[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
London.
...
...
In a part of England, where there was an abandoned castle in the middle of a dense forest, everything seemed ordinary that morning, even though the place appeared eerie, with gargoyles placed all around the structure wearing macabre expressions, and the mist added an air of mystery to the location.
In the sky above, something began to emerge, and soon it could be seen filling with small shadows moving like snakes of smoke swirling through the air, heading toward the ancient structure. More and more of these dark forms approached the castle.
They advanced, entering through various windows at the same time. The shadowy smoke spread through the castle's corridors, traversing different floors and rooms until it reached a specific chamber.
The room was spacious, and the smoke began to gather around a table where a person was standing at that moment, with a snake in front of them, on the table's surface. One by one, the Death Eaters began taking their seats at the table. The central figure remained silent, waiting for everyone to take their positions.
When the group was finally complete, with only one chair left vacant, the atmosphere grew heavy, laden with tension that made it difficult for everyone present to breathe properly. The Dark Lord was furious, his gaze fixed on them.
No one dared to speak, and everyone kept their gazes fixed, but cautious, on the hooded Dark Lord, who still remained silent. The only audible sound was the snake's hiss, which seemed to observe the attendees with a threatening focus.
"You know..." The Dark Lord's voice broke the silence from beneath his robes. "I have received news that men working with their families are falling. And, from what I see, no one knows exactly who did this or why. Yet, I ask all of you, my loyal followers: does anyone know what the hell is happening in England as of last night?" he asked with a tone far from pleased.
His voice grew even darker, carrying the weight of his anger. The snake before him opened its mouth, baring its fangs in an intimidating gesture, while the Death Eaters exchanged uneasy glances.
"We don't know, sir," said one of the Death Eaters who had the courage to say something, cautiously, fearing to anger the Dark Lord. "We only know they were murdered by someone we couldn't identify. No one knows..."
"Yes, no one knows who this killer is," Voldemort repeated the obvious. "But this isn't the first time this has happened. After all, there are strange figures appearing in England. One of them is that killer in Hogsmeade. Could it be the same person who massacred several dark witches last night? Another is the mysterious alchemist who has been in England for almost a year..." He commented, casting a glance at the empty chair that belonged to the late Norton.
"Though Norton wasn't that important, he was a loyal follower. I tend to reward loyal followers. At the very least, I will find out who did this and ensure they pay. But first, we must know: did Norton have any enemies?" He turned his gaze to the Death Eaters, who appeared confused.
"Not that I know of. Norton didn't have enemies who would go to his home and kill him..." replied Abraxas Malfoy.
"Then who could have done this? Did his son have any trouble at school? Because, as far as we know, several students were tortured at Hogwarts," Voldemort suggested, his expression growing even darker. "Perhaps another student had some quarrel with him."
Before anyone could respond, showing thoughtful expressions while some made grimaces, he continued.
"I've also heard that a teenager was abducted in Diagon Alley, and before that, everyone involved was found dead in a cabin in the middle of the forest. I had to learn about this through other means, as the Ministry hasn't even discovered it yet..." he said.
He narrowed his eyes.
"So, we have a cabin full of bodies, a Death Eater killed, a murderer targeting dark wizards in the black market, and some corpses found in a Muggle's house that, for some reason, happens to be the same house where Severus Snape once lived. A boy who stood out more than any other pureblood and seems to have made many enemies among my followers..." he said as the atmosphere grew tense and uncertain.
"Wait, Dark Lord, you can't be suggesting that a Hogwarts student is killing adult wizards!" someone raised their voice.
"I don't want to believe it, I truly don't. But, setting aside the fact that this same person killed the wizards who abducted the teenager and those in Snape's house, everything points to this: Severus Snape, a sixth-year student. Though Norton and the other dark wizards in the black market don't seem to have a direct connection..." he said, finding it hard to believe he was even considering the possibility of a child being involved.
Astraea had remained silent the entire time, listening. She knew it was indeed Severus Snape, but she couldn't speak up. So, she simply stayed quiet.
"Wait, you think Snape killed dozens of wizards? But he's just a child!" another Death Eater commented, incredulous.
"Sorry, Dark Lord, but that's hard to believe," said another, glancing around at his peers.
"Perhaps I'm mistaken, but it's a suspicion. And it's the only lead we have. There are two individuals in England we must find at all costs. This is an order, and I don't want failure! I want to know exactly who the mysterious alchemist is, as well as the killer. And I want you to go after Severus Snape, lure him out to determine if he's truly behind these murders," Voldemort declared firmly.
"And if he is, my lord? If a child really possesses such power?" someone asked, while everyone turned their gaze to the Dark Lord. Those who had initially wanted to kill Snape now felt apprehensive about the possibility, both because of the fear that he truly was the killer and out of curiosity about the Dark Lord's reaction.
