HP Approaches the Magic World

"Here...is there no one else here?"

"Of course not. Oh, by the way, Wormtail is here, but we don't count vermin, do we?"

He pointed his wand at the wall of books behind him, and with a bang, a secret door opened, revealing a narrow staircase, with a small man standing on top of it dumbfounded.

"You must be well aware, Wormtail, that we have guests."

Snape said lazily.

The man hunched down the last few stairs and came into the room.

He had a pair of small watery eyes, a pointed nose, and an unnatural fake smile on his face. He touched his right hand with his left hand, which looked like he was wearing a shiny white glove.

"Narcissa!"

He squeaked, "Bellatrix! How charming—"

"Wormtail will bring us drinks if you'd like,"

Snape said, "Then he will go back to his chambers."

Wormtail ducked as if Snape had thrown something at him.

"I'm not your servant!"

He avoided Snape's eyes and said in a squeaky voice.

"Really? I thought the Dark Lord placed you here to help me."

"Help, yes.

But I’m not serving you a drink or cleaning your room!”

"Wormtail, I didn't expect you to desire a more dangerous mission."

Snape said in a smooth tone,

"It's easy to do: I'll go tell the Dark Lord—"

"If I wanted to, I would tell him myself!"

"Of course you can."

Snape sneered and said, "For now, you'd better bring us drinks. Just a little elf wine."

Wormtail hesitated for a moment, then turned around and went out through another secret door.

They heard banging sounds and the clinking of glasses.

He came back a few seconds later, carrying a dirty wine bottle and three glasses on a tray.

He placed the tray on the rickety table, immediately left in two steps, and slammed the door hidden by the books.

Snape poured out three glasses of blood-red wine and handed two glasses to the sisters.

Narcissa muttered "Thank you", Bellatrix said nothing and continued to glare at Snape fiercely.

But this didn't seem to make Snape feel uncomfortable, he seemed to find it quite funny.

"For the Dark Lord."

The three people raised their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

Narcissa took the second glass of wine and spoke in one breath: "Severus, I'm so sorry to disturb you like this, but I have to come to see you. I think you are the only one who can help me -"

Snape raised a hand to stop her, then pointed his wand at the secret stair door again.

There was a loud bang and a scream, followed by the sound of Wormtail running upstairs in a hurry.

"Sorry," Snape said, "He has developed a habit of eavesdropping recently. I really don't understand what he means by doing this... Where did you just say, Narcissa?"

Narcissa took a deep, trembling breath and began to speak again.

"Severus, I know I shouldn't be here. I was told not to say anything to anyone, but—"

"Then you should keep your tongue!"

Bellatrix shouted, "Especially in front of this man!"

"This person in front of me?"

Snape repeated sarcastically, "What am I to make of that, Bellatrix?"

"It's just that I don't believe you, Snape. In fact, you know it very well!"

Narcissa made a little sound, like a tearless sob, and then covered her face with her hands. Snape put the cup on the table, leaned back on the chair, and put his hands on the armrests of the chair.

Looking at Bellatrix's angry face with a smile.

"Narcissa, I think we'd better hear what Bellatrix has to say before she bothers us endlessly.

"Well, go on, Bellatrix," Snape said, "Why don't you believe me?"

"A hundred reasons!" Bellatrix shouted as she strode over from behind the sofa and placed the cup heavily on the table.

"Where to begin? Where were you when the Dark Lord fell from power?

Why didn't you make any effort to find him after he disappeared?

Over the years, what have you done to survive under Dumbledore?

Why did you prevent the Dark Lord from getting the Philosopher's Stone?

After the Dark Lord was resurrected, why didn't you come back immediately?

Where were you when we fought valiantly to obtain the Prophecy for the Dark Lord a few weeks ago?

Also, Snape, why is Harry Potter still alive?

He has five years to do with you as you wish!"

She stopped, her chest heaving violently, and her cheeks flushed. Behind her, Narcissa sat motionless, her face still buried in her hands.

Snape laughed.

"Before I answer you—

You can tell my words to those who talk about me behind my back, and you can report the untrue words about my rebellion to the Dark Lord!

But before I answer you, let me ask you a question.

Do you really think the Dark Lord hasn't asked me every one of these questions?

Do you really think I would be sitting here talking to you if I didn't give you a satisfactory answer?"

She hesitated.

"I know he trusts you, but—"

"You think he made a mistake?

Or have I tricked him? Tricked the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard in human history and the most accomplished Legilimency master in the world?"

Bellatrix said nothing, but for the first time she looked a little confused.

Snape did not hold on, he picked up the cup, took a sip and continued: "You just asked where I was when the Dark Lord fell from power.

I was where he ordered me to be, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, because he wanted me to spy on Dumbledore there.

I guess you must know that I accepted that teaching position only after obeying the Dark Lord's orders, right?"

She nodded almost imperceptibly and opened her mouth to speak, but Snape stopped her first.

"You also asked why I didn't make an effort to find him after he disappeared.

The reason I didn't go looking for him, with Everly, Yaxley, the Carrolls, Greyback, Lucius,"

He tilted his head slightly towards Narcissa,

"Like many others, I thought he was finished.

I'm not proud of it, I did it wrong, but that's the way it is... If he doesn't forgive us for losing faith at that point, he's going to have very few followers left."

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"He still has me!" Bellatrix said excitedly, "For him, I squatted in Azkaban for many years!"