Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 245 Witnesses and Participants

Just as Bella, cursing and swearing, finally caught up with Narcissa, the dilapidated door was pulled open a crack from the inside. Snape was still wearing his ever-present black robes, his long hair plastered to his scalp, his face devoid of any emotion.

He opened the door a little wider and saw the once inseparable sisters of the Black family. He said, "Narcissa, what a surprise."

"Snape," Narcissa said nervously, "Can I talk to you? It's urgent."

"Of course," Snape replied, opening the door and stepping aside as Narcissa and Bella entered one after the other.

Upon entering, there was a small living room. The furniture and furnishings inside, like the exterior of the house, exuded an air of decay. Under the dim lighting, it felt particularly desolate.

Snape gestured for the two to sit on the worn but clean sofa, then sat down in the chair opposite them. His hands resting naturally on his knees, he asked, "What can I do for you, Narcissa?"

"Is there...no one else here...?" she asked softly, nervously looking around the room, which could be seen in its entirety at a glance.

"No," Snape said. "It's just that Wormtail is here, but I don't think we'd consider him a person, would we?"

He pointed to the wall behind him, where a hidden door opened, revealing a narrow staircase, and the head of the insect-tailed creature was peeking out.

"My master told me to take him in, and he's been here all this time," Snape said calmly. "He's very easy to feed; he only needs a little food, and whatever that food is, is fine."

He spoke as if he were talking about pets, but neither Narcissa nor Bella saw anything wrong with it.

They all knew about Wormtail's search for the Dark Lord, and they understood that it wasn't of his own volition; Ike had used a curse to drive him to do it. It was because of this that Ike was accepted by the Death Eaters.

At first, that "little master" might have been an order from Lao Fu, but later it came from the bottom of his heart.

The insect tail smiled obsequiously, bowing as it did in front of Old Fu. It rubbed its hands together, but the hand Old Fu had magically shaped was always in front.

"Narcissa, Bellatrix, how charming, so tall..."

"Would you like something to drink? Wormtail will bring it to us," Snape coldly interrupted Wormtail's fawning. "Then he'll go back to his bedroom."

"I...I am not your servant, Snape." Wormtail's voice was soft, but loud enough to be heard.

"So, you want me to tell the Dark Lord that you disobeyed my orders?" Snape said. "Of course, such a trivial matter doesn't need to be known to the Master. So, you want me to speak to Strayle?"

"I heard he's back?" He looked at Narcissa, who nodded slightly. A smile finally appeared on Snape's face as he looked at Wormtail and said, "If you'd like, I can have him come over; after all, I'm his professor."

"No...no..." Insect Tail could barely speak, and sweat even broke out on his bald forehead.

"Then go, and take that bottle of wine made by the elves."

Wormtail tried to struggle a bit, but ultimately succumbed to the amused gazes of the three. Turning around, it left through another hidden door, returning shortly with a bottle of wine and three glasses. After pouring the wine for the three, it went straight back, closing the hidden door behind it.

"For the Dark Lord." Snape picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp. Narcissa and Bella also finished their glasses of wine. He poured more wine for the two of them before pouring some for himself, then picked up his glass and gently swirled it.

Narcissa was about to say something when Snape suddenly pointed his wand at the hidden door. The door slammed shut, accompanied by the scream of Wormtail.

"Sorry, he's been eavesdropping a lot lately... What were you trying to say?" Snape asked.

"Severus, I'm sorry, I don't know if I should have come or not, I just came on a whim," Narcissa said. "There's something I was told not to tell anyone..."

"Then don't say it!" Bella shouted, "especially not in front of this person!"

"This person? Bellatrix, how should I interpret that?"

"You know I don't believe you!" Bella glared at him fiercely, and Snape didn't flinch. Narcissa, on the other hand, seemed to be having a mental breakdown, covering her face and crying uncontrollably.

"Okay, wait a minute, Narcissa. I think we'd better hear what Bellatrix has to say first, why she doesn't trust me?"

Bella angrily began to loudly recount her suspicions about Snape, from his failure to seek him out after the Dark Lord's defeat and his continued stay under Dumbledore's command, to Harry Potter's life, to his lateness on the night of the Dark Lord's resurrection, and even the Department of Mysteries' defeat—she brought up everything, one by one.

Snape, however, remained calm, explaining the reasons one by one, demonstrating his loyalty to the Dark Lord, and ultimately leaving the furious and agitated Bellatrix speechless.

"The Dark Lord trusts me. Do you think he's mistaken? Or that I could deceive him?" Snape said calmly. "Ultimately, you think I haven't done enough for the Dark Lord, but you forget that I have always steadfastly carried out his orders."

