"I hope you can handle this, Bryan." 

With a flick of his wand, Snape unleashed a barrage of silver blades that fell from the dome like a deadly waterfall, slicing through the ground with a sweeping force. The air that was also cut by the blades made a sharp scream, as if protesting the intrusion of the powerful magic. The space that was expanded by magic to accommodate the duel became very unstable, distorting and twisting everything in sight. It was a terrifying sight, enough to make anyone lose their nerve.

I have to say that Professor Snape is a very powerful wizard. Last year, Bryan had introduced young wizards, about the ancient system of judging the strength of a wizard in the class of Defense Against the Dark Arts. At that time, he mentioned that the seniors of the four houses of Hogwarts had the level of 'court wizards' in their respective fields of expertise. And in the field of actual combat, they also deserved this title. They mastered various spells and techniques, and they had honed their skills through years of practice and experience.

Especially Professor Snape, who learned more dark magic than anyone else, his combat level was better than the other three professors! He studied the dark arts since he was a student, and he had invented many spells of his own. 

"How are you going to deal with this, Bryan?" 

Snape finally used this magic that he invented himself, and it was also his best magic. It was a spell that could cut through anything, even the strongest shield charm.

"How to deal with it" 

Bryan smiled and raised his lips, playing with his heart, and under the gaze of Professor Snape, facing the sharp silver blades, he closed his eyes and opened his arms as if to give up resistance.

"Bryan!" 

When those swift and sharp silver blades cut through 'Bryan's' body like a hot knife through butter, and the limbs that were divided into pieces piled up on the ground weakly, Snape's face suddenly turned pale. In an instant, he let out a sharp scream. He wanted to rush over, but the sudden weakness made his body powerless and fell to the ground!

Outside the room, Dumbledore, who was quietly enjoying the starry sky, shook his beard, and his eyes showed a faint helplessness.

Cough cough- 

There was despair in Snape's eyes, he who was about to cry, but suddenly froze. He stiffly turned his head to look in the direction of the cough, but saw another intact Bryan showing a look of a young wizard who was caught by the professor after a prank, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"Illusion magic!" 

The strength returned to his body, Snape gritted his teeth and stood up, 

"I didn't expect you to be good at this, Bryan, just like Filius!" 

"A little bit of accomplishment-" 

Bryan said with a smile, and thanked Professor Lockhart in his heart again.

Those wizards who are good at Occulumency have a strong resistance to this kind of magic, and Professor Snape happens to be a master in this area. If he was calm, then Bryan's illusion magic might not work, but Snape, who was emotionally excited by the two things of Sirius Black breaking into Hogwarts and his appearance in Hogsmeade, caught his mental loophole. 

And for those wizards whose will is not very firm, illusion magic often has an unexpected effect, just like before in the Leaky Cauldron, Lucius Malfoy was completely unable to resist the illusion woven by Bryan.

After being teased by the students, Snape, who was a bit angry and embarrassed, finally showed his true level. He lifted his wizard robe and rolled it forward. The dark magic covered his whole body, and the whole person turned into a rolling black mist, and went straight into the air. In the huge space, the rapidly-moving black cloud left clear black traces in the space, and those misty clouds did not dissipate with the passage of time, but always maintained a gathering state, and gradually sank, like a black cloud ring trapping Bryan.

"Interesting-" 

Bryan looked at the fast-closing black rings with interest and smiled slightly, "Prevent apparition and have severe toxicity. Interesting magic, Professor Snape, you didn't teach me this trick." 

"Not only that, Bryan" 

The black cloud that suddenly stopped in front of Bryan's upper front rolled violently, and those ethereal clouds gradually became real, like a bat floating in the air. Professor Snape reappeared, and he looked down at Bryan coldly and said,

"If you touch these black rings, then…" 

Bryan's voice trailed off, and Snape's wax-yellow face turned black again, as if he had been hit by a curse. Above Bryan's head, a silver and black intertwined vortex appeared out of thin air, spinning rapidly and emitting a low hum. It was only as big as a millstone, but it had the power of a sea eye, a rare and dangerous magical phenomenon that could swallow up any magic power in its vicinity. 

