Snape's actions were similar to Dumbledore's; he carefully avoided the Mirror of Erised before sitting down opposite Dumbledore.
He asked in a cold tone, "Can't you just take the mirror away?"
"It might still be useful tomorrow…" Dumbledore pushed the pile of Cockroach Clusters toward Snape. "Want some? You look exhausted."
"No need!" Snape curled his lip, leaning as far back in his chair as possible with an expression of extreme disgust. "I delivered the potion ingredients; I didn't do anything shady."
"This is a sensitive time; if we've done something wrong, he'll definitely become suspicious." Dumbledore nodded. "You did the right thing!"
"A lot has happened tonight," Dumbledore sighed. "Many of my predictions have been confirmed, and there have been some surprising discoveries."
"Voldemort doesn't have a body of his own, so he can't be considered truly alive, which means he still won't truly die. Most importantly, there were no sacrifices tonight."
"Harry Potter… that spell…" Snape's face twitched, and he took a deep breath before asking, "Did it work normally?"
"It works normally, and even avoids a killing curse." Dumbledore picked up his teacup and took a small sip of black tea.
"Voldemort has indeed returned... but it's impossible to determine his exact state after tonight."
"Unable to determine the Dark Lord's condition?" Snape frowned. "He... you killed him?"
"It's hard to explain." Dumbledore kept adding sugar cubes to his black tea. "His understanding of the soul is very deep, extremely deep; it's a unique theory of the soul…"
"He can manipulate life force in a form similar to a soul... That killing curse was cast in this way. He stripped Quirrell of his life force to release a powerful curse."
"Take away Quirrell's life force?" Snape frowned slightly. "Did you use... the Philosopher's Stone on him?"
"You are very perceptive." Dumbledore nodded gently. "The situation was very dangerous; it was just a hair's breadth away… Quirrell might have been killed."
"That thing is not easy to deal with!" Snape interlaced his fingers. "How do you plan to explain this to Nicolas Flamel?"
"That's easy to handle." Dumbledore gave a sly smile. "Nicolas Flamel granted me ownership of the Philosopher's Stone, so I can use it however I want."
"I had originally discussed the matter with him and planned to destroy the Philosopher's Stone directly... but now I have changed my mind, since it has become an important thing for sustaining life."
"Hmm..." Snape murmured, his eyes widening slightly as he scrutinized Dumbledore. "You seem somewhat different?"
"Oh?" Dumbledore asked in return.
Snape interlaced his fingers and tried to describe it: "He became like a traditional Gryffindor, like his true colors were being revealed."
"Compared to before, you seem less restrained? Perhaps it should be described as a lion about to break free of its cage?"
"Is that so?" Dumbledore gently swirled his teacup, the image of the silver-blue armored giant surfacing in his mind.
"That's why I said! There were some surprising discoveries tonight. Perhaps these discoveries have brought about some changes in me?"
"Do as you please," Snape said in a deep voice. "My goal and demand are simple! To kill the Dark Lord!"
Dumbledore gave Snape a deep look, then casually changed the subject, "Regarding Vizette's Soul Soothing Potion, does it have a long-term effect on a person's soul?"
"I haven't reached that level yet... For a potion to change a person's essence, either the potion itself is brewed incorrectly, or the person taking the potion has some kind of problem."
"Oh? You've encountered a similar situation before?"
"I've only read about this in books. If a person's soul is fragile, it might be altered by some kind of special potion."
"Is that so? That's a very interesting discovery!"
-------------------------------------
With the final exams over, Hogwarts students and professors had some free time, making the campus more lively than ever.
The events that happened to Vizette and the others in the basement somehow got out and spread throughout the entire Hogwarts in just a day and a half.
With free time on their hands, the students flocked to the school hospital.
A large group of people were desperately trying to squeeze into the school hospital, which gave Madam Pomfrey a bit of a headache.
In desperation, she sought help from Professor McGonagall, who deployed a number of armored guards at the entrance, which finally calmed the students down.
The flapping of wings woke Vizette, and the last rays of the setting sun shone through the curtains into the school hospital, painting a bright orange-red stain on the floor.
There were many gifts piled up on the table next to them, mainly all kinds of candy.
The table next to Harry's bed was the same; only the table next to Professor Quirrell was excessively empty.
Vizette stood up, picked out a few of each type of candy, and placed them on the blank table.
As for the remaining candy, he planned to take it back to the Ravenclaw lounge to share with everyone.
"You're awake? Then sit up straight on the bed, let me check you!" Madam Pomfrey arrived quickly, circling her wand over Vizette's head.
"Madam Pomfrey, may I be discharged?" Vizette asked.
"You can be discharged!" Madam Pomfrey nodded. "You're recovering well, much better than them!"
"Professor Quirrell and Harry, are they badly injured?"
"Well, they weren't harmed by magic. With enough rest, they'll recover in a couple of days. If you want to leave, now's the time; there's hardly anyone outside."
Vizette nodded, took out a pen and paper from his backpack, and wrote a short message for Quirrell: Professor Quirrell, everything is getting better, wishing you a speedy recovery.
After doing all that, he quickly packed up his backpack, just enough to fit all the candy inside.
Hidden beneath layers of candy was a message from Dumbledore:
Enjoy your finals! If you have any questions, come to the principal's office after the Quidditch match. The password will still be "sherbet lemon".
"Quidditch!" Vizette exclaimed in surprise, rushing to Madam Pomfrey and whispering, "Madam Pomfrey, how many days have I been sleeping here?"
"It's only been a day," Madam Pomfrey cautioned again. "You're recovering well, but remember! Don't…"
"Using Baruffio's Brain Elixir indiscriminately," Vizette replied with a smile. "I'll make sure to get some rest, thank you, Madam Pomfrey!"
There were quite a few students in the common room, and when he appeared, many of them gathered around, wanting to know what had happened last night.
Following what Dumbledore had told him, Vizette recounted a story of a dark wizard invading the school, glossing over the matter.
...
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