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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 100: The Dark Lord's Meeting
"Did you say Madam Yafel's shop?" The expression on Voldemort's face suddenly changed.
The Dark Lord wondered if this Madam was the same one who killed the younger version of himself, whom he had sent to Hogwarts as a spy.
Snape shifted nervously, hoping that this was enough to regain this man's trust.
When those red eyes moved back to him, the Potions professor felt shivers.
"Very well, Severus. Perhaps you are not completely useless after all. Stand up." Voldemort made a gesture with his hand and then pointed to one empty seat. "Go on, take your place at my table. We will discuss your next mission a bit later."
Snape finally allowed himself to breathe in relief.
He stood up and looked toward the chair that had been pointed out. But just as he was about to begin walking, the Dark Lord spoke again.
"Oh, but before I forget. I have yet to punish you for your previous failures." Voldemort pointed his wand at Snape without standing from his seat. "Crucio!"
Snape went back onto the floor and began to convulse as he felt immense pain in every part of his body.
The other Death Eaters present were laughing at his plight, finding some pleasure in seeing someone else taking the punishment, since they had all been there at some point.
The Dark Lord knew exactly how long he could maintain the Cruciatus without causing any permanent damage. He had become an expert on this particular spell.
He released the hold on the poor professor and stored his wand back inside the sleeve of his robes.
"Now, you may stand up and take your seat, Severus."
"Urgg…" Snape groaned. The moment he tried to move, he felt like being stabbed by thousands of needles at the same time. Every second was pure agony, but he knew that not moving would only make things worse for him.
There was no excuse to defy an order from the Dark Lord. This was the kind of person he was...ruthless tyrant to everyone, even to his followers.
Voldemort watched as Snape dragged his hurt body to the chair, and he did so with a cruel smirk on his face.
Once he was finally seated at the table, he continued.
"As I was previously saying, we have suffered a terrible loss. The loyal followers whom I had rescued from Azkaban were unfortunately murdered before they made it home. However, this war is far from over. In fact, we are only getting started."
"Aye!" People at the table agreed.
"We still have some of the most influential figures in the Ministry, like Lord Nott over there, Lord Avery, and Lord Yaxley. Also…" He pointed at Draco. "Mister Malfoy, who is sitting at my side, will soon inherit his late father's title. I say that our first proper step is to take control of the Ministry of Magic."
"We will need to kill the current Minister for that," Lord Nott said. "That cowardly man will be useless as a follower."
"Indeed," Lord Yaxley spoke next. "I never liked Cornelius Fudge."
"The Head of the Auror Department is going to be a problem as well," commented Lord Avery while playing with his beard. "Amelia Bones is too honorable and just. She will never join us."
"Bones…" Voldemort repeated the name, recalling something from the past. "I thought I had exterminated that entire house."
"You almost did, My Lord," one of the Carrow twins said.
"Amelia Bones and her young niece are all that is left," the other twin added.
"I see… in that case, I should finish the job," Voldemort said with a smirk on his face. "What else should I know?"
The Lords looked at each other.
"There are still a few important wizard families who have chosen to remain neutral even after learning of your return," Lord Nott said. "Perhaps we could set an example with some of them. Make it clear that neutrality is not an option."
"Which houses are those?" the Dark Lord asked.
"The most important ones would be the Greengrass, Ollivanders, and… House of Ashworth," Lord Avery said.
"Members of House Ashworth are curators who only care about preserving knowledge and tradition. They don't get involved in politics. Ollivanders have been making wands for over a millennium. They sell to anyone, not wanting to take any sides." Severus Snape pushed past the pain and spoke out loud, pointing out that those two families had good reasons for remaining neutral.
All eyes went to him. No one had expected him to say a single word during this discussion after what had just happened.
"Interesting," Voldemort said. "Then perhaps we should set an example with the Greengrass House. Who wants to do it?"
"I wish to go, My Lord." Draco Malfoy raised his voice.
"Draco, no!" His mother, Narcissa, gasped.
"Oh? You haven't even taken on the Dark Mark yet, and you wish to have your first mission already?" Voldemort asked.
"I won't disappoint you, My Lord," said Draco. He was only volunteering because he had a personal vendetta against someone from that house.
The Dark Lord did not miss this. He could read the boy like an open book. But he didn't see it as an issue either. His eyes moved across the table. No more volunteers had offered themselves, so he would have to pick a few skilled ones who would keep the young heir alive.
"Jugson and Macnair will go with you."
Those two were both veteran wizards. Jugson had spent many years competing in professional dueling, and Macnair was the Ministry executioner, so he had the highest kill count of anyone else present.
"You three… actually," Voldemort stopped for a second. "Take Alecto Carrow as well. I imagine the Greengrass will have some dangerous wards." Alecto was the closest thing they had to a curse-breaker at the moment.
The discussion continued for a bit longer, but no more missions were given to the followers.
Snape was one of the last ones to stand up, in part because he needed a bit more time to recover, but also because he didn't want to attract more attention from his peers.
Unfortunately, he didn't even make it past the first door before someone called for him.
"Severus…"
Snape didn't see the caller but knew that sweet voice very well. He turned around and found Narcissa Malfoy staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face. "We need to speak."
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