i am snape

"Moony salutes Headmaster Dumbledore and humbly requests he keep his alarmingly long beard out of other people's business."

Dumbledore paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. But the map wasn't finished there. More words began to appear below.

"Padfoot concurs with Moony and would like to add: Headmaster Dumbledore is a pompous old fool."

Even though the situation was quite grim for James, Snape found it rather amusing, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. There was more still...

"Prongs expresses his astonishment that such an old codger is here at all; his rightful place is surely the Hog's Head Inn."

James squeezed his eyes shut in horror. When he opened them again, the map had delivered its final message.

"Wormtail bids Headmaster Dumbledore goodnight and suggests he visit Madam Pomfrey about that crooked nose of his."

Snape could no longer hold it in and let out a quiet chuckle. James, however, was far from amused. To everyone's surprise, Dumbledore joined in the laughter.

"How delightful," he said mildly. "Quite accurate assessments, I must say. Is this map yours, James? Can you tell me how to use it?" Dumbledore looked at James and asked.

James trembled as he pulled out his wand, his throat seemingly blocked, his voice a dry rasp. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

On the blank parchment, a map of Hogwarts appeared, with moving black dots, each labeled with a name, clearly showing everyone's location within the castle.

"For the assistance of mischievous makers of magic?" Dumbledore murmured softly, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "That reminds me of what it was like to be young."

"However, I cannot leave you with this map," he said, looking at the four small black dots in the top left corner of the map. "You see, we are all here."

"'Moony,' I believe I can guess who that is. But why are you called 'Prongs,' 'Padfoot,' and 'Wormtail'?" Dumbledore inquired.

James stammered, his mouth opening and closing, unable to form a complete sentence: "I, I... no..."

"Oh, we shall leave that question for later." Dumbledore pointed to two small black dots moving toward them. "Professor McGonagall is on her way. Let us wait a moment."

Soon enough, a knock sounded at the door. Mulciber, covered in mud and dust, shuffled in dejectedly, his face still bearing some streaks of blood. Professor McGonagall followed closely behind him, wand in hand.

---

"Albus, I've brought him," Professor McGonagall said wearily.

"You two sit as well," Dumbledore said, with a flick of his wand conjuring two more chairs.

"Now, lift your head," he said. "Mulciber, I imagine you have many things you wish to tell us."

But Mulciber merely glared resentfully at Dumbledore, remaining silent. Dumbledore fixed Mulciber with his piercing blue eyes for a while. Slowly, the gentle smile faded from his face, and the cheerful light in his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles dimmed. Every wrinkle on his aged face seemed to carry a cold fury. Dumbledore radiated an oppressive aura, as if he were burning with heat.

Mulciber seemed intimidated by this presence, his body trembling slightly, instinctively wanting to stand up and flee. But as soon as he stirred, Dumbledore magically pressed him back into the chair. Then, with a flick of his wand, a red light flashed, and Mulciber's head lolled forward, his body slumping limply in the chair.

"James, Pandora," Dumbledore said, "you may return to your dormitories. Severus, you stay. Minerva, would you kindly fetch Horace and ask him to bring the potion?"

Professor McGonagall immediately turned and departed with James and Pandora.

*What potion?* A flicker of unease stirred in Snape's mind. Dumbledore had stunned Mulciber and sent Professor McGonagall to find Slughorn. Was he planning to use Veritaserum on him? He remembered that Veritaserum's effectiveness was greatly reduced if the subject was conscious or on guard, but it also carried a risk of irreversible memory damage. Wasn't Dumbledore supposed to protect every student, even at the cost of his own life?

But then he recalled Dumbledore's protection of Draco, which was essentially a trap, using himself as bait for Voldemort. This thought made Snape's apprehension towards Dumbledore deepen.

Time passed in silence, minute by minute. Quick footsteps echoed in the corridor. Professor McGonagall returned with Slughorn.

"Albus," Slughorn's bald head gleamed with perspiration. He spotted Mulciber slumped in the chair and gasped, "Good heavens, what happened to Mulciber?"

"He's merely under a Stunning Spell," Dumbledore replied. "Horace, did you bring the potion?"

"Is it his doing?" Slughorn asked Dumbledore, looking confused. Seeing Dumbledore nod, he hesitated for a moment, then handed Dumbledore a small vial of clear liquid.

Dumbledore stood up, went to Mulciber's side, gently pried open his mouth, and poured in three drops of the potion. Then, pointing his wand at Mulciber's chest, he said, "Enervate!"

Mulciber slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was vacant, his cheeks slack, and he looked utterly soulless. Dumbledore crouched before him, face to face.

"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

Mulciber's eyelids fluttered a few times. "Yes," he whispered.

"I wish for you to tell us," Dumbledore began slowly, "how you came to be in Hogsmeade? And what did you do there?"

Mulciber trembled, took a deep breath, and then began to speak in a flat, emotionless tone.

"The Master learned from me that Dumbledore had been frequently absent from the school lately. He told me about the secret passage by the library and instructed me to go to Hogsmeade through it. Following his orders, I used the method he taught me to create Inferi from the bodies in Hogsmeade graveyard, and I intended to bring them into the school through the passage... The Master said this school had betrayed its history, sullied its honor, and needed to be purified..."

Mulciber's eyelids fluttered again. "Tonight, I had barely begun directing the Inferi into the passage when I heard a tremendous rumble, and the passage collapsed..." His voice was filled with terror. "My wand fell during the tremor, and I couldn't find it. The Inferi went out of control... I barely managed to escape. They burst out of the owl post office..."