding.
After doing all this, Helen glanced at Andy.
Andy spoke in a calm tone, "Severus Snape; after I tell you the secrets about the Resurrection Stone and the potion, are you willing to keep all my secrets and not reveal them in any way?"
Snape's face was expressionless, "I am willing!"
The vow is established!
A thin, dazzling flame shot out of Helen's wand, like a red-hot wire, and wrapped itself around the hands of Andy and Snape, who were holding hands.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Mum," Andy said.
"So..."
Helen looked around, "I don't think I'll be needed here anymore, so I'll be going home now. Andy, don't forget to come home for dinner tonight."
Andy immediately said, "Okay, I'll walk you out!"
After saying this, Andy quickly accompanied Helen downstairs.
Snape: "..."
In fact, when they just made the unbreakable vow, Andy deliberately played a trick.
Andy would only tell Snape the secret of the Resurrection Stone and the potion, but he asked Snape to keep 'all' his secrets.
In other words, from now on, Snape cannot mention Andy's secrets to anyone.
However, it was obvious that Snape didn't care about that.
After seeing off Helen, Andy returned to the private room on the second floor.
"Professor, this is the potion,"
Andy took out the crystal vial and explained, "This is the potion I obtained in the Department of Mysteries' Brain Room. I would like to ask you to analyse the ingredients and effects of this dark green potion."
Snape looked at Andy with some surprise.
Although he is a loner, he is not ignorant of the outside world. What's more, the Ministry of Magic being invaded has been reported in the newspapers for several days.
"The person who invaded the Ministry of Magic... was you?" Snape didn't know what to say.
This is no longer just daring.
This is reckless!
Even Voldemort would never have dared to do such a thing when he was a student.
The most important thing is that he came out alive.
"Do you know why I went to the Department of Mysteries?"
Andy asked and then answered his own question: "The Department of Mysteries has a room called the Death Chamber. And the Resurrection Stone is a Deathly Hallow..."
"Don't you think there's a connection between them?"
"I went to the Death Chamber ... with the Resurrection Stone."
Snape looked grave, already sensing what Andy was going to say next.
"In the stone pit inside the Death Chamber, there is an archway with a black curtain hanging from it."
Andy continued, "When I approached the archway with the Resurrection Stone, the stone absorbed the power behind the curtain."
"I think that was probably the magic of death."
"Professor, do you remember the story of the Three Brothers? The second brother who obtained the Resurrection Stone felt as if there was a veil between him and the one he loved."
"I used to think that this 'veil' was just an adjective until I saw the curtain on the archway."
"Maybe the Resurrection Stone can really bring the souls of the dead back to life, so that... we can use the power of magic to create a new body for them – just like Voldemort."
"But the curtain keeps the souls of the dead from actually coming to the real world where we are."
With that, Andy spread his hands, "That's the secret of the Resurrection Stone."
Snape's face was full of uncertainty as he asked, "What is behind the curtain?"
"I didn't see!"
Andy said helplessly, "In fact, I was afraid to lift the curtain even a bit."
"When the Resurrection Stone absorbed the magic of death, I felt a cold that went to the core of my soul. That cold even froze my thoughts, and I almost died because of it."
Snape glanced at Andy and chose to believe him.
He might not be able to prove anything else, but the dark green liquid and the brain soaking in it... If there was one place where these things could be obtained, then it must be the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic.
----
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After listening to Andy's words, Snape automatically filled in the entire story in his mind.
Andy had unexpectedly obtained the Resurrection Stone, and he knew that the Department of Mysteries had a Death Chamber.
To verify the relationship between the two, he attacked an Auror and used Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as an Auror, sneaking into the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic. (This was all thought by a certain Potions professor.)
In the stone pit inside the Death Chamber, there was an archway with a black curtain hanging on it.
The Resurrection Stone absorbs the power behind the curtain.
Andy thus speculates that the Deathly Hallows are indeed related to Death; and that the back of the curtain may well lead to the world of the dead.
The Resurrection Stone can indeed summon the souls of the dead, but the curtain blocks the path of the souls of the dead to the real world. From this, Andy is reminded of the 'veil' mentioned in 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'.
As for the dark green liquid in the crystal vial and the human brain soaked in it... Snape thought that this should just be something Andy picked up on the way.
Since he had already infiltrated the Department of Mysteries, it was natural that Andy would not just explore one Death Chamber.
"Resurrection Stone..."
Snape opened his mouth, "Can the Resurrection Stone help you see people who have died?"
Andy nodded and said, "Of course! But I haven't tried it. After all, I'm still young, and no familiar relatives or friends have died yet."
"But Dumbledore tried it!"
"It is said that the souls of the dead summoned by the Resurrection Stone are somewhat different from their former selves, and may be more pessimistic. If you want to see someone, it's best not to be influenced by them."
