Harry Potter: From Muggle Cousin to Conceptual Wizard

Chapter 316 Ambiguous Questioning and a Resistant Response!

These words were like a bomb exploding in Snape's mind.

All his previous emotions and distractions vanished in an instant. His eyes widened, and he let out an almost roaring sound of excitement:

"What...what do you know? Did Dumbledore tell you about the resurrection, or..."

At this moment, Snape's thinking was completely focused on this most important thing to him.

Looking at Dudley, who was calmly questioning him, a bold but reasonable guess suddenly came to his mind.

Why did Dumbledore only have hope of resurrecting people this year, and where did this hope come from?

Snape had never given this question much thought before, because of his trust and approval of Dumbledore.

Now it seems that this outrageous little wizard who has brought tremendous changes to Hogwarts and the wizarding world in just six months may be the source of Dumbledore's hope for resurrection.

"You didn't answer my question, Severus Snape! Do you want Aunt Lily to come back to life or not?"

Dudley interrupted Snape abruptly, raising his voice considerably as he continued to question him.

Snape's thoughts were interrupted again. Looking at Dudley, who was even more aggressive than him, he could no longer control his emotions. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he roared:

"I want to! I want to! I think about it all the time!"

"Then why do you insist on fighting for an extra day of Defense Against the Dark Arts? Why waste your time meddling in other people's business?"

You know perfectly well that the Soul-Anesthetic Potion is one of the key factors in Aunt Lily's resurrection, yet you're wasting time on such a trivial matter. In your heart, is there no sense of what's important and what's urgent?

If you're not so keen on helping, you're free to ignore it. Dumbledore and I won't force you, and the research on the Soul-Anesthetic Potion doesn't require your help!

Dudley responded to Snape's outburst with an even sharper rhetorical question.

This made Snape feel extremely uncomfortable.

This also helped him regain his composure and control his emotions somewhat.

In all honesty, he has devoted his greatest research abilities and the most time to the research of the soul-anesthetizing potion.

He asked himself if he wanted Lily to be resurrected more than anyone else.

However, potion research, especially advanced potions like Soul Anesthetic Potions, which have never existed even in their prototype form, takes time and a very long time to develop.

Often, during the experimental preparation process, the step of letting the liquid stand and waiting for the various active ingredients and magical properties in the liquid to fully react can take several weeks or even more than a month.

Even if he were to simultaneously prepare many pots of the same or different types of potions for experiments and make overall plans, he could not infinitely shorten the time required to prepare the potion.

Who can fully understand the pressure he endured and the effort he put in?

He even applied to the Ministry of Magic for a Time-Turner, often going back five hours to think, research, and concoct potions.

When he traveled back in time, he carefully avoided everyone, including himself, to ensure that he would not have any unnecessary impact on the past, so as to have more time for research and experimentation.

However, ideas and inspiration for potion research are not endless and come every day.

Research often encounters bottlenecks.

Snape believed he had done the best he could.

In this situation, why shouldn't he take a break and use the time when he lacks inspiration and waits for the potion to react to fight for his dream of becoming a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?

To be honest, Lily is indeed number one in his heart, but that doesn't mean there's nothing else in his heart.

He was a person who was constantly filled with regret and depression. If he had no way to relieve his negative emotions, he would have collapsed long ago.

In the past, he treated students harshly with his sharp tongue and mild corporal punishment, favoring Slytherin and suppressing Gryffindor.

Now, he's targeting Lockhart, hoping to secure more Defense Against the Dark Arts classes for himself.

These are all his ways of pleasing himself and relieving negative emotions.

He knew it was wrong and unfair to some people, but he couldn't care less.

Under Dudley's persistent questioning, Snape thought of many things. He had reasons to respond to Dudley's questions, some of which were legitimate and some of which were not.

But should he directly address Dudley's criticisms?

To dissect one's own heart and explain everything in detail to a little wizard who is hostile to and targets one's own?

How can it be? !

He would never do something that he considered utterly despicable unless Lily were to come back to life and appear before him, demanding that he do it.

Just now, in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, he had already reflected on himself because he remembered how he had wronged Lily in the past, and for Lily's sake, he compromised and gave in once.

Now that Dudley is relentlessly pursuing him, relentlessly questioning him, he can't afford to back down any longer.

Thinking of this, Snape, who had been silent for a long time, regained his usual gloomy expression and said to Dudley in a cold voice:

"I will not give up the research on the Soul Anesthetic Potion, nor will I give up my efforts to resurrect Lily."

As for what I do, that's none of your business!

Dudley Dursley, even if you can represent Dumbledore, it doesn't change one fact.

Upon hearing Snape's words, Dudley feigned surprise and asked, like a straight man, "What fact?"

"You and Dumbledore are both pragmatists. Once I put the finished Soul-Anesthetic Potion in front of you, do you really think you'd just give up on using it?"

As Snape spoke, a look of unwavering determination appeared on his face.

Without waiting for Dudley's reply, he lifted his leg to walk around Dudley and continue forward to his office.

Unexpectedly, Dali reached out and grabbed his arm, the force of which made it impossible for him to move another step.

Snape frowned again, turned around and asked coldly, "What else do you want?"

"It's nothing, just reminding you of something else: Neville's birthday is the same day as Harry's, and his parents, the Longbottoms, also fought Voldemort three times."

Dali seemed to jump from one topic to another, talking about something completely unrelated to the previous one.

Upon hearing this, Snape's pupils constricted again; clearly, he knew what Dudley meant.

Neville Longbottom also fits the two messianic prophecies he overheard, prophecies he himself told Voldemort…

"It seems you understood."

Dudley continued, "Then let me remind you of something else: Neville's parents went insane ten years ago, during the time when Voldemort's body exploded, his soul wandered and disappeared, and the Death Eaters collapsed rapidly."

Bellatrix and Barty Crouch Jr., along with some Death Eaters, found the Longbottoms and drove them insane with the Cruciatus Curse.

They actually interrogated the unsuspecting Longbottoms about Voldemort's whereabouts.

Guess why? Why, in seemingly unrelated circumstances, did these Death Eaters loyal to Voldemort specifically target the Longbottoms?