[Are you so certain Dumbledore will definitely help you?]

'I'd bet anything with you, Old Snape. Harry's definitely been taken away by Dumbledore by now.'

In the temporary holding cell of the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

After a peaceful night's sleep here, Severus was jolted awake early in the morning by the accusatory voice of Ghost Snape in his mind.

He yawned, sitting up from the somewhat hard but oddly comfortable wire bed, which is fitting his preference for firm mattresses, and lazily responded to Ghost Snape's words.

After a brief silence, Ghost Snape spoke again with sinister tone, [Of course he will take Potter away. If Potter stayed, his identity would be exposed, and everyone's attention would be on him. But precisely because he took Potter, Dumbledore no longer has any reservations… he could easily abandon you!]

'You're dark, evil, and scheming yourself… don't project that onto everyone else.'

Severus shook his messy, tangled black hair as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to wash, and complained to Ghost Snape.

'I have confidence in Dumbledore. The man's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve, sure, but that's the price of trying to be a good person. Sometimes, you have to think even more carefully than the villains to truly do good. At the end of the day, Dumbledore isn't a bad guy, right?'

'Even if he doesn't deliberately favor us, as long as everything is handled fairly, we aren't actually guilty.'

Having said that, Severus paused mid-brushstroke, pondering something before slowly continuing in his mind to Ghost Snape.

'The real question is whether we'll actually be able to take Harry with us in the end… that'll depend on how he performs in front of Dumbledore.'

Ghost Snape's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said coldly.

[Why?]

'Think about it. If Dumbledore takes Harry away, what would he talk to him about? He'd definitely respect Harry's opinion, let him make a choice, and then subtly observe whether Harry has changed under my influence, and whether those changes align with his expectations. Only if Harry meets his standards will he finally settle the matter.'

His words plunged Ghost Snape into a long silence.

But if Severus hadn't been focused on brushing his teeth and had instead been paying attention to Ghost Snape, he would have noticed Ghost Snape staring intently at him.

[After becoming me, everything about me was laid bare to you… a one-sided exposure!] Ghost Snape finally murmured, his voice eerie, [But I still know nothing about you. You seem to understand everything… more like a Muggle than Muggles, yet more knowledgeable about wizards than any wizard!]

[Slughorn was my former Head of House and professor, yes, but after graduation, I barely had any contact with him. Yet you know him better than I do… even his favorite sweet is pineapple candied fruit! In his home, you saw through his lies at a glance, grasped his weaknesses, and forced him to comply.]

[As for Shacklebolt, an Auror I barely knew, yet you understood his temperament and habits as if you'd known him for years.]

[And Lovegood! In his house, you pretended to be Trelawney and outright delivered a prophecy!]

[And the Ministry! You seem to know its functions and flaws better than anyone!]

[Finally, there is Dumbledore. I've never seen anyone who understands Dumbledore as thoroughly as you do. He probably never imagined that the current Severus Snape could predict his every thought and lead him by the nose!]

[Just who are you?!]

Hearing Ghost Snape's series of increasingly desperate and almost panicked questions, Severus rinsed his mouth while staring at his own handsome reflection in the mirror, widening his eyes.

'Am I really that terrifying?'

He spat out the mouthwash.

'Honestly, there's no reason I can't tell you the truth. It's just that I'm afraid if I do, you might start questioning the meaning of life, doubting the very existence of the world… your entire worldview would shatter. See? I'm actually being considerate of you, old Snape.'

'But I can explain it in more magical terms. You can think of me as a natural-born Seer.'

'It's precisely because I can see the future that I've taken on your identity and done all these things.'

Ghost Snape merely stared at him with cold, suspicious eyes.

[You know what my original future would have been?]

'If I hadn't taken your place, you would have killed Dumbledore at his request, only to be bitten to death by your master's pet snake afterward.'

[Why would Dumbledore do that?] Ghost Snape remained skeptical.

'Probably for three reasons: to protect Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's son; to use his own death to make your master fully trust you; and to ensure you legally inherited the Elder Wand from him.'

The casual way Severus spoke these words made Ghost Snape freeze entirely!

He could tell this wasn't some made-up story. If the Elder Wand truly was in Dumbledore's possession, and if the situation had deteriorated that badly, Dumbledore absolutely would do such a thing!

In an almost trembling voice, he couldn't help but press further, [And Potter... Potter, in the end…]

'Harry nearly died. In my opinion, the fact that he won the final duel against your master had a lot to do with luck.'

This time, Ghost Snape didn't voice outright disbelief, but he couldn't suppress his furious rebuke.

[So you did all this just for yourself! For your own sake, you ruined what could have been a peaceful ending… the best possible outcome!]

'Is 'so I don't die' not a good enough reason?' Severus blinked.

'Besides, who said the original ending was the best one? You have no idea how many people died. And what makes you think what I'm doing now is necessarily worse? If it were, Dumbledore wouldn't have let me take Harry.'

After he finished washing up, he cheerfully thanked the Auror who delivered his breakfast and began eating with relish.

Ghost Snape knew full well he couldn't win an argument against Severus, but his emotions quickly settled.

Just as Severus had said, if he truly was a Seer who knew the future, then as long as he was competent, the outcome wouldn't be worse than the original one.

And from what Ghost Snape had observed over these past few days, Severus was far from a fool.

In fact, he was uncommonly brilliant.

No matter what, the Auror holding cells were no Azkaban. Though the room was small and the food was mediocre, Kingsley would visit occasionally, bringing snacks at Severus's request, making his imprisonment surprisingly comfortable.

Finally, three days after they were detained-

Under mounting public pressure, the Wizengamot had no choice but to expedite the trial of Severus, Sanguini, and Worple.

As the wizarding public in the British Wizarding World demanded, the trial was permitted to be covered by the press, though the Ministry restricted media access to just one outlet.

That is, the one capable of live radio broadcast: Wizarding Wireless Network.