Chapter 752: Just Because We Love You?!!
Professor McGonagall moved first.
Her wand cut through the air with a sharp sound, and the spell struck the wall lights, exploding them into a burst of blinding light.
For a moment, Harry thought Snape would be hit.
But Snape didn't even flinch.
A thick cloud of black smoke surged from his wand, swallowing the spell completely. Then it kept moving, rolling forward like something alive, rushing straight toward McGonagall.
Darren reacted instantly.
He flicked his wand, and the black smoke was forced back, slamming toward Snape instead. Snape waved his wand again, and it vanished like it had never existed.
He looked at Darren coldly.
"Why didn't you kill me?" Snape said slowly. "Darren… or are you afraid you can't?"
His voice dropped, sharper.
"Even now, you still don't dare? Have you forgotten who betrayed your parents?"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at Darren at the same time.
For a brief moment, Darren's expression cracked.
It looked like he was about to cry.
But then he smiled.
"Crucio!"
The spell shot forward.
Snape didn't try to block it—he rolled aside, barely dodging, and immediately retaliated. Flames burst out, twisting into a massive black serpent that lunged toward McGonagall.
Darren stepped in front of her without hesitation.
The snake shattered under his spell.
Snape used that split second to retreat.
Flitwick came rushing in from the corridor and attacked, but Snape blocked it with a shield charm. Before he could move again, Darren was already there.
With a sharp flick of his wand, the armor behind Snape came alive, locking around him and pinning him in place.
For a moment—
they had him.
"Kill him!" Harry shouted without thinking.
But Darren didn't move.
Instead, he stepped closer.
He crouched slightly, looking straight into Snape's eyes. There was no anger in his face now—only something raw, desperate.
"Tell me," Darren said quietly. "I don't believe you betrayed them. You just have to say it—say there was a reason."
His voice trembled, but he didn't look away.
"I've been thinking about it day and night… I still can't understand. So there must be something you're hiding. Just tell me. One word is enough. I'll believe you."
He almost sounded like he was begging.
Snape looked at him in silence.
Those green eyes—
For a second, they weren't Lily's anymore.
They were just… his.
He didn't know when that changed.
Maybe it was the first year, when the boy tugged at his sleeve without fear.
Or the second, when he learned the truth about the boy's bloodline.
Or the third, when that same boy stood confidently in front of him, improving potions with a sly smile.
Or the fourth, when rare herbs appeared on his desk at Christmas, with no name attached—but he knew exactly who had left them.
Or the fifth, when that boy stood among the Order, calm and composed, giving orders like he belonged there.
Or the sixth, when that same boy looked at him with disappointment.
Or now—
standing here, not attacking him, not killing him—
just asking for one sentence.
Snape understood something very clearly.
This boy trusted him.
More than almost anyone.
Maybe even… like a father.
And the truth was—
he didn't care about bloodlines anymore.
Not really.
For a brief moment, he almost said it.
If he just said one sentence—I had no choice—this boy would stand on his side without hesitation.
But he also knew what that would cost.
Harry.
The plan.
Everything.
So he crushed that thought completely.
And sneered.
"Darren," he said coldly, "you're still as naive as ever. You really believe anything you're told."
His eyes hardened.
"You didn't actually think I cared about you, did you? Or worse… that I was something like a father to you?"
The words landed hard.
Darren's face went pale.
He raised his wand—
but didn't cast anything.
In that moment, Snape broke free. The wall behind him split open, and he leapt through it without hesitation.
He was gone.
"Did he just—fall?" Harry asked quickly.
McGonagall glanced out and shook her head. "No. He escaped."
No one mentioned what had just happened.
But everyone understood.
Darren had never said it out loud—
but now it was obvious.
He had trusted Snape.
Deeply.
"Darren, what's going on?"
Slughorn came hurrying in, still in his green pajamas, out of breath.
"Voldemort is coming," McGonagall said immediately. "We need to defend the castle and give the students time to leave."
Flitwick frowned. "We can't hold him off for long."
"We hold as long as we can," Sprout said firmly as she arrived. "We don't retreat."
McGonagall nodded. "We move now."
She turned to Darren briefly, then led the others away, already issuing orders.
The professors scattered to prepare.
For a moment, Darren stood still, thinking.
Then suddenly he spoke.
"Hermione, Ron, Harry—you go help evacuate the students. Get everyone you can out through the Room of Requirement. I'll be right behind you."
"What? Where are you going?" Harry asked.
"I have a lead," Darren said quickly.
Before they could stop him, he turned and ran back toward Ravenclaw Tower.
Harry and Ron exchanged a look.
But Hermione didn't move.
Her expression changed.
Then suddenly—
"I know what he's doing," she said.
"What?" Harry snapped, already frustrated. "Then say it!"
Hermione turned to him sharply.
Her voice wasn't loud—but it cut.
"I don't understand you today," she said. "Ever since we left Gringotts, you've been taking everything out on him."
Harry froze.
She stepped closer.
"Can't you see he's hurting?" she continued, her voice tightening. "You keep snapping, getting angry, acting like this—what exactly are you trying to prove?"
Harry didn't answer.
Hermione's eyes were bright now, furious and hurt at the same time.
"Why do we have to put up with it?" she said. "Why does he have to?"
Her voice dropped slightly.
"Just because we care about you?"