Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 31 Explosion
Pandora was stunned by what she saw. The undead had crawled out of the stairwell and were approaching the exit, emitting a putrid stench.

She let out a sharp scream, pulled out her wand, aimed it at the small bag on the ground, and shouted, "Powerful Blast!"

Upon hearing the sound, Snape twisted his body backward in mid-air, trying to see if Pandora was injured.

Everything seemed to slow down. He watched as the small package, under the influence of the spell, first trembled slightly, then flashed with white light and rapidly expanded as if inflated.

Almost simultaneously, without thinking, Snape reacted instinctively, shouting, "Protego Maxima!"

An invisible barrier, shimmering with a pale blue light, instantly formed, enveloping the three of them.

"Boom——"

The explosion was deafening, and the once-solid passage was torn apart in an instant, as if it were made of paper.

The stairs collapsed, the walls crumbled, stones rolled down, and dust filled the air; the entire castle seemed to tremble with deafening noise.

The powerful impact instantly dislodged the magic gripping Snape's ankle, sending him flying sideways.

Pandora, not far in front of him, was also thrown high into the air by this force. Like a drifting leaf, she was about to crash heavily into the stone wall of the corridor.

"Tie me up! The ropes are coming!" Snape shouted anxiously.

"Ah—" Pandora screamed in fright, her body flying uncontrollably toward Snape.

Using the force of the impact when he grabbed her, Snape managed to regain his balance in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, the two fell heavily to the ground.

Snape felt as if he had been hit hard on the back with a sledgehammer; the pain was excruciating. He could barely feel his back anymore.

"Are you alright?" He endured the pain, untied the ropes binding Pandora, patted her as she leaned against his chest, and asked loudly, "Are you hurt?"

Pandora seemed still reeling from the shock. Her hair was covered in dust, and her mouth was agape silently.

After struggling to help her up, Snape slapped his head hard, trying to clear his still-ringing ears.

As the dust gradually dissipated, the desolate state of the passage was revealed.

The secret passage is now riddled with holes, the stairs have vanished without a trace, leaving only rubble and shards of reflective mirrors scattered on the ground.

Several pale, severed limbs of the undead were twitching weakly; a half-dead undead, like a puppet, was still crawling toward them, leaving a deep black trail behind it.

Snape pinned down its only remaining arm with a rock, leaving it unable to struggle in place and preventing it from getting any closer to them.

Where is James?

He remembered that James was also there, and his heart tightened. He quickly looked around.

Finally, in a corner, Snape saw him.

James lay silently on the ground, blood flowing from his forehead and down his cheeks, one arm bent unnaturally.

"Healed completely." Snape waved his wand and chanted a healing spell.

As the spell took effect, the wound on Jaime's head healed rapidly.

Then Snape bent down and tapped James's twisted right hand with his wand, saying, "Splint tighten."

The bandages wrapped around James's arm automatically, securing it tightly to a thin wooden strip.

James gave a soft hum, as if he had regained some consciousness.

Snape reached out and checked his breath, then slapped him across the face. "Hey, wake up."

James weakly opened his eyes, his face pale with pain. His gaze was unfocused as he looked at Snape, and he instinctively touched his face.

"Stop touching it, you just fell and hit your face," Snape said irritably. "Do you know you almost caused a huge disaster?"
“I saved your life, James Potter, you know that? I saved your life!”

Before James could reply, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and the professors, dressed in their morning gowns, rushed over.

Professor McGonagall walked in front. She had a serious expression, her lips were tightly pursed, and her eyes conveyed both authority and anxiety.

The short Professor Flitwick, the chubby Professor Slughorn, and the gray-haired Professor Glapland followed closely behind her, walking briskly.

"What happened here?" Professor McGonagall looked at the chaotic ruins before her and asked incredulously, "Snape! Potter! It's you two again!"
"Frahos, why are you here too?"
"Who did it!"

She looked like she was about to faint from anger, her fingers trembling uncontrollably as she angrily pointed back and forth at Snape and James.

The trapped corpse struggled slightly and made a small noise.

"What is this?" Professor McGonagall asked in a shrill voice.

“An Infernal,” Professor Glapland crouched down, carefully examining the still struggling Infernal, and said with a grave expression, “It’s not a normal Infernal; it’s weaker than usual.”

“Wilmina, what does this mean?” Professor McGonagall pressed.

“They weren’t made from fresh corpses,” Professor Glapland sniffed, frowned, and said with a look of disgust. “These infernals are almost rotting.”

“This is not something they are capable of doing,” she said, standing up and pointing at Snape and the other two. “I think you need to explain what exactly happened.”

“Let’s seal this place off first,” Professor McGonagall said.

A series of flashes of light appeared, and a magical barrier quickly formed.

Several professors blocked off the collapsed passageway, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

“Professor McGonagall,” the caretaker, Filch, caught up, panting heavily, his sallow face flushed red from running, “What’s wrong? Another mischievous student?”

He glared fiercely at James and Snape with his sharp eyes: "This is outrageous! You have no regard for my workload!"

Just then, a series of urgent bell tolls came from afar, sounding particularly abrupt in the silent night sky.

That's the direction of Hogsmeade.

The professors suddenly looked tense.

Professor McGonagall paced anxiously, as if hesitating about something.

“Argus,” she said, having made up her mind, “you take the three of them to the school hospital.”

"Horace, Wilmina, the school is in your hands now. Protect the students and have the prefects take them to the Great Hall."

“Felius, it’s an emergency. You’re the Duel Champion. Come with me to Hogsmeade.”

The instructors accepted the order one by one and quickly got to work.

"Where is Professor Dumbledore?" Snape asked, looking at Professor McGonagall's retreating figure.

But he received no reply.

Professor McGonagall left in a hurry, her figure quickly disappearing around the corner.

The bells of Hogsmeade still echoed in the air above the castle.

　Thanks to book friend 20230128003209314 for your monthly vote.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)