"Hmm...that's right! The Resurrection Stone has absorbed some energy in the Death Chamber, so I don't know if there will be any difference."
Snape's expression changed slightly. "Dumbledore knows that you have the Resurrection Stone?"
"Of course!"
Andy spread his hands. "I destroyed another Horcrux, so I had to tell Dumbledore."
"Speaking of which, we have now destroyed three Horcruxes, right? The notebook, the diadem, and the Resurrection Stone... I don't think a soul can be divided infinitely. How many Horcruxes do you think Voldemort will make?"
Snape said indifferently, "I don't know."
"Forget it!"
Andy said, taking out a new vial and pouring some of the dark green liquid from the crystal vial into it.
"Professor, I'll leave this to you,"
Andy said, "And as for the Resurrection Stone...you can give it back to me after the start of the school year."
Snape silently put away the Resurrection Stone and vial...he actually had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but for the moment he didn't know how to bring them up.
He had some ideas.
But they were crazy!
When he learned what might be behind the curtain in the Death Chamber, Snape had a thought – if he lifted that curtain, could he bring Lily's soul back to the real world?
And then…
As Andy had said, since Voldemort's broken soul could use magic to regain a body, then Lily's dead soul…might be able to do the same.
But no one knows what will happen if you lift that curtain!
Feeling the Resurrection Stone in his pocket, Snape felt an urge to go to the Death Chamber.
To look at the curtain in the Death Chamber and see what was behind it.
"You..."
Snape stared at Andy with an inexplicable look in his eyes. "How did you escape from the Ministry of Magic?"
As far as Snape knew, as soon as it was discovered that someone had infiltrated the Ministry, Scrimgeour ordered the Ministry fireplace to be closed.
No one left the Ministry that night.
If Andy could escape from the Ministry, where no one could use Apparition; Snape felt that he should be able to do the same.
"I used Apparition!"
Andy smiled and said, "To be honest, Dumbledore gave me the hint."
"The Headmaster has a phoenix, and that phoenix can Apparate in the Hogwarts castle. And as far as I know, Hogwarts has many house-elves, and they can Apparate too."
"That night, I took a house-elf to the Ministry of Magic, and..."
"With all due respect, humans have not yet fully understood the magic of these magical creatures, and if they don't pay attention, they will sooner or later suffer a great loss!"
Snape ignored Andy's sarcastic remarks.
There was only one voice in his head: house-elves can Apparate in the Ministry of Magic.
Although Snape did not have a house-elf, he could borrow one—he had a wide range of connections in Slytherin, and the Malfoy family has a house-elf.
Snape's eyes became vacant, and he didn't want Andy to capture any information in his mind.
But there was no need to use the Legilimency.
"Professor, calm down!"
Andy hurriedly advised, "The Ministry of Magic has just been invaded and is now on high alert. Invading the Ministry of Magic at this time is basically the same as sending someone to their death."
"I heard that the Ministry of Magic is considering installing magical props that can detect Polyjuice Potions."
"For the next invasion of the Ministry of Magic, we must be fully prepared. Professor, if you want to go to the Department of Mysteries to have a look, we can join forces!"
Snape: "..."
From the sound of it, you still want to go, don't you?
Andy winked; needless to say.
There are twelve doors in the round room of the Department of Mysteries. Andy has only been to the Brain Room, the Time Room, and the Death Chamber.
And because of his insufficient knowledge, Andy simply cannot explore too many secrets.
Although time is a forbidden power, it cannot stop Andy's curiosity, and it can only make Andy a little more vigilant.
As the saying goes, curiosity will kill the cat!
What's more, it's the secret of magic!
"That's right!"
Andy suddenly thought of a question, "Professor, we have to choose our electives next semester, right? As far as I know, the class times of many courses conflict with each other, but some people still manage to take twelve courses."
"How did they do it? Self-study?"
Snape looked at Andy and felt that the young wizard in front of him was not at all the same creature as a third-year Hogwarts student.
"Time-turner!"
Snape explained with rare patience, "If a model student signs up for all the courses, the professor can write to the Ministry of Magic and apply for a Time-turner."
"That thing can make you go back a few hours."
It was probably intentional, Snape deliberately emphasised the pronunciation of the word 'model student'.
"Time, Time-turner?"
Andy was stunned. "A magical item that allows you to travel back in time is used by young wizards to study?"
"Shouldn't the Ministry of Magic strengthen its control over such dangerous magical items?"
----
Thanks for all your love and support.
Read advance chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!
Thanks for all your love and support.
Read advance chapters on P@treon. If you have some extra pocket money, Support me at P@treon: www.p@treon.com/Crazy_Cat.
Happy Reading!!!
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