[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV
Hogwarts.
...
...
Snape was in a strange place as he observed the types of monsters in that dungeon, constructed with patterns of vines and trunks. His shadow soldiers advanced ahead of him, while the most powerful ones led the others against the creatures in that place.
The shadow of Kargalgan, which Snape had named Fang, was still in the Room of Requirement, left there to create more complex potions, as Snape had not expected any of this when he entered the Black Mansion.
He had only intended to train with Bellatrix, but he had not imagined he would find a painting with a dungeon in that place, even though he had already anticipated finding more paintings like the ones at Hogwarts.
As soon as he saw it in the painting Astraea had shown him, he wasted no time entering the dungeon, as time passed faster there—only an hour in the real world equaled a day in that place. This way, he would finish everything in just a few minutes.
His shadows continued to devastate an army of centaurs ahead of him, centaurs that were far more powerful than those in the Forbidden Forest. Despite being more aggressive, they did not speak and were visibly determined to kill him. They wielded magic, enchanting their weapons: some used spears enveloped in lightning, while others shot arrows wrapped in flames.
"Centaurs don't usually use magic... Rare occasions have happened in the wizarding world, and none of them are alive in this era. How interesting... If I can get a good number of them, it will be amusing to see the look on those centaurs' faces when they see the shadow centaurs." Snape murmured, watching from behind as his shadows fought the enemies.
"Interesting..." He smiled, and in the next moment, he took a step forward. Drawing his sword from his inventory, he dashed ahead, following his men as they ran through the enclosed area. He began cutting down the centaurs that fought against his shadows.
The battle quickly turned into a bloodbath as Snape advanced, eliminating one enemy after another.
Hours passed inside the dungeon, and the sounds of screams of pain and elemental spells finally ceased. Among the twisted roots, Snape watched his men extracting crystals and other valuable items from the place. He himself stood before the ruined body of the dungeon boss—a centaur in armor, certainly powerful.
"Arise." Snape commanded, and the dead centaur began to take form, turning into a newly named shadow before him.
"Very well... You are special, so I will name you." Snape observed the great warrior wielding his spear.
"I will call you Voltaran."
The shadow seemed to like the name. In the next moment, it raised its two front hooves and lifted its spear with one hand as yellow lightning began to crackle around it—a way of accepting its new identity.
It possessed a type of lightning as its magical affinity and had been quite powerful in battle. It might have had the same affinity as Snape, but its color was peculiar. The lightning struck the roots of the dungeon. The place resembled a cave made of living roots, and even when Snape tried to carve a path, the roots quickly regenerated, closing any damage inflicted.
Snape simply nodded, satisfied with the gesture.
"Well, it's time to go back." Snape said as he observed the bags full of crystals he needed to carry by hand, as he had not brought any dimensional bags. However, he had a few sacks with him and began preparing to return to the original world.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, only ten minutes had passed since Snape had disappeared. Astraea and her husband still stared at the place, stunned, not knowing what to say. None of the other paintings knew what had really happened there; they merely watched the space where Snape had simply vanished.
However, the environment suddenly began to distort. In the next instant, Snape returned, appearing before them with four sacks full of blue crystals and other gleaming resources he had collected from the dungeon.
"Mrs. Snape...?" Astraea murmured, eyes wide as she saw him appear, while everyone remained silent.
Snape merely sighed, as if nothing had happened, and turned to her.
"Well, I'm back. Do you have any dimensional bags to store my items?"
He asked while Astraea, still seeming stunned, had to blink a few times before finally understanding his question. She nodded, calling for a monster that appeared moments later. Her cautious gaze turned to Snape, but even so, it quickly obeyed its mistress's request.
"Severus Snape, I must say... Mrs. Snape, what just happened? How did you enter my painting like that and return with those items in your bags?" she asked, looking at Snape with a mix of incredulity and curiosity.
Until that moment, no one had asked the most obvious question. The other portraits in the room also awaited an explanation.
"Well, it doesn't matter." Snape simply shrugged.
The man in the painting, Bernart, was left speechless. Astraea only sighed, realizing that there was no point in trying to force him to reveal his secrets.
The monster arrived with the dimensional bags that Astraea had requested. Snape took the sacks and began storing all the resources inside them, making them disappear into his inventory, now taking up much less space.
"Well, you said you wanted to talk to me. And what is this painting that wasn't here before?" Snape asked, observing the portrait that had recently appeared and ignoring everything that had just happened.
"Let me introduce you. This is my husband, Bernart Black. But he died some time ago," Astraea replied. "He was the former patriarch of the Black family. The only memory we have of him is this painting, which is also used as a family advisor."
"Well, as far as I know, I no longer have any business with the Black family, except for training Bellatrix since I made a promise to her," Snape said, finding it strange that Astraea had called him there to speak with Bernart.
