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Chapter 703: Spinner's End, Bellatrix's Mistake
Chapter 703: Spinner's End, Bellatrix's Mistake
As the Minister of Magic, Fudge's decisions were final, and even if Scrimgeour was reluctant, he had no choice but to acquiesce.
Especially now that he had received one-fifth of the donation, his attitude was not as firm as before, and he tacitly agreed with Fudge's suggestion to give Lupin a chance.
When Sirius walked out of the Ministry of Magic, he had a roll of parchment in his hand.
"I never thought that a problem that has plagued Remus for decades would be solved so easily?" Sirius carefully put away the parchment, "I have to thank you on his behalf, Kyle."
"That five thousand galleons wasn't from me." Kyle said, "And it's not that simple. After all, not everyone can afford to donate five thousand galleons.
"And Lupin's identity has a lot to do with it as well."
"Lupin's identity..." Sirius was a bit puzzled, "A member of the Order of the Phoenix?"
Aside from that, he couldn't think of any other special identity Lupin might have.
"Sort of." Kyle said, "Dumbledore trusts him. Not only did he make an exception to allow him to attend Hogwarts, but he also appointed him as the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. This is the main reason why Fudge and Scrimgeour agreed...
"If it weren't for Dumbledore setting this precedent, not only would they not accept a donation of five thousand galleons, but even if you donated fifty thousand galleons, the Ministry would never agree to let a werewolf become an Auror."
"It's not that bad... Fifty thousand galleons is still a huge sum, even for those ancient pure-blood families." Sirius said doubtfully.
Fifty thousand galleons was indeed a large sum, even for the oldest of pure-blood families.
"The situation is different now." Kyle said, "Werewolves have made it clear that they will join the Death Eaters. If people find out that the Ministry has allowed a werewolf to become an Auror, Fudge will be driven from office by angry wizards, and Scrimgeour will likely be ousted as well."
"What about Remus..."
"He's different." Kyle said quietly, "As I said, Professor Dumbledore set a precedent... Even if people find out, Fudge can easily defuse the anger of the wizards by saying, 'He used to be a professor at Hogwarts and was trusted by Dumbledore.'"
"Is that so?" Sirius nodded as if he understood, but he still felt a bit confused.
"Well, regardless, Lupin can finally live in the light, just like when he was exonerated." Sirius continued, "Of course, there will still be strange looks, but I believe that with Lupin's character, he will eventually earn the respect of even more people."
"When he was at Hogwarts, Lupin managed to do it very successfully. After he resigned and left the school, he received letters and gifts from more than a hundred students during Christmas."
As for Lupin spending all his savings and even borrowing a lot of money from me to reciprocate... that's another story.
"I have to hurry back and tell Remus this good news." Sirius said eagerly, "What about you? Are you coming with me?"
"No." Cedric shook his head, "I've already wasted enough time. I need to hurry and find Cedric. He's probably been waiting anxiously."
"Is it still because of the Dementors?" Sirius asked.
"Yes." Kyle nodded.
"I already made the donation. The news of the bounty on the Dementors should be published in the newspaper soon, so you shouldn't need to worry too much now."
"The bounty is just to speed things up. There's no conflict there."
"Alright then." Sirius said seriously, "Just be careful. If you notice anything unusual, don't hesitate to run."
"Don't worry, I know." Kyle assured him.
After that, the two parted ways.
Kyle returned to St. Kachipur Village and found Cedric anxiously pacing in front of his house.
"You're finally back. I've been waiting for you all morning..." Cedric said.
"Sorry, I was delayed by some matters." Kyle said. Suddenly, he noticed that Cedric was not alone.
Standing next to him was a house-elf wearing goggles and a leather jacket, styled like a rock star.
In Kyle's impression, there was only one house-elf who dressed so fashionably...
"Tata?" Kyle exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
"Master sent me over." Tata walked over and said.
"Nikole?" Kyle scratched his head, puzzled.
Indeed, the Tata before him was Nikole's house-elf, but there was something he didn't understand...
"I only asked Nikole about how to use that thing. We could have just communicated via letter, why did he send you all the way from Devon?"
"Master said..." Tata cleared his throat, "It's really unexpected. I've lived for over six hundred years, and I've never heard of anyone using the Fire-Making Spell against Dementors. I don't think any sane wizard would do that..."
Tata imitated Nikole's tone, but Kyle felt that something was amiss.
What does 'I don't think any sane wizard would do that' imply? Am I insane?
Moreover, there should have been cases of Dementors turning traitor before, shouldn't there?
It was a pity that Nikole wasn't here, as Tata, being just a house-elf, probably couldn't answer his questions.
After thinking for a while, Kyle took out a bottle containing black granules.
