"Peter Pettigrew, he's not dead yet?"

Although Van Lin was not very interested in the actions of the Ministry of Magic, the word Peter Pettigrew still irritated him a little.

It was a guy he had wasted a lot of effort to catch, and then he was locked up in Azkaban, even the last time Bellatrix and others escaped from prison on a large scale, Peter Pettigrew did not leave Azkaban, Van Lin once thought that Voldemort had completely abandoned him as a servant, but this time ......

"Oh yes. The Auror hesitated, "Sirius Black told us not to let him die, but now it looks like it was the wrong decision. ”

"It was a really bad decision. Van Lin shook his head, he really couldn't grasp what Sirius thought.

Perhaps because his old friends had died one by one, Sirius thought that Peter Pettigrew could stay in Azkaban honestly hungry.

Or let him live in pain?

Either way, life in Azkaban was worse than death, but the Death Eaters were gone, and it didn't get any better.

Meanwhile......

Far from London, on a small filthy river, the banks of which are overgrown with weeds and garbage.

A huge chimney stood out out from the ground, dark and terrifying, the remains of an abandoned mill.

There was no sound at all, only the rustle of the little black river as it passed, and a scrawny fox scurried out and rummaged hopefully through the tall weeds for old packages of fried fish and potato chips.

Other than that, there is not the slightest sign of life here. Suddenly, there was a faint boom from the river, and a slender man with a hood stepped out of the thin air.

The fox froze for a moment, staring at the unusual scene with alarm. The man seemed to look for direction for a moment, and then came with a brisk step, his long cloak making a rustling sound over the weeds.

Then there was another bang, and another hooded man appeared.

"Wait for me!" the fox curled up in the overgrown weeds, as if frightened by the shrill call. It suddenly jumped up from its hiding place and ran upstream.

Suddenly a green light flashed, followed by a scream, and the fox fell to the ground and died. The second man walked up and flipped the fox over on tiptoe.

"Just a fox," a contemptuous female voice came from under the hood. "I thought it was an Auror - Sicy, wait for me!" the man she was chasing glanced back at the flash and continued to hurry to the shore. "Cissy—Narcissa—listen to me—" The second woman grabbed the arm of the woman in front of her, but she immediately broke free.

"Go back, Bella!"

"You have to listen to me!"

"I've heard it. I also made a decision, don't bother me anymore!"

Narcissa had climbed ashore, and the old guardrails on the bank separated the creek from a narrow cobblestone road. Bella immediately followed. They stood side by side on the side of the road, looking at the rows of crumbling brick houses opposite, their windows dull and hidden in the darkness.

"Where does he live?" Bellatrix asked contemptuously. "Here, in this muggle-gathering dunghill, we must be the first of our kind to set foot in—"

But Narcissa had not listened to her, she had already made a gap in the rusty guardrail, and hurried to cross the street.

"Cissy, wait!" Bella followed, her robe fluttering slightly behind her, and she saw Narcissa cross an alley between houses and into another, which was almost identical.

Some of the street lamps were broken, and the two women were running in the dappled light and darkness. Bella finally caught up to Narcissa after another turn, and this time she managed to grab Narcissa's arm and pull her over.

"Sicy, you can't do this, you can't trust him-"

"The Dark Lord trusts him, doesn't he?"

"The Dark Lord...... I believe...... It's a mistake," Bella gasped, her eyes flashing under her hood as she saw that there was no one else around.

"Under no circumstances can we tell anyone about this plan. It's a betrayal of the Dark Lord—"

"Let go of me, Bella!" Narcissa roared, drawing a wand from under her cloak and pointing it menacingly at the other's face.

But Bella just smiled.

"Sicy, pointing to your own sister? you won't-"

"There's nothing I wouldn't dare to do!" Narcissa took a breath, her voice a little hysterical, and she swung her wand down like a knife, only to see another flash of light, and Bella let go of her sister's hand as if she had been burned.

"Narcissa!" but Narcissa had already rushed forward. Bellamore followed with his palms in his hands, this time keeping a little distance as they walked deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of brick houses.

Finally Narcissa rushed to a path called Spidertail Alley, from which she looked up the chimneys of the mill like a giant shaking his warning fingers. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the cobblestones, and after passing through many windows that had been covered by planks or simply shattered, she finally reached the last room, a faint light streaming through the curtains of the room downstairs.

This made Narcissa's heart a little apprehensive, in fact, she didn't know if it was the right choice, but, Lucius...... And the Dark Lord......

She knocked on the door, and Bella cursed and caught up from behind. They stood outside the door together, panting slightly, smelling the night breeze coming from the river.

After a few seconds, they heard movement behind the door, and only to hear a click, the door opened. A lanky man stared at both of them, with long black hair wrapped around a sallow face with black eyes. Narcissa lifted her hood back. Her face looked so pale that it shone a little in the dark, and her blonde hair went down to her back, looking like a drowning man.

"Narcissa!" the man opened the door wider so that the light could shine on the sisters. "What a surprise. ”

"Severus," she whispered nervously. "Can I talk to you? It's urgent. ”

"Of course. He dodged and let her in. Her sister, who was still hooded, followed in, though not invited.

"Snape," she said briefly.

"Bellatrix," he replied, a slight sneer curling at the corners of his mouth, and closed the door behind them. They walked straight into a small living room, which felt like walking into a hospital room. Several walls were filled with books, most of them in black or brown leather, and a tacky sofa, an old-fashioned armchair and a rickety table sat alongside, shrouded in dim light from the candle chandelier on the roof. It feels like a forgotten corner, and it usually doesn't seem to be inhabited.

