Beneath the turbulent atmosphere hanging over Britain, under cover of night, a ripple of black light suddenly flashed in some dark, filthy corner.
"Pop."
With a soft sound, a black-robed figure appeared there. The puddle of filthy water beneath his feet made him frown in disgust.
A woman's outline suddenly emerged from the darkness nearby. Seeing Snape's expression, she said contemptuously, "What's wrong? Have you spent so long at Hogwarts that you're no longer used to places like this?"
Even from her voice alone, one could hear the madness and recklessness she kept barely suppressed. Of course, anyone who could still stand here openly waiting for someone while hiding their identity was hardly likely to be the rule-abiding sort.
"Bellatrix Lestrange, isn't everything the Dark Lord has done meant to bring… us into the open?"
"And what are you saying?" Snape had no intention of indulging this madwoman. "That you deny the Dark Lord's efforts, and everyone else's?"
Bellatrix curled her lip. His words were not enough to frighten her, but she could no longer continue mocking Snape.
Besides, the reason she had come out to wait for him was that the hunting plan had been constantly threatening them, forcing the Death Eaters to keep themselves bottled up for safety lately.
For someone as "lively" as her, it was practically worse than being in Azkaban. That was why she had come out, hoping to vent a little.
"Come on. Everyone's waiting for you." Bellatrix turned away in boredom and stepped into a house that looked dilapidated from the outside, yet revealed nothing of what lay within.
"What an honor."
Snape strode after her.
The moment he entered the room, he realized Bellatrix had not only told the truth, she had even held something back.
Voldemort was here too.
Seeing the pale face sitting at the head of the table with his eyes closed, Snape's pupils contracted despite how well he suppressed his shock.
"My apologies, my Lord. I did not know you had returned to Britain, so…"
"It does not matter, Severus." Voldemort slowly opened eyes that hid a blood-red gleam and swept his right hand lightly through the air. "None of them expected me to return so suddenly. Their reactions were far more entertaining than yours."
Only then did Snape notice that the Death Eaters seated around the long table, with the exception of Bellatrix, all looked extremely awkward.
Clearly, Voldemort's return had been even more sudden than any of them had expected.
Thoughts turned rapidly in his mind, but Snape sat down at Voldemort's right side without showing the slightest change in expression.
To the current Voldemort, Snape was far more important than the others.
"I know you have all been very stifled lately. You may even resent me for not allowing you to go out…"
Voldemort's cold voice echoed through the room without a trace of emotion. His tone was no different from usual, but the content of his words filled the Death Eaters present with terror.
How could they dare resent the Dark Lord?
"I know you were thinking of us, my Lord! That damned hunting plan has cost us half our people in only two months. It's right that we shouldn't go out!" one Death Eater said in panic.
He did not notice that the companions around him were all looking at him as if he were already dead.
By saying that, wasn't he admitting he really had resented the Dark Lord?
"Avada Kedavra!"
A flash of green light streaked out. The Death Eater sitting at the far end collapsed into his chair like a rag doll. Then his limp corpse slowly slid to the floor, landing with a heavy thud in the silent room.
It struck like a blow against everyone's heart.
"Ah… he was actually right," Voldemort said without the slightest apology, as if he had not just killed someone. "That damned hunting plan did somewhat exceed my expectations."
He did not care about his subordinates' deaths. What he cared about was that these subordinates had been wiped out by the hunting plan before they could complete their task of disrupting order in the muggle world.
"I thought that old man Dumbledore would never agree to such an aggressive plan. I did not expect… I still underestimated him."
For the first time, a faint fluctuation appeared in Voldemort's voice.
After all, when Dumbledore had attacked him in anger a few months ago, the pressure he brought had already surpassed what Voldemort had felt during his previous battle with Tver.
At the time, his goal had indeed been to stall Dumbledore and Tver, buying time for the attack on Azkaban.
But he had to admit that Dumbledore in that state, with Tver added on top, would have been enough to kill him even if he had seven lives.
And that was without counting Tver's teacher Grindelwald, or that damned traitorous soul of his.
The thought of the enemies he would have to face in the future gave even Voldemort, who had always killed without restraint and acted without fear, a headache.
If he had not known that Dumbledore and Tver would never let him go, he might have simply considered defecting himself.
But that dispiriting thought remained in Voldemort's mind for only a second. He quickly adjusted his state of mind and swept his gaze over the silent Death Eaters.
"But the problem is, while I was away from Britain, not one of you came up with a countermeasure?"
Sensing the anger in the Dark Lord's words, everyone lowered their heads and tucked in their necks like quails, terrified that those frightening eyes would fall on them.
Whether it was solving the hunting plan or dealing with the furious Dark Lord before them, both were fatal questions.
For the former, if the solution they suggested displeased him, the Death Eater who had just died was the lesson.
As for the latter…
Better to play dead.
Looking at this cowardly, cringing group of Death Eaters, then comparing them to the fierce Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members under Tver and Dumbledore, Voldemort grew angrier the more he thought about it.
It was bad enough that they could not win. How had they even lost in arrogance?
Which side was supposed to be the Dark Lord's army?
"My Lord, give me a little more time, and I can obtain the Joint Operations Office's action plan."
Snape's voice rang through the room like that of a savior, echoing in the hearts of the Death Eaters.
What a good man.
They looked gratefully at Snape, who calmly met Voldemort's gaze. If the occasion had allowed it, they would have applauded.
"What do you mean?" Voldemort's cold gaze fell on Snape's face, as if the wand hanging slightly downward would be lifted toward him without hesitation if his answer failed to satisfy him.
"With my experience in dealing with Death Eaters, Tver Fawley has allowed me to join the Joint Operations Office and interrogate those arrested fools, in order to learn your movements," Snape replied respectfully, yet without losing his composure.
"Inside the Office, I can obtain the action plans of those muggle police in advance and provide information to help everyone avoid danger."
Voldemort lifted his brow. Of course, he had no brows to lift, but the Death Eaters quietly watching him could still tell that he was satisfied.
"Well done, Severus. Do as you said."
"However…"
As if something had occurred to him, a smug, amused smile curved Voldemort's mouth.
"You must not neglect your work at Hogwarts either…"