HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 181 Pre-Battle Preparations

(Ah, I've run out of ideas, I can't write any more side stories...)

"Tomorrow, tomorrow we will conquer Hogwarts, and then—" Voldemort's words were cut short as the crowd erupted in cheers and screams, as if victory were already theirs.

Severus stood at the far end, coldly watching the farce unfold. Lucius next to him frowned, finding them too noisy. Barty, standing diagonally opposite, suddenly glanced over and quietly observed the whole scene.

The three men's demeanor was utterly out of place in the scene; if they hadn't been standing in the corner, Voldemort would surely have spotted them. Severus's eyes kept glancing at the snake in Voldemort's hand; he struggled to get close enough to confirm whether it was a Horcrux.

He could only wait until tomorrow when things got chaotic, then try to get close to Voldemort and eliminate him as soon as possible. It was better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free; they had sacrificed too much for this battle, and they couldn't afford to falter at this crucial moment.

"I will help you, but when it's all over, I will kill you." Barty walked with the crowd to Severus's side. Killing Voldemort was Dumbledore's wish, and he would help him fulfill it. After it was all over, he would kill the man as a way of repaying him for saving him in the first place.

After observing for a while, he roughly guessed that Severus's identity was questionable, but he wouldn't interfere, since it wasn't Voldemort who saved him.

"I don't need you. Mind your own business first." Severus walked straight ahead without stopping for a moment, nodded to Lucius, and then left.

Passing through the small gate, it's not far into the garden. There used to be many young couples here, but recently, due to the tense situation, they've all been confined to the castle. Nobody knows if Voldemort will suddenly go berserk and attack the school. At least they have protective spells in the castle to protect them.

"Shark bone."

"Severus, you're back."

Upon entering, he saw Emeric's smiling face, and he felt much of his fatigue disappear. He took off his robe and hung it on the hanger, then leaned against the little boy before beginning to report the day's events to Dumbledore.

"I don't know when tomorrow will be. He's been carrying that snake with him the whole time, so I haven't had a chance to touch it."

"You've done enough. Let the children go home today. This place is about to become a battlefield." Dumbledore touched the stone bricks on the windowsill, his eyes filled with reluctance. He didn't know if his old companion of many years would survive this battle.

"I understand. I'll tell Minerva later. How's it going on your end?"

Dumbledore and Gellert disappeared for a long time, only returning today. He didn't know what they had been doing, but judging from their expressions, they must have done a perfect job.

"Not bad, I borrowed a lot of things from my old friends, which will come in handy tomorrow~"

"You—didn't you scare them looking like this? And how can you be sure they won't tell everyone you're alive?" Severus asked, frowning.

"Hahaha, the process doesn't matter, as long as the result is good, they can't just say things like that." As he said this, Dumbledore glared at Gellert, telling him not to undermine him.

He never expected that after so many years, the title of Gellert the Dark Wizard would still be so useful. He didn't even need to prove his identity. As soon as his old friends saw the two of them, they would look like they had a toothache and give them whatever they wanted.

Severus didn't care about their affairs, as long as the outcome was good. He reached out and ruffled Emeric's head to relieve stress, messing up his hair completely before standing up to discuss the students with McGonagall.

Before leaving, he turned back to Dumbledore. "Are you going to tell me now that you're alive?"

"Wait until tomorrow. By this time tomorrow, all the informants should be exposed."

"OK."

Walking down the corridor, Severus kept thinking about tomorrow's arrangements and how he could kill the snake.

"Knock knock".

"Enter."

McGonagall was engrossed in studying her newly acquired book. Lately, Severus had been handling the paperwork, giving her a lot of free time, unlike before when she was so busy.

"Severus, what brings you here? Is something the matter?" McGonagall found it a bit odd; he wasn't the type to bother people during breaks. "Is there some kind of operation?"

"Yes, send the students home. This place will become a battlefield tomorrow. We'll leave after dinner tonight. I don't know when he'll attack, and I have other things to do then. You guys—protect yourselves."

"Okay, I understand. Be careful too, and remember we're all waiting for you to come back." McGonagall didn't ask him what he was going to do. She trusted him as always and felt sorry for him because he was younger than them but had to shoulder so much.

The entire castle began to function, and the students retreated in an orderly manner under the leadership of their prefects. All the professors who were willing to stay were patrolling the castle, each doing what they were good at.

"Evelyn, how are you doing?"

"It's all set up. Minerva, what about yours?"

"All the children have left school, and I haven't found anyone who was left behind."

"Great, now we just have to wait for Pomona and Salafina to come back. We've done everything we can. Now it's up to Merlin to decide who wins."

Similar conversations took place throughout the school, with everyone doing their utmost to increase their chances of victory in this war. Dumbledore, wearing an invisibility cloak, walked through the castle, placing the borrowed props in their proper positions.

Emeric pulled out a bunch of homemade enchanted bombs and distributed them to everyone. These were byproducts of his accidental enchanting process some time ago. They weren't very powerful, but they were loud enough that anyone nearby could hear them and rush to help, no matter where they were thrown.

While everyone was busy at work, a group of students returned furtively, some of them even stealing something from home.

As soon as the group approached the castle, Dumbledore discovered them, but since he was still "dead" and couldn't show himself, he could only hurriedly go to find Severus while wearing an invisibility cloak.

"Severus, oh no! Several children have returned. Go and chase them away!"

"?" Severus laughed angrily and rushed in the direction he pointed.

When he arrived, Ron and his friends had just managed to evade a professor and were congratulating themselves on their excellent hiding skills.

"You lot, get back here!" Severus grabbed them by the back of their collars and threw them out. "Especially you Weasleys, your parents are right here. Do you want me to call them over and teach you a lesson?"

"Professor Snape, even if you kick us all out, we'll find a way back. If you're not afraid of the dangers we'll face on the way, then go ahead and leave."

Hermione directly threatened him with safety; after all these years, she had long since seen through the professor's tough exterior but soft heart. Sure enough, as she expected, Severus glared at them fiercely before leading them all inside.

When Molly saw the group of children, she felt a headache coming on, so she and Arthur worked together to discipline them.

Severus was particularly gleeful, especially when he saw Hermione being scolded as well; he happily ate several more cookies.