Snape scanned both ends of the corridor swiftly before stowing the Marauder's Map and stepping into the passage.
The mirror slid shut behind him with a crisp click, cutting off the chandelier light from the hallway and plunging the tunnel into complete darkness.
He muttered to himself, a smirk tugging at his lips, Honestly, I'm starting to feel more like a Gryffindor than a Slytherin. Maybe one day I'll get to be a sword-wielding hero…
"Lumos."
A soft glow bloomed at the tip of his wand, revealing a flat, spacious stone path ahead. At the far end, a staircase dipped downward into shadow.
This… this must be the very passage that would eventually collapse during the Weasley twins' time at school.
What could this place be used for? Snape wondered, stroking his chin. Smuggling cursed artifacts? Releasing dangerous magical beasts in secret?
Should he go down?
And if he ran into Mulciber on the way...
The idea made him snort.
Oh, no need to worry about that. That idiot's destined to become a Death Eater anyway. I'm not Dumbledore—I have no lofty ideals about saving every soul.
As long as sending him to Merlin doesn't split my own soul, he can take his chances.
Out of caution, he extinguished the light from his wand and pressed his body to the wall, moving down the steps in deliberate silence.
Time passed—he didn't know how long. Eventually, the passage began to rise again.
A foul stench crept into his nostrils, growing thicker with every step.
Without warning, he smacked his head against something hard above.
Rubbing his forehead, he waited a moment, then slowly pushed open the trapdoor overhead and peered through the crack with squinted eyes.
It didn't take long to locate the source of the stench—filthy straw and bird droppings covered the floor, along with scattered bones of small, unidentifiable creatures.
Snape climbed up and shut the trapdoor behind him. Beneath the hay, it blended seamlessly into the floor.
He was in the owlery above the Hogsmeade Post Office.
The scratching of talons echoed around him. The pattern he'd drawn on the mirror—he realized now—it had been the outline of an owl.
Owls fluttered in and out through the windows, their wings brushing against the night air. Beyond the frame: a sky freckled with stars.
Snape tiptoed around the mess, careful not to step in anything foul, and exited quietly.
Hogsmeade was still and silent.
Shuttered shopfronts lined the narrow lanes, the mountains beyond shrouded in dark mist. He could just make out the winding path leading back to Hogwarts. Only the windows of the Three Broomsticks glowed with golden light.
"Where the hell is Mulciber…" Snape muttered.
He wandered the empty street, his steps muffled on the stone.
He was debating whether to peek through the pub windows when a cloaked figure appeared at the far end of the village road, moving fast.
The figure was hunched, glancing nervously over their shoulder with every step.
Snape stepped aside, letting the hooded form pass him and slip into the owlery.
Got you, he thought. It had to be Mulciber.
Snape turned and followed the path the figure had come from—an area he'd never explored before.
The winding trail led him out into fields on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Sparse, dark cottages dotted the hillsides, each surrounded by wide gardens.
Within those gardens, weather-worn gravestones rose from the earth in crooked rows.
This was the village cemetery.
He found a narrow gate, pushed it open as quietly as he could, and slipped inside.
The names on the stones caught his eye—Rosmerta, Davies, Podmore… old families.
So Mulciber was here. But why?
Snape had assumed he was meeting someone. But here, surrounded by dirt and bones and silence… there was no one.
Nothing.
Disappointed, Snape made his way back.
But as he walked, a new thought occurred to him—Why wait for a Death Eater to use the tunnel? Why not collapse the stairs right now?
Why not, indeed.
He raised his wand.
"Confringo!"
"Reducto!"
"Bombarda!"
The spells echoed like cannon fire.
Dust trickled from the ceiling. A few cracks split the stone.
Snape frowned. That's it?
He stared at the staircase. How did Fred and George manage to bring the whole thing down?
Before he could experiment further, several dots on the Marauder's Map began rushing toward his location.
Snape bolted.
He fled the tunnel, ran the length of the path, and slipped into the dungeon corridor.
By the time he reached the dormitory, Mulciber's bed hangings were already drawn tight.
—
In Charms class the next morning, everyone was practicing the Aguamenti charm, conjuring fresh water that spouted in little streams across the room.
Snape leaned sideways toward Pandora, voice low.
"I've got a question," he said, "and I need an expert. What's the best way to precisely collapse a building?"
"Use the Blasting Curse," Pandora replied without hesitation, twirling her wand like it was nothing. "Easy."
"Easy?" Snape blinked. "You've tried it?"
"Loads of times," she nodded vigorously.
Snape inhaled slowly. "On… objects, I assume?"
"Well of course. What else?" She gave him a curious look.
"Ahem. What if the curse doesn't work?"
She tilted her head. "Could be protection charms. But even basic wards can usually be broken with a strong enough blast."
"And what if they're not basic?"
Snape described what had happened.
Her eyes lit up with fascination. She practically vibrated with excitement.
"Ooh, you've got to show me! Where is it? I want to see."
"Fine," Snape said. "I'll take you there later."
She was still buzzing with energy when practice resumed. So much so, that she overpowered her spell.
Instead of a trickle, her wand blasted out a full stream—more like a fire hose—that hit Professor Flitwick square in the chest and launched him into the air.
He hit the ceiling, then floated down, dripping, before drying himself with a quick spell.
"Miss Lovegood," he said sternly, "you'll write: I am a witch, not a baboon with a stick. One hundred times."
Snape gave her a long look and asked with the ghost of a smirk:
"Still sure you're an expert in controlled magical demolition?"
Pandora puffed out her chest and patted it with pride.
"Trust me!"