Spider Tail Alley is a street on the outskirts of Cokworth, next to a tall, old chimney.

Corkworth, once the largest industrial town in Leedsshire, was once the largest industrial town in the whole of northern England, where coking coal was mined and then transported, and the surrounding roadways were once filled with small housing for workers.

But now, there is no more black smoke coming out of the chimneys, no more reddish-brown sewage coming out of the pipes, and the quality of the air is still pretty bad and the river is still black......

The huge chimney hadn't worked in years, and it was covered with moss...... Except for the murmur of the black river, there was a dead silence on all sides, and there was hardly any sign of life in sight.

Occasionally, you can hear the small cries of foxes like babies, as if mourning the complete death of this town, which symbolizes the era of the Industrial Revolution.

......

An elongated figure in a cloak and hood walked to the old chimney while looking around.

It's a woman.

She looked to be quite old, but her skin was well maintained, and she should have been used to a pampered life, and judging by the gold and silver jewelry on her body, she came from a fairly wealthy family.

Such a woman should not be in a dirty place like Cokworth. Although the thieves in the alleyway should welcome her appearance.

The woman moves carefully, looking behind her from time to time, as if she is worried that someone is following her......

"Is it here?" she paused, and began to look at an old mansion in front of her.

The old mansion seems to have been abandoned for decades, and the handles on the doors are starting to rust...... The woman looked down carefully, then shook her head slightly.

"No, we have to keep going!" she muttered to herself.

As she walked away quickly, she glanced at the name written on the door number - "Evans".

It's a somewhat familiar surname, but I can't remember who it is for a while...... She was sure, though, that there was no Evans family among the Twenty-Eight Sacred Pure-Bloods, and maybe some of her classmates from her time at Hogwarts, but she couldn't remember it for too long.

It was already completely dark, and she sped through an alley between the houses and into another street that was almost identical. There was no human being in either alley, and the street lights were almost all broken.

The witch took her wand from her pocket and whispered:

"Luminos!"

Having illuminated the way forward, she moved on.

The tall mill chimney towered into the sky like a giant finger raised for warning.

She walked past the old windows nailed to the boards, and her footsteps on the cobblestones echoed. She came to the last house, and the dim light peeked through the curtains in the room below.

"This should be it?" she muttered to herself, looking down at the map.

......

Narcissa Malfoy knocked lightly on the door, then stood outside the door waiting, panting slightly, sniffing the scent of the river of sewage that had been blown by the evening breeze.

She lifted her hood behind her head, her face was very pale, and her long blond hair was scattered behind her back...... She looked embarrassed.

To be honest, Narcissa has lived in this world for almost forty years, and has never been so helpless as she is now...... Her husband was imprisoned in Azkaban, her sister was imprisoned in Azkaban, and her son was assigned a terrible mission by the Dark Lord......

It can be said that all her relatives are in an extremely dangerous situation...... In addition to a sister who married a mudblood and never contacted her, and a cousin who was working as a dog for Dumbledore.

She had no choice but to save her poor and innocent son...... She had to travel thousands of miles to Spider's Tail Alley to ask for help.

"He used to be Lucius's most trusted friend...... "Narcissa muttered to herself, "I hope he can help Draco ......"

Her face was already full of tears.

There was movement behind the door, and then the door opened a crack, and a man looked at them, his long black hair draped over the sides like a curtain, and in the middle was a huge hooked nose and a pair of dark bottomless eyes.

"Oh, Narcissa?" the man looked slightly surprised, "I'm glad to see you!"

......

He did it from the heart, because he did seem happy.

Severus Snape said calmly, "I really didn't expect you to find me alone...... You know what I mean, my house is dirty and remote. ”

Narcissa Malfoy couldn't agree more, especially after meeting the ill-intentioned Muggles along the way.

But she did not dare to use spells to educate them, fearing that the Aurors would find out, and sent her to Azkaban to accompany her sister and husband.

"Severus?" Narcissa asked nervously, "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, there's plenty of time, my friend!" said Snape smiled and stepped back to let her into the room.

"Are you the only one living here?" Narcissa walked into a small living room, which felt like a dimly lit cell, surrounded by books, most of them old black or brown leather covers, and a candle-lit lamp falling from the ceiling, casting a dim glow.

Following Severus Snape's instructions, Narcissa sat down on the slightly musty couch.

"It's just me. Snape nodded calmly, "I have dedicated my entire life to the cause of the Dark Lord for more than thirty years. ”

As he spoke, he sat down and waved his wand, and a glass of blood-red wine flew to Narcissa, and another to Snape's side.

"For the Dark Lord. He raised his glass and drank it down.

"For the Dark Lord. Narcissa said absent-mindedly, and also picked it up and took a few sips.

Snape waved his wand again, refilling her glass.

"Severus-" The witch looked a little overwhelmed, and she said with some pleading, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't think of any other way, you have to help Draco and save him......"

Severus-Snape calmly held up a finger and motioned for her not to continue.

......

"First of all, Draco is already our partner. Snape said mildly.

"He's not an adult, he's just a child......" Narcissa couldn't help but argue.

"But that doesn't change the fact that he's our partner!" Snape continued, unfazed by Narcissa's interruption, "Secondly, I know the Dark Lord's plans, every detail of them, and Draco's mission. ”

"You know?" Narcissa was stunned, "The Dark Lord is obviously ...... Just told Draco about his mission......"

