Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 118 Essential Skills for Working for the Dark Lord

“Father,” Narcissa suddenly spoke, “Father, is there something special about your return this time?”

Her blue eyes met Snape's, a gaze that made him uneasy. Snape was on guard—this woman was the heart of the Malfoy family, and she was never someone to be easily fooled.

“The Dark Lord’s mission,” he answered vaguely, hoping the answer was ambiguous yet intimidating enough. He saw Lucius immediately sit up straight, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Narcissa grasped Lucius's hand again and exchanged a glance with him.

“Of course, Father,” she said respectfully. “Is there anything we can do for him?”

“I need to examine the item the Dark Lord entrusted to us,” Snape said cautiously, preparing to act. “I’m going to take it to Hogwarts in secret.”

Lucius frowned slightly, but Narcissa's expression remained calm.

“Of course,” Narcissa said, standing up. “I’ll go and get it for you right away.”

A strange feeling rose in Snape's heart; something seemed amiss. But he didn't think he'd done anything wrong; he'd imitated Abraxas's mannerisms and tone perfectly. Unless—

Narcissa was walking towards the study door; in a second she would be able to grasp the doorknob.

Her actions touched a nerve in Snape, and he couldn't explain why, but he realized he had made a mistake.

Just as Narcissa's fingers were about to touch the doorknob, Snape swiftly drew his wand, and two silent full-body binding charms struck Narcissa and Lucius.

Narcissa stopped moving instantly, while Lucius jumped up from his chair, his face filled with shock.

Before Narcissa's stiff body could fall to the ground, Snape quickly got up, caught her, gently placed her on the ground, and used a levitation charm to levitate Lucius just as he was about to hit the ground.

Narcissa's eyes were moving as she calmly watched Snape.

“What’s wrong with me?” Snape asked Narcissa, then realized she couldn’t answer. “Oh, right, you can’t speak now.”

Then, Snape used his wand to cast an ear-blocking spell on the doors, windows, and walls of the study. After ensuring that their conversation would not be overheard by anyone or any portrait, he searched Lucius and Narcissa's robes and took their wands, then stuffed them into his own robe pocket.

“Next, I will remove the full-body binding charms from you,” Snape said coldly. “If you’re willing to gamble with your own lives and each other’s, then I don’t mind sending you to meet Merlin. Understand?”

He used magic to move Narcissa next to Lucius, looked into their eyes and said, "If you understand, please move your eyes up and down."

Lucius did as he was told; Narcissa hesitated for a moment, then moved her eyes as well.

“Very good,” Snape said, walking to the door and removing the full-body binding charms from them.

Two flashes of red light, and their bodies were freed. Narcissa sat up, trying to appear as dignified as possible, while Lucius looked somewhat frightened.

"Who are you?" His voice trembled slightly.

“I am your dear father, Lucius,” Snape said kindly, pointing his wand at them. “Sit down.”

The two obediently sat back down in their chairs without making any unnecessary movements.

With a wave of Snape's magic, several ropes shot out and bound them to chairs. The whole scene was eerily bizarre—Abraxas Malfoy had his son and daughter-in-law securely tied up in his study.

“Now,” Snape pulled up a chair and sat opposite them, smiling as he stared at them, “tell me, Narcissa, how did you discover my weakness?”

Narcissa hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to tell the truth: "Abraxas Malfoy is not a Death Eater."

Snape's pupils contracted slightly. He then realized that he had made a presumptuous mistake—he had taken it for granted that since Lucius was a Death Eater, it was only natural that his father was also a Death Eater.

But Narcissa was right. For an established family like the Malfoys, it was better not to let all their members join Tom's side. That way, even if Lucius faced trial, Abraxas would still be there to lobby for him.

“Clever,” Snape said softly, not daring to admit his appreciation for Narcissa’s keen insight.

To his surprise, Narcissa then turned to Lucius and asked, "What exactly is that item that the Dark Lord entrusted to you?"

“I…” Lucius seemed confused and hesitant, “I’m not sure if I should—”

“Lucius,” Narcissa’s voice suddenly sharpened, “our lives are in grave danger. Answer this question.”

