HP: Embrace the Darkness

On the way back, Harry happened to meet Artes coming back from the Forbidden Forest.

He stopped in front of Asseth as if he saw a savior.

Aces looked at the savior who had been doubted by countless people in the past few days.

He looked quite haggard.

He shook the herbs on his hand and asked, "What does Mr. Potter want from me?"

"I...I'm fine, aren't you afraid of me?

Asseth asked in confusion, "Afraid of you, why should I be afraid of you?"

Harry gave up and lowered his head.

"Because I know Parseltongue, because I might be the heir to that, because I might attack people."

There is so much to think about, Asseth thought to himself.

Then he answered Harry casually while carefully casting a spell to keep the herbs on his hands fresh.

"First of all, I have a clear understanding of my own strength. Secondly, I don't think a person who can't even block a disarming spell will threaten my safety."

Of course, the most important thing is that he has roughly figured out what happened to Voldemort.

"So can you step aside now? Mr. Potter, we don't know each other well enough to chat. If you need, you can ask your friends."

Aces didn't have time to chat with him.

The herbs in his hand were extremely difficult to keep fresh, and if he didn't move out of the way, he would have to force Harry out of the way.

"friends?"

Harry repeated sadly and hurriedly got out of the way.

"Thank you, Mr. Cavendish, I feel less sorry."

"At least... at least there is one person who is not afraid of me."

Seeing that he was interested, the glimmer of Ass's fingertips disappeared, and he left without paying any attention to his muttering.

He flew all the way, but when he came to the cellar door, one leaf on the herb was still black.

Aces had no choice but to increase the magic power in his hands.

"Oh, it's Mr. Cavendish. The dean has said, come in."

On the door handle, Miss Medusa swung her tail and opened the cellar door.

In the cellar, Snape was writing something at his desk.

Aces didn't have time to say hello and hurried towards the potion room.

Before he could hear the words, he heard the noise coming from the potion room.

Snape frowned in displeasure, left a comment, stood up and walked to the potions room.

As soon as he entered the potion room, he frowned even more and went up to grab the glass bottle and herbs from Asseth's hand.

"It seems that your grades in Potions and Herbology need to be re-examined, Mr. Aces."

He mocked as he quickly prepared a preservative for the herbs.

"I never thought you could make such a stupid mistake."

Artes helplessly complained, "Professor, my time was calculated, but I didn't expect that I would be stopped by Mr. Potter on the way, which delayed me for a while."

"Mr. Potter seems troubled by the recent rumors."

"What does he have to do with you? What nonsense are you talking to him about? I don't know when the great savior will need you to enlighten him?"

Snape looked at the surviving herbs and breathed a sigh of relief.

If his herbs couldn't survive, neither could Potter.

"I didn't explain it. I just told him why I wasn't afraid of him."

Aces took the herb from his hand.

"Professor, I will do the rest."

"I'll give you ten minutes."

Snape did not refuse, turned around and left the potions room, preparing for the Boggart practice later.

Asseth has been in the cellar for so long, and has long been familiar with the care of herbs. His movements are fast and smooth, which is pleasing to the eye.

In just nine minutes, he finished processing the herbs.

He wiped his dirty hands, put down his rolled-up sleeves, and restored the potion room that had been a little messy in his anxiety to its original state.

Finally, he walked out of the potions room after ten minutes.

"I thought your sense of time was gone."

Snape was sitting on the sofa, reading a book leisurely, and heard the voice mocking without raising his head.

Aces walked over with a smile, "Use the remaining time to tidy up the potion room a little."

"have a finger in the pie."

Snape closed the book hard.

"Professor's business is not considered trivial."

Asses said, looking at the extra thing in the cellar, which was a huge black box.

"Is this a Boggart?"

"It is clear."

"I suppose you don't need time to prepare?"

Snape moved his book away and lazily raised his eyelids.

Aces shook his head, "No need."

"Very well, in that case, get out your wand."

"By the way, I guess you didn't forget to turn off those messy props of yours?"

Snape stood up and came to the box.

"Thanks for the reminder, Professor."

Aces pulled out his wand and turned off the alchemy tools on his body as instructed.

Then he nodded to Snape, indicating that he was ready.

Snape raised his wand and pointed it at the dark box, which opened with a bang.

The eerie black smoke instantly filled the air, converging into the air and twisting.

Not long after, a scene that Asseth thought he had forgotten gradually emerged.

A simple house, blood all over the floor...and a blurry black shadow.

His pupils instantly tightened, staring at this familiar and blurry scene, and a panic surged in his heart unconsciously.

The hand holding the wand was holding the wand too hard, and the veins were bulging, turning pale and stiff.

He had already guessed what the scene was about to appear, but he didn't expect that he would be so repelled by this scene, to the point of fear and disgust.

After a few seconds, the Boggart transformed successfully.

The dying Snape suddenly appeared in front of Artes, with bright red blood spreading to his feet.

It's like a sharp knife piercing the heart, causing heartbreaking pain.

He retreated subconsciously, all the color draining from his face.

His straight back seemed to be unable to bear the pain, so he bent slightly, covering his throbbing heart with his left hand and inhaling softly.

For a moment, the only sound in the quiet cellar was Asseth's light and messy breathing.

Snape looked at this almost ridiculous scene and didn't know what to say.

what is this? What Ases fears most is his death? Even thoughtfully arranged a way for him to die?

Impatient to see himself dying, Snape raised his wand.

However, Aces was faster than him.

Not wanting to see this scene again, Asseth waved his wand as if to vent his anger, his trembling voice filled with anger and subtle fear.

"Funny!"

砰

The magic spell without any hesitation hit the blood heavily, and the scene burst and disappeared.

Even most of the black smoke was dispersed, and the remaining smoke flew back into the box without even a trace being exposed.

Snape's raised wand paused, and he turned to look at Artes. His mood, which had not yet calmed down, was disrupted by the embarrassment of Artes.

He frowned and strode forward to pull Asses over. The coldness and trembling in his hands surprised him, and he subconsciously tightened his grip.

"I thought you could tell the difference between illusion and reality."

Snape's words awakened Artes from his daze.

He looked up at Snape in confusion and sadness. Hallucination?

This is not an illusion!

Reality and prophecy began to tear at his sanity, it was true, he saw it.

That is the future, the real future.

The sadness and distress in his eyes became even stronger, almost overflowing.

Snape hesitated, not daring to look him in the eyes.

With his hands folded, he could clearly feel that the coldness showed no signs of easing, but was getting colder and colder.

Aces was still reeling from his death.

Snape's lips moved slightly, but he didn't know what to say. He was not good at comforting people, and he wouldn't care so much if it was someone else.

But this is Asseth.

It was Asseth who wouldn't lie to him and trusted him.

Finally, he squeezed those cold hands and said softly:

"Aces, I'm still alive."

"I'm alive, right in front of you."

The words of comfort were like a ray of light that pulled Asseth back from the abyss of despair.

He clasped Snape's hand with his backhand, pulled Snape into his arms, and hugged him hard, like a drowning man hugging the last piece of driftwood, not daring to let go.

Snape didn't move and let him hold him.

"Severus..."

Sigh-like words rang in his ears, bringing a little itch.

The messy breathing gradually calmed down, and the restraint force gradually relaxed.

After calming down, there was an imminent question that Aces needed to think about.

He let go of his hand and carefully arranged their messy clothes.

"I lost my temper."

"you……"

"Sorry, Professor, I need to be alone to calm down."

After saying that, he walked out of the cellar in despair.

Snape hesitated but followed.