"Yes, you may not be his opponent in a heads-up," Snape agreed, "but don't forget me, I've always been tied with you, but I've never done my best. ”

"But when I was at Hogwarts, I often saw you being bullied by Harry's father. Lockhart teased, "I thought to myself, that big brother in Slytherin is such a weak chicken......"

"Huh-Potter's stupid pig, he had a bunch of fox friends back then. Snape's lips twitched, a disgusted expression on his face. The dislike for his rival in his youth has not diminished in the slightest over the years. "Have you ever seen him dare to deal with me when he is alone, and every time he teases me, the loyal dog of the Black family must be present. Lupin and Peter were also his friends, but the former was a good man and never attacked people with spells, while the latter did not have the guts. ”

"Cyris is also good. "But please don't use the adjective dog to speak of him, you're comrades now." ”

"Isn't his Animagus transformed like a dog? Snape said smutteringly, but was not prepared to continue arguing about the subject. "And you think I'm going to be bullied by Potter, no boy can stand such an insult when he's young, and I was so impulsive that I even taught myself the curse of death. But Moorebeth and Avery stopped me, and they helped me trick Potter into a corner of the school and beat me up, but you didn't see it. ”

"Oh, yes. Lockhart was a little surprised, but there was nothing incomprehensible...... Unfortunately, despite your revenge, you still lost Lily.

Snape apparently thought of this as well, and fell silent for a moment.

"Let's find a place to stay tonight and recuperate. Lockhart said, "The Muggle house up front looks pretty big, so let's live there." ”

"Okay. The two of them walked towards the house where the light was shining through the window, and they met at the edge of the area where the Floo net had been severed. After walking for a while, he has entered the range where he cannot apparition.

"We're going to deal with the Dark Lord in an area where we can't disillusion, how are we going to run away?" Snape remembered one of the most crucial questions.

"I'll try to force him to activate the Floo Net, as long as I show enough strength to threaten him, and with your presence, he shouldn't risk dealing with us alone. If not, we'll fight and retreat and get back out of range. ”

Snape frowned, and didn't continue to ask, though he wanted to live. But he wasn't too afraid of death, he was worried that if something happened to Lockhart and himself, there would be no enough wizards to contain Voldemort for Scrimgeour and the others who recaptured the Ministry of Magic.

"Actually, what we have to worry about is not the cutting off of the Floo network, but the Death Eaters who may come to his aid. "So we'll meet him at the beach tomorrow, and if the Floo Network is activated, we'll go to the sea first, and the average Death Eater doesn't have the strength to fly without a broomstick—"

"The stronger Death Eaters are all outside of Hogwarts Castle right now. Snape said, "The one who can help is the one who was already searching for the Savior's whereabouts near Wick." Maybe they'll make their way to Hogwarts, too. ”

"Well, the network of Floo paths around Hogwarts has also been cut off, and if the mysterious man does come to Hogwarts, it will delay him for a few more minutes. Lockhart finally found a little piece of good news. "You knock on the door, I knock on the door?"

"Is there a difference. Don't you want to use the Confusion Charm?" Snape glanced at him disdainfully, drawing his wand from under his cloak.

"That's right. Lockhart drew his wand and knocked on the Muggle door.

――

May 1, 6 a.m.

This night. Many people toss and turn and can't sleep, some are excited, some are scared. Some are worried about their loved ones, while others think far ahead......

But after casting a powerful vigilance spell, Lockhart slept soundly. He's always been a heartless man, and he's not nervous about the upcoming fight, because he's ready to be strong enough to get him out of the way. The only thing to worry about was that not only would he not be able to defeat Voldemort, but he would also be unable to disfigure, in which case Snape would be certain to die.

Leaving the room and walking downstairs, Lockhart found that a certain black-robed enthusiast was already sitting at the family's dining table waiting.

"You really woke up at six o'clock. Snape was a little dissatisfied, he was already up.

"I've always been a punctual person. "Whether it's a new book for a book lover or a date with a woman, going to war is no exception." ”

"Humph......"

"Oh-thank you. Lockhart thanked the Muggle hostess who had served him breakfast. "Severus, have you finished eating? ”

"I'm done. ”

"Okay, then you sit there and digest it. Lockhart smiled and said, "Don't stare at me, I won't be able to eat." ”

"......" Snape turned his head to look at the eastern sky that had only just dawned before the sun had risen.

The breakfast was quite sumptuous, with sausages, bacon, roasted tomatoes, soybeans, mushrooms, poached eggs, and everything that should have been, after all, Lockhart and Snape were honored guests under the curse of confusion. I have to say...... It's better than Hermione's, and as a young wife who has just gotten married and hasn't even graduated from school, she still has a lot to learn.

After chewing slowly and comfortably, Lockhart wiped his mouth and stood up. Before getting up to leave, he left two fifty-pound bills under the plate, as was customary, and the action made Snape's eyebrows flutter inadvertently.

――

"What a good and thoughtful man, Gildero. Snape said. "No wonder girls like you. ”

"We're also cultural people. Lockhart joked, "I'm afraid of trouble myself, and I don't like to cause trouble...... Let's go. ”

After the two left the house, they walked towards the beach and began to contact Hogwarts to ask for news there, and at about seven o'clock, they received the bad news that Voldemort had appeared outside Hogwarts and ordered the people in the castle to surrender using telephony.

This caused a lot of nervousness among the students and professors who were not staunch opponents, and the horses even made Hagrid question Lockhart as if Voldemort had not been lured away by him as promised, and instead showed up at the school.

Lockhart assures them that Voldemort will leave before the eight o'clock attack, and in order to reassure them, McGonagall has to have Harry appear in front of everyone in the castle lobby, calling on everyone to fight bravely.

――

At this moment, the above-ground part of the Ministry of Magic in London, the May Day holiday, and the construction of the façade of the Westminster Theatre have caused the neighborhood to be sparsely populated. Two groups of Aurors and MI5 agents and wizards armed to the teeth have taken refuge in storefronts near the theater.

Everyone is wearing a death charm vest, which is certainly not a panacea - if you are hit by a powerful wizard's death curse, it is nothing more than a small animal in the mezzanine of the vest to bury the user. But after all, not every enemy is worthy of the adjective "powerful", and since its invention, the Death Curse Vest has saved the lives of hundreds of wizards from under the Death Curse in dogfights.

Wizards clutched their wands, while Squibs, specially trained to deal with wizards, were heavily armed.

Thirty meters underground, MI5 agents from the third group were nervously following the schematic diagram of the Ministry of Magic's structure, which had quietly begun a few days earlier, and for safety, they were always advancing at a very slow pace during the day and not daring to be too presumptuous at night. Although the progress is irritatingly slow, it is nearing the end of its life, and it only takes about an hour to get through the tunnels in the basement of the Ministry of Magic.

――

Lockhart and Snape had arrived at Castleton, east of Thurso, a small town in the north-west of the area where the Floo network centered on Wick had been severed, and if Voldemort wanted to apparition to the nearest place and fly over, he would have to apparition near Thurso. Snape would then fly south with Lockhart in an attempt to get Voldemort to chase after him......

"Come on. Lockhart had drunk the Polyjuice Potion, transformed into Harry's appearance, and said to Snape on his broomstick.

"Good. Snape solemnly rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a hideous pattern under the sleeve of his wizard's robes—he pressed his right hand on it, and began to communicate with Voldemort with his magic power to activate the Dark Mark with his magic.

――

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――(To be continued......)