Lucius swallowed hard and stammered, "It looks like a notebook."

“What exactly is it?” Narcissa pressed. “Is it important?”

“The Dark Lord only told me that the notebook was enchanted,” Lucius replied, sounding uncertain. “He instructed me to give it to the students at Hogwarts when I received orders; it seems to be able to open the Chamber of Secrets. It doesn’t seem that important…”

“Sir,” Narcissa turned to Snape, “you’ve come all this way because you want that notebook?”

“Of course,” Snape nodded. “That is precisely why I’m here.”

“We can give it to you,” Narcissa’s voice regained its composure, even taking on a negotiating tone, “and we can even give you a large sum of money, as long as you don’t hurt us.”

“But this thing belongs to the Dark Lord,” Lucius said. “We can’t—”

“Shut up, Lucius,” Narcissa interrupted him sharply, then looked back at Snape. “Sir, I think you’ve been impersonating our father using Polyjuice Potion, haven’t you?”

Snape nodded in agreement.

“Then I think,” Narcissa continued, her voice growing increasingly calm, “that notebook is perhaps far more important than Lucius thinks, since you’ve gone to such lengths to come to my humble abode.”

“In that case, letting us live and live normally as before is definitely the best option for you.” She paused. “Otherwise, if something happens to us, the Dark Lord will definitely come and check the notebook. I think you certainly don’t want the Dark Lord to find out about that?”

Snape had to admit that Narcissa's reasoning was reasonable.

“The Malfoy family really can’t do without you, Narcissa,” he said. “I admit it’s better for me if you’re alive. But—” He looked at Lucius’s cowardly expression and couldn’t help but shake his head. “Help me figure out how you can convince me that you won’t tell the Dark Lord afterwards?”

“The Forgetfulness Curse is an option…” Narcissa murmured, “but the Dark Lord is extremely skilled at Legilimency. If he notices Lucius’s dazed expression, he might become curious and forcibly look into his memories…”

She fell silent, clearly struggling to think of a way to save her husband's and her own lives.

Snape himself didn't intend to take their lives. If all else failed, he thought the Oblivion Charm would be better than doing nothing.

Suddenly, he realized that he didn't actually need to treat Narcissa as an enemy; she had never been a staunch servant of the Dark Lord.

If Narcissa could realize the importance of the diary to the Dark Lord, given her intelligence, she would never reveal its loss to him; otherwise, disaster would befall the Malfoy family. Of course, he wouldn't disclose the fact that the Dark Lord possessed multiple Horcruxes; whether she could guess that was up to Narcissa.

"Do you know Occlumency?" Snape asked.

“We all do,” Narcissa replied, a glimmer of hope in her eyes, “and we’re very skilled at it. It’s… well… an essential skill for working under the Dark Lord.”

“Then I can spare your lives, but I need to speak with you alone.” Snape nodded, looking at Narcissa. “If I have your husband retrieve the notebook, can you guarantee you can persuade him to keep it a secret afterward?” “Narcissa,” Lucius said worriedly, “I don’t think—”

“Okay,” Narcissa said decisively, then turned to her husband, “Lucius, do as he says. Go get that notebook, and don’t tell anyone. Our lives depend on your cooperation.”

Lucius looked like he wanted to say something more, but under Narcissa's unwavering gaze, he finally nodded.

“Very well,” Snape said. “That’s what I was thinking too. If you still care about your wife’s life, Mr. Malfoy, don’t do anything unnecessary.”

After Snape untied the ropes binding him, Lucius took a few deep breaths and looked at Narcissa, who nodded firmly.

“Don’t notify anyone,” she emphasized again.

Lucius left the study and gently closed the door behind him.

Now, only Snape and Narcissa, who was tied to a chair, remained in the room.

“Narcissa,” Snape looked at her gently, “you should know who I am by now, shouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know,” Narcissa shook her head, “and I don’t want to know.”

“I’ve always thought you were smarter than the entire Malfoy family combined,” Snape remarked. “Now, say my name.”

