HP - Shadow Monarch - Chapter 154 - Confrontation with the Headmaster 01.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV

England.

...

...

“Then you were the owner of this shop, my boy...” Dumbledore spoke in a grandmotherly tone, looking around the shop. The house-elf approached cautiously, glancing between the headmaster and the master. Meanwhile, Igris remained hidden near the headmaster, unnoticed by him.

“It seems it wasn’t hard to figure that out, Headmaster. After all, you came to my house some time ago, am I wrong?” Snape replied, his tone serious.

“I was worried about you,” Dumbledore said softly, unfazed by Snape's words, but Snape shook his head, as if dismissing the sentiment.

“During the holidays? What would the headmaster of the school want with me during this time?” Snape asked while Dumbledore pressed his lips together, avoiding a direct response.

“I heard about what happened at the Ministry, that you gave an interview to the Minister of Magic, and it made the papers,” Dumbledore commented.

“I don’t believe it... I’ve never heard of a headmaster wanting to visit a student; this is suspicious,” Snape said, his questions seemingly mirrored in the lone shadow nearby. Igris, hidden there, seemed ready to strike at the headmaster at any moment.

“I already said, I was worried about you, boy,” Dumbledore murmured.

“Still, you come to my shop,” Snape retorted.

“Well, you can imagine that, as headmaster, I need to know when a student simply doesn’t show up for classes for more than two weeks after the start of the term,” Dumbledore explained, and Snape had to admit he had a point.

“I needed to sort out the situation with my shop; that’s why I haven’t returned yet,” Snape said calmly.

“May I know where you were? You weren’t in England, were you?” Dumbledore asked.

“You could say that I wasn’t. But don’t worry about it—I was taking care of some things that needed to be done outside the country,” Snape replied.

“And will you return to Hogwarts?” the headmaster asked again.

“Yes, I intend to. If I still have the rights I had last year,” Snape replied calmly.

“That will be a bit difficult, as things are getting complicated,” Dumbledore said, his tone apologetic.

“Well, as you can see, I have my own business here. I’ll prioritize it. I no longer care about returning to Hogwarts,” Snape countered, while Dumbledore once again pressed his lips together tightly. A restrained anger was visible in him, but he concealed it well through Occlumency.

“Well, perhaps I could reconsider that,” Dumbledore said.

Snape looked at him for a moment and decided to end this charade once and for all.

“Yes, Headmaster, but I highly doubt it. After all, you already know that I’m the mysterious alchemist of England,” Snape said calmly, as the atmosphere seemed to grow darker. His shadow, now beginning to manifest, was prepared to attack at any moment, though the headmaster’s perception was not sharp enough to notice it yet. Meanwhile, Genini appeared worried, beginning to hide behind the counter.

Snape found himself at a dead end regarding his identity. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

“Yes, I know that very well,” Dumbledore admitted sincerely.

“And what do you plan to do with that information?” Snape asked again, his voice laden with danger.

“I can’t say I’m pleased to know you are this person. After all, you’ve committed some crimes—killing those people in the black market and fighting with that woman, destroying a significant portion of the area...” Dumbledore began to say but was interrupted.

“What could I do? It was necessary. They were a threat. It was them or me...” Snape said, clearly preparing to unleash the weapons in his system.

“And what about Hogsmeade? About the attack on the great families?” Dumbledore pressed.

“Well... I’d rather kill a bunch of dark wizards than see a group of children murdered just because they were born in a way another group disapproves of,” Snape replied, also unbothered by the headmaster knowing he was the one killing dark wizards.

"Snape would never act like this! He would never kill people! You are not him!" Dumbledore finally accused, his voice laden with authority as he stared seriously at Snape. He had always suspected it, even though the newspapers and all the evidence suggested Snape was innocent. Dumbledore always knew it was him, and Snape saw no reason to hide it anymore—he already considered himself strong enough.

"It’s true. I’m no longer him," Snape finally said. "Severus Snape died during last year’s holidays. He committed suicide because of his desperate situation, which doesn’t surprise me. The school always favored the Gryffindors, allowing them to bully him without punishment. Snape sank into darkness, rejected even by his own house, facing retaliation from other houses as well. His father is a worthless man, and he had lost the only person he ever loved." Snape spoke each word calmly. At this point, there seemed to be nothing more to say.

"..." The headmaster didn’t reply immediately, staring at Snape with thoughtful eyes. "Who are you, then? How and why are you in Severus Snape’s body?" Dumbledore asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and suspicion. He held his wand firmly, but Snape remained calm.

"That ended up being an accident... I should have been killed far from this world, but I ended up here..." Snape began. "I am not a being born on this planet, if that’s what you’re asking," he replied.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, Snape continued, "I am a warrior of an order that protects the universe from threats, always maintaining balance. But you will never understand that, so there’s no point in talking further."

Snape paused before continuing, his tone growing even colder. "If you are here to face me, then come, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore hesitated upon hearing this. It was time, though he hadn’t wanted to do this here. Finally, he acted, raising his wand to attack the young man with a speed hard to believe for someone of his age. But this was a man who had fought great wizards like Gellert Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort.

