"Actually, not exactly," Snape said calmly, looking at Bellatrix in front of him with a look of annoyance.

"He won't let me be a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, you know. He seemed to believe that this would bring me back to my old ways...... Tempt me to my old path. ”

"That's the sacrifice you made for the Dark Lord, not teaching your favorite subject?" she scoffed. "Then why are you still there, spying on Dumbledore for a master you think is dead?"

"Reluctantly," said Snape, "though the Dark Lord was glad that I hadn't left his post without trespassing: when he returned, I gave him information about Dumbledore for sixteen years as a greeting gift, far more useful than those endless memories of the hated Azkaban prison......"

"But you stayed—"

"Yes, Bellatrix, I stayed," Snape showed a sign of impatience for the first time. "I have a much more comfortable job than being stuck in Azkaban prison. You know they're hunting down Death Eaters. Dumbledore's protection allowed me to escape prison and take advantage of it. I repeat: not even the Dark Lord complained that I was staying there, and I don't know what reason you have to do that. ”

"I think you should want to know now," he continued, raising his voice slightly, as Bellatrix looked like he wanted to interrupt him again, "why am I standing between the Dark Lord and the Philosopher's Stone?" This is easy to answer. He wasn't sure if he should trust me. Like you, he thought I had gone from being a faithful Death Eater to being a jester in Dumbledore's body. He was in a pitiful situation, very weak, sharing a body with an ordinary wizard. He didn't dare expose himself to any of his former comrades, fearing they would betray him to Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic. I deeply regret that he didn't trust me. He could have come back three years earlier. In fact, I only saw the greedy and despicable Quirrell trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone, so, I confess that I did everything in my power to stop him. ”

Bellatrix's mouth twisted as if he had swallowed some unpalatable medicine. "But you didn't return to him when he returned, and you didn't fly back to him immediately when you felt the burning pain of the Dark Mark—"

"Not bad. I didn't go back until two hours later. I went back on Dumbledore's orders. ”

"Follow Dumbledore's ——?," she said angrily.

"Think about it!" Snape grew impatient again. "Just wait two more hours, just two hours, and I'll be sure that I'll be able to stay at Hogwarts and continue to be my spy!Make Dumbledore think I'm just going back on his orders, and I'll be able to keep hearing from Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix! Think about it, Bellatrix: The Mark of the Dark Magic has grown stronger and stronger over the years, and I know he's ready to make a comeback, as all the Death Eaters know! I have enough time to think about what I'm going to do, plan my next move, go and slip away like Karkaroff, don't I?"

"The Dark Lord was very unhappy with my tardiness at first, and I assure you that after I explained that I was loyal to the Dark Lord even though Dumbledore thought I was on his side, yes, the Dark Lord thought I was leaving him forever, but he was mistaken. ”

"But what role did you play?" Bellatrix sneered, "what useful information did you give us?"

"My information goes directly to the Dark Lord," Snape said, "and perhaps he chose not to tell you—"

"He'll let me know everything!" Bellatrix was immediately furious. "He said I was his most loyal and trustworthy—"

"Is that really the case, Bellatrix?" said Snape, his composure.

"After the fiasco at the Ministry of Magic, does he still think so?"

"That's not my fault!" Bellatrix blushed. "It was a conspiracy, from Dumbledore and that mudblooded kid, we were deceived. ”

Bella argued loudly, "Moreover, the Dark Lord has already gotten one of what he wants, in the Department of Mysteries......"

Bella spoke loudly, and Snape just squinted and listened quietly, but Bellatrix was still a little measured, and she didn't say anything more about what Voldemort wanted to get.

"The Dark Lord has always entrusted me with the most cherished things in the past—if Lucius hadn't had it then—"

"How dare you—how dare you accuse my husband! We don't know what it is, or if it matters to the Dark Lord......" Narcissa whispered as she looked up at her sister, angry, but suppressed in her voice.

"Sharing the blame doesn't help," Snape said calmly. "It's hard to get back from the water. ”

"It's not up to you to say that!" Bellatrix roared furiously. "You're absent again while the rest of us are taking risks, aren't you, Snape?"

