Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 25: Back To Business
The day after the tournament ended.
Severus Snape was standing in front of a grand mansion. He needed a moment to keep his emotions in order. The Dark Lord was an expert in the mind arts and would be able to detect even the most minor of lies if he got careless.
Voldemort had been calling for all his followers since the previous night, when he had ambushed Potter and used his blood to resurrect himself.
Snape had postponed answering the call for as long as possible, but he knew that if he ignored it any longer, it would greatly offend the Dark Lord and this was not a man one wanted to offend.
The call he answered had guided him here, to Malfoy Manor.
He had been here many times in the past, as he had a close relationship with the Malfoys. It could be said that they were the only people he considered close to being his friends. They even named him godfather to their son, Draco.
The door opened before he had the chance to knock, and a house-elf wearing tattered rags poked his head out. "Master Snape… they are waiting for you in the main dining hall."
'No more time to prepare.' Snape nodded and walked inside the manor.
He needed no guide to get there, so he walked alone through the Malfoy home until he reached the door to the dining hall where he had eaten many meals in the past.
Snape was about to knock on the door when, once again, it opened by itself.
An eerie voice was then heard from inside. "Come in, Severus… we were waiting for you."
He walked inside and noticed that several people were present, sitting around the massive dining table. They were all dressed in black robes and looking at him.
At the head of the table was Lord Voldemort.
Snape saw how much he had changed, but made sure not to show any reaction.
Voldemort already looked somewhat inhuman before his death, but now, it was much worse. His pale skin, lack of a nose, and pair of blood-red eyes gave him a very terrifying aspect.
"You took your time to answer my call." Voldemort stood up from his seat, and everyone else did the same.
"Why is that?" He took several paces toward him, while his fingers played with the wand in his hand.
Despite the dim lighting of the room, Snape recognized that wand… it was Harry Potter's.
He knew that giving the wrong answer now would get him immediately killed.
The first thing he did was kneel down and lower his head. "My Lord, I could not answer your first call because—"
"Because you were with Albus Dumbledore, weren't you? Don't think I don't know what has been going on during the time I was… absent." Voldemort finished the sentence for him.
Snape kept his head down. He could not see the faces of the other occupants of the room, but he could hear a few muffled chuckles. He was sure that everyone present found his distressed situation very amusing. "My loyalty has never changed. I am of more use to you now that I have earned the trust of Dumbledore."
"Have you really? Does the old man truly trust a snake like you?" Voldemort asked.
"He does, My Lord. He considers me a close friend. It has taken me ten years of work, but I—"
"Very well." Voldemort interrupted him. "If you can make yourself useful by keeping an eye on the old man's side, I may be able to forgive your previous… misdeeds."
"Thank you, My Lord, I will not di—"
"Now, Severus." Voldemort pointed his wand at him. "Do not believe for a moment that you have earned my trust, not even one bit. It will take a lot of work to manage that. And the moment I sniff the slightest sign of betrayal on your part, I will kill you. Is that clear?"
"Y-yes, My Lord." Snape kept his head down. It appeared that he was not going to die tonight.
A cruel smirk appeared on Voldemort's face. "I have temporarily spared your life. This doesn't mean that you don't deserve a proper punishment for abandoning me… for ten years."
Snape flinched. "My L—"
"Crucio!" Voldemort sent the curse to Snape in an instant, making the man twist on the ground while screaming in agony.
The other Death Eaters watched this without showing the slightest hint of empathy toward the man.
It took three Cruciatus Curses before Voldemort felt satisfied. And it was only because he knew that Snape's mind was reaching its limits, and any more torture would just break him apart.
A broken puppet was of no use to him.
Snape was then left there, whimpering on the cold floor of the dining hall while the other members began discussing their next steps.
Earlier that same day, they had received some disturbing news from their youngest members who were still attending school.
"Harry Potter… is alive." Voldemort said the words with tremendous disgust.
There was a moment of silence after that. The Death Eaters looked at each other without knowing what to say.
They had heard the same thing their Lord had, although no one understood how that happened.
Voldemort slammed his fists on the table, making everyone flinch. "How can that be?! I used the Killing Curse on the boy. You all saw it, right?!"
"Y-yes, My Lord." Lucius Malfoy spoke first. "The boy definitely died…"
"Could the report be wrong?" Crabbe asked. "Which student was the one who said it?"
"It was your son," Malfoy said. "And mine as well. And many others. Many eyewitnesses have claimed to have seen Potter in person. He appeared the next morning and was taken immediately to the school infirmary. The Headmaster would not allow anyone to visit him, but… there is no doubt that he is still alive, albeit injured."
"I need to know how he survived."
All the relief that Voldemort had felt after killing the boy and getting rid of that nasty prophecy was now gone.
"Well…" McNair spoke next. "It's a good thing that Snape is back on our side then. He can find out."
Voldemort's red eyes gained a soft shine and glared at the man on the floor. "Yes… he will."
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