The years of welding at Hogwarts

There seems to be some magical power in this dividing line in the middle. No matter how wildly the plants on both sides grow, they will not invade each other's territory.

They had not walked far when two imposing wrought iron gates blocked the three people's way.

Snape reached out and touched the door in front of him.

The wrought iron on the gate began to twist and deform, until the abstract scrollwork twisted into a terrifying face that said in an echoing metallic voice, "Tell me the purpose of your visit."

"My name is Severus Snape, and I'm looking for Lucius Malfoy."

But the door did not open immediately. The distorted, terrifying face stared straight at the two people standing behind Snape.

"They're with me."

Hearing Snape's words, the face on the wrought iron gate

Kong hesitated for half a second, then returned to its original curling pattern, and the heavy iron door swung back and opened.

The yew hedge made the footsteps of the three men sound muffled.

A strange rustling sound suddenly came from the right side of the three people. Noah looked in the direction of the sound and found a beautiful white peacock walking gracefully on the top of the hedge.

"Old Si, look, this peacock is so beautiful! It's not as good as ours..."

“Peacock meat doesn’t taste good.”

Noah: "..."

Snape's words successfully dispelled his thoughts.

After standing there in a daze for a moment, Noah realized that something was wrong. Did Snape know too much?

"No, Lao Si, why do you know so much?"

Snape refused to answer this question.

A moment later, the three of them stopped in front of the stone steps of a very respectable mansion.

Lucius Malfoy, the patriarch of the Malfoy family, had apparently learned of Snape's arrival through the magic on his wrought iron gate.

At this moment, he was standing in front of the main door of the mansion, welcoming the arrival of the distinguished guest Snape.

"Long time no see, Severus."

Lucius smiled. "What brings you here?"

A figure with the same platinum blond hair as him poked out from behind him.

When he saw Noah, Draco called out in surprise, "Noah?"

Seeing his silly son startled, Lucius couldn't help but yell, "Draco!"

Obviously, Draco, who usually acts like Noah is the boss and he is second to Noah in Hogwarts, actually has other people besides Noah who can make him feel afraid.

That is his father.

Draco didn't dare to yell after being scolded. He shrank his head back in embarrassment, then bowed slightly to Snape politely, "Professor."

In response to the greetings from Lucius and his son, Snape simply nodded.

Lucius obviously knew the character of his old friend Snape very well, but the old bat was still so cold and aloof.

He didn't feel offended either.

Lucius glanced at Noah, who was following behind Snape, with an inquiring look and smiled, "Is this the adopted son you adopted?"

Subconsciously, he wanted to have a business deal with Snape, saying things like "this boy is very handsome and will definitely be a great man in the future."

But Snape shook his head, and the denial revealed in that made Lucius a little confused.

Although it was still unclear what the situation was with Snape, the doorway was obviously not a suitable place for chatting, so he stretched out his hand and led the way into the house.

"Come in, I have prepared tea."

Lucius walked in front, leading the guests through the spacious entrance hall with portraits of the Malfoy family ancestors hanging on both walls, and came to the living room which was equally spacious but even more magnificent.

A house-elf hiding in the dark quietly served them steaming hot tea the moment they sat down.

A roaring fire burned in the marble fireplace on the side wall, dispelling the chill in the gloomy manor.

……

"Lucius, I am not coming to you as a friend this time."

Snape leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes fixed on Lucius, keenly capturing the subtle expressions on his face.

Then he spoke slowly and expressed his purpose in a subtle way.

"But as your former colleague."

When Snape mentioned the identity of "former colleague", Lucius understood what Snape meant, and all his reactions were completely within Snape's expectations.

His slightly shrunken pupils reflected his shock, and the flickering eyes when facing Snape also indirectly reflected his inner tension and fear at the moment.

"Draco, please go back to your room."

Originally thought that Snape and his adopted son's visit was just an ordinary family visit. After all, Lucius had often read Noah's name in the letters Draco wrote to his family.

But now it seems...

Lucius's eyes fell on Noah standing beside him, and then he signaled to Snape with his eyes, "Shouldn't you let your adopted son leave as well?"

After all, the topic they are going to talk about next is not suitable for children.

But Snape didn't say anything. Instead, Noah seemed to be taking over the show. He raised his hand and put it on Draco's shoulder, signaling him not to leave in a hurry.

"Mr. Malfoy, I think it's better not to hide some things from Draco."

Noah smiled slightly and said, "After all, Draco is not an ignorant child. What do you think?"

Lucius, who claimed to be from the upper class, naturally would not bother with a child. He cast his eyes on Snape, "Severus..."

"You are wrong, Lucius. Noah is not my adopted son."

