Voldemort returns and is intent on revenge, preventing the prophecy from coming true and ensuring his reign over the wizarding world. But everything changes when he realizes the girl who lived, his ultimate nemesis...is actually a Horcrux...
Voldemo...
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Present Day
Severus had returned to Hogwarts after his meeting with Voldemort. He had a strong suspicion that the locket was another one of the Dark Lords Horcruxes.
As if fate reveled in irony, Dolores Umbridge...one of the Ministry's most insufferable witches...had descended upon Hogwarts. Her lack of teaching experience grated on Severus's nerves. He scoffed at the notion that she could evaluate his performance. Yet, he knew her recent audit of him would provide the perfect pretext to confront her. Perhaps even put her in her place.
But there was another motive...an audacious plan that danced on the precipice of danger. Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her generation...Severus had orchestrated her inclusion, weaving a delicate web of deception. Under the guise of seeking her assistance, he had drawn her into the fold.
Hermione's presence was both a boon and a risk. She possessed an intellect that rivaled his own at her age, her loyalty unwavering. But it was more than that. Severus's heart...a relic he thought long dormant...stirred. He had vowed to protect her, not merely as a potential ally but as something deeper. Feelings he dared not name.
The Dark Lord was still certainly himself but there was...something else there now...a vulnerability. In the past he might have used it against him. But now he had pledged his faith back into the Dark Lord.
He felt foolish for having shifted from Voldemort's side to begin with. The man may be dark and evil but he had always treated Severus as a valued ally and hadn't lied to him...he wields a brutal honesty that Severus respects.
Dumbledore, the venerable headmaster, was no saint. Secrets veiled his every move. The old wizard played a dangerous game, manipulating pawns on a chessboard of destiny. Severus had once believed in the light, in Dumbledore's vision. But now, disillusionment and betrayal had deteriorated his resolve. The Order of the Phoenix, the supposed bastion of good, harbored its own shadows.
The path was treacherous, fraught with sacrifice. Hermione's safety hung in the balance, her brilliance a beacon of hope.
And so, Severus Snape...the enigma, the double agent...resolved to protect her. Not just for the cause, but for the fragile threads of affection that wove between them. He would navigate this labyrinth of deceit, guided by a heart that beat in clandestine rhythm.
He needed to meet with Hermione to get her up to speed. He hadn't been exactly honest with Voldemort. Severus was indeed aware that Hermione harbored secret affections for him however Severus had yet to reciprocate those sentiments. His heart, once encased in ice, thawed in her presence. She had blossomed into a woman of rare beauty, her intellect a beacon in the murky war-torn landscape.
Yet, ethics shackled him. Hermione was a student...a forbidden fruit dangling before him. The very thought of crossing that line had previously sent tendrils of guilt through his veins. However, it was time to put the ethics aside if he wanted to get her close enough to keep her safe.