"If he possesses such abilities, then I will make him a follower. After all, we need a Death Eater in the group with that kind of talent, perhaps the greatest I've seen, aside from myself... But if he refuses or tries to resist... Well, I will kill him," Voldemort stated coldly.
Thus, the meeting continued with Snape as the main topic, and an operation to capture him began to take shape.
Meanwhile, on the other side of England, another meeting was taking place. The Order of the Phoenix was gathering once more in a hidden mansion, and Lily Evans had just arrived.
"You finally made it! Come on, everyone's waiting," Molly said to Lily upon seeing her finally enter. Lily nodded and proceeded to the living room, where several witches and wizards, both young and old, were conversing.
Some immediately greeted Lily upon seeing her enter, and she nodded back in acknowledgment. Lily was a bit quiet, her mind preoccupied with everything that had happened since she had seen the newspaper.
"I think we can begin!" Dumbledore's voice rang out as he sat at the head of the table. As their leader, everyone immediately stopped talking upon seeing him speak.
"Now that Lily Evans is finally here, we can begin," he said. Everyone quickly took their seats and fell silent, waiting for the meeting to start.
"As you know, the magical world is in turmoil once again. An unknown person is causing chaos," Dumbledore began, breaking the silence.
"But isn't this person only killing dark wizards? Couldn't they be doing a service for us?" someone in the group commented, looking at Dumbledore.
"Far from it, my friend. What I'm seeing is an unnecessary bloodbath, wiping out all kinds of wizards in such a brutal manner. Something like this has never happened in my lifetime..." Dumbledore continued, his tone grave.
Lily almost raised her voice to defend Severus Snape, but she held back, knowing it would reveal too much. She kept firmly in her mind the belief that Snape wasn't evil and that he had reasons for his actions.
"So, what should we do? Hunt someone that even the Ministry of Magic can't locate?" someone asked before glancing at Arthur Weasley. "No offense to you, my friend," he added.
Arthur merely gave a small smile, unbothered. "It's all right... no offense taken."
"What has the Ministry managed to discover about this, Moody?" Dumbledore asked, turning to the other Auror who had joined the Order of the Phoenix weeks ago to help in the fight against Voldemort.
"We don't know anything... the only lead we have is to try to find Severus Snape... after all, a teenager was abducted, and his house was attacked..." Moody replied.
"I see..." Dumbledore murmured.
"Snape..." Lily heard James mutter his name with anger. He showed clear rage toward Snape, and she could even feel his hostile gaze on her. He muttered under his breath that she was a traitor, and it hurt her deeply. She had never betrayed anyone, even if she had to defend Snape. Hearing James speak about Snape like that in front of her was unbearable.
"And you believe that Snape, a sixth-year student, is committing all these murders, Albus?" Minerva asked, her expression cautious.
"Snape is an excellent student... you can't be serious..." Professor Flitwick raised his voice, defending Snape.
"He might be an excellent student, and many of the professors like him..." Albus commented, earning disapproving looks from several teachers, especially Slughorn, who couldn't believe Snape could be so brutal. "Even so, we must find out who he is. We need to investigate him. We can't allow these murders to continue indefinitely..." the Headmaster stated.
"What do you suggest?" Professor Longbottom, sitting beside her husband, asked. "Do you think he could join the Order of the Phoenix? He has enemies in many of the prominent families after defying them. He'd be protected here and could help us. After all, he's the most talented wizard of his generation," she added.
"That's a bit complicated..." Dumbledore said. Many looked at him favorably, while others didn't seem to like the idea. Dumbledore would have gladly accepted Snape a year ago, but now... he posed a powerful threat. There was something Dumbledore had seen that frightened him—Snape was dangerous to this world in some way. Dumbledore could no longer grant privileges when he had failed to uncover anything about him or whoever might inhabit his body. A year of total failure had passed, during which he tried everything, even using Lily, his last resort, who somehow managed to evade the truth serum he had subtly slipped into the lemon sweets he gave her.
"So, what will you do?" Slughorn asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No one seems to be able to find him, and I doubt that will change. So, I will personally visit some places where I believe Snape might be," Dumbledore declared.
Lily's eyes widened in fear. She didn't want the Headmaster to attempt anything against Snape.
Meanwhile, Snape woke up that morning to resume his intense training, unconcerned with the day's newspaper. He went about his day unaware that, starting that very day, Death Eaters, members of the Order of the Phoenix, and even Ministry officers would all be after him. Yet, he remained indifferent as he continued training, preparing himself for the moment he would travel to Romania once his sword was ready.
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