Toward evening, the students who had left the castle for the holidays finally returned to Hogwarts. Of course, there was no welcome like at the start of the school year; they were sent straight to their rooms. Dinner was delayed by an hour so everyone would have time to get ready.
After pulling on his school robes and hanging his coat in the wardrobe, Regulus left his room with a flutter of excitement. He could not wait to show Severus how far he had come, and to boast that he could finally create the third spear, not just its outline, but a real spear of fire.
Regulus also had quite a few questions about the new spell, because no matter how many times he tried, he could not cast it properly. At best, he managed a weak flare of fire, nothing more.
So the moment he spotted a familiar back and long dark hair, he lit up and hurried over.
"Snape!"
Hearing his name, Severus looked a little surprised, but he still turned and smiled as usual when he saw who it was.
"I am glad to see you too, Regulus, but calm down first. And thanks for the robe," he added, patting it. "I have wanted to replace it for a long time, but I never got around to it."
"There is no need to thank me. It was not expensive," Regulus said, a little embarrassed. "In the short time I have been talking with you, I realized you prefer practical things over fancy artifacts and the like, so I decided on a robe. I only found out yesterday was your birthday pretty late, so I did not have time to prepare properly."
"Do not worry. I am honestly happy with it, and you saved me from going to Madam Malkin's shop, at least until the start of next school year."
"Then I am glad, but next year I will definitely prepare!" Regulus declared, thumping his chest. Severus's eyes brightened and he almost nodded, but he caught himself, cleared his throat, and smoothed his face back into its usual expression.
"Of course, I will be waiting impatiently. Let us go to the Great Hall; they will be serving dinner soon."
"Yes, but I have some questions about the new spell. They are about pronunciation."
Regulus quickly pulled a small notebook from his inner pocket, opened it, and handed it over.
"Hm." Severus took it and flipped through the pages, frowning. Now and then he looked surprised, and he nodded to himself a few times.
It went on for about a minute before he finally closed the notebook.
"Not bad. I thought you would get much less out of this spell," he said with another smile as he handed the notebook back. Regulus had been a little tense, but that praise made the tension vanish. "Honestly, I am not surprised you cannot go any further yet. I got stuck at this exact point once too."
"Really?"
"Yes, and the solution is quite simple." Severus grinned, almost teasing, then added abruptly, "But I will not tell you. Figure it out yourself. I will give you a hint though: do not focus only on fire."
"Do not focus only on fire?" Regulus repeated, frowning in confusion, and then the next second it hit him. "The formula. The spell is made of fire and wind, but I keep stressing only the first part!"
"Exactly. Just do not practice it here, or you will burn your room down."
"Hey! I am not stupid enough to use a spell like that in an enclosed space!"
"Really?" Severus drawled in a sickeningly sweet voice, and Regulus flushed despite himself. It brought back that incident when he had once punched a hole in the castle wall with a fire spear.
"I will not."
"All right, then." Severus's expression settled again as he lowered his gaze to Nagini as she slid into view. "Morning," he murmured with a soft smile, stroking her head.
Nagini hissed something in reply, narrowed her eyes at Regulus's nervous smile, then climbed back up as if snorting at him.
"She does not like me, does she?"
"No. Nagini does not like other people at all, and she only lets me touch her," Severus said calmly. "Come on, we will talk about the spell in your room."
But after only a couple of steps he heard his name again, and he had to stop once more. When he turned, Lily was standing there, looking a little nervous.
"Greetings, Miss Evans. Did you need something?" For a moment a chill flashed in his eyes, but Lily did not notice; she did not dare to meet his gaze.
"I wanted to congratulate you on your birthday, but I did not know where you had moved to, so here." Lily held out a small package, clearly embarrassed. "Happy birthday. I hope all your wishes come true."
"Hm? Thanks." Severus did not refuse. He nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he accepted it.
An awkward silence followed. Lily could not make herself speak, and Severus stayed quiet on purpose, hoping she would leave sooner.
"I will go, then."
"Yes. Enjoy your meal."
"Thanks, and you." Lily hurried off, looking a little downcast.
"You two used to be friends, so why are you so cold to her?" Regulus asked, baffled as he watched her go. He had gathered plenty of information about Severus. He knew about their old friendship, and almost everyone knew about Severus's feelings for Lily. Behind their backs people even joked that they were "Romeo and Juliet," mostly half-bloods and Muggle-born wizards.
"Let us not discuss my personal life. If you want, call it a grudge. Topic closed."
"Um, okay."
At the same time, a kilometer away from a small manor, a man in dark robes sat on a stone, stroking Nagini's head. At last he stood up and hopped down.
