[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]
Third Person POV
London.
...
...
Until halfway through that fateful day, the conviction of You-Know-Who had been finalized, crowds of reporters and even ordinary people were now standing in front of the Ministry of Magic.
Questions about the conviction and what would happen next didn't stop as the men responsible for the Ministry's public image spoke about the events and struggled amidst so many inquiries.
"The Dark Lord is sentenced to remain imprisoned in Azkaban for the rest of his life!" the man said.
"But can we be sure he won't escape, sir?!" a woman asked, taking notes with a quill spell beside her. She seemed concerned about this question, and many around her shared the same worry.
"Due to the Snape-spells cast on his body, Voldemort can no longer use magic. He is no longer a threat," the man said, prompting everyone to look at him in horror—after all, he had just pronounced the Dark Lord's name so easily.
"You can call him that?!" someone asked, stunned.
"Voldemort is no longer a problem. The dark wizard is weak, and he is no longer a threat," the man said, surprising everyone again with those words.
Someone raised a hand. "We've heard that several Death Eaters are dead, even families..." this person asked.
"Yes... we will announce the names of all those who died in the first battle by tomorrow. We still have teams working to identify the deceased," he replied.
"And what about Severus Snape, the young man who defeated Voldemort and all the Death Eaters? That includes even Dumbledore? Is he a danger to the wizarding world?"
The agent heard the question come from somewhere in the crowd and sighed. "Severus Snape is a danger. He left the Minister of Magic hospitalized, killed many people, and even wiped out entire families," the man said. "He is still a threat to the entire wizarding world!" the man declared.
"And the girl? Lily Evans, who according to reports was testifying at Voldemort's trial! She was saved by Mr. Snape while he fought the Dark Lord. Is that correct?" another asked.
"Yes, that's correct," the man replied.
"Lily Evans is a childhood friend of Severus Snape, but can we assume they are romantically involved? I heard reports that she was in love with him, he rejected her, but ended up accepting her over the past year," a reporter was digging for a scoop.
"That... we don't have any information on that. But she reported that Severus showed up even though it was a trap, saved her, and gave her an unknown potion to save her, and later for the girl to give the potion to her parents. All of them recovered after receiving Unforgivables without lasting damage—even her father just woke up at St. Mungo's. They are under magical medical observation at this moment," he said as the crowd grew intrigued by this.
"What's going to happen... What are the plans for the second Dark Lord... he's young and very powerful as far as we know... How does the Ministry plan to deal with this threat?" another question arose.
"We are still continuing the search for the dark wizard. And we will bring him to justice as well!" the man affirmed and, although some looked on with excitement, many didn't believe that this would truly happen.
Severus Snape was a boy who exploded with potential last year and became so powerful that he destroyed the greatest dark wizard the day before—not to mention that he killed dozens of people. He was arrogant enough to fight in the Ministry of Magic itself and destroy the place, challenge Voldemort in front of all the Aurors and defeat him with spells never before developed.
The newspapers soon began to circulate throughout the country, and even reporters from other countries were quickly relaying the information to the world.
The International Confederation of Wizards was already interested in the events of Great Britain — and in a very negative way — due to what had happened in recent months.
There was already a certain diplomatic crisis, not as simple as a breach of borders or not, but rather due to the matter of the war in a Muggle city, where hundreds of people had been killed. It was a scandal that the Muggles were still trying to investigate, which violated the Statute of Secrecy between the two worlds.
At the same time, the International Confederation of Wizards was not at all pleased with the British Ministry of Magic after this attack. Surely, it wouldn't be long before they sent representatives in search of answers, especially with several parts of London becoming the battleground between two powerful wizards, right in the middle of the Muggle world.
The newspapers continued to circulate information about the fall of Voldemort, his trial, and even the conditions he would face in Azkaban.
But it didn't stop there. They also talked about Severus Snape, about how he fought Voldemort on equal footing despite being just a young man, even fighting in Diagon Alley, with many witnesses saying that he protected everyone, ending the Fiendfyre conjured by Voldemort.
