“Her boy survives,” said Dumbledore. "Which one?"

"I thought… you were going… to keep her… safe…" Snape’s voice was barely a whisper, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

"She and James put their faith in the wrong person," said Dumbledore, his tone calm but cutting. He leaned slightly closer, his gaze penetrating. "Rather like you, Severus. Weren’t you hoping that Lord Voldemort would spare her?"

Snape winced, his face contorted with pain, guilt etched into every line. His chest rose and fell in a stuttering rhythm as he struggled to form words, but none came.

Dumbledore, however, seemed determined to press on. "Her boy survives," he said, as though delivering a verdict.

Snape’s eyes flickered open, glassy and desperate. For a moment, there was silence between them, heavy as stone. Then, weakly, he croaked, "Which one?"

The room froze. Dumbledore blinked rapidly, his composure momentarily shattered. "What… what do you mean, ‘which one’?" he said, his voice sharp with bewilderment.

"Which one?" Snape repeated, more insistently this time. A note of confusion mingled with something almost accusatory in his tone. "Lily… Lily had more than one boy. Of course, you knew that, didn’t you, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore’s mouth opened, then closed. For the first time in years, words failed him. He stared at Snape, utterly at a loss. "More than one…? No, Severus, there’s only Harry."

Snape frowned, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his brow. "Only Harry?" he said, the words weighted with skepticism. "Don’t be absurd, Dumbledore. Surely you’ve heard of Henry… and Harold… and… the other one…Hadrian?" He trailed off, suddenly uncertain, his eyes darting around as if searching for answers in the shadows.