"I'm just like you, Bella—I've been ordered to stay behind," Snape said. "Maybe you don't agree with the Dark Lord's approach, or maybe you think Dumbledore wouldn't notice if I joined the ranks of the Death Eaters against the Order of the Phoenix? and—with all due respect—you're still talking about danger...... Aren't you dealing with a sixteen-year-old? Two sixteen-year-olds, I should say, look ......."

"You know very well, they then got reinforcements from half of the Order of the Phoenix!" Bellatrix growled. "And when it comes to the Order of the Phoenix, you're still claiming you can't tell where its headquarters are, aren't you?"

"I'm not a classifier, I can't name the location. I think you should know what this magic is all about. The Dark Lord was pleased with the information I had passed on to him about the Order of the Phoenix. As you may have guessed, this directly helped you find and kill Emmeline Vance, and also helped you remove a lot of eyeliner from the Ministry of Magic, but isn't that enough to prove it...... How useful?"

Snape paused, and the Monster spoke, then tilted his head towards her and toasted her. But her expression did not soften.

"You're running away from my last question, Snape. Harry Potter. You've had countless opportunities to kill him in the last five years. But you didn't. Why?"

"Have you discussed this with the Dark Lord?" asked Snape. He ...... Recently, we ...... I'm asking you, Snape!"

"If I kill Harry Potter, the Dark Lord will not be able to respawn with his blood, and will become invincible. ”

"You're saying you foresaw him taking advantage of the boy?" she scoffed.

"I didn't say that, I didn't know his plans, I confessed that I thought he was dead. I'm just trying to explain why the Dark Lord wasn't upset about Harry Potter being alive, at least until a year ago......"

"But why did you want him to live?"

"Didn't I tell you? it was Dumbledore's protection that kept me from going to Azkaban! You wouldn't deny that killing his favorite student would put him on my side, right? I should warn you that when Potter first entered Hogwarts, there were many stories about him, rumors that he was a great Dark wizard himself, or how he escaped from the Dark Lord's attack. In fact, many of the Dark Lord's followers felt that Potter could become a new banner around whom we could rally and regroup. I'll admit I was curious, and didn't even think about killing him the moment he stepped into the castle. ”

"Of course, it soon became clear to me that he didn't have any special talent at all. In some pinch, he always relied on a little luck and a more talented partner to get out of trouble. He's utterly mediocre, but he's just as obnoxious and smug as his father. I did everything I could to get him expelled from Hogwarts, I believe he didn't belong there, but to let me kill him, or let him be killed in front of me? ”

"Do we have to believe that Dumbledore never doubted you?" Bellatrix said. "He doesn't know who you're really loyal to, and he still trusts you absolutely?"

"I played my role well," Snape said. "And you're ignoring Dumbledore's greatest weakness: he believes in the best of human nature. When I took refuge in him, I made up a story that I deeply regretted breaking with my old days as a Death Eater, and he welcomed me with open arms—although, as I have already said, he kept me from the dark arts. Dumbledore was a great wizard—yes, he was, and the Dark Lord admitted it.

However, I'm happy to say that he's getting older. Last month's duel with the Dark Lord was enough for him. He's been plagued by severe injuries ever since, as his response has not been as good as he used to be. But over the years, he had trusted Severus Snape, even asking me to teach two of his favorite students, which was my greatest value to the Dark Lord. ”

Bellatrix still looked displeased, though she didn't know what to do next. While she was quiet, Snape turned to her sister.

"So...... You've come to me for help, Narcissa?"

"Yes, Severus. I- I guess you're the only one who can help me, I'm cornered. Lucius had just come out of prison again, and ......" She closed her eyes, and two large tears oozed from under her eyelids.

"The Dark Lord forbids me to talk about this," Narcissa continued, his eyes still closed. He wanted no one to know about the plan. This is...... Very secret. But—"

"If he forbids it, you shouldn't say it," Snape said immediately. "The Dark Lord's word is the law. ”

Narcissa took a breath, as if she had been immersed in cold water. Bellatrix looked satisfied for the first time since stepping into the room.

"Look!" she said to her sister triumphantly. Even Snape said this: if he doesn't let you mention it, you shut up. ”

But Snape stood up, strode to the window, peered through the curtain into the abandoned street, and slammed them shut. He turned to Narcissa and frowned.