At the same time, they showed images of Severus Snape and Voldemort, both casting spells at each other, with people asking:
"What was that lightning serpent spell?" They speculated many things about him.
Some rather peculiar news was hitting the stands in England, even though all eyes were focused on the trial of the Dark Lord and Severus Snape.
Meanwhile, in Japan, a kind of meteorological phenomenon began to appear in the sky. A red circle started to form, with Muggles speculating that it could be a strange event occurring above Tokyo, but it remained there for days.
Wizards also went to investigate, but they couldn't figure out what it was. Somehow, it was discovered to be a magical event after days of investigation, which was worrying the entire magical community in Japan.
Some even claimed it was a portal, although the vast majority of wizards didn't believe in something coming from another world.
This event didn't even continue to be discussed in England, always being left to the last pages.
Another thing happening, now in the Muggle world, was the issue of the Cold War between Russia and the United States. Many people feared that a world war could break out at any moment, with nuclear warheads ready to be launched at each other.
Back in Great Britain — more specifically within the country of Wales — a small house stood on the coast, in front of a large cliff, where the waves beat rhythmically against the rocks around the beach, below that cliff.
Nearby, there was a small coniferous forest, where a man was walking at that very moment, wearing a gray cloak. He walked among the characteristic pine trees of the forest.
He seemed calm, until he finally stopped as he approached a corner of the woods.
This was none other than Steve Vujin, who raised his hand at that spot. Meanwhile, his palm began to emit a golden glow, as did his eyes.
Suddenly, the space in front of him began to distort, opening a kind of portal.
The enchantment lasted only a few seconds before simply disappearing, with a man falling out of it and collapsing to the ground.
The man, his hair completely white, groaned, dazed, looking up first and seeing Steve Vujin watching him. He was there, surprised, staring at his trembling hands, far more disheveled than he ever remembered.
"So it seems you're back, Albus Dumbledore," Steve said calmly, smiling.
"What... what happened? Where am I?" Dumbledore murmured, completely lost.
"A lot has happened, Dumbledore. And I brought you back because, despite everything, there are still certain things you're important for. That's why I made sure Severus didn't kill you back then," Steve explained.
The man couldn't even respond, still trying to absorb all the words.
"Well, you must have a lot of questions, I know. But I've watched you for a long time, Dumbledore, ever since you entered Hogwarts. You were an excellent student. I remember that, back then, I had a little shop in Hogsmeade.
You see, I used to buy lemon-flavored candies during all your years at Hogwarts... even when you became a professor and regularly visited my shop," Steve said calmly, as everything began to shift and Dumbledore opened his eyes, stunned.
"You are... Abel Luetec?" Dumbledore murmured, as the man smiled and suddenly began to change his appearance, becoming an old man — very different from Steve Vujin, but with the same smile.
"Of course I am, Dumbledore. Remember how I used to give you hints about your friend... what was his name? Grindelwald? I remember he was doing a lot of terrible things outside the country, and I also heard what happened to your sister — my condolences.
I knew you'd understand my way of giving hints through humor... just like I used to when you visited my shop."
Dumbledore stood there, paralyzed, unable to believe what he was seeing. He remembered that man very well — he had even attended his funeral. The shop had been left to his niece.
The man then returned to the form of Steve Vujin.
"Well, this is my appearance now, so I should stick to my identity," he said with humor.
"Who are you?" Dumbledore could barely formulate the question. His wand wasn't in his hand. He had lost it.
"You're cautious, Dumbledore. And that's what puts you in danger and even creates unnecessary enemies. You believe you're a messiah who's in control of everything... and you feel threatened when you're not in control of the situation," Steve said in a warning tone.
"Don't antagonize everything you don't understand, my old customer. I am far more powerful than you ever dreamed.
In any case, I have many lives, reincarnations, or even change identities throughout the millennia I've lived in this world.
But never mind that... let's move on to more urgent matters..." Steve said calmly, before continuing.
"Don't just stand there. Come on, I want you to meet someone."