Narcissa was silent for a moment, then sighed softly and said, "It can only be you, Severus. It's been a long time."

“That’s right.” Snape’s lips curled up slightly. “Long time no see, Narcissa. I believe dealing with intelligent people is very pleasant.”

“I completely agree,” Narcissa said. “We’ve always been friends, and don’t worry, Lucius and I won’t reveal anything about tonight.”

“Of course, of course, we’ve always been friends.” Snape looked into her eyes, “but I need to add an extra layer of insurance.”

"My friend, I have something terrible to tell you—that notebook is a Horcrux of the Dark Lord. Do you know what a Horcrux is?"

Narcissa stared wide-eyed in fear; this was the first time Snape had seen her display such a strong expression all evening.

After a moment, she nodded: "I know what that is. It seems Lucius was telling the truth."

"What did Lucius say?" Snape asked curiously.

“The Dark Lord once told Lucius and the others that his goal was to conquer death,” Narcissa replied softly, her voice trembling slightly, “He has gone further than anyone else on the path to immortality…”

“The Dark Lord and the Death Eaters’ names seem quite fitting,” Snape said. “So you should understand how important the notebook is to the Dark Lord, and what would happen if he knew you’d lost it?”

“We will face the Dark Lord’s harshest punishment,” Narcissa said softly. “Severus, I know what to do.” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “If there is any important information about the Dark Lord later, I will find a way to tell you.”

"Why?" Snape asked, completely surprised and delighted.

“Now that you’ve found your way here,” Narcissa looked up at Snape, her eyes flashing with complex emotions, “you must be doing everything you can to stop the Dark Lord from achieving his goal of immortality.”

“And…” her voice trailed off, “I don’t want a capricious leader who can live forever. I don’t want my children to live under his rule forever.”

Snape scrutinized her, trying to determine the truthfulness of her words.

Narcissa's gaze did not waver in the slightest.

“Whether it’s the Minister of Magic or the ‘greatest wizard’ praised by everyone, it has changed over the years,” she said. “But the Malfoy family has always been the Malfoy family. The Dark Lord’s immortality will break that rule.”

“Keep an eye on your husband,” Snape finally nodded. “Lucius isn’t as smart as you.”

“Okay,” Narcissa said, then suddenly asked, “We’re still friends, right?”

“Why not?” said Snape, “my friend.”

Narcissa smiled, a hint of slyness in her expression: "Do you remember the Sorting Hat's song when you first entered school? That was the song the Sorting Hat sang the most."

Before Snape could answer, she looked into his eyes and began to sing softly:

"Perhaps you will go to Slytherin,"

Make true friends here.

But those cunning and treacherous people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
To achieve their goals...

After she finished singing, she said, "You are a true Slytherin, Severus."

“Well sung,” Snape clapped his hands. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Just then, a soft knock sounded on the door.

The study door opened, and Lucius walked in, holding a small book with a black cover.

He closed the door, looked at Narcissa with concern, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was alright. He carefully handed the small book to Snape, then obediently returned to his chair and sat down.

After rebinding Lucius, Snape examined the notebook in case it was the product of a copying spell.

The faded date on the notebook cover indicated it was thirty-five years old. Snape carefully opened it and on the first page saw a name written in illegible ink: T.M. Riddle.

Riddle's diary was completely blank, page after page, without a trace of writing.

Snape picked up a quill from his desk, dipped it in the inkwell, and walked over to Narcissa, gesturing for her to look.

“My name is Jerry Spike,” he wrote in his diary.

Under his and Narcissa's watchful eyes, the ink shimmered vividly on the paper for a second, then seemed to be absorbed into the paper and vanished without a trace.

Then, some words suddenly seeped out of the paper, using the very ink he had just used.

"Hello, Jerry Spike. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you find my diary?"

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　　I actually managed to keep updating for a month and reach 300,000 words! It was really tough! I even had blisters on my lips for a few days, haha. As for whether I can update more, honestly, it's difficult. At my current pace of brainstorming, I'm afraid adding more would just mean padding. I'll still try to update more frequently and avoid padding, since everyone is paying for this.

　　thank!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)