A moment later, Lucius's arm trembled slightly. He let his fingers fall away in exhaustion and watched Snape rise to carefully put the package away, unable to stop himself from letting out a breath, feeling his hands and feet turn cold.
Snape said, "After the Master receives the package and confirms that there is no issue, if he has any other instructions, I will pass them on to you."
"Thank you for this, Severus." Lucius glanced at where he had stored the package and said in a low voice.
Snape raised his glass. "I wouldn't call it effort. Everything is for the Dark Lord."
"For the Dark Lord."
Lucius drained his wine in one gulp, then watched as Snape refilled his glass.
Perhaps it was the alcohol as a catalyst. Suppressing the unease in his heart, Lucius asked quietly:
"Severus, is there… is there any way for me to speak directly with the Dark Lord?"
Snape's brows furrowed slightly.
"Take it as a request from me, Severus."
A flash of urgency passed across Lucius's pale face. His voice carried anxiety and fear. "Give me a chance. I can explain… I will make the Dark Lord believe in my loyalty again…"
Snape's face was like a mask polished smooth, without the slightest ripple. His black eyes were bottomless as he replied indifferently:
"I don't know what you're talking about, Lucius. Nor do I know of any method regarding… direct 'audience'."
"No, you do!"
Lucius spoke agitatedly, yet did not dare raise his voice. He cast another glance at the two little thieves, reinforced the Stunning Spell on each of them, then said:
"After… after losing Avery and the others, you're now the only one who can still establish contact with the Dark Lord! We all know how much he used to trust you! For the sake of our past friendship, Severus!"
"You overestimate my standing, Malfoy!"
Snape said, unmoved, "Use your head and think this through. Dumbledore personally vouched for me, and for over ten years I've been teaching at Hogwarts."
"Of course, leaving me by Dumbledore's side as a double agent was an order given personally by the Dark Lord, and I have indeed been waiting at Hogwarts for the right moment."
"But how can you so easily assume that after all these years, the Dark Lord can still trust me without reservation?"
"But that day wasn't like that… You were the only one who wasn't arrested; the Dark Lord's trust in you must be above his trust in me."
"As for now… I truly haven't lied to you. Although I do have a one-way channel that can get this item into his hands, where the Dark Lord is, when he will respond, or even whether he will respond at all… I know nothing."
Lucius's shoulders sagged in dejection. His understanding of the Dark Lord made it clear to him that everything Snape said was true…
If it weren't that the Dark Lord had no one else available, perhaps the two of them would already have been treated as suspicious… and executed publicly by the Dark Lord, wouldn't they?
Lucius rubbed his face helplessly, then suddenly picked up the wineglass on the table and downed it again in one breath.
"Then please do me a favor, Severus… In exchange, Galleons, Ancient Texts, Magic Potion Materials, Magic Tools, support from the Hogwarts Board of Governors… ask whatever you like, I can agree to anything!"
Snape's expression shifted slightly as he lifted his head to look at him.
Lucius clutched at him like a drowning man grasping at the last straw, speaking in a low, pleading tone:
"When you send the item over, please help me pass on a message… Tell him that Lucius Malfoy has never wavered! Tell him… no, better yet, help me deliver a letter!"
He rose and went to the bookshelf to look for parchment, accidentally bumping the table. The glass clattered over and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Snape reached out to steady the wobbling table, then waved his Magic Wand to restore the glass, and finally wordlessly took out parchment and a Quill.
This was undoubtedly assent. Lucius gave him a grateful look, sat down, and began writing furiously.
Snape stood by and watched. Lucius did not stop him; on the contrary, he shifted to the side to make room—he had to let Snape see with his own eyes that he wasn't writing anything harmful to him in the letter.
Lucius began by expressing his loyalty to the Dark Lord in an extremely sincere and passionate tone, then explained why he had not fallen into the Aurors' hands that day. Next he recalled their past relationship, praised the Dark Lord's greatness, and declared that the Malfoy Clan would, as always, support the Dark Lord with all its power, and so on.
When Snape saw him write that the only reason he escaped and did not end up in Azkaban was because Barty Crouch Jr, out of deliberate revenge, had attacked him from behind and turned him into a toad incapable of fighting, and that Lucius deeply suspected his motives for doing so—
Snape: …
Even words that debased himself like this he could put down, and the process of being turned into a toad was written with such heartfelt detail—the pain and confusion during the transformation were so vivid and specific—that if Dumbledore hadn't told him the true identity of the informant that day, he would almost suspect that Barty Crouch Jr really had Transfigured Lucius.
And as someone who could still maintain a certain degree of contact with Voldemort, Snape actually knew a bit of what lay behind this…
For example, regarding whoever exposed the Monastery's location, the Dark Lord had two prime suspects—Barty Crouch Jr and Lucius Malfoy—and in the Dark Lord's opinion, Barty Crouch Jr was even more suspicious than Lucius.
Once this letter reached him, Lucius might truly be able to regain a certain degree of trust.
These words of self-defense had probably been circling in Lucius's mind for a very long time. He finished the letter in one go, carefully reviewed it once, then sealed it and handed it to Snape.
"Even if Barty Crouch Jr and I have misunderstandings, my loyalty to the Dark Lord has never changed. Please tell the Dark Lord, Severus, I will always be waiting for his summons!"
As he took the envelope, having already seen the full text, Snape seemed faintly moved as well; the icy look on his face eased just a little.
His gaze swept over Lucius's face, which was filled with anxiety and longing. He took half a step forward, his voice lowered to an almost inaudible murmur:
"The Dark Lord does indeed have certain plans in the near future… concerning those comrades of ours who were buried alive in Azkaban… and who have never betrayed us…"
Lucius's eyes lit up. He looked at Snape, probing:
"Do you mean… the Dark Lord intends to…"
Snape nodded slightly, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Lucius as though examining his true thoughts.
"This will require meticulous planning and… precisely timed support. Lucius, if you can prove your worth in the course of this, display contributions that cannot be doubted…"
He drew out his words with a subtle shift in tone, and said slowly, "Then, the Dark Lord may take you back, and trust you again."