Along a narrow starlit path, a gaunt, hooded figure moved swiftly through the thick, low brambles.
The croak of frogs and the chirp of crickets filled the night as he strode quickly along. It was only when he reached an ornate iron gate that he finally lifted his head with caution.
He pulled back his hood, revealing a thin face with a prominent hooked nose. His hollow eyes fixed on the gate's knocker.
"Password?" croaked the knocker, shaped like the head of a Common Welsh Green.
"Pureblood supremacy," Severus Snape said coldly.
The gate creaked open. Snape stepped inside the estate... He followed a gravel path through yew hedges until, at the end of the road, a grand mansion loomed against the pitch-black night.
"Who's there!" a wary female voice called from the doorway of the mansion. "Oh... Severus..."
Narcissa Malfoy let out a breath of relief. She walked forward to meet him, lowering her voice as she reached his side.
"You're four hours late..."
"I was about to explain this to the Dark Lord, Narcissa!" Snape's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly. "Will you take me to him?"
"Yes. Follow me..."
Inside, the corridor was wide and dimly lit, yet lavishly adorned, with ornate carpets laid over the stone floor.
As Mrs. Malfoy led Snape down the hallway, the pale statues along the walls stared unblinkingly at them.
At last, they reached the entrance to the manor's basement. Narcissa Malfoy stopped and gave Snape a meaningful glance.
"The Dark Lord is inside."
...
A magnificent long table dominated the basement, surrounded by figures sitting in silence. Dark green flames burned in the marble fireplace, keeping the room from complete darkness yet casting an even more sinister air.
"Look who has arrived—Severus Snape!" A clear, high-pitched voice rang out. "Wormtail, bring Severus a chair!"
The firelight revealed the speaker's pale, serpentine face, with hardly any nose at all.
A short wizard hurried to obey Voldemort's command, dragging a bench to the far end of the table.
Snape ignored the bench. He strode straight to Voldemort, knelt, kissed the hem of his robe, and stepped back.
"You are four hours late, Snape!" snapped a dark-haired wizard at Voldemort's right. He looked disheveled, a fresh scar still raw across his face.
"Yes, Avery... because I spent four hours fully explaining the changes to the Dark Mark to Dumbledore. Then, following his orders, I returned here!" Snape said, bowing gracefully to Voldemort.
"Dumbledore..." Avery seethed with fury.
"This was the mission the Dark Lord gave me!" Snape replied with a faint smile. Then he lifted his head, meeting Voldemort's crimson gaze. "Thirteen years ago—when you last summoned me."
Voldemort's red eyes bored into Snape's hollow ones.
After a long moment, a smile flickered across his lips.
"Nott, pour Severus a glass of pumpkin juice."
The Death Eater named Nott rose, pulled a flask from his pocket, and poured its contents into a goblet.
With a flick of his wand, he sent the goblet floating through the air to Snape.
Snape caught it, raised it, and drained it in a single gulp without hesitation.
Voldemort nodded faintly to Avery, then closed his eyes as if to rest.
"Snape, where were you when the Dark Lord fell?" Avery demanded viciously.
"I was exactly where the Dark Lord ordered me to be—at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He wanted me to keep watch on Albus Dumbledore," Snape answered calmly.
"Then how did you manage to survive under Dumbledore's nose?"
"Because Dumbledore believed I was his man... He thought I had already 'atoned' for my past 'mistakes'..." Snape gave a cold laugh. "Dumbledore's greatest weakness—he trusts too easily, without reservation!"
"Then who do you truly serve?"
"Without question, I serve the Dark Lord until death," Snape declared firmly. "From the age of eleven until now, my loyalty has never wavered."
Avery opened his mouth to press further—
"Enough!" Voldemort cut him off sharply.
"Severus, you have spent thirteen years at Hogwarts..." Voldemort's eyes opened again.
"Dumbledore trusts me completely, Master..." Snape said quietly. "Over the years, I have uncovered many secrets—about the boy, Harry Potter, and about the prophecy..."
Snape glanced uneasily at Avery and the other Death Eaters, then leaned close to Voldemort's ear and began whispering in the faintest voice.
...
Ten minutes later, Snape stopped speaking.
Voldemort looked at him with calm satisfaction, took his hand, and pulled him to his feet.
"Welcome back, Severus," he said smoothly.
"It is my honor, my Lord!" Snape exclaimed, his face alight with excitement.
"Avery, sit where Wormtail placed the bench!" Voldemort commanded coldly.
Avery stiffened but quickly obeyed, not daring to defy him.
"Severus, you shall sit at my right hand," Voldemort said, pointing to the seat Avery had vacated.
Snape sat down. Across the table, he exchanged a glance with Lucius Malfoy.
Like Avery, Malfoy looked battered and weary, as if he had just come from battle.
But Snape's eyes drifted with curiosity to the empty seat at Voldemort's left.
Voldemort seemed to notice, and with a smile he explained, "That seat belongs to my most loyal servant. He remains at Hogwarts, and it is thanks to his efforts that I was able to return before you. But soon, he will be at my side again."
"It seems everyone is here," Voldemort said, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Only one is missing... I suspect Karkaroff will not be returning to us. He will be executed."
A small stir rippled among the Death Eaters as they exchanged uneasy glances.
"Of course, the rest of you—all of you—shall receive my reward!" Voldemort continued.
"Now then. Let the meeting begin."