"So, Nikole doesn't know what this is for either?"
"Yes." Tata said, "But Master is very interested, so he asked me to bring some back."
"Then take it all.
The main reason for Kyle's sudden change of heart was that he had just thought of a possible use for the substance beyond alchemy. Just as the eccentric concoctions of rat spleen and leech juice could be brewed into potions, why couldn't the essence of a Dementor be used in a similar fashion? With that in mind, he intended to give the remaining half to Madam Pomfrey at St. Mungo's.
...
After Tata left, Kyle and Cedric resumed their search for the Dementors, tracking their elusive quarry.
Meanwhile, many miles away, in a place where the sky was shrouded in an unusually thick layer of gray mist, even in broad daylight, it remained gloomy and somber.
A dirty river snaked its way through the mist, its banks overgrown with weeds and littered with garbage. Looming over this desolate landscape was a massive, dilapidated chimney, its presence adding to the air of gloom.
And yet, in this dismal setting, two figures suddenly appeared out of thin air—no, they were women.
Their silhouettes, one following the other, materialized through a spell of Apparition.
"Sis, listen to me!"
The second woman, hurrying to catch up, reached for her sister's arm, only to be shrugged off.
"Go back, Bella."
"You must listen to me, Cissy! You can't trust him."
"Why not, when the Dark Lord himself trusts him!" The woman continued striding forward, her back to her sister.
"The Dark Lord must have... I mean, he must have made a mistake.
"Stop, Narcissa!" Bellatrix shouted. "He's probably already betrayed us. Even if he hasn't, we can't reveal our plan to anyone. It would be a betrayal of the Dark Lord."
"Then go ahead and report me," Narcissa said over her shoulder, her voice cold. "Let the Dark Lord punish me with the Cruciatus Curse or the Killing Curse... I don't care!"
Her voice took on a shrill, hysterical edge. "I don't care about anything anymore!"
Narcissa drew her wand and slashed it through the air in front of her. Bellatrix, as if stung by something invisible, let out a pained cry and released her sister's arm.
"Narcissa, how can you speak to your own sister like this...?"
"I'll do whatever it takes for Draco..." Narcissa Malfoy glanced at Bellatrix, her eyes hard, before turning away and striding toward the riverbank, into the maze of dilapidated brick buildings.
Bellatrix had no choice but to follow.
They passed a faded sign that still bore the name 'Spinner's End'.
Finally, Narcissa stopped in front of the last house on the lane and knocked on the door, ignoring Bellatrix's muttered curses.
The door creaked open, revealing a sallow face and a pair of dark eyes.
"Narcissa? What a surprise..."
"Severus," Narcissa said anxiously. "May I speak with you? It's urgent."
"Of course."
Snape stepped back, inviting them in, though Bellatrix pushed her way inside without waiting for an invitation.
Snape's thin lips twisted into a faintly mocking smile, but he said nothing.
They entered a small, shabby living room, dimly lit by a flickering candle on the ceiling, which cast faint light on the sparse furniture—a threadbare sofa, a worn armchair, and a wobbly table.
The place seemed long unoccupied, and as soon as they entered, Narcissa wrinkled her nose at the strong, musty smell that permeated the air, like rotting straw.
She instinctively covered her nose but quickly lowered her hand, not wanting to appear rude. Instead, she steeled herself and tried to ignore the unpleasant odor.
Bellatrix, however, had no such qualms.
"Snape, how long has it been since you last stayed here?"
"I thought you'd have grown accustomed to the conditions in Azkaban..." Snape said, bringing over two cups of water and setting them on a table. "Surely it's worse there."
Bellatrix's face turned an unhealthy shade of green, and she said coldly, "I endured Azkaban for the sake of the Dark Lord. It's far better than cowering here in this filthy dump."
"Is it?" Snape's tone was laced with sarcasm as he eyed her. "As far as I know, you seem to have misplaced something of great importance to the Dark Lord. His trust in you has certainly diminished as a result."
Bellatrix's expression darkened further.
"It was stolen from my vault! Gringotts is to blame, not me!"
"How convenient," Snape drawled. "Isn't it just like you to blame others for your own mistakes? To think that while you were in Azkaban, someone broke into the Lestranges' vault, took what the Dark Lord valued, and then quietly returned the key to its place."
"Tsk..." He clicked his tongue. "Honestly, even the dimmest student I've ever taught could see through this pathetic excuse of yours."
"I'm telling the truth!" Bellatrix's eyes blazed. "We just need to capture that house-elf, and we'll know who's behind this."
"There's no need for you to trouble yourself with that," Snape said. "In fact, I've already done it for you. I extracted the memory of several house-elves, using Legilimency."
