Chapter 291: The Malice Potion
"Depend on Each Other?"
Professor Snape looked with a strange expression at Lockhart, who was across the workbench, gesturing with his hands and talking grandiosely.
"Yes."
"A contract constructed with the 'Patronus Charm' and 'Blood Kinship Magic' as its core."
Lockhart very generously shared the process of inventing this magic with his good friend, describing the many magical theories and research involved behind it.
Quite rarely, Snape actually understood Lockhart's complex magical theories this time. Or rather, these two magics had long since integrated into Old Snape's life, becoming an inseparable part of his life's emotions. Consequently, he unexpectedly became the first wizard to learn this magic.
"Want to try it?"
Lockhart, somewhat excited, picked up a cat from beside his feet and placed it in front of Snape, gesturing for his old fellow to hurry up and take action.
It was time to verify it.
This was absolutely a magic that would change the entire era, a magic that would change the structure of the entire wizarding society; it was a magic that the future compilation of magical history could never bypass. One could even say that future magical history would be distinguished like this...before the invention of the "Depend on Each Other" magic, and after its invention.
To participate in such a process was to share in the glory.
Snape drew his wand and waved it carefully according to Lockhart's instructions. However, as the wand moved and the mysterious magical aura surged up, he suddenly froze entirely.
After being silent for a good while, he lowered his wand and pursed his lips for a long time; one could vaguely sense his body trembling slightly from extreme restraint.
"No, I refuse!"
He refused in a somewhat stiff tone. It was so stiff that it vaguely carried a bit of fear.
As if...as long as he established a contract with the cat, his lonely soul would be defiled. As if by doing this, he would no longer be the affectionate loner who madly and obsessively loved Lily, but rather someone who had spiritual solace, life companionship, and was no longer alone.
He did not want that.
"Hey, fellow," Lockhart rolled his eyes, "You really cannot hold onto that doe and die alone in old age. Although it sounds a bit harsh to say, buddy, that is Potter's wife, and she would rather accompany her husband in the world of the dead..."
Had it been anyone else saying this sentence in front of Snape, it was not guaranteed that Snape wouldn't go mad and directly cast a Killing Curse to kill the other person.
"I know!" Snape's voice was hoarse and dull.
He exhaled deeply and finally looked up at Lockhart, his eyes full of sorrow. "But I am sorry, I cannot do it."
This was love. Lockhart felt this was a mental demon.
But perhaps this was precisely the reason why a Dark Arts master's soul had not fallen, still retained spiritual purity, and was able to cast a powerful Patronus Charm. Lockhart sighed and no longer forced the poor man in front of him who was toyed with by fate.
He turned his head to look at the cauldron on the workbench to the side. Inside was no longer the previous "Seafood Hotpot" (Regret Potion); even a mere glance allowed one to sense a distinct kind of evil.
Very evil.
A purple-black mist rose from the cauldron, tumbling as if one could see rotting arms reaching upward for something inside it.
"What is this?"
He picked up the cat and put it back on the ground, then walked over curiously to look down and observe, intending to change the subject.
"The Malice Potion."
Snape narrowed his eyes. Not knowing what he was thinking of, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, full of mockery. "You can also call it the 'Self-Loathing Potion'."
He grabbed some plant root slices from the side and threw them into the cauldron. Watching the small, firework-like orange-red sparks suddenly burst forth inside, he observed for a moment before continuing to explain.
"It will make a person loathe themselves. The method of healing is very simple; the power of the Patronus Charm is enough to easily destroy the influence brought by this potion."
Lockhart raised an eyebrow. "In other words, Dark Wizards have no resistance against it at all?"
Snape sneered, his eyes full of malice. "Yes, especially certain people who are subconsciously filled with loathing for themselves."
There were not many people who could make Old Snape exhibit this expression. Lockhart immediately thought of the targeted candidate and took a sharp breath. "Voldemort?"
Is this a Voldemort-specific project?
Oh! Right. If one were to say who understood Voldemort best in this world, Snape was definitely one of them. Only, why prepare a Self-Loathing Potion for Voldemort?
Brewing a potion was never a simple matter, especially for a Potions Master like Snape; these potions he made were extremely difficult and often took years to complete. Spending such effort and time was definitely not just for the sake of simply bothering Voldemort.