The black rings that Snape had conjured with great effort, hoping to trap Bryan in a dark and suffocating prison, were attracted by the irresistible force of the vortex. Under the pull, they collapsed one by one, and were all swallowed up by the hungry eye, leaving no trace behind. 

Huh- 

Snape landed on the ground with a thud, his robes billowing in the wind. He watched Bryan walking leisurely towards him, his wand still in his hand, but he did not try to attack again. 

Although it was only a few rounds of fighting, he had used the most suitable magic for dealing with opponents of various levels, from simple jinxes and hexes to advanced curses. But the result was that he didn't even touch Bryan's wizard robe, let alone harm him. Bryan had countered every spell with ease, using his own unique and powerful magic that Snape had never seen before. It was as if he had mastered the secrets of the universe, and Snape was just a child playing with toys. 

"Your defense is indeed impeccable, Bryan-" 

Snape himself was also a very talented wizard, and such people always had pride in their hearts. Seeing that he was so easily surpassed by the student he had once protected, his mind was inevitably complicated. 

"But this does not mean that you can-" 

Boom! 

The sudden low hum interrupted his words again. Snape only had time to see Bryan smiling and raising his wand to make a downward slashing motion. Then, the magic in his body uncontrollably rioted, making his consciousness instantly blurred. It felt like he was being torn apart by a thousand needles, and he couldn't even scream. It seemed to last for an eternity, and it seemed to be over in a blink of an eye. 

Snape, who had rich combat experience, regained his consciousness and raised his wand, instinctively trying to cast a shield charm in front of him. But his arm was only half raised, when another young hand suddenly pressed his wrist, stopping his movement. 

Snape looked sideways in a daze, and what he met was a familiar face with a gentle smile. It was Bryan, who had somehow closed the distance between them in an instant, and was now holding his wand arm with a firm grip. 

He lowered his head and looked at his captured wrist again. He didn't know why, Snape was in a trance, and he suddenly remembered the night in the Forbidden Forest six years ago. At that time, he had done the same thing. He had pressed Dumbledore's arm, who wanted to cast another spell, and stopped him,

"You should trust me, Professor Snape." 

Bryan's voice was soft, but carried a weight that Snape couldn't ignore. 

"No matter what the situation, you should trust me." 

Looking at the young face, Snape's expression changed subtly. He felt a surge of emotion in his chest, but he couldn't tell what it was. 

Was it fear, anger, guilt, or something else? 

Since Lily died that night, he could no longer feel the passage of time. He suddenly realized at this moment that it had been twelve years since that heart-wrenching moment, and he had also changed from a young man who made a big mistake because of stupidity to a middle-aged man who was exhausted by his double life. He had sacrificed everything for a cause that he didn't even believe in, and he had nothing left to live for. 

He seemed to be old; 

Under the starry sky, Dumbledore and Bryan stood side by side, watching Snape's back gradually disappear at the end of the road as he strode towards the castle. They didn't say anything, but they both knew what happened. Both of them had seen the look in Snape's eyes, the look of a man who had lost his way. 

"Lone wanderer." 

The cold wind at night blew, Bryan pressed his gray hair that was dancing on his head, and sighed for no reason. 

"Severus has never been able to get rid of the past-" 

Dumbledore's eyes were no longer clear, but also showed turbidity and pain. He had seen too much in his long life, and he had made too many mistakes. He failed to protect many people he cared about, and he also failed to guide Snape to a better path. He hoped that Snape would find peace in his redemption, but he had only found more suffering and loneliness. 

And Snape was not the only one who could not get rid of the past. 

"Is it because of Harry's mother?" 

Bryan asked in an affirmative tone. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Dumbledore. 

"I'm afraid so-" 

Dumbledore didn't ask Bryan where he knew this, but just showed a sad expression. 

"-If you are willing, Bryan, after Sirius Black's matter is over, I can chat with you about Severus's past." 

After a short silence, Bryan nodded. 

"I heard from Lupin that you have arranged a position for me?" 

"Director of the Office of Student Safety at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, what do you think of this title?" 

Dumbledore blinked his clear blue eyes and showed a playful smile. 

*******************************
For More Chapters; patreon.com/FicFrenzy

Author's Note; Is the title of Position good or do you guys have any suggestion regarding this?