"Who did it?" Bellatrix stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she gripped Snape's shoulders.
"Let go." Snape peeled her fingers off his shoulders with distaste. After a slight pause, he continued, "Unfortunately, none of the house-elves' memories showed anyone entering the Lestranges' vault. The last person to do so was you, the day before you were sent to Azkaban."
Bellatrix stood there, frozen, as if she wanted to leave immediately and explain herself to the Dark Lord, but she dared not... She couldn't bear to imagine that scene...
"Finally, some peace and quiet from that annoying woman." Snape waved his wand, and the water cups on the table vanished.
He brought out two new cups and a bottle of wine.
"Have a drink..." Snape poured a cup for Narcissa, "I think you'll need it."
Narcissa grabbed the cup with a trembling hand and took a sip, some of the wine spilling onto her clothes.
"Th-thank you..."
"You're welcome." Snape said, "You should leave now..."
"No!" Narcissa screamed, "Listen to me, Severus, you're the only one who can help me now... Although the Dark Lord forbids me from speaking of this, Draco..."
"If he doesn't want you to speak of it, then you should keep quiet." Snape interrupted her.
"If I hadn't happened to know about this plan, you would have made a grave mistake, one that could cost your life!"
"You know!" Narcissa exclaimed, her head lifting in surprise.
"Yes." Snape said, "Although very few people know of this plan, I happen to be one of them."
"I knew it... The Dark Lord trusts you so much, you must know."
Bellatrix, standing beside her, looked at Snape with disbelief. She never expected that this traitor, this coward who did nothing when the Dark Lord was at his weakest, would still be held in such trust.
Why him?! An inexplicable jealousy twisted her face.
However, neither of the two people present paid any attention to her.
"You have to help me..." Narcissa said, tears streaming down her pale cheeks,
"Severus, Draco is only sixteen... He doesn't know what awaits him... It's too dangerous, the Dark Lord is just taking revenge for Lucius' mistake, I know it!
"At the Ministry of Magic, the prophecy sphere was shattered, and the Dark Lord was furious. He needed someone to blame for this."
"Lucius was the first to run back, so he chose Draco, just to punish Lucius, isn't it!"
"Shut up!" Snape said coldly, "Do not presume to guess the Dark Lord's thoughts, and speaking of the prophecy sphere, this Lestrange woman's responsibility is far greater than Lucius'."
Narcissa's body trembled, and more wine spilled from her cup. As for Bellatrix, she had gone numb.
Compared to the item she had lost, the prophecy sphere was insignificant...
But she couldn't understand how that item had disappeared so neatly, the key perfectly hidden, known only to her.
Bellatrix looked dazed, even suspecting that she might have placed the item elsewhere, but had lost that part of her memory due to her prolonged time with the Dementors.
She had seen this happen many times; the Dementors could drive people insane, scrambling their memories. It was all too common.
And Snape had just mentioned that she had visited Gringotts before her arrest...
But what had she done there? Bellatrix tried to recall, but to no avail. Her memory was a blur.
On the other hand, Narcissa continued to beg Snape for help.
"If Draco succeeds," Snape looked at her and said calmly, "he will gain more honor than anyone else."
"He won't succeed!" Narcissa screamed, "No one ever has... It's Dumbledore..."
The name seemed to drain her of all courage, and Narcissa's voice shook as she said, "Severus, you are the Dark Lord's most favored confidant, his most trusted advisor. Can't you talk to him, convince him..."
"The Dark Lord will not be persuaded by anyone." Snape said, "I won't be foolish enough to attempt that."
"No!" Narcissa cried, clutching her chest, "If nothing else, can he just complete half of it... Just half..."
Snape raised an eyebrow, "If I'm not mistaken, the Dark Lord has two targets this time. Completing half of it would mean..."
"Yes, that student called Kyle..." Narcissa sobbed, "Although I don't know who he is, he must be easier to deal with than Dumbledore, right..."
Snape's expression was odd, but he soon returned to his usual calm.
In a sense, what Narcissa said was true, but from another perspective, it wasn't.
How should he put it? At least when facing Dumbledore, even if Draco failed, his life wouldn't be in danger.
Seeing that Snape remained silent, Narcissa gradually fell apart, tugging at her golden hair and collapsing onto the floor.
"Narcissa, that's enough." Snape helped her up.
"Perhaps I could... help Draco."
Narcissa sat up straight, "Will you help him complete this task?"
"No, this is the Dark Lord's task, and he must complete it himself."
"Then will you protect him?" Narcissa clutched Snape's robe, "Will you watch over him there and ensure his safety?"
Snape paused for a moment, "I can only say I'll try."
...
(End of Chapter)
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