Dumbledore did as he was told, using his magic wand to extract the silvery strands of memory and placing them into the crystal ball.
A burst of silvery smoke suddenly rose from the crystal ball, and in the next moment, the entire room began to spin.
When the spinning sensation ceased, everyone found themselves standing in Dumbledore's office.
It was Dumbledore's memory.
Something was making a dreadful noise, like an injured animal.
Snape slumped into a chair, leaning forward, while Dumbledore stood in front of him, looking grim.
After a moment, Snape raised his face. No one knew what he had experienced, but it seemed he had endured a century of suffering.
"You promised me, Dumbledore... you promised... to keep her safe..."
"She and James placed their trust in the wrong people," Dumbledore said, standing by the bed and gazing at the moon outside the window, "Just like you, Severus, didn't you once hope that Voldemort would spare her life?"
Snape's breath was weak and feeble, his face wracked with pain, as if recalling unbearable past events.
Just then, Dumbledore suddenly said, "Her son survived."
On hearing this, Snape shook his head violently, as if trying to shoo away an annoying fly.
"Her son is still alive, with eyes just like his mother's, exactly the same — I assume you remember Lily Evans' eyes, their shape and color, don't you?"
"No!" Snape shouted, "Gone... dead..."
"Is this regret, Severus?" Dumbledore squinted slightly, his tone a bit disdainful.
Snape clutched the front of his robes in agony, "I wish... I wish it had been me who died..."
"What good would that do others?" Dumbledore said coldly, "If you love Lily Evans, if you truly love her, then the path before you is clear."
James's expression suddenly looked like he'd swallowed a fly; he always knew about Snape's twisted feelings for his wife, but being confronted with it so blatantly was always unpleasant.
If it were someone else, that'd be one thing, but it was the Snot Spirit...
He took a deep breath and continued to look at Snape.
It seemed as though a veil of sorrow clouded Snape's view, Dumbledore's words taking a long time to reach his ears.
"What—what are you saying?"
"You know how she died and why... Don't let her sacrifice be in vain, help me, protect Lily's son."
"He doesn't need protection anymore! The Dark Demon King is gone—"
"The Dark Demon King will return, and when that time comes, Harry Potter will face terrible danger."
There was a long silence before Snape gradually regained control of himself, able to breathe freely. Finally, he said, "Very well... very well, but do not—do not speak of this, Dumbledore! Only you and I must know! You must swear! I can't bear it... especially not Potter's son... I want you to swear!"
"You want me to swear, Severus, never to reveal your best side?" Dumbledore looked down at Snape's agitated and pained face, sighed, and said, "If you insist... but I must remind you, that boy may never understand what you have done for him until his dying day..."
The office vanished, and the scene spun once again.
Harry's expression was complicated; he hadn't expected that the reason Snape always treated him slightly better before quickly reverting to bad was because he chose to be a bad person.
Only by playing the role of a bad guy could he avoid suspicion and serve better as a competent double agent.
But Harry didn't think about it another way—perhaps Snape's animosity toward him wasn't feigned, and his occasional fondness wasn't fake either.
The fondness came because he bore his mother's talent and her eyes—and the animosity was simple, because he looked just like James.
You could say that much of it was genuine on Snape's part.
Lupin and Sirius also had their perspectives changed after watching Snape, especially Sirius who, for once, even regarded him with a hint of appreciation.
In that case, perhaps this Old Snot Spirit wasn't entirely rotten.
"This is the full story."
Dumbledore hurriedly cut off the memory. After painstaking efforts to piece together some positive image of Snape, he couldn't let what came next in the office ruin it by focusing on James.
"In fact, Snape really has done so." He continued, "In the first year, Voldemort's torn soul was attached to Quirinus Quirrell, attempting to steal the Magic Stone... Severus and I were also secretly protecting Harry."
James wasn't someone who clung to grievances; previous displeasures were set aside temporarily at this moment.
"I admit, Old Snot... Severus."
James unprecedentedly addressed Snape by his name, though he'd never admit it was because 'Snot Spirit' was derived from 'Severus,' and switching to it without trace made it plausible.
"Thank you for protecting Harry."
Snape's mouth turned downward, and although James hadn't said anything nice, and it even sounded a bit grudging, for this arrogant jerk, it was quite remarkable.
Even when Professor McGonagall had once forced James's head down, he hadn't said a single conciliatory word to Snape.
Harry also stood up and said to Professor Snape, "Thank you, Professor..."
Since his parents had let go, he naturally had nothing more to say.
"Thank you." Lily also said gently, "Severus, thank you for all the years you've dedicated to Harry."
Snape suddenly tensed his face and turned his head to the side.
After a while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"It's what I should do."
"Since that's the case..."
Dumbledore stood up, quite satisfied with the result, "Let's have a meal together, how about going to the Great Hall at Hogwarts?"
"A fine suggestion." Sirius also livened up the atmosphere, "We haven't dined together in a long time, Forks... Lily, when I was in Azkaban, I always missed your cooking..."
"Okay." Lily's eyes were gentle, "Say what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."
However, just as they stood up, they saw Lady Perenelle frowning as she jogged up from outside.
Seeing them stand up, she raised her hand to stop them: "I suggest you don't leave this room yet..."
"Why?" Sirius asked puzzledly, "Mrs. Leme, did something happen?"
Perenelle raised her other hand, holding a stack of newspapers.
"Take a look at this." She said worriedly, "Because you summoned the Potters with the gem, the timeline has undergone some small changes... This Alchemy Room can shield against the effects of timeline changes, but if you step outside, who knows what might happen."
Is it that serious?
Everyone exchanged glances, and Harry quickly stepped forward to take the newspaper from Perenelle's hand.
It was the Prophet Daily.
He quickly browsed through the newspaper, and Vivi also moved up, peering over his shoulder to see what it said.
Only, the newspaper's front page stunned Harry.
"Can the Gallant Resister Tom Riddle Become the Savior of the United Kingdom? To Save the United Kingdom from the Brutal Rule of Empress Grindelwald"
The lead journalist was still Rita Skeeter, along with a photo of a handsome middle-aged man delivering a passionate speech to a group of wizards.
It was Tom Riddle... err, that is, Voldemort.
No, where exactly did you take me?
Is this still the United Kingdom?
(Vote for me)