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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 373: Return to the Dark Side
Three hours later
Snape was sitting on a couch with his eyes closed, while the Headmaster reclined back in his chair.
Suddenly, a loud cracking noise filled the room, startling both men.
A large black mass appeared in the middle of the office.
"What is that?" Snape nearly fell off the couch, pointing his wand at it, his mind was racing, trying to comprehend what he was seeing.
"Calm down, Severus…" Dumbledore hurried to halt him. He then observed the dark mass with tired eyes. "Harry has finally returned…"
"That… is Potter?!" Snape stared in shock as the black mass began to take human form.
The pitch-black material moved in an unnatural way as if swayed by a non-existent wind within the office. Its composition was puzzling...shifting somewhere between solid and liquid.
The unsettling sight even gave Snape goosebumps, a rare occurrence for him.
As the material receded, Harry's face emerged. He was not alone.
In his left hand, Harry was holding someone.
When the black mass finally disappeared, they could clearly see who it was.
"Karkaroff…" Dumbledore noted, staring at the former Durmstrang Headmaster. He hadn't needed to ask about Karkaroff's location anymore.
Harry dropped the body and walked to the table, placing a broken gold necklace and a ring upon it.
"This is…" Dumbledore recognized the symbol engraved on the pieces.
"The Lestrange family crest… I take it their owner didn't make it."
"You killed Rabastan?!" Snape exclaimed.
Harry gave the Potions professor a tired look. "Did you think I'd just let that vampire go? Or hand him over to authorities that are, by now, mostly Dark Lord supporters?. Of course, I killed him, but not before getting something useful."
Realizing Harry was right, Snape said nothing further.
"I hope all of this was worth it…" Dumbledore murmured.
Harry sat down. "Could you ask the house-elves for some coffee? I don't think any of us will be sleeping tonight. We have a lot to discuss."
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A knock on the door echoed through the room.
"Come in…" a cold voice answered.
Snape opened the door, feeling like he was stepping into a den of snakes.
The room was barely lit, with two candles doing most of the work.
Professor Rookwood was seated at a round table, staring directly at Snape.
But this wasn't the Rookwood he had become accustomed to over the past three months. That man was taciturn, barely spoke a word, and often looked distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere...or not there at all.
This version of Rookwood was entirely different. His eyes gleamed a bright red, and his expression and mannerisms were as intimidating as Snape remembered from years past.
Snape still had nightmares from that era, and now he had to face it again.
He hoped it wouldn't last long.
Venturing further into the office, he closed the door behind him.
"I was surprised by your note...you said some interesting things in it. I wonder what was that about." Rookwood mentions.
"Greetings… My Lord," Snape said, injecting as much respect into his voice as he could muster.
"So you do know who I am…" Rookwood's face twisted in anger.
"And you dare send me a mere written message, requesting a meeting with me… you traitor!" He slammed his hand on the table, the force of the impact cracking the wood.
"My Lord… I was merely serving you in a different way," Snape said, having rehearsed the many ways this conversation might unfold.
"So the rumors about you abandoning our cause and removing the Dark Mark were all lies?" Rookwood asked, his tone dark.
Snape was prepared for this. He revealed the intact brand on his right arm. "As you can see, My Lord… it is still there, just where you put it, all those years ago."
Rookwood frowned. "Hmph! Even if you still bear it, it doesn't excuse your lack of communication all this time. How am I supposed to interpret that?"
"My Lord… you tried to keep your return secret. I only found out because the Headmaster trusts me…" Snape replied, hoping this excuse would suffice. Voldemort had yet to make his presence public, so Snape had no choice but to feign ignorance.
"If that's true… then you're a lot more incompetent than I remember," Rookwood sneered.
"So tell me, Severus… are you a traitor or a fool? Because those seem to be the only two options."
"My Lord… I've spent the last decade earning the respect and trust of your enemies. Allow me to serve you once more."
"Why should I believe anything you say?" Rookwood replied. "You claim to have spent years winning over my enemies, yet you bring me nothing but empty words. The only thing I believe is that you're afraid of the consequences of your betrayal…"
Rookwood leaned forward, his piercing red eyes gleaming even brighter. "And you also wish me to believe it's a mere coincidence that this meeting occurs just days after Karkaroff's disappearance?"
"You're correct, My Lord. It's no coincidence… but I do have something to show you." Snape reached into his robes and pulled out several items.
Rookwood's attention sharpened as Snape placed a gold necklace and a family ring on the table.
He immediately recognized the ring.
"Rabastan…this belongs to Rabastan." His red eyes met Snape's. "I hope you have a good explanation for this."
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