Dumbledore looked at Steve as he walked away and stood up. He looked down at his torn robes. The wound Severus had inflicted on his thigh with the blade had long since healed.
To think he had once stood there fighting... a boy...
"You want to ask questions?" Steve suddenly asked as he walked through the trees, finding the trail that led to the little house on the cliff.
"How long have I been imprisoned?" Dumbledore murmured.
"Not too long, just a few months. But it was enough to cause a major impact on the wizarding world. Severus and Voldemort had a decisive battle yesterday, you know?" Steve said, without looking back.
"I suppose Severus won," he said with a bitter tone. If he himself had lost in that form to Severus's powers, how could Tom Riddle possibly handle it?
"Yes, it was a humiliating defeat for the Dark Lord. But Severus didn't kill him. It seems he's already discovered the Horcrux and decided not to eliminate him just yet. The Dark Lord is in quite a dire situation. He's already imprisoned in Azkaban, and with so many of his supporters wiped out, I doubt he has the strength to gather more followers and try to escape. Even more so with the one who defeated him still free," Vujin explained.
Dumbledore was surprised by the information about the Horcrux. He had suspected Voldemort might be involved with such magic, but his eyes remained fixed on Vujin's back, deep in thought.
The bitter thought fell again upon Severus. He could have died that night.
He had done everything he could to bring the boy under his supervision. Saw that he couldn't control him, tried to deal with him after discovering his crimes, and ended up losing. Severus Snape was on a level even higher than his own. The thought was bitter.
That's when he began to feel something ahead — something very powerful. He frowned.
"Don't worry. He's not going to kill you this time. Actually, he's not even using the ring to contain his power anymore. His power has become difficult to control for people sensitive to magic. Maybe I should teach him to contain his mana on his own and not rely on the ring anymore, since he doesn't fully trust me now," Vujin said with an amused tone, while Dumbledore didn't know what to make of it.
They continued forward, passing by the house. From the top of the hill, broomsticks could be seen flying in the area.
"Don't worry about those Aurors," Vujin said. "The house is now under magical protection. At the moment, no one can see it. Ah, and take this. It'll help you catch up on the news."
He handed over a newspaper, materializing it out of nowhere into his hand. Dumbledore flipped through the pages of the Daily Prophet, Severus being announced as a second Dark Lord, Lily having been captured, Severus rescuing her, and the chaos he caused yesterday with Voldemort.
Just ahead, someone was sitting on a bench at a small four-seat table, facing the cliff. Dumbledore swallowed hard. The magic emanating from him was overwhelming at that moment... It was as if the greatest wizard of the century were a child — he had never felt anything like it.
"Well, looks like you're back. How about we have a chat, without anyone trying to kill the other?" Steve said in a playful tone as he sat down in a chair across from the man.
The boy there turned his face, looking at Dumbledore with glowing blue eyes.
"It's been a while since I last saw Dumbledore," Severus said in a neutral tone.
Dumbledore looked at the man he had once wanted to kill. Steve had convinced him to talk this time.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝
I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!
I hope each chapter has provided incredible moments. If you like my work and would like to support the continuation of this fanfic, consider becoming a patron with plans starting at $2!. As a token of gratitude, I offer access to more than 210 extra chapters with 7 active fanfics at the same time, along with other exclusive benefits on my profile, such as images and significant decisions for the stories.
Even if you are not a patron, I am making chapters available a few hours earlier here, so become a free member on the platform!
🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟
Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague
Extra Content Already Available:
🏴☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!
🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!
🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!
⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! 30 extra chapters!
👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! 30 extra chapters!
Except for One Piece with daily chapters and DragonBorn once a week, all fanfics are updated 3 times a week, there's just a pause in updating in the week, only to create drafts for the week's chapters.
In addition to the extra chapters, daily chapters are posted and 25 chapters per week!
Your support is very important and makes all the difference in keeping these stories alive.
Thank you very much for being part of this journey! I hope you continue to enjoy the story and that it brings even more joy to your life!
Visit our Patreon for more!!
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