Snape, the Sunshine of Hogwarts.

Chapter 108 They've contributed both money and effort! We are their most loyal subjects!

Clearly, at this point, Severus had completely seized control of the discourse among everyone present.

He proved that he did know many secrets that others did not, and he also successfully used the diary to prove that he had an intimate relationship with the Dark Lord that no one else knew about!
This is so much better than Batistuta!
When Barty the Younger came to them, he had absolutely no evidence to prove that the Dark Lord was not dead.

They couldn't even come up with convincing clues about where the Dark Lord was.

But Severus was different.

Before this diary was brought out, his so-called "we are the true loyal servants of the Dark Lord" was nothing but self-deception.

However, once they confirmed that the diary contained a part of the Dark Lord's will, they had a legitimate reason to act!
Their compromise and feigned obedience to the Ministry of Magic meant that escaping punishment was no longer an act of betrayal, but rather an act of following the will of the Dark Lord's diary, preserving their strength, and demonstrating loyalty!
They made a strong claim!
And this was something Severus brought to them.

Now that Severus claims he can use this diary to find the missing Dark Lord, his words are undoubtedly more credible!

The Death Eaters' faces revealed barely concealed excitement.

Just as Lucius was suppressing his excitement and preparing to ask Severus for more details...

A sobbing sound suddenly came from upstairs.

His son, Draco Malfoy, ran down the stairs with a bruised and swollen face!

"That damn mudblood! He hit me! He hit my dad!"

All eyes in the reception room turned toward Draco.

Everyone looked displeased; they were discussing a crucial matter, and no one should disturb them!

Severus glanced at Harry, who was following behind Draco, and after making eye contact with him to make sure he hadn't been taken advantage of, he calmly sat down in his chair and said with a cold smile.

"Lucius, it seems your upbringing is rather poor. I'm certain Dudley's parents were both wizards, yet he's subjected to such insults for no reason!"

Lucius's face was also gloomy.

He was heartbroken that his son had been beaten, but he was also unhappy that Draco had caused trouble at this time.

"Go back to your room! Get along well with Dudley! If you think you're right, then fight back with your fists instead of running over here crying and embarrassing me!"

Draco stared at Lucius in astonishment.

He had been pampered since childhood and had never heard his father reprimand him so harshly.

Draco felt even more aggrieved. He gritted his teeth and didn't say anything more. Instead, he turned and ran to the master bedroom on the third floor, obviously to complain to his mother, Narcissa.

"It's alright, Dudley. We don't need to take his words to heart. He's just a child who doesn't understand things. Go to the garden and find Lupin. Ask him to get you some dry bread. You can try feeding the peacocks."

Severus spoke calmly to Harry.

Harry nodded, noticing only a few claw marks on his hands from Draco's struggles, with no other injuries.

"Of course I won't take his words to heart, teacher."

After saying that, he came down the stairs and went out to the garden to find Lupin.

The atmosphere became somewhat quiet after the children's matter was interrupted, but soon the Carlo siblings took the initiative to resume what Severus had not finished saying.

"How do you plan to find the Dark Lord?"

Severus didn't speak directly this time; he just spoke slowly.

"I can't tell you this now. I can only ask you why you went through so much trouble and squandered your fortune to escape being imprisoned in Azkaban, while I was simply saved by Dumbledore?"

His words successfully silenced the reception room once again.

Because Severus was telling the truth.

Everyone was trying to escape punishment, but they had to find someone to pay for it, while Severus seemed to have paid nothing and was saved by Dumbledore, even becoming a professor and headmaster at 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!
Madmen are rare, but nine out of ten prisoners who have been to Azkaban and come out alive are mad. "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."

(End of this chapter)