"What use does it have?" Lockhart was truly curious.
"Self-loathing, especially loathing one's own past..." Snape unhesitatingly allowed the poisonous emotions rising in his heart to flow freely through his wand into the potion liquid in the cauldron.
"Ultimately bringing about self-denial."
He pulled out his wand, shook off the potion stained on the tip, and his gaze was profound. "Thereby completely destroying the foundation of a Horcrux's existence!"
This was no longer a simple potion. It was a high-level combination of a lifetime's immersion in the Dark Arts, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions!
Using an extreme understanding of Horcruxes, an extreme grasp of potions, and an extreme analysis of Voldemort as a person to search for the key to solving the Dark Arts of Horcruxes. Like a skilled butcher dismembering an ox, one strike accurately pierced the weakest spot.
If a Horcrux was the pursuit and imprint of the self's existence in this world, then this potion was the complete denial of that imprint.
"Holy crap!" Lockhart couldn't help but marvel, holding up a thumb. "Awesome!"
This potion reminded him of Dark Arts creatures like Boggarts. In ancient magical history, they were always unbeatably powerful existences, yet they were later deconstructed by someone from the absurd angle of "Riddikulus," completely turning them into classroom practice props that even young wizards could deal with.
"The effect of the Horcrux Dark Arts is indeed powerful," Snape sneered, "but as long as it is magic, one can always find its counter-charm and way of restraint!"
Lockhart felt some admiration. He knew that the time Snape took to research this potion was not very long.
Yes, Old Snape had always hated Voldemort for killing Lily and wished he could kill him, but before this, he did not know what method Voldemort used to maintain his existence.
He was somewhat amazed. "You didn't know about the Horcrux Dark Arts before, did you?"
Snape shook his head. "I had seen some materials, but I never researched them deeply."
Whether it was "Levicorpus" or the later "Sectumsempra," even if they more or less had the flavor of Dark Arts, the magical path he took would never be a direction like Horcruxes.
After knowing the magic Voldemort used was Horcruxes, he started researching from scratch and sought a solution starting from Potions, which he excelled at most. From there to starting the brewing of the potion, if calculated carefully, it was not a very long period of time.
Talking about this, Old Snape looked at Lockhart with some emotion. "You helped me a lot."
Lockhart chuckled proudly and accepted it. That was for certain; he knew that without his influence, even if Snape knew Voldemort used Horcrux magic, he would never have brewed such an interesting potion.
"As long as there is no support from Horcruxes..."
Snape could not go on. He pursed his lips and looked out the window with some pain. There, it was as if he could still hear Lily's crisp laughter blooming as she ran happily on campus.
Death! He wanted Voldemort to die!
As long as there were no Horcruxes, Dumbledore would no longer have any reason to stop him from killing Voldemort!
"Actually, there are other reasons..." Lockhart listened to Snape's painful, hissing murmurs. He hesitated for a while, glanced at the direction of the office door, and then reminded him in a low voice, "Have you forgotten? For the Greater Good!"
Snape gripped his wand tightly, his gaze profound.
"This is my fault, for letting Grindelwald out of Nurmengard..." Lockhart shrugged somewhat helplessly. "It is very clear that Dumbledore has no way to manage him at all; no wonder he previously acted as if he would lock him up until he died of old age."
Not only that, there was a sentence he really found hard to say. Letting out Grindelwald might have let out a demon, but it similarly opened the shackles of Dumbledore's heart. Was there not a demon locked away there as well?
Perhaps Dumbledore kept Voldemort around not only to use him to check and balance Grindelwald but also possibly to use him to check and balance the Dumbledore who had already started to become a bit different.
Who knew.
"For the Greater Good..."
This sentence summarized Dumbledore's whole life. Snape was simply too clear about what kind of obstacles he might face next. He repeated this sentence in a low voice and nodded. "Yes, Dumbledore was able to keep me at Hogwarts back then for the same reason."
Before Lily was killed, Snape's loyalty to Voldemort was unquestionable, yet Dumbledore was willing to give such a person a chance; this was something difficult for ordinary people to imagine.
