Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 62 A Man More Dangerous Than Tom

Snape was getting a little tired of slapping the Marauders in the face.

On the one hand, under Professor Flitwick's watchful eye, no matter what he did, he couldn't do anything too outrageous to Sirius; on the other hand, for Harry's sake, he was also prepared to give his godfather a little face.

So why not try a different way of playing?

Of course, seeing the barely concealed anger in Sirius's eyes, Snape understood that even if he backed down now, Sirius would never give up so easily.

Snape turned to Professor Flitwick, who was specifically reinforcing the magical barrier around the dueling arena for them, and asked:
"Professor, I have a small request. Before the competition, could I speak with Sirius Black?"

“We have nothing to talk about,” Sirius said coldly.

“No, I promise,” Snape stared straight at Sirius, a knowing smile playing on his lips, “you’ll regret missing this opportunity, Bigfoot.”

Upon hearing the nickname "Bigfoot," a flicker of panic flashed in Sirius's silver-gray eyes.

Although James had told them about the missing Marauder's Map, he didn't know how Snape had associated the nickname on it with himself.

Sirius stared at Snape for a moment, his throat moved, and finally he nodded stiffly.

The two walked to a corner of the auditorium.

With his ears plugged and the listening spell in effect, Snape spoke up, "Sirius, James is important to you, isn't he?"

"What do you want, Snotty?" Sirius said through gritted teeth, his wand almost touching Snape. "Just say it."

“Watch your words, Sirius.” Snape calmly took a half-step back, a kind smile playing on his lips. “I mean, to you, James must be the most important person, right?”

"So what if it is?" Sirius was losing his patience. "Stop wasting time, let's go on stage."

“That’s good.” Snape forced what he thought was his friendliest smile. “Bigfoot, you don’t want the Ministry of Magic to know that Prongs are illegal Animagus, do you?”

But Sirius clearly didn't believe Snape's smile represented goodwill.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sirius's face turned pale. His expression was like that of someone who had been forced to eat a bag of dry-nose cow-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"What do you want to do..." Sirius took a trembling breath.

Snape crossed his arms and said slowly, "According to Article 5, Section 2 of the Animagus Registration and Control Regulations (1842 Revised Edition), all Animagus must submit a registration application to the Animagus Registry of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement within ten days of their first transformation."

"So what?" Sirius glanced guiltily at Snape and asked in a low, hoarse voice.

“Don’t be in such a hurry, you’re always so impatient.” Snape coughed lightly, paused deliberately, and then continued, “According to Chapter 21, Section 3 of the Regulations, anyone who engages in Animagus activities without registering as required will be sentenced to five years or more in Azkaban prison or life imprisonment after trial by the High Wizarding Court of Wizengamo.”

“What do you want!” Sirius Black’s voice was low and almost a shout. “If you dare to say anything, I will—” “Don’t talk big,” Snape interrupted him, raising his hand and gently tapping Sirius Black’s chest. “I won’t tell anyone. Just tell Professor Flitwick later that you’ve given up.”

“If I admit defeat,” Sirius said angrily, still glaring at Snape, “can you promise you won’t tell anyone?”

“That depends on your future performance,” Snape laughed, speaking in a voice that even he found a little cloying. “After all, the illegal Animagus aren’t just limited to one fork, are they, Bigfoot?”

The two then returned together to the edge of the dueling arena. Snape remained calm, while Sirius resembled a tamed wild beast, his eyes filled with resentment and helplessness.

Sirius Black's face turned ashen, and he said to Professor Flitwick without any emotion, "Professor, I am no match for Snape. I concede defeat."

Professor Flitwick paused for a moment before asking in surprise, "Are you sure, Blake?"

"Confirmed." Sirius nodded mechanically, then turned and left the auditorium.

"Severus Snape..." Professor Flitwick announced listlessly, "...has won the sixth-year dueling tournament..."

The competition concluded that evening, and the following day will feature cross-grade challenges between the champions from different grades.

On the second day of the competition, the Hufflepuff first-year girl with a bright yellow headband skillfully used a tickling charm to make the Ravenclaw second-year boy beg for mercy and give up his challenge against the third-year boy in a fit of despair.

What Snape particularly appreciated was her wise decision to stop there and not pursue the challenge further. After all, it wasn't until the third year that the professors began teaching important combat and defensive spells in the classroom.

The third-year champion had almost no chance to fight back against Barty Crouch Jr. and was defeated without any suspense.

After defeating Dirk Clyde, Barty Crouch Jr. stared at Snape for a long time before gritting his teeth and asking Professor Flitwick to let him challenge Snape.

Barty Crouch Jr. was still a tall boy. He was very handsome, with dark brown eyes, pale skin covered in freckles, and a head of light blond hair that fell over his eyes.

Snape stared at Barty Crouch Jr.'s pale yet handsome face and couldn't help but feel wary.

Despite Barty Jr.'s somewhat timid demeanor and the fact that he was only a fourth-year student, his magical abilities were already nearly on par with Snape's.

Based on Barty's performance in the duels over the past few days, Snape didn't believe deep down that he was absolutely certain he could defeat him.

More importantly, Snape was willing to call someone who could disguise himself as Moody, an old member of the Order of the Phoenix, right under Dumbledore's nose, and who, if he hadn't been so impatient and talkative, could have continued to infiltrate without a trace or even eliminated Harry directly.

Snape thought, "How wonderful it would be to snatch such a capable person from Tom's side."

The magical barrier around the dueling arena had been set up again, and Snape slowly drew his wand.

　Thank you to Must Eat Breakfast, Stars Return to Their Positions, Book Friend 20220329195050365, Book Friend 20170815190137064, and Book Friend 20190501091112160 for their monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)