"And his most loyal servants!" said Snape with a mysterious smile, then picked up his glass and drank the blood-red wine inside.

"I heard...... The Dark Lord doesn't trust anyone anymore...... Especially after the battle of the Department of Mysteries...... After Lucius and Bella were imprisoned in Azkaban...... Narcissa stammered.

"But he trusts those who are loyal to him. Snape's face looked relaxed:

"Although the Department of Mysteries lost the first battle, it also allowed the Dark Lord to see who was the servant who was truly loyal to him and who was the traitor...... It's a pity that the Dark Lord made a small mistake before!"

"The damn Auror?" Narcissa's face changed.

"That's right, Alastor Moody, or Barty Crouch Jr...... We don't know who he really is!" Snape said with a serious face, "Dumbledore should have dropped the bag for him, but I don't know when he did it......"

"Then before the battle of the Department of Mysteries, why didn't you ......"

"Dumbledore was always tight-lipped about his plans, and no one could read through his mind...... He's a great wizard!" Seeing that Narcissa Malfoy's face was not quite right, Snape added, "I think the Dark Lord thinks so too." ”

"I was one of Dumbledore's most trusted subordinates, so I noticed a little bit of a stir at the time, though I didn't know much about it. Snape spoke, "Two days before the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, I risked my life to leave Hogwarts and go to Malfoy Manor, I think you remember!"

"That's right!" Narcissa was stunned, then nodded hurriedly, "I took you to see the Dark Lord at the time. ”

"I warned the Dark Lord and told him that there seemed to be something wrong with the Order of the Phoenix...... And they seem to be planning something, and although I don't know the specifics, I can feel that it's dangerous. Snape shook his head with some regret, "It's a pity that the Dark Lord didn't believe me...... Of course, the Dark Lord believed in my loyalty, but he felt that the information I had received was not necessarily accurate. ”

"Because Barty Crouch Jr.?" said Narcissa, a little puffy.

"Yes, because he had received information from Barty Crouch Jr., who was deeper than me, had a higher status in the Order of the Phoenix, and had a closer relationship with the Dark Lord before he received my warning...... So, the Dark Lord has absolutely no reason to believe my warnings other than to believe Barty Crouch Jr.'s intelligence. ”

"What's more, Barty Crouch Jr.'s intelligence and plans are even more tempting for the Dark Lord...... Snape went on to explain, "They plan to lure Dumbledore to the Department of Mysteries through Harry Potter, and then the Dark Lord will attract Dumbledore's attention, and Mr. Crouch will take advantage of Dumbledore's inattention and launch an attack on him...... Kill him, or at least seriously injure him!"

"It's just that none of us thought that Barty Crouch Jr. had already been dropped...... It was the Dark Lord who was attacked, and it was also the Dark Lord who was seriously injured...... Through this painful lesson, I think the Dark Lord should be able to understand who is the more loyal servant to him!"

A smile tugged at the corners of Snape's mouth.

"I never doubted your loyalty to the Dark Lord, Severus ......," Narcissa quickly explained.

"Yes, I believe you, Narcissa. Snape nodded, "Your sister was suspicious of me before, but now she's going to Azkaban to be with the Dementors...... No, there don't seem to be any Dementors in Azkaban now, and the garrison Aurors seem to be even more boring. ”

......

Narcissa Malfoy felt that they had been discussing unrelated matters for too long.

She thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, "Severus, about Draco...... And the Dark Lord's quest for Draco......"

"But, Narcissa......" Severus-Snape shook her head gently, "but what help do you need? If you imagine that I can persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind, I'm afraid there is no hope, no hope at all!"

"Severus......" said Narcissa, tears rolling down her pale cheeks, "my son...... My only son......"

"Draco should be proud. Snape said with a cold face, "The Dark Lord has given him a great honor!"

"But he's only sixteen, and he has no idea what awaits him!Why, Snape?Why my son? It's too dangerous! It's revenge for Lucius's mistake, I know!" Narcissa Malfoy in front of him couldn't stop crying.

"Maybe you can be a little more relieved, Narcissa!" Snape's face softened, and he replied slowly, "The Dark Lord has always been merciful, and he won't send Draco to death for nothing......"

Looking at Narcissa as she was about to speak, Snape held out a finger and motioned for her not to interrupt herself.

"The Dark Lord has a more specific plan, and Draco is just one part of it...... You don't think that the Dark Lord can accomplish such a difficult task with Draco alone!"

"What do you mean...... What do you mean......" Narcissa froze as she looked at Snape.

"Since the Dark Lord told me about this plan, it was not for the sake of talking to me. Snape smiled calmly, "I also play a very important role in this plan, you should know what I mean, Narcissa!"

"So, you're going to help Draco?" said Narcissa Malfoy, trembling.

"Of course, that's what the Dark Lord meant. Snape nodded without thinking.

"Thank goodness!" Narcissa looked relieved.

Snape waved his wand again, and two more glasses of blood-red wine flew in front of them.

"For the Dark Lord. He raised his glass and drank it down.

"For the Dark Lord. Narcissa raised her glass with excitement on her face and shouted.