Snape sat Narcissa down on the couch. She took off her cloak and threw it aside, then sat down, staring at her pale, trembling hands resting on her knees. Bellatrix was much slower to take off his hood. Although her sister is very beautiful, she is very ...... Resembling a skeleton, she stood behind her sister, her eyes fixed on Snape.

"So, is there anything I can do?" asked Snape, facing the two sisters in their armchairs.

"There's no one else...... , is it?" asked Narcissa softly.

"Of course not. Oh, Wormtail is here, and Lucius systematically, but we're talking about people, not bugs, right?" he pointed his wand at a wall full of books behind him, and with a bang, a hidden door opened, and a dumbfounded man stood on the narrow staircase inside.

"As you spotted, Wormtail, we've got guests coming," Snape said lazily. The man tiptoed down the last few steps. He had small, watery eyes, a pointed nose, and an obnoxious smirk on his face, but it all seemed very jerky, and life in Azkaban......

"If you want something to drink, Wormtail will be happy to do it," Snape said. Then he would go back to the bedroom. Worm's tail stepped back, like Snape had thrown something at him.

Obviously, he was a little afraid of Snape, he wasn't the loyal Death Eater who had completed the Dark Lord's mission, he was just a poor man who had just escaped from Azkaban......

After a while, Wormtail fetched a bottle of red wine, and his hands trembled a little, as if he had not fully recovered.

He knew all three people in front of him, and even at Hogwarts, they were all classmates, but now ......

Snape poured the blood-red wine into three glasses, then handed two of them to the sisters. Narcissa muttered a thank you, but Bellatrix said nothing, still glaring at Snape.

It didn't seem to bother him, on the contrary, he seemed quite pleasant.

"Bless the Dark Lord," he said, raising his glass and dripping it down. The two sisters did as he did. Snape poured them wine again.

Narcissa drank her second glass of wine and said hurriedly, "Severus, I'm sorry I came to visit you so presumptuous, but I must come to see you. I think you're the only one who can help me—"

Snape raised his hand to stop her from continuing, pointing his wand at the door that led to the staircase. With a loud bang and a scream, there was the sound of Wormtail hurrying upstairs.

"I'm sorry," said Snape, "he's been eavesdropping behind the door lately, and I don't know what he means by that...... Where are you, Narcissa?"

She took a deep breath with a shudder and continued her sermon. "Severus, I know I shouldn't be here, I can't tell anyone anything, but—"

"Then you should shut up!" Bellatrix growled. "Especially in front of such people!"

"Such a person?" Snape repeated sarcastically. So what should I understand, Bellatrix?"

"That's I don't trust you, Snape, you know that very well. Narcissa let out a sound that sounded like a dry cry and covered her face with her hand. Snape put his cup back on the table and sat back down, his hands on the armrests of his chair, smiling at Bellatrix's angry face.

"Narcissa, I think we should listen to what Bellatrix has to say so she doesn't keep interrupting us. Well, go on, Bellatrix," Snape said. "Why don't you trust me. ”

"A hundred reasons!" she said aloud, striding from behind the couch and slamming her cup down on the table. "Where did you begin! Where did you go when the Dark Lord failed? Why didn't you try to find him when he disappeared? What did you do all these years under Dumbledore's protection? Why did you stop the Dark Lord from getting the Philosopher's Stone? Why didn't you come right away on the day the Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you a few weeks ago when we fought so hard to recover the Dark Lord's prophecy? And why, Snape, have you kept Harry Potter alive for the past five years under your mercy?"

She stopped, her chest heaving violently, her cheeks flushed. Behind her, Narcissa sat unresponsive, her face still buried in her hands. Snape smiled.

"Before I answer you—oh yes, Bellatrix, I will answer you! You can relay my words to those who whisper behind my back, and bring back to the Dark Lord the false rumors of my betrayal of him. Before I answer you, I say, let me ask you one more question. Do you really think the Dark Lord didn't ask me all these questions? Do you really think that if I didn't give him a satisfactory answer, he would still let me sit here and talk to you?"

She hesitated. "I know he believes in you, but-"

"Do you think he's wrong? Or do I think I've fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard of all, the most adept deformant in the world?"

Bellatrix didn't say anything, but it looked a little awkward for the first time.

Stupid woman?, but Severus didn't show the slightest expression on his face.

For Bellatrix, her loyalty to Voldemort is unquestionable, but this is also Bella's weakness, unconditionally believing in Voldemort, because in her eyes, he is omnipotent.

Snape didn't dwell on this. He picked up his glass again, took a sip, and continued, "You asked me where the Dark Lord had gone when he failed, and I was at the place he ordered me to stay, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, because he wanted me to spy on Albus Dumbledore. I thought you knew that I was at the behest of the Dark Lord to hold my post. ”

She nodded almost imperceptibly, and was about to open her mouth to speak, when Snape stopped her again.

"You asked me why I didn't try to find him during the time he was gone. For the same reasons as Avery, Jacqueli, the Caro, Greyback, and Lucius," he tilted his head slightly towards Narcissa, "and a great multitude, none of them went to him. I'm sure he's done. I'm not happy, I was wrong, though...... If he doesn't forgive those of us who lost faith at one point, he won't have a few followers left. ”

"He's still with me!" Bellatrix said passionately. "I, for so many years in Azkaban, for him. ”

"Yes, indeed, admirable," Snape said in a boring tone. "Of course, you're useless to him in prison, but it's certainly a nice gesture—"

"Gesture!" she screamed, looking like she was going mad. "I'm enduring the torture of the Dementors, and you're still at Hogwarts, comfortable being Dumbledore's pet!"