"He will handle the rest himself, and it is time for us to meet."
"Be careful."
"That is the third time you have told me that," he sighed, then moved straight toward the building without any trouble. But I cannot afford not to be careful right now, he added silently, staring at the entrance, where two far-from-ordinary figures stood guard. One was Lucius's father. The second was unknown to Severus, but the man's gaze and the weight of his magic made it clear at once that he was experienced, powerful, a Master at his peak, the equal of Hogwarts's strongest professors.
"We greet you, Amon Ichiros. Our lord is already waiting for you. Please, follow me," Malfoy said with respect, bowing. He tried to make out the guest's face beneath the cloak, but he saw nothing except a pair of red points. Even that was enough to make his skin crawl under the stranger's stare.
"I do not have much time," came an indifferent, slightly hoarse old voice from beneath the hood, raising goosebumps on both men.
"Yes!" Malfoy spun and opened the doors, letting Severus go first, and then they hurried after him.
They moved through the manor's gloomy corridors in silence. The two Death Eaters were clearly afraid of the stranger, especially Lucius's father. He had seen countless people in his life, and he understood at once that their guest was dangerous.
The same went for the second man. Antonin Dolohov was one of their strongest fighters, with vast combat experience and many lives on his hands, Aurors and Muggle-borns alike. Yet even he feared "Ichiros," because he did not know what to expect from him. One glance had been enough to tell him one thing: this man was dangerous, and it was better not to provoke him.
After a few minutes they reached a large hall. A pale man sat at the table, Voldemort himself, and behind him stood Bellatrix and Lucius, not counting those hidden in other rooms.
"My Lord."
"Don't," Tom said calmly, waving it away without taking his eyes off the guest. "Amon" did not stop. He approached the table, pulled a chair aside, and from beneath his hood Nagini slid out. Under the wizards' startled stares she grew within seconds to five meters long and coiled behind him. Amon settled onto her, silently studying the local Dark Lord while stroking Nagini, whose head rested on his shoulder. "Interesting companion you have."
"A rare species from the heart of the Amazon. Are we here to discuss snakes?" The two red points beneath the hood flared, and Lucius swallowed, a spike of panic cutting through him. Only the fact that his Lord stood in front of him kept him steady.
Bellatrix frowned at the disrespect, and a cold light flashed in Riddle's eyes. He could not feel the guest's power at all, but his instincts were screaming that his guest was very strong.
"Join me. I need strong supporters. I promise that after I take this country, you will get everything you want," Voldemort said, getting straight to the point, lifting his chin slightly.
A few seconds passed, then chuckles came from beneath the hood. The Dark Lord frowned as the chuckles swelled into uncontrollable laughter. Most of the Death Eaters stared at the "mad" old man, because only a madman would behave like that right in front of their Lord, one of the most dangerous wizards in Magical Britain.
"Boy, you have got nerve. You really think you can make me your errand boy?" Amon said at last. "I am flattered, but I will refuse. I am not interested in your children's games, and if that is all you wanted, then this conversation is over." He rose, and Nagini shrank quickly, slipping back beneath the hood. "It was a pleasure," Severus tossed over his shoulder as he headed for the exit.
"Stop!" Voldemort snapped coldly, glaring at Amon's back. Amon simply ignored him.
Strangely, Voldemort did not try to stop him. Instead he turned his gaze to the right, toward a wizard hiding around the corner, and gave a small nod.
"You bastard, how dare you speak to our Lord like that?!" someone bellowed, pointing his wand at Severus's back. "Ava."
He never finished. In an instant flames devoured him, and less than a second later the clatter of a wand hitting stone echoed through the hall, followed by the sickening stench of burnt flesh. Only then did Amon stop. The next moment a dark, choking aura poured from him, swallowing the entire room within seconds.
"I am not going to interfere in your stupid civil war. I am forgiving this little stunt only because you managed to obtain one of the ingredients I need, but there will not be a second chance. Remember that." The darkness faded, and he walked out just as calmly as before, but now the manor was wrapped in deathly silence.
After that, every wizard in the room watched their Lord warily. Voldemort looked darker than a storm cloud. He had not been insulted like this in a long time. Tom had to fight himself not to go after him. Only the fact that he could finally sense the guest's magic, and the recent display of power, kept him from doing something rash.
Even with Horcruxes gnawing at his mind, he had not lost his caution. He had become far more cruel, yes, but the old Riddle was still there.
At last, unable to restrain himself, he slammed his fist into the table. Then he drew a deep breath, looked toward the exit, and chuckled with contempt.
"Let us see how you leave."
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