"Terrible person." Those were Nagini's first words the moment they left the manor. During their short conversation Tom had tried several times to force a connection with her through magic and eye contact, so she still felt unwell, and a little afraid even now. That was also one of the reasons Severus ended the meeting so quickly.
"Some wizards learn to speak to snakes, and others are born with the gift," Severus told her silently, smiling up at the dark sky. "The difference is that in the first case you can simply talk to them, but in the second they will obey you unconditionally, and even that depends on how strong the gift is. In our case he made the Basilisk wag its tail for him, which means he was very lucky. If I had not been with you, he would have subjugated you without any trouble, and that is why you felt fear. Voldemort really does have talent. And he is a very cunning bastard."
"I hope we will not have to meet him again."
"Next time I will leave you at home, but today I wanted you to see what happens when you meet not a simple imprint of magic, but a real Parselmouth, and not a weak one. That kind of experience will not hurt you. After I remove this curse, the snake part will not vanish; it will become your power."
"My power?"
"Yes. You will be able to shift from human to snake and back whenever you want, and you will be able to become a Lamia too," he said with a lewd wink and a grin, earning a sharp poke in the side. "And your vitality will stay the same, which means you will live a couple hundred years without any trouble, just like me."
As soon as he finished, flashes burst in the distance. Two hundred meters away Aurors began appearing, immediately rushing toward the manor.
"And on top of that, he set up anti-Apparition wards around the house and for the nearest fifty meters. He wants them to think I am on his side," Severus added. That was also the second reason he ended the meeting so quickly. He did not like that so many Death Eaters were gathered there, and he had noticed the wards activating.
"So it was a trap after all."
"You guessed it, but." Severus turned toward the manor and met the eyes of the snake on the roof. He grinned. "You should not have angered me, Tom. Remember my words: never anger a former Archmage. This is my last warning to you personally. Next time I will destroy your entire organization!" In the next moment a massive pillar of fire swallowed him, twisting into a dragon's head. With a terrifying roar it surged toward the manor.
A moment later a deafening explosion shook the air, and wild tongues of flame consumed what was left of the building. As if alive, the fire did not spread to the trees nearby; it devoured only the manor.
Of course, Severus did not want to create extra problems for himself, so the flames did not harm the wizards inside. This was meant as a lesson, so they would never try to drag him into their confrontation like that again. And he aimed the strike at a spot where there were almost no people, so there should not be many casualties.
No longer paying attention to the commotion he had caused, he headed back to Hogwarts.
A minute earlier.
Inside the manor, Tom watched Amon standing frozen in one place and staring at the sky, a contemptuous smirk on his face.
"Idiot. Did you think I would just let you go after that? And even if you noticed, it is too late," he thought smugly, watching the Aurors appear through his snakes. "And what will you do?"
"My Lord?" Lucius asked with concern. He had just received word that the Ministry's dogs had arrived.
"Get ready. There will be a big battle here soon." But a few seconds later the smile froze on Tom's face. A pair of red points were staring straight at the snake he was using to watch. The moment the Parselmouth heard the name "Tom," his face twisted. After the threat to destroy the entire organization, anger surged up from the depths of Tom's mind, but it evaporated at once when he saw the colossal pillar of flame wrapping the Archmage's body. "Retreat!" he snarled through clenched teeth, stunning everyone gathered there. No one dared argue. One by one they vanished in dark swirls. Tom left as well, but even as he fled he still saw, through the snake's eyes, the sheer power of that fire spell, and it made him swallow hard. No matter how much he hated it, Riddle had to admit Amon was too strong. It was hardly surprising the Ministry had chosen to yield to him. It had taken him only seconds to destroy a huge manor, and Tom could feel that was not even all of his power.
In a small building, masked wizards in dark robes began appearing one after another. They traded stunned looks, not understanding the sudden haste. They had been preparing for battle, not retreat. A few seconds later Voldemort appeared in the center, looking especially furious, and the others stepped back at once.