However, before the headmaster could react, Snape raised his hand, using the authority of the monarch. Dumbledore’s body was immediately seized by something invisible and thrown backward, slamming into the wall, pinning him there. The impact destroyed cabinets and flasks, the sound of breaking wood and shattering glass echoing through the shop as Dumbledore grimaced.

"It seems we’ll have no more talking, Dumbledore. The time has come to face you once and for all," Snape declared, prepared to settle this matter that had lingered for an entire year. Dumbledore struggled to free himself, but it seemed impossible.

"What do you want? What is your goal?" Dumbledore asked with some difficulty, clearly surprised as he observed what was happening. He saw Snape keep his hand raised, as if holding him with something intangible. He wasn’t sure if it was magic, but the scene made him look at Snape with caution. He had always known Snape was dangerous, but he had never faced anything like this.

Snape glanced to the side, noticing the shadows beginning to stir. "No," he said firmly. "I will handle this fight alone."

With that, the shadows returned to normal. Dumbledore, confused, couldn’t see who Snape was speaking to but felt the danger around him intensifying.

"Headmaster, I never cared much about you or your games," Snape began walking slowly toward Dumbledore, with an unsettling calmness and terrifying coldness. "But you’re persistent. Now I wonder... what should I do with you? After all, I am still trapped in this world. Until I grow strong enough to leave, pretending to be a student while strengthening myself is the best choice. But you’ve forced me to this."

Dumbledore tried to respond, his wand beginning to glow intensely. In the next moment, Snape felt his ability destroyed by an explosion that erupted around Dumbledore. The force freed him, and he quickly landed on the ground, pointing his wand directly at Snape.

Dumbledore cast the spell directly, but before it could hit, Snape disappeared, and the spell struck the counter instead. The explosion echoed through the shop, making the house-elf cower behind the counter. Dumbledore looked around quickly, searching for Snape among the shelves of potions.

"You are certainly persistent, Headmaster," Snape's voice echoed from one of the counters.

"You’ve committed crimes, whoever you are! It’s wrong to take over a boy’s body. I’m taking you to the Ministry!" Dumbledore said.

"Do you really think they could do anything against me? Not even a truth potion would work on me, Headmaster. So don’t act like a fool," Snape mocked calmly.

Dumbledore, however, believed he was doing the right thing. He needed to deal with this being—whatever it was. Someone as powerful as Voldemort could arise again, though he hadn’t felt Snape’s magic intensify after leaving the school.

"You’ve been torturing those Slytherin boys over the past few days, haven’t you?" Dumbledore asked.

"I have," Snape said from somewhere among the potion shelves.

"You killed the people in your father’s house with a sword?"

"I did."

"You killed the witch in the forest?"

"You already know the answer. Why persist with such questions?"

"Because what you did was wrong!"

"Even so, I’ve done more for the order of the wizarding world than you have," Snape mocked. After all, this man let dangerous people live—something Snape couldn’t comprehend.

"I am doing what’s right, and I’m taking you into custody. You are a threat to the wizarding world!" Dumbledore declared.

"You are quite delusional, Headmaster." Snape appeared calmly in one of the aisles, looking directly at him. "And let me tell you something: I’ve done nothing wrong in my opinion. I’ve only fought for myself. If someone wishes to kill, they must be prepared to face the consequences. We can’t always spare lives, especially when dealing with people who hide behind a corrupt Ministry. Isn’t that true?" Snape spoke serenely as Dumbledore tried to attack him again.

The spell surged down the aisle, but Snape dodged it effortlessly, reappearing farther away.

"Headmaster, are you angry because I killed your friend in the forest?" Snape provoked, now just behind where Dumbledore stood.

Dumbledore was startled and turned around, noticing Snape standing calmly, as if entirely in control of the situation. He couldn’t respond. That teleportation was the same spell Snape had used to kill wizards before. It confirmed that Snape was the killer from Hogsmeade, as well as of many other noble wizards.

Without another word, Dumbledore tried to stun him once again. As he cast the spell, Snape disappeared, and the spell hit empty space. Snape reappeared on the other side of the shop as Dumbledore turned to attack him again. Dumbledore’s spell struck some shelves, shattering vials and causing small explosions, but Snape was quick enough to evade him.

"You do realize these potions are quite expensive, don’t you? I made them myself. Now you’ll have to pay for that," Snape mocked again from another location.

Dumbledore spun quickly to cast another spell, but Snape was already gone. Before he could react, a thunderous blast came from the side, forcing him to conjure a shield quickly. The thunder struck Dumbledore’s shield with an explosion.

The headmaster was astonished at the sheer power—far beyond what Snape should have been capable of. Matching him in magic, Snape’s thunder spell was something that didn’t exist in the magical world. It quickly began to break through the headmaster’s shield and hurled Dumbledore backward, shattering the shop window and sending him into the street.

"Stay here. I have some matters to settle with this man," Snape said calmly to the shadows before disappearing with teleportation. He was ready to face the headmaster once and for all, no longer caring about anything, even if his identity was revealed to the entire magical community.