"I infiltrated Dumbledore's inner circle and became one of his most trusted men. Over the years, that trust has never wavered."

"That's also where my value to the Dark Lord lies, especially after that night's battle."

Bella was very unhappy, staring intently at Snape, but couldn't think of anything to attack him with. Snape, however, ignored Bella and instead asked Narcissa, "Alright, Narcissa, you've come seeking my help, so tell me."

"I...I think only you can help me now. I'm desperate, Lucius is still in prison..." Narcissa's tears fell. "The Dark Lord forbade me to tell anyone about this, but..."

"Since the Dark Lord forbids you to say it, then you shouldn't tell anyone," Snape said immediately, and this was something Bella surprisingly agreed with.

"That's right!"

Narcissa looked utterly desperate. She regretted not asking Ike for help earlier, when he had been there. She lowered her head, covered her face with her hands, and tears streamed through her fingers, but she didn't make a sound.

At that moment, Snape stood up, walked to the window and looked outside, then waved his wand to draw all the curtains and cast a warning spell.

"If you're referring to that plan, I happen to know about it. The Dark Lord revealed it to a few people, and I happen to be one of them," Snape said in a low voice.

"But even if I knew, what could I change? You can't possibly expect me to persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind; there's absolutely no chance of that."

"But...that's my son, Draco, my only son..." Narcissa burst into tears. "Bella, you saw it too, what kind of person he was after the Dark Lord branded him with the Dark Mark and gave him this task!"

"He's smart; he knows what he's facing and he has his own considerations... But as his mother, I also need to think about him!"

Narcissa tugged at Snape's sleeve: "Why, Snape? Why Draco? Is it to avenge Lucius's mistake?"

Snape raised his head slightly, avoiding looking into Narcissa's pleading, tearful eyes, and calmly replied, "You can think of it this way, Narcissa. If Draco succeeds, he will gain greater honor than anyone else."

"But he won't succeed, you know that very well!" Narcissa said, "Even the Dark Lord and Strayle working together didn't..."

Snape suddenly looked at her coldly, and Narcissa immediately realized what was happening, as if all her strength had been drained away.

"Help him, Snape, help Draco. He can't do it on his own... You're his professor, his headmaster, the person he respects most. You must have a way, right...?"

Looking at the woman weeping for her son, Snape remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "I suspect... just a suspicion, perhaps the Dark Lord will eventually send me to do that thing, and Draco is just an experiment."

"After all, if Draco succeeds, I can still stay at Hogwarts, continue to hide my identity, and bring more information to the Dark Lord."

"So, he doesn't care about Draco's life at all!"

“You should know very well that he doesn’t forgive people easily, after all, they didn’t get the prophecy back that night,” Snape said. “Everyone was punished, like Strayed, who, as far as I know, could have gotten that thing in Bellatrix’s vault much sooner, but now has to complete two very dangerous tasks.”

"That's no simpler than Draco's, even though he did it before."

Narcissa cried out in despair, collapsing to the ground and clutching her hair fiercely. Bella, somewhat at a loss, could only awkwardly try to comfort her.

Snape remained silent for a long time, then finally stood up, bent down, and helped her to the sofa. He handed her the glass of wine and said softly, "Perhaps—I mean perhaps—I have a way to help Draco..."

"You can help him? You can help him! You definitely can!" Narcissa clung tightly to this last straw. "You're willing to protect him and keep him safe?"

"I can give it a try."

"Then, can you make an unbreakable vow, Severus? Please, can you?"

Snape fell silent, but Bella laughed.

"Didn't you hear him, Cici? He said he'd give it a try. It's probably the same old story—running away at the last minute, then claiming he's following the Dark Lord's orders…"

"I can, Narcissa, I can make an unbreakable vow," Snape said slowly. Bella was stunned, staring blankly at Snape as if she were seeing him for the first time.

Ignoring Bella's surprise, Snape knelt directly opposite Narcissa and gripped her right arm tightly.

“We need a witness,” he said. “Bellatrix, take your wand and come closer.”

Bella still couldn't believe what she had just heard and seen, but she still took her wand and walked up to the two of them, touching the tip of the wand to their arms.

At this moment, Narcissa spoke up: "Severus, will you look after my son Draco as he tries to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?"

"I do."

Are you willing to do everything in your power to protect him from harm?

"I do."

"If... Draco is about to fail, are you willing to carry out what the Dark Lord ordered Draco to complete?"

"I do."

Three scorching red lines shot out from the tip of Bella's staff, tightly binding Snape and Narcissa's arms, the bright light illuminating their three different faces.

One was surprised, one was determined, and one was resolute.

After a while, the light disappeared, leaving only two arms still tightly clasped together.

(End of this chapter)