Do not think that Lily being killed was such a huge deal; for a Dark Wizard whose spirit had been eroded and distorted by the Dark Arts, this was absolutely not a reason to abandon loyalty. At least not for Rodolphus Lestrange, whose wife, Bella, shared a bed with Voldemort.
As fellow Death Eaters, Rodolphus could accept fate, and Snape naturally could as well...at least that is what Voldemort thought, to the point that he was still willing to trust Snape in the later stages.
Tsk~
Snape seemed to know what Lockhart was thinking, but at this moment, he looked at this only good friend with a strange expression. He wondered if this fellow would realize...that he should also be a target of Dumbledore's wariness?
Grindelwald, Voldemort, Lockhart...
These people all possessed the ability to completely overturn the magical world. The most critical part was that they all thought what they were doing was right; that was the most terrifying part.
Everyone had this or that worrying problem; even for Lockhart, his difficult-to-conceal closeness to and identification with Muggles was a place where many high-level wizards thought there should be cautious observation.
Thinking about it this way, keeping Voldemort around really was of great use.
No! No!
Snape's slightly dazed thoughts touched the sensitive nerves in his heart again, and his gaze became gloomy.
Voldemort must die!
"After the potion is successfully brewed, I will personally feed it to Voldemort and completely dismantle the Horcrux Dark Arts."
Snape walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at every plant and tree of Hogwarts. After a long time, he then said, "If by that time Dumbledore still does not allow me to kill Voldemort, perhaps it will be time for me to leave Hogwarts."
!!!
Lockhart was surprised. "Leave?"
"Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, we talked about it before." Snape's eyes were full of reluctance, true reluctance; this was the world in his and Lily's shared memories. "A person always has to move forward; you were the one who persuaded me of this."
Beauxbatons...
Lockhart understood. This was what Snape mentioned regarding the era's trend of the "Magic School Centric System" replacing the "Ministry of Magic Centric System," as well as his guesses about what Dumbledore would arrange for them.
"I have stayed here for too, too long..." Snape rubbed the office windowsill with some sighing. "So long that I thought I would completely rot here in this life, completely becoming a part of Hogwarts."
"A person always has to move forward!" He muttered this sentence again. "Perhaps I should not stay."
He himself was also such a brilliant and talented individual. He could even say with pride...that for an entire era spanning several generations after Voldemort, he was the most talented one. Even Professor McGonagall and the Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. could not compare to him.
During his student days, he had invented so many spells, corrected and optimized textbooks compiled by Potions Masters, and improved so many potion formulas...
Later, Professor McGonagall was trapped and stagnant here, becoming a cat on a desk. He was similarly trapped and stagnant here, rotting into a pool of foul mud under a cauldron.
But now he did not want to be. Not because he no longer had the tether of Lily, but because under the pulling of his good friend Lockhart, running toward the sunlight, he began to have aspirations.
He...had also started to long to become a Magic Master again!
If someone truly was needed to check and balance Grindelwald, to check and balance Lockhart, or even to check and balance Dumbledore, then why couldn't that person be Severus Snape?
Only thus could he persuade Dumbledore to agree to him...killing Voldemort!
So he could no longer be trapped here; he had to go out to meet a new life, even if he was so reluctant.
How many years had it been? He had never longed to grow again like this. His heart was full of vitality. That vitality was so unique.
He still could not forget Lily's death, being holed up in this school where it seemed the traces of Lily's existence could be felt everywhere. Yet it was no longer a feeling of pain. There was nostalgia, but also a smiling face to meet it. It was as if feeling the most wonderful yet ungraspable breeze.
This kind of state of mind was brought about by this good friend.
He smiled and patted Lockhart's shoulder, unwilling to talk about this topic further. "I heard you are communicating very well with Professor Audrey Lemay of Beauxbatons?"
Lockhart nodded. "As you said, that school is our new journey!"
Snape showed a rare, playful smile. "I'm afraid it's more than that?"
Lockhart pinched his nose and chuckled a few times. Well, Miss Audrey was indeed quite charming.
"A new journey..."
Snape looked back at the boiling Malice Potion in the cauldron and then looked out the window again at that figure and laughter that always remained ungraspable, murmuring, "Soon, soon..."