Chapter 306: The Meeting at Spinner's End
Not long ago, at the entrance to Diagon Alley, two men in black robes crossed paths by chance.
At that moment, Snape happened to notice Harry Potter and his godfather, Sirius Black, standing across the street.
He stopped abruptly.
Then he quickly walked toward the other cloaked man and bowed respectfully.
"Master."
His body subtly shifted, blocking Lord Voldemort's line of sight toward Harry.
"Oh?"
"Severus?"
Hidden beneath his hood, Voldemort spoke with a trace of surprise.
His cold gaze revealed exactly how he truly regarded this subordinate.
"This isn't an appropriate place to speak, my Lord," Snape said, glancing around with feigned unease. His pale, sallow face carried just the right amount of urgency.
"If you would permit it... we can go somewhere else."
"I'll give you an explanation that satisfies you."
"As you wish."
Voldemort examined him for a long moment before answering in his hoarse voice.
---
When they reached the secluded end of the alley, both men Disapparated.
The space twisted silently.
A moment later...
They appeared at the end of an old industrial street.
Rows of dilapidated brick houses lined the road.
Even in broad daylight, their windows looked dark and lifeless.
Every shop was closed.
The streets were nearly deserted.
The entire town looked abandoned.
A factory worker covered in grease happened to witness the two figures materializing out of thin air.
One hand held a heavy motor.
The other gripped a large wrench.
He stared blankly.
I've been working too long...
I must be hallucinating.
His fingers loosened unconsciously.
The wrench dropped directly onto his foot.
"AAAH!"
The pain was agonizing.
...Wait.
If I'm dreaming...
Why does it hurt so much?
His mouth fell open.
Pointing at the two strangers, he prepared to shout for help, hoping someone else would confirm whether he had finally gone mad.
Voldemort frowned.
His first instinct was simple.
Kill the troublesome Muggle.
But Snape moved first.
With a casual flick of his wand—
The worker collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Snape had saved his life.
Not because he pitied him.
Simply because Voldemort would never bother cleaning up afterward.
The Dark Lord had never cared about ordinary people's lives.
Truthfully...
Snape didn't particularly care either.
He merely preferred avoiding unnecessary complications.
---
This was Spinner's End.
A bleak industrial town on the outskirts of Britain.
Half-abandoned factories surrounded it.
A filthy river wound lazily through the area.
An enormous chimney from a long-defunct mill still towered over everything like a monument to decay.
The environment was miserable.
The riverbanks were overgrown with weeds.
Garbage floated everywhere.
The dark water moved sluggishly beneath an overcast sky.
Silence dominated the town.
Only a thin fox occasionally crept down to the riverbank, sniffing hopefully through discarded fish-and-chip wrappers hidden among the weeds.
This was where Snape had grown up.
Years had passed.
Nothing had changed.
Perhaps the local authorities had simply abandoned the place altogether.
---
Snape's house contained only a cramped sitting room.
The space resembled a dim prison cell more than a home.
Bookshelves covered nearly every wall.
Most of the books wore faded black or brown leather bindings.
A worn sofa.
An old armchair.
A rickety wooden table.
Nothing more.
The room felt empty.
Lonely.
As though no one truly lived there.
For Snape...
Hogwarts had long since become his real home.
After Lily's death...
He had never intended to build another family.
---
Snape dragged the cleanest chair he could find over for Voldemort.
Then he stood stiffly beside it.
Like an old, withered tree.
Quietly waiting.
After all...
In Voldemort's eyes, he had once been among those who appeared to abandon the Dark Lord and side with Dumbledore, thereby escaping imprisonment after Voldemort's fall.
"I have no wish to question your loyalty."
Voldemort spoke calmly.
"At the very least..."
"You've chosen to stand before me today."
"That alone deserves a measure of trust."
Such words were astonishingly rare coming from someone as cruel as Voldemort.
Perhaps it was because Snape still possessed tremendous value.
Or perhaps...
Voldemort desperately needed capable followers now.
Whether considering his magical ability...
Or his position beside Dumbledore...
Snape was indispensable.
No one else could provide him with so much information.
Whether that information was true...
Was another matter entirely.
Of course...
Voldemort's arrogance prevented him from believing anyone could deceive him face to face.
"So..."
He leaned back slightly.
"What can you do for me?"
Snape remained expressionless.
Silently awaiting his master's command.
"I want the complete prophecy."
"It is extremely important, Severus."
Voldemort's crimson eyes swept slowly across the Potions Master.
Not for a single moment did he believe Snape had truly become loyal to Dumbledore.
In Voldemort's mind...
Snape had merely followed human instinct.
To seek advantage.
To avoid destruction.
Even Voldemort himself understood that instinct.
Look...
Those destined to walk in darkness always return once the Dark Lord rises again.
That was how Voldemort interpreted Snape's return.
He had never truly understood the man before him.
His absolute confidence in his own Legilimency had allowed him to be deceived completely.
A possibility his pride could scarcely even imagine.
---
The Dark Mark on Snape's arm had begun burning intensely.
That was how he had found Voldemort.
The Dark Mark did more than answer direct summons.
When Voldemort experienced powerful emotions...
Joy.
Rage.
Excitement.
The Death Eaters could faintly sense those emotional surges through the Mark.
That was why Snape had sought him out today.
"My previous failure..."
Voldemort said slowly,
"...was likely because the prophecy I received was incomplete."
"I acted too hastily."
"This time..."
"I require the complete prophecy."
"I know you have a way to obtain it."
"Don't you, Severus?"
His pale fingers tapped rhythmically against the chair's armrest.
This...
Was another of Voldemort's greatest concerns.
"My Lord..."
Snape bowed respectfully.
"I will do everything within my power to discover it."
No one realized that beneath the seemingly peaceful atmosphere surrounding Diagon Alley...
Or within the silence of Spinner's End...
Powerful undercurrents were already beginning to stir.
On the eve of another Hogwarts school year, both sides were quietly making their preparations.