The Sunshine of Hogwarts, Snape

At this moment, Severus had clearly seized control of the conversation among everyone present.

He had proven that he indeed knew many secrets others were unaware of, and he had successfully used the diary to demonstrate his unique, intimate connection with the Dark Lord… something far more convincing than anything Barty Jr. could offer!

When Barty Jr. had approached them, he hadn't provided a single shred of evidence to prove that the Dark Lord was still alive. Nor could he offer any credible clues about the Dark Lord's whereabouts.

But Severus was different.

Before the diary was revealed, his claims of 'We are the Dark Lord's true loyal followers' might have seemed like self-delusion.

However, once it was confirmed that the diary contained a fragment of the Dark Lord's will, their actions gained legitimacy!

Their submission to the Ministry, their avoidance of punishment… these were no longer acts of betrayal but proof of their loyalty, preserving their strength under the guidance of the Dark Lord's diary!

They now had a strong claim to their cause!

And it was Severus who had brought them this.

Now that Severus claimed he could use this diary to find the missing Dark Lord himself, his words carried even greater weight!

The Death Eaters could barely contain their excitement.

Just as Lucius, struggling to suppress his eagerness, was about to ask Severus for more details-

A sobbing voice suddenly echoed from upstairs.

His son, Draco Malfoy, came stumbling down the stairs, his face bruised and swollen!

"That filthy Mudblood! He hit me! He hit me, Father!"

All eyes in the drawing room turned toward Draco.

Every gaze was filled with displeasure, after all, this was a critical moment of discussion, and no interruption was welcome!

Severus glanced at Harry, who was following behind Draco, and after a brief eye contact to confirm he hadn't been harmed, he leaned back in his chair with a cold smirk.

"Lucius, it seems your parenting leaves much to be desired. I can confirm that Dudley's parents are both wizards, yet he has to endure such insults for no reason!"

Lucius's face darkened.

On one hand, he was distressed seeing his son hurt. On the other, he was furious that Draco had caused trouble at such an important moment.

"Get back to your room! And behave around Dudley! If you think you're in the right, then fight back with your fists instead of crying and embarrassing me like this!"

Draco stared at Lucius in shock.

He had been spoiled since he was a child and had never heard his father scold him so harshly.

Overwhelmed by humiliation, Draco clenched his teeth, said nothing more, and stormed off toward the master bedroom on the third floor… obviously going to complain to his mother Narcissa.

"Don't worry, Dudley. Pay no mind to his words… He's just a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. Go to the garden and find Lupin. Ask him for some dry bread… you can try feeding the peacocks."

Severus spoke calmly to Harry.

Harry, whose only injuries were a few scratches from Draco's desperate flailing, nodded.

"Of course I won't take his words to heart, Professor."

With that, he descended the stairs and headed out to the garden to find Lupin.

The interruption had dampened the mood, but soon the Carrow siblings broke the silence, steering the conversation back to Severus's earlier remarks.

"How do you plan to find the Dark Lord?"

This time, Severus didn't answer directly. Instead, he said leisurely:

"That's not something I can share right now. But tell me… why do you think you all had to exhaust your wealth and connections to escape Azkaban, while I was simply vouched for by Dumbledore?"

His words once again plunged the drawing room into silence.

Because Severus was speaking the truth.

They had all schemed to evade punishment, but while they had to bribe and beg for their freedom, Severus had seemingly done nothing… yet Dumbledore had shielded him, even securing him a position as a professor and Head of House at Hogwarts!

This matter has left many people baffled. Some speculate that he must have betrayed many of his colleagues to Dumbledore, while others suspect that the Dark Lord's disappearance is somehow connected to something he did.

And now, when Severus proactively brought this up, everyone immediately drew a connection… since he alone knew about the Dark Lord's whereabouts!

The fact that he was spared by Dumbledore must have been part of some arrangement made by the Dark Lord.

This was likely part of a scheme against Dumbledore!

Earlier, Severus had repeatedly said that causing chaos in the Wizarding World in the Dark Lord's name was not true loyalty… instead, staying low and enduring humiliation was the real mark of devotion.

The others had dismissed it as self-deluding nonsense, but now, everything fell into place!

Those who had chosen to lay low had done so for their own sake, for their futures.

But Severus… his submission at Hogwarts was genuine loyalty to the Dark Lord!

At this realization, the Death Eaters' breathing grew heavy.

'Yes!'

'Everything made sense now!'