"It so happened that I knew about the plan," he whispered. "I was one of the very few people who had been told of this plan by the Dark Lord. Still, if I didn't happen to know the secret, Narcissa, you might have committed the grave sin of betraying the Dark Lord. ”

"I knew you knew about it!" Narcissa said, breathing a little easier. "He trusts you so much, Severus ......"

"You know the plan?" the look of satisfaction on Bellatrix's face quickly turned to anger. "You know?"

"Of course," Snape said. "What help do you want to seek, Narcissa, if you try to convince me to persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind, I'm afraid there is no hope, not at all. ”

"Severus," she whispered, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. "My son...... My only son......"

"Draco will be proud," Bellatrix said nonchalantly. "The Dark Lord has given him great glory. One word for Draco: he didn't back down from his responsibilities, he seemed very happy to have this opportunity to prove himself, and he was very excited about the future-"

Narcissa began to cry, her eyes fixed on Snape as pleading.

"That's because he's only sixteen years old, and he doesn't know what's waiting for him!Why, Severus? Why my son? It's too dangerous! It's revenge for Lucius's mistake, I know!"

Snape didn't say anything. He looked away from her tears, as if staring at her was an offense, but he couldn't possibly pretend not to hear what she said.

"That's why he chose Draco, isn't it?" she insisted. "To punish Lucius?"

"If Draco succeeds," Snape still doesn't look at her, "he'll get more credit than anyone else." ”

"But he won't make it!" Narcissa whimpered, "how could he, even the Dark Lord himself ......"

Bellatrix gasped, and Narcissa looked a little overwhelmed.

"I'm just saying...... No one has ever succeeded yet...... Severus...... Please...... You're, you've always been Draco's favorite teacher...... You're an old friend of Lucius...... I beg you...... You are the Dark Lord's favorite and most trusted advisor...... Tell him and persuade him to ——?."

"The Dark Lord won't be convinced, and I'm not stupid enough to try to convince him," Snape said calmly. "I don't deny that the Dark Lord is angry with Lucius. Lucius is to blame. He'd been caught himself, and he'd got a whole bunch of people, and besides, he hadn't been able to bring back the prophecy orb, and most importantly, Narcissa, you know— yes, the Dark Lord was angry, Narcissa, actually, very angry. ”

"Then I guessed right, he chose to get revenge through Draco!" Narcissa held her breath. "He didn't expect him to succeed, he wished he had died in agony!"

Snape didn't speak, and Narcissa seemed to have lost the last shred of self-restraint. She stood up, staggering over to Snape and grabbing the collar of his robe. Her face was so close to him that tears were dripping onto his chest, and she gasped, "You can do it." You can do it instead of Draco, Severus. You'll succeed, there's no doubt about it, and he'll reward you more than ever-"

Snape grabbed her wrist and wrenched her hand away. Looking down at her tear-stained face, he said slowly, "I think he's going to let me do it last." It was decided to let Draco try it first. You know, if Draco had been lucky, I would have been able to stay a little longer at Hogwarts and play my role as a spy. ”

"In other words, it doesn't matter to him that Draco is dead!"

"The Dark Lord is very angry," Snape repeated softly. He didn't hear the prophecy. You and I both know, Narcissa, that he never forgives easily. ”

She broke down and fell to the floor crying. "My only son...... My only son......"

"You should be proud!" Bellatrix said cruelly. "If I had a son, I would be more than happy to let them go and do things for the Dark Lord. ”

Narcissa screamed in despair, clutching one of her blonde hair with her hands. Snape bent down, grabbed her by the arm, lifted her up, and dragged her back to the couch. Then pour more wine into her cup and force the cup into her hand.

"Narcissa, stop making trouble. Drank this. Listen to me. She calmed down a little, and the wine in her glass spilled on herself, and she took a small sip with a shudder. "Maybe I still have a chance...... Help Draco. ”

She sat up, her pale face and her eyes wide open. "Severus—oh, Severus—will you help him? Will you look after him and make sure he doesn't get hurt?"

"I can give it a try. She threw the glass away, and it slid across the table, and she fell to her knees in front of Snape, grabbed his hand and kissed him. "If you're there to protect him...... Severus, do you dare to swear, do you dare to make an unbreakable oath?"

"Unbreakable Oath?" Snape's expression was hollow and elusive: yet Bellatrix giggled triumphantly.