Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 85 Bloodstains

Ted closed the door and came over. Gideon also appeared beside them.

Ted picked up his daughter and whispered to her, "Dora, these are our friends. They're coming to help us tonight. But you need to be a brave girl, okay? If you hear any strange noises, immediately hide in the basement with Mommy."

Tonks' expression suddenly turned serious. She nodded, her hair turning a deep brown.

"I will protect Mom," she said in a childish but firm voice.

Andromeda walked over and gently kissed Tonks' forehead.

“Alright,” Moody cleared his throat, “we need to set up defenses immediately. Gideon, you take Ted to check the back doors and windows. Frank, come with me to set up the outer perimeter security spells.”

"What about us?" Lily couldn't help but ask, gripping her wand tightly in her hand.

“You will guard Andromeda and Nymphadora,” Moody said, “as a backup, just in case. This is your first time in actual combat.”

Lily bit her lip and nodded, while Snape silently observed the usable objects in the room.

The Order of the Phoenix members sprang into action. Moody and Frank made themselves invisible again, then walked along the perimeter of the house, silently casting various protective and alarm spells.

Inside, Tonks watched intently as the adults busied themselves, and Snape noticed that her hair was constantly changing color.

"When do you think they'll come?" Lily asked in a low voice.

“It could happen at any time, could it?” Snape replied softly. “But don’t worry, with Moody and the others around, we just need to do our part.”

When Moody and his team reappeared, Gideon and Ted had already completed their rear-area protection work.

Time ticked by in a tense atmosphere, and the mood inside grew increasingly heavy.

The adults took turns standing guard, while the rest tried to act normally so as not to frighten little Tonks. Ted tried to distract his daughter with storybooks, but even he struggled to concentrate; Andromeda prepared a simple dinner, but almost no one touched it.

Shortly after it got completely dark, Moody suddenly straightened up.

“They’re here,” he said hoarsely, staring intently at the front door. “Three men, approaching from the east.”

Everyone immediately took their fighting positions. Snape and Lily went to the basement entrance and stood guard on either side.

Andromeda picked up Tonks and, trying to appear calm, quickly walked towards the basement. Tonks' hair, which was now gray, was in her arms.

“We will hold this place,” Snippla said gently to the little girl as he opened the trapdoor to the basement. “Be as brave as your father.”

The little girl nodded to him, though her lips were trembling slightly.

Shortly after the trapdoor was closed, a piercing laugh ripped through the night.

“Come out, Mudbloods and pureblood traitors!” a woman’s voice screamed, her voice both frantic and cruel. “And my dear sister, come out and meet your sister, Andromeda!”

“Bellatrix,” Snape whispered, quickly waving his wand to summon several chairs around him. “She’s here. Is she trying to be the Black bloodslayer…”

The next second, the front door and screen shattered with a deafening roar, and three dark figures burst in, their wands shooting out deadly green light. Snape quickly used his wand to fling a chair into the air, transforming it into a shield to block the Killing Curse aimed at him and Lily.

The battle erupted instantly. The light of incantations pierced the air, illuminating resolute faces and masks beneath hoods.

"Hand over the Mudbloods and the little bastards!" Bellatrix Lestrange stood in the doorway, his eyes gleaming with madness.

Moody attacked from the side, a beam of red light aimed directly at Bellatrix, but she nimbly dodged it and retaliated with a Cruciatus Curse. Moody barely managed to dodge, his wooden leg scraping harshly against the floor.

Seeing another Death Eater trying to flank him, Lily immediately cast an Explosive Charm at him, leaving charred marks on the wall. Snape seized the opportunity to dodge, striking him with a Stunning Charm, and the Death Eater collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Ah, Severus,” Bellatrix grinned, a beam of green light shooting from her wand, “you tricked my sister so badly last time!”

Snape narrowly dodged the attack by tilting his head, and fired a silent Divine Slash at Bella, leaving a shallow bloodstain on her face.

“Snape!” Bellatrix screamed, not from pain, but from anger.

During the battle, Moody and Frank worked together to stun another Death Eater.
Seeing that things were going badly, Bellatrix screamed and waved her wand as she retreated toward the door.

“Bella,” Snape called out to her sarcastically, “you’re leaving so soon after we met? Why don’t you spend more time with your old friend?”

With a burst of hysterical laughter, Bellatrix had already abandoned her two companions and disappeared outside the door.

Moody stopped Ted from opening the basement door, and after cautiously going outside with Frank to confirm it was safe, they returned inside.

“It’s safe,” Moody shouted into the basement as he opened the trapdoor. “We’ve driven them back.”

Andromeda, wand in hand, shielded Tonks behind her as they cautiously emerged from the basement.

Seeing that everyone was there, she breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Where's Bellatrix?"

“They escaped,” Moody said, pointing to his arm with his wand. “Healed completely.” There was a bleeding wound on his arm. “But we’ve captured two of her accomplices. Frank is contacting the Auror office.”

Tonks wriggled free from his mother's embrace and turned to the Order of the Phoenix members, his hair now a bright gold: "Thank you for defeating the bad guys!"

Ted walked over and affectionately stroked little Tonks' hair, which was turning from gold to pink again.

While they were talking, Snape used a silence spell to summon the wands of two unconscious Death Eaters. He put the two wands together, held each end in one hand, and snapped them down hard.

With a sharp "snap," everyone turned to look at him.

“I just wanted to test how sturdy they were,” Snape said casually. “An accident.”

“Alright, Aurors shouldn’t do such things. As for you, I’m used to it. At least you didn’t do anything worse this time.” Moody tapped his cane on the broken floor. “We need to clean up the scene and repair the house. The Ministry of Magic will be here soon.”

He turned to Snape and Lily: "You two, as far as I know, have passed the Apparition test. You've had enough for today. Go back to where we came from. Dumbledore is waiting for you there."

　Thank you to Jinghong Liuguang, Daomenzeishu, _Wang Bixian_, Ziyourufeng, Luodideshenghua, Axerold, and Chaoguotiao Buyao Douya Jia Lahaochi for their monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)