Daily News: The Prophet of Hogwarts

Chapter 41 The Dark Lord's Enemy

"You know nothing!" Snape screamed hysterically, blindly waving his hand and knocking over the wine glass on the table.

The wine glass smashed on the ground and shattered into pieces.

"It's actually quite easy to guess, and quite easy to get the answer, Professor Snape." Ryan raised his hand and tapped the empty space in front of him. The shards of glass on the ground pieced together into a complete cup as if time had reversed.

But the wine scattered on the ground could never be restored to its original state.

"There are many, many people who studied at Hogwarts with you," he said, adding that he doubted whether Professor Snape's mental state might one day lead to a sudden "enlightenment" and a view of death as salvation.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Snape's voice was a mixture of threat and pleading, like a beast driven to the brink of despair.

Ryan poured another glass of wine, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Snape.

One person was pressed tightly against the back of the seat, his lower body muscles tense, and his eyes darting around; the other leaned forward, pushing a glass of wine forward with an imposing manner.

The two remained deadlocked for a very long time.

The professor is still clinging to the idea of ​​"resisting strict measures and going home for the New Year," so it seems we need to add more weight. Harry's parents' names should be enough... Ryan roughly guesses that Snape's current state is like a lone soul in the middle of a scale, and adding weight to either side will cause this fragile balance to collapse.

Perfect timing, the professor needed to vent his emotions...

At this point, it was time to gamble on who had a greater influence on the professor... Ryan recalled the records of magical history he had once seen and said a name to Snape: "Lily Evans."

Snape remained stiff for a moment.

Then Ryan felt like he'd stumbled into the middle of a market where an older woman had discovered he'd been shortchanged.

I never knew a person could make so many sounds!

Is this the sound of breaking down defenses...? He clicked his tongue in amazement, leaning back in his chair, a half-finished crystal ball in his hand. This was one of the little inventions he developed when he was relaxing, a 'crystal ball video recorder' that had been refined with gold and could record video.

Snape, who had made a loud noise, was thirsty and drank some wine to quench his thirst.

Ryan filled the glass.

Snape continued to make a loud noise.

Snape was drinking again.

Not long after, Snape, whether truly drunk or feigning, began to murmur about the past, from their first meeting as children, like a light illuminating the world, to their separation during the Sorting Ceremony, yet remaining close friends.

Then, differing philosophies led them to drift apart; hurtful words caused them to go their separate ways.

Then came the appearance of the Sybil prophecy, at which point Snape, who still trusted Voldemort, made his choice.

Ryan discerned from Snape's words a longing for and affection for Lily Evans, as well as hatred for James Potter.

He felt that if Voldemort had really said he hadn't killed Lily Evans that night, Snape would definitely have been a stalwart of the Death Eaters.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he even felt that Snape seemed to have some regret when he talked about James Potter's death, regretting that he wasn't the one who killed James Potter himself.

The plot is so melodramatic, mixing in timeless themes such as childhood sweetheart with a slick-haired loser, a school bully who suddenly appears as a winner, discrimination based on bloodline, and school bullying, creating a show that Ryan can't even comment on.

After listening to the whole thing, all I can say about Ryan is that it's a female-centric storyline, with Lily Evans being the only normal person. If she were in some place, she would definitely be a reincarnation drama like "Evans Returns".

"Can prophecies be changed?" Snape, who looked drunk, asked again.

"Does it even matter whether the prophecy can be changed, Professor?" Lane said. "You're not asking me whether the prophecy can be changed; you're asking yourself whether Ms. Evans will forgive you."

"But even a time-traveling device cannot change the established history."

"At least in my opinion, the only person you have wronged is Ms. Lily Evans."

That's the truth. The young Snape and James's group of four didn't seem like normal people to Ryan.

Snape has only become much more normal after undergoing a major transformation.

Ryan noticed that Snape's eyes held a fire that even strong liquor couldn't extinguish.

"All that has passed is but a prologue."

Ryan walked to the door: "It's time to turn to a new page, Professor, even if it's just for Ms. Evans."

In the basement, Snape looked up at the ceiling.

..............

Eighth floor, principal's office.

Wearing his pajamas, Dumbledore said, "Mr. Lane, as a young man, you should be more considerate of the schedules of the elderly."

Aside from the outer layer of skin that makes you look old, you don't look old at all... Ryan got straight to the point: "I heard a prophecy from Professor Snape, and since the headmaster isn't asleep either, I came over to talk to you about it."

"Severus is willing to talk to you about this?" Dumbledore was extremely surprised.

"The professor was unwilling, but I used some communication techniques. He had been suppressing his feelings for too long, and in the long run, the people and things that had passed away would become the straw that broke his back." Ryan held a crystal ball in his hand.

"That's truly remarkable, Ryan. It's rare to find someone with your level of communication skills..."

"A rare coincidence, similar to another person mentioned in Professor Sybil's prophecy?" Ryan said. "That's not a very good description, Headmaster. Let's talk about that prophecy instead."

The portraits of all the principals throughout history all show them with their ears perked up.

"Of course, but since Lane and Sybil are also prophets, it would be best if you could see the scene for yourself." Dumbledore opened a cabinet, inside which was a shallow stone basin with ancient runes carved on the rim. Inside the basin, a silvery-white substance was constantly churning.

"The Pensieve?" Ryan noticed the disappointed expressions on the faces of the principals on the wall.

The two of them stepped into the memories together.

"Is this the Pig's Head Bar?" Ryan recognized the surroundings from his memory. "I thought important things like professor interviews were done in the principal's office."

"Everyone makes mistakes." Dumbledore, dressed in his pajamas, stood before the younger Dumbledore. "Back then, I didn't know much about this kind of prophetic magic."

Ryan nodded. At this point, whatever the principal said was right, even if the principal said that he had never met a prophet before this interview, Ryan would still say, "The principal is right."

After all, the person standing in front of him now is Albus Dumbledore, not Gellert Grindelwald.

"So I had no intention of hiring a divination professor. But out of courtesy, since Sybil is a descendant of a prophet, I interviewed her in person," Dumbledore said.

"Did Professor Sybil make a real prophecy during the interview?" Lane said, noticing that the Dumbledore in his memory was somewhat impatient, trying to end the interview with the classic "go back and wait for our call" tactic.

Professor Sybil suddenly fell into a baby-like sleep.

In her sleep, she uttered a prophecy in a low, hoarse voice—a prophecy of the power to defeat the Dark Lord.

Ryan felt that Professor Sybil was really unrefined when making prophecies as a prophet; even her voice was unusually hoarse and low, lacking any sense of mystery and only making people feel uneasy.

He didn't care at all that Sybil Trelawney was the real prophet, and that he was a fake with cheat codes.

"So, Professor Snape only heard half of the true prophecy?" While Professor Sybil was making the prophecy, Lane heard someone fleeing from outside the door.

"Yes, Severus only gave Voldemort half of the prophecy back then."

"Resisted his family three times...?" Ryan asked incredulously. "Headmaster, I have a question. What level of magical skill did Mr. James Potter and Ms. Lily Evans possess back then?"

Could it be that the couple became great wizards shortly after graduating?

But if that's the case, how was Professor Snape able to go toe-to-toe with James's group of four when they were in school?