Even after him more wizards arrived, and they looked terrible: scorched, injured, or missing their clothes entirely. Almost all of them got out alive, except for two who did not have time to cast Protego and were buried under the rubble.
Unable to hold back, Tom drew his wand and loosed a red beam that shattered a bookshelf, leaving nothing behind except a hole in the wall and floor.
"Damn old man, how dare you do this?! Bastard!" Another beam burst from his wand and smashed the chairs. "Creature!" He slashed his wand again, but this time he hit a small group of Death Eaters who had not managed to get away fast enough. They were thrown aside. One of them had his arm torn off and lost consciousness almost instantly. "I will destroy you!"
Behind him, Bellatrix swallowed. It was not that she feared his anger. For some reason a deeply unfamiliar, conflicting feeling twisted in her chest. Bellatrix worshipped Riddle. In any other case she would have supported him, whatever he decided. But for a moment panic seized her. She did not want to carry out his order.
Lucius did not look happy either. He had long-term plans for Severus, and if they had to attack his teacher now, their friendship would be over. That would be far too great a loss for him.
After ten minutes, Voldemort finally regained his composure and swept a cold look over the Death Eaters gathered in the hall.
"You are dismissed. And take away the bodies." He glanced indifferently at the wizards lying on the floor, then turned and walked toward the door that led back to the meeting hall. No one dared stand in his way or even meet his eyes. There were many more of them, but none of them even dared think about rebellion. Fear had taken root in their souls long ago.
Not everyone went to help their comrades. A small group followed Voldemort instead, mostly those with real power, heads of families, or their representatives. Bellatrix and Lucius followed as well.
Hogwarts. An hour later.
Back at the castle, Severus returned the house-elves to their usual appearance, purged the potion that boosted magical ability from his body, and then began watching Bellatrix to see what decision Tom would reach. He had only one goal for that meeting: to plant a seed of fear in the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters, so they would not even think about dragging him into their affairs.
And, oddly enough, he succeeded. This organization was made up mostly of people, and mostly aristocrats who valued their lives far too much. No matter how badly Voldemort wanted revenge, he understood they would not follow him to certain death. Making an enemy of someone that powerful was foolish. Tom had to swallow his anger and think more rationally. After the meeting he ordered everyone not to touch Ichiros and his student anymore, but also not to break the connection. Of course, he was not the sort to forgive, so he would remember that refusal for a long time and take revenge, but only after he dealt with the Ministry and seized Magical Britain.
When the meeting finally ended, Severus stopped watching. He opened his eyes wide, stretched with quiet satisfaction, and ran his palm tenderly over Nagini's smooth scales. Her head fit easily on his knees.
"Well, the problem is solved. Now I can relax and mind my own business. Hm?" Out of the corner of his eye Severus noticed a small package and remembered it was Lily's gift. "Interesting." He beckoned it over, and it flew into his hands.
"What is that?" Nagini asked, eyeing the package with interest.
"A gift."
When he opened it, he lifted an eyebrow in surprise. Inside lay a striped scarf.
"Handmade."
"You can tell?"
"I think so. Maybe I used to know how to knit," Nagini admitted, a little embarrassed. "But the red and green are awfully suspicious."
"Apparently she wanted to show her feelings that way, but it is stupid. If I walk around in this, my own people will laugh at me, and then the Gryffindors will too. Silly girl," Severus sighed, folding the scarf and slipping it into his wallet. "Still, refusing gifts is rude, even if I am unlikely to wear it."
"She will probably be upset," Nagini said, narrowing her eyes at him with clear disapproval.
"Let her. I hope she will leave me alone and stick to that deer, and do not be jealous," he said with a grin, tapping her nose. "I am not interested in that girl."
"I know, and stop reading my emotions already!"
"All right, all right." He patted her head, flopped onto the bed, and closed his eyes. "And the endless daily grind starts again."
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