It was precisely because Severus had the Dark Lord's secret orders that he had to stop Barty's reckless actions in the Wizarding World.

And why wouldn't Barty listen to Severus?

Either he wanted to use the Dark Lord's name to establish his own faction… or he had gone mad, obsessed with fulfilling what he imagined to be loyalty!

Madmen weren't common, but among those who had survived Azkaban and walked free, nine out of ten were insane.

"Speak, Snape! What do you need us to do? No… what does the Dark Lord need us to do? "

Soon, someone caught on. Crabbe was the first to speak, declaring his stance and already following Severus's lead!

Once he spoke, the others quickly followed.

"Just tell us what you need!"

"What kind of loyal servant is Barty? We are the true faithful!"

"If it means bringing the Dark Lord back, our years of endurance will have been worth it!"

Hearing their words, Severus smiled.

His smile was genuine, without any pretense… he was happy for these people from the bottom of his heart!

"It's truly wonderful to hear such promises. Now, since the Dark Lord has not yet returned, we can speak freely here among ourselves."

"First of all, our loyalty to the Dark Lord is indeed pure and unwavering… but that is because his ideology is correct, destined to lead us to pure-blood glory and create a brighter future for the Wizarding World!"

"We are united by the right ideals, not by foolish, mindless worship. So while finding the Dark Lord is our top priority, we must also reject those who exploit his name to destroy our grand vision and disrupt our peaceful lives!"

Severus cleared his throat and spoke solemnly.

"Therefore, I expect that the next time Barty and his gang approach you, you will capture them on the spot. Until the Dark Lord officially returns, we must stop them from wreaking havoc!"

The Death Eaters listened, their hearts surging with fervor. In Severus's words, their previous actions, once a source of guilt, now seemed justified.

They were truly acting for the Dark Lord's own good!

"Don't worry! If Barty contacts us again, we'll seize him and put a stop to his behavior!"

"I think Barty is acting in bad faith… gathering those lowlifes to start some new 'Death Eater' faction!"

"Thank Merlin we didn't agree to join him, or we'd have fallen into his trap and ruined the Dark Lord's plans!"

The atmosphere also became relaxed at this time.

The outcome of today's meeting with Severus had far exceeded their expectations.

Some had initially thought Barty's uprising was a disaster.

But now, if Barty hadn't caused such a stir and forced Severus' hand, he wouldn't have gathered them here and revealed the truth about the Dark Lord's whereabouts.

"After today, I will leave Britain immediately, taking this diary to search for the Dark Lord. But during this time, there will be expenses-"

Severus paused meaningfully.

At this, Nott promptly volunteered.

"I'll personally sponsor you with one thousand Galleons!"

"One thousand Galleons is a lot? Here's a key to the vault. Take it, Severus. There are three thousand Galleons in it!"

"If you're leaving Britain, it'll be inconvenient to keep coming back for funds. I have Gringotts' Europe-wide promissory notes… you can withdraw money from any Gringotts' branch on the continent!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." Severus interrupted their fervor, "This is a critical mission to bring back the Dark Lord. Since resigning from Hogwarts this summer, I've been preparing for this."

"Our Lord's return is imminent… within a year or two!"

"However, Barty's actions were unexpected, which is why I had to take the risk today and reveal part of the truth to you."

"As for funds, let's set it at a thousand Galleons per family. Hand them to Lucius… he'll open a separate vault at Gringotts in Diagon Alley and obtain exchangeable notes. Every expense during the search will be recorded, drawn from this vault, so everyone knows exactly where the money goes!"

Seeing Severus' professionalism, Rosier sighed in admiration.

"The Dark Lord truly chose the right man!"

"Not just money… our assets aren't limited to Britain. We have businesses across Europe. If you need anything during your search, just send word!"

The other Death Eaters followed suit, expressing their complete trust in Severus.

"Additionally, I'd like to ask for one more favor… for me, or rather, for the Dark Lord."

Severus spoke gravely, but Ghost Snape inside him had his eyelids twitching.

He was certain Severus wouldn't stop until he had squeezed every last drop from his former 'comrades'!

"Whether you want money or people… just ask!"

"I don't need money or manpower." Severus said slowly. "It's about the Lestrange Family. After the Dark Lord's disappearance, they lost all reason, committing acts that seemed loyal but actually defied his will."

"In their Gringotts vault lies an object of utmost importance to the Dark Lord. I need your help retrieving it."

"What is it?"

"A golden cup."