Despite this, he had managed to take advantage of the situation by discovering the dungeon, as his army had now grown, and he had dozens of centaurs under his command.
"I know our business ended some time ago, Mrs. Snape. But there is something we need to inform you about... regarding your former family," Astraea said.
Snape narrowed his eyes directly at her upon hearing that.
"What about them? And why are you telling me this?"
He asked, his voice laced with suspicion.
"Let's just say they've allied themselves with Voldemort... And it seems they're targeting you," the voice echoed from the painting.
"Targeting me? Why?" Snape asked.
He had already received a letter from his relatives about the family's situation, mentioning that his uncles were, in a way, keeping an eye on him. However, he wanted to hear it from other people's mouths to confirm what he already suspected.
"You have proven to be a threat as you've distinguished yourself," Astraea said, her voice serious, before continuing.
"And, besides that... With them unable to have children... Everyone in the wizarding world already knows about the Prince family's inefficiency in producing new heirs. They fear that you might succeed in having descendants. Being the closest blood relative to the main line, they worry about losing the family's power.
After all, all noble families need descendants. Without them, their power weakens significantly. Even kings can only achieve security and stability in a kingdom when they have strong, living heirs to take their place.
Soon, you will become a target for your uncles," Astraea concluded.
"I see... But what does that have to do with them allying with Voldemort?" Snape asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Because there is a certain... ritual. It requires a dark wizard and a peculiar part of a descendant's body. This could allow them to have children again," she said.
Snape furrowed his brow before responding.
"So my uncles are planning a dark ritual to cure their sterility and start having children?" Snape scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Yes, exactly that," Astraea confirmed.
However, Snape was still not satisfied. He tilted his head slightly and observed her with a sharp gaze.
"You still haven't answered why you're helping me. After all, if they are Death Eaters, it makes sense that you would be on their side. So why are you here, telling me this? Since, technically, they are your colleagues?"
He asked, his voice laced with a dark tone.
Immediately, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
A shadow began to expand from Snape's feet, creeping across the floor. The portraits trembled, and Astraea's eyes widened as she instinctively took a step back.
From the midst of the darkness, a two-meter-tall centaur clad in armor emerged, wielding a spear. Golden lightning crackled from the weapon, snapping through the air. With a sharp motion, the centaur struck the spear against the ground, sending sparks of electricity scattering across the floor.
Astraea instinctively reached for her wand, her gaze locked onto the creature that had just appeared.
Snape, however, remained impassive, watching her closely with the centaur standing right behind him.
"I hope this isn't some kind of joke, Astraea. Because things didn't end well for the Black family, and if this is a trick..." Snape spoke with an arrogant tone, his eyes glinting with something dangerous. The centaur at his side remained poised, ready to strike at any moment.
"It's not that, Mrs. Snape! Please, do not be angry!"
Bernart's portrait, though startled, quickly sought his wife's support. The woman looked frightened as she watched the strange centaur, while the lightning emanating from it spread across the room, making several portraits scream in fear and rush to distance themselves as much as possible. They huddled in a few distant frames, forming a crowd watching in terror, praying that the lightning wouldn't strike their own paintings.
Even some people outside the room began to take notice of the commotion.
"We chose a side, Mrs. Snape, because we believe you are stronger than the Dark Lord. We do not wish to be your enemy," the portrait tried once more, his voice filled with unease.
Snape looked at him for a moment before nodding.
In the same instant, the centaur began to fade, sinking back into the floor before merging with Snape's shadow. The entire room fell into silence, the surrounding portraits still frozen in horror at what they had just witnessed.
Snape had not intended to reveal such a thing—after all, too many other paintings were listening. However, he had not expected the situation to escalate to this level, forcing him to use his power to crush any potential opposition.
"Well... Either way, I should leave. There's nothing more for me here," Snape stated simply, beginning to walk toward the exit, leaving Astraea standing there, still staring fearfully at the spot where the centaur had been.
"Astraea, he's gone. Are you alright?" her husband asked immediately, watching her blink a few times before sighing.
"What was that, Astraea? You were frozen!" Bernart questioned, concern evident in his voice.
Astraea turned her attention to the door, now closed after Snape's departure.
"That thing... I saw it. It was part of the war that destroyed our entire world," she murmured, a shiver of fear running down her spine.
Compared to the overwhelming horde of those creatures in the Shadow Army, who were they? And more importantly, who could possibly stand against such forces?
For the first time, Astraea and the others had caught a glimpse of Snape's true power.
But deep down, no one knew just how far that power extended—only that it seemed like an abyss without end.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 179 - The power of death may be something that the Death Eaters cannot handle.
Chapter 184 - Second Dark Lord.
Chapter 194 - Expecto Patronum.
Chapter 202 - Orb of Avarice.
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