"Isn't he your adopted son?"

The expressions of Malfoy and his son showed shock, surprise and confusion at the same time, but the elder Malfoy's face showed more surprise, while Draco's face showed more shock.

"So what's your relationship with him?"

Snape and

Instead of directly answering the question posed by Lucius, he stood up and looked down at the former Death Eater in front of him with an extremely oppressive attitude.

"Lucius, answer me, are you still loyal to the Dark Lord?"

Chapter 144: Lucius, are you still loyal to the Dark Lord?

When he heard the name of the Dark Lord, Lucius' hand holding the teacup inevitably trembled, and the spoon that was stirring the tea and sugar cubes almost slipped from his hand.

What did Snape mean by asking this question out of the blue?

Is the Dark Lord about to make a comeback, and is Snape planning to help him make a comeback?

Or has the other party sensed the signs that the Dark Lord is about to make a comeback, and is planning to become a more thorough traitor and nip the danger in the bud?

After all, Snape now has a son and a daughter, and his life is perfect. He can live a stable life. Who would be willing to work for a moody madman?

Just like him.

Even if being loyal to Voldemort could bring him the power and glory that the Malfoy family worshipped.

But if possible, he would rather live happily with his wife and children and live out his life in peace and tranquility.

So, which option does Snape prefer?

Lucius raised his head with nervousness, his eyes fixed firmly on Snape's expressionless face, trying to find a hint of inclination in his expression or eyes.

But he was facing an old bat who could rely on the brain occupation technique to jump back and forth between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters as a senior double agent.

Trying to spot Snape's flaws just with your eyes?

That would be too much of an underestimation of the Occlumency level of this senior double agent.

"What are you hesitating about? Have you lost your loyalty to the Dark Lord?"

Snape lowered his body little by little, bringing his eyes to the same level as Lucius's, and stared at the traitor in front of him with an extremely aggressive look.

Lucius's hair stood on end at the sight of Snape, and he hurriedly made a choice with a 50% probability.

"Sev, my loyalty to the Dark Lord is unquestionable!"

But there was a hint of panic in his voice, and he clearly looked lacking in confidence.

Snape slowly stood up, and the slight distance between them gave Lucius a sense of security.

The blazing fireplace next to them was still providing warmth to everyone, but it failed to dispel the coldness in Lucius' heart.

Draco next to him was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe. Only Noah and Gwen were sitting there with their legs crossed, watching the show.

"Loyalty to the Dark Lord?"

Snape sneered, "I don't think so?"

A few drops of cold sweat appeared on Lucius' forehead.

Did he bet on the wrong 1/2 probability and the wrong camp?

Lucius didn't know how to refute, and his hand holding the teacup froze in the air.

He really wanted to take the one that was leaning against the armrest of his chair, less than half a meter away from his hand, and inside it was the gorgeous cane that contained his magic wand.

But such a large movement would inevitably attract Snape's attention.

The other party had nothing in his hands and could definitely pull out his wand before him.

As if noting Lucius' inner nervousness, Snape slowly sat back in his seat, picked up his teacup, and showed Lucius that he had no ill intentions.

"Don't be nervous, Lucius."

Seeing that the other party also picked up the teacup, Lucius felt a little relieved.

“We are the same kind of people.”

The same kind of person?

This same person...

Are you referring to the traitor?

Lucius is very self-aware.

Perhaps out of bad taste, Snape did not remind Lucius to put down the teacup in his hand before telling him the truth.

"Noah Shafrin is my partner in fighting Voldemort together."

Bang!

With a crisp collision sound, the porcelain cups slipped from the hands of Lucius and Draco at the same time and turned into a pile of strange-shaped porcelain fragments on the ground.

The tea in the cup splashed in all directions as the porcelain cup fell and broke, making a mess on the originally clean and tidy ground and also wetting the hem of Lucius's robe.

But he couldn't care less about that at the moment.

"Severus, you must be..."

"I never joke, you know me."

Snape's light words blocked Lucius's throat before he could finish speaking.

"Noah is indeed my partner and comrade in the fight against Voldemort."

As if afraid that Lucius wouldn't believe it, Snape emphasized it again.

Only then did Lucius widen his eyes in disbelief. He kept shaking his head, trying to convince himself that the scene before him was an illusion.

But he failed.

He stared at Snape's calm face in front of him for a long time. After confirming that the other party was not talking nonsense to scare him, he let out a long sigh.

"Draco, go get your mother."

"But, dad..."

"I said, go get your mother. I have something to discuss with her."

直

After Draco disappeared down the stairs leading to the second floor, Lucius finally came to his senses. "I still don't quite believe what you said."