Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts

This incident puzzled many people. Some speculated that he must have betrayed many of his colleagues to Dumbledore, while others suspected that the Dark Lord's disappearance was related to something he had done.

Now that Severus has brought this up, everyone has made unfounded connections based on the fact that he was the only one who knew about the whereabouts of the Dark Lord!

The fact that Dumbledore was able to save him must be due to some arrangement made by the Dark Lord.

This could very well be a scheme targeting Dumbledore!

Severus had been saying that causing trouble in the wizarding world for the Dark Lord did not equate to loyalty; rather, true loyalty lay in self-preservation and yielding to others.

Everyone else thought he was just spouting self-deceiving nonsense, but it all came together!

These people are indeed protecting themselves for their own sake, for their own financial future.

But Severus, who humbled himself at Hogwarts, was truly loyal to the Dark Lord!

Thinking of this, the Death Eaters' breathing became rapid.

Yes!

Everything makes sense now!

It was because Severus was secretly instructed by the Dark Lord that he wanted to stop Barty the Younger from causing trouble in the wizarding world.

Why was Barty Jr. unwilling to listen to Severus?

Either he wants to establish his own faction under the banner of the Dark Lord, or he has gone mad and is only thinking about fulfilling his own idea of ​​loyalty!

Although madmen are rare, nine out of ten prisoners who have been in Azkaban and come out alive are madmen.

"Tell me, Snape! What do you need us to do! No, what does the Dark Lord need us to do!"

Soon, someone realized what was happening. Crabbe was the first to speak, stating his position and that he was now following Severus's lead!

After he spoke, the others followed suit and spoke up.

"Just let us know if you need anything!"

"What kind of loyal subjects are Little Batistuta? We are the true loyal subjects!"

"What do all the humiliation we've endured over the years matter if we can bring the Dark Lord back!"

Severus laughed upon hearing their remarks.

His smile was genuine, without any pretense, and he was truly happy for these people!

"It's wonderful to hear these promises from you all, everyone. After all, the Dark Lord hasn't returned yet, so we can have some intimate conversations here."

"First of all, our loyalty to the Dark Lord is indeed sincere and without any falsehood, but this is also because the Dark Lord's theories are correct enough to lead us to the glory of purebloods and create a bright future for the magical world!"

"We are united by the right ideals, not by foolish, mindless worship. Therefore, finding the Dark Lord is of course the top priority, and those who use the Dark Lord's banner to destroy our lofty ideals and ruin our happy lives should naturally be despised!"

Severus cleared his throat and said solemnly.

"Therefore, I expect that the next time Barty and his gang come looking for you, you can catch them on the spot and stop the Dark Lord from causing trouble before he officially returns!"

The Death Eaters were thrilled by his words. Severus's words made their previous guilty consciences seem to have been justified.

This is truly for the good of the Dark Lord!

"Don't worry! If Little Barty continues to contact us, we will definitely catch him and stop his actions!"

"I think Barty Jr. has ulterior motives. He's leading that bunch of bastards to start a new Death Eaters!"

"Luckily we didn't agree to his request, otherwise we would have fallen for his trick and ruined the Dark Lord's grand plan!"

The atmosphere became more relaxed at this point.

The outcome of their meeting with Severus today was completely unexpected for all of them.

Some people previously thought that what happened to Barty Jr. was a very bad thing.

But now it seems that if Barty hadn't made such a big fuss and pushed Severus to the brink, he wouldn't have recruited such a group of people to share information about the Dark Lord's whereabouts.

"After today's business is finished, I will immediately leave England, taking this diary with me to search for the Dark Lord's whereabouts. There will be some expenses along the way."

Severus paused to think at this point.

At this moment, Nott spoke up first, quite naturally.

"I'll personally sponsor you with one thousand Galleons!"

"A thousand Galleons is too much? Here's the vault key, Severus, take it, there are three thousand Galleons inside!"

"You're about to leave the UK, and it would be inconvenient to come back if you need money in the meantime. I have Gringotts notes that are valid throughout Europe. You can get the money at any Gringotts branch in Europe!"

“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Severus interrupted their argument. “This is a major undertaking to prepare for the retrieval of the Dark Lord. I have been making these preparations since I resigned from my post at Hogwarts after the summer holidays.”

"Please return to your master; it will be within the next year or two!"

“However, what happened to Barty really took me by surprise, so after you invited me here, I had no choice but to risk telling you part of the truth.”

"As for the money, let's give each family a thousand Galleons. All of it will be given to Lucius to open a separate vault at Gringotts in Diagon Alley. He can then use this vault as proof to apply for Gringotts exchange receipts. I will keep records of all expenses incurred on the journey to find the Dark Lord. With the money in this vault, everyone will have a clear understanding of where the money went!"

Seeing Severus's professional and serious attitude, Rozier shook his head and sighed.

"The Dark Lord certainly didn't trust the wrong person!"

"It's not just about money. Our businesses aren't limited to Britain; we also have shops in other parts of Europe. If you need anything while you're looking for the Dark Lord, feel free to write to us anytime!"

Other Death Eaters followed suit, expressing their complete trust in Severus.

"Besides this, I would like to ask you all for a favor, or rather, a favor for the Dark Lord."

Severus looked serious, while the ghost Snape inside him was twitching his eyelids.

He felt that Severus wouldn't stop until he had completely squeezed his former "colleagues" dry!

"Do you want money or people? Just name your price!"

“I don’t want money, and I don’t want people,” Severus said slowly. “It’s the Lestrange family. After the Dark Lord went missing, they lost their minds and did things that seemed loyal but were actually against their master’s wishes.”

"They have something extremely important to their master in Gringotts' vault, and they need your help to retrieve it."

"What exactly?"

"A golden cup."

Chapter 109 Lucius: You are not the original Severus!

The gathering at Malfoy Estate ended close to noon.

Severus's demands were mostly met, except for the matter of the golden cup, which was not so easy to resolve.

In the wizarding world, there's no such thing as being stripped of all your property if you go to jail in Azkaban.

The Lestrange family vault still requires a key from the Lestrange family to open; the goblins of Gringotts never care about anyone's opinion, not even the Ministry of Magic.

If these people wanted to enter the Lestrange family's vault and get the golden cup that Severus had mentioned, they would have to come up with some other unconventional methods.

Fortunately, Severus did not give them a specific timeframe, so the matter was not urgent.

After the gathering ended, the Death Eaters all left Malfoy's house.

They had no intention of staying for lunch, and Lucius clearly hadn't prepared any for them.

After everyone else had left, Severus noticed Lucius's unusual behavior much earlier.

Since the second half of the discussion began, Lucius had stopped speaking and kept staring at himself, his eyes shifting between light and shadow, his face growing paler and paler, unlike the other Death Eaters who were excited and agitated. It was unclear what he was thinking.

But with the reminder from Snape, the ghost within him, Severus quickly understood what he was thinking.

As one of Snape's few friends.

Even if their friendship wasn't entirely pure, they still shared a period of deep connection.

Therefore, Lucius was very familiar with the Ghost Snape's personality and speaking habits. Even if Severus could imitate him at first, the things he said later were clearly not things that a normal Ghost Snape could say!

Don't treat anyone like a fool.

Especially considering that Lucius was the head of a pure-blood family, he was able to become Voldemort's confidant and, despite his tainted reputation, thrive in the wizarding world for eight years, with many high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic having connections with him.

His cunning and methods are unmatched by ordinary people.

He noticed Severus, especially the difference in his later words compared to the earlier ones.

"When I first heard your statements at the Wizengamo trial, I told Narcissa and Draco with certainty that it was all an act. No one knows Severus better than me; he would never utter a word of repentance or apology for his past."

Lucius suddenly stared at Severus and slowly began to speak.

"But when I learned that you were at odds with Barty Jr., helped the Ministry of Magic solve the werewolf case, and almost wiped them all out, I began to doubt my judgment again. Was it really time for you to make a choice about your stance and completely align yourself with the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore?"

"But when you walked in today, I dispelled those doubts again. You still look the same as before, still the same toad with a mouth that can't say anything good, leaving everyone speechless with your insults."

"However, just an hour later, I found that you had changed again."

Lucius stared intently into Severus's eyes. Now that they were alone in the drawing room, he could speak freely without restraint.

“I don’t know if what you’re saying is true or false, but I do know that the Severus of the past never had this kind of leadership. You’ve taken control of the whole situation with ease, and every word you utter touches the hearts of everyone else!”

"This is something that the Severus of the past could never have done. Everyone is doing things your way. Even if they think they came up with some ideas or guesses on their own, it's all because you're guiding them!"

"You have changed, but not like those people in the magic world say, that you've become a prodigal son. Instead, you're darker, more despicable, and more vicious than before! It feels like..."

He didn't say anything, but he kept staring into Severus's eyes the whole time, as if trying to see something in his gaze.

Severus did not avoid his gaze; instead, he inwardly praised Snape the Ghost.

"Your crony is actually quite capable."

Ghost Snape merely gave a cold snort with a chilling gaze, saying nothing more.

In reality, Severus remained quite indifferent in the face of Lucius's remarks.

Just as he wasn't afraid that Dumbledore's side would realize he was no longer the original Snape, he wasn't worried that anyone among the Death Eaters would notice something was wrong with him.

It could even be said that it was precisely because of Voldemort that he was able to show his differences from the past with even more unbridled behavior.

"So, what do you think caused this change in me?"

Severus spoke casually, crossed his legs, and picked up the tea that Dobby had refilled and began to drink.

Lucius never took his eyes off Severus, and his breathing became rapid at some point.

"I feel that one of your statements is definitely true: the master is indeed not dead! But the proof isn't the diary, but your change!"

“I don’t know how he turned you into this. I’m not even sure if you’re still the same Severus, but you definitely have a big plan. Goyle and the others, me, and even Barty’s group are all part of your plan!”

Severus was still smiling, and as he looked at Lucius, he winked.

"Since you see it so clearly, why do you still dare to say it to my face? Aren't you afraid I'll use the Soul-Stealing Curse?"

Lucius had somehow gotten so close to the wall that he couldn't take his eyes off Severus. His face showed a mixture of sorrow, relief, and liberation.

"I know that whoever you are, since you can do all this, I can't escape if I want to."

"I am saying this to your face now to beg you. Whether you are still the same Severus or not, whether you are related to my master or not, I am willing to give you everything! Just promise me that you will not harm Draco and Narcissa!"

He had completely abandoned his usual aristocratic demeanor; his pleading voice was almost a complete surrender of his dignity.

Severus raised an eyebrow; he clearly understood how Lucius perceived him.

As a core Death Eater, Lucius understood Voldemort's methods. Since that diary could preserve his memories before the age of 16, how difficult would it be to find a way to merge with Severus?

"Don't be nervous, Lucius. I'm not as scary as you think. I'm still your friend Severus Snape. We've been friends since our school days, haven't we? You stood up for me when I was being bullied by those four, and you were the one who introduced me to the Dark Lord. I won't hurt you; on the contrary, I'll help you."

Severus said slowly.

His voice was calm, and his gaze was not sharp, making him seem completely unthreatening.

After a brief pause, as if he had made a decision, he suddenly asked.

"You care a lot about Draco, your only son, don't you?"

Lucius clenched his fists nervously.

"Of course I care about my family."

“If you really want to do him a good thing, then let him come with me,” Severus said calmly. “I’ll take him with me to find the Dark Lord.”

Upon hearing this request, Lucius almost instinctively refused.

"No! This is too dangerous! He's only 9 years old!"

"Now that you've already guessed who I might be, what version of him do you think I would be?"

Severus's words soaked Lucius's back with sweat. He gritted his